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The Howling Photos
Movie Info
Cast & Crew
Karen White
Dr. George Waggner
Chris
R. William (Bill) Neill
Terry Fisher
Fred Francis
News & Interviews for The Howling
Critic Reviews for The Howling
All Critics (36) | Top Critics (2) | Fresh (25) | Rotten (11)
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A perverse, satirical contribution to the oft-maligned werewolf genre.
November 6, 2005 | Rating: B | Full Review… -
Ridiculous -- yes. Comical at times -- yes.
October 23, 2004 | Rating: 2/4 | Full Review… -
The atmosphere is too bright and insincere, with a focus on creating dread through untrustworthy accomplices rather than terrifying bloodshed.
September 6, 2020 | Rating: 3/10 | Full Review… -
The monster movie is back!
May 27, 2020 | Rating: 3/4 | Full Review… -
Dante manages to overcome his limitations to some degree, but the film itself never quite leaves the middle of the road.
August 7, 2019 | Rating: 2.5/4 | Full Review… -
The Howling may be 35 years old, but age is just a number. Insight is eternal.
August 5, 2019 | Full Review…
Audience Reviews for The Howling
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Apr 02, 2018The makeup and visual effects are awesome, especially in a major shape-shifting transformation scene close to the end, while the climax is effectively tense to make the film worth it, but even so the script is rather weak, uneven and can be quite silly and laughable sometimes.Carlos M Super Reviewer
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Oct 02, 2014In tandem with 'An American Werewolf in London', the transformation sequence in 'The Howling' is not quite as painstakingly excruciating and terrifying but it's within the proximity of impressive special effects from Rob Bottin. The chest inflates, the snout protrudes and the skin effervesces with hair. However, the end result is a shaggy muskrat that is more mangy and unkempt than goosebump-inducing. Such is the case for most of 'The Howling', a kitschy, obnoxiously winking B-picture that attempts to spoof self-help gurus but the satire is hokily ill-advised with this dross. A female werewolf in the newsroom squelches tensile-wire tension because the prosthetic is insufferably adorable and sublethal. Likewise the reaction shots from the viewing publics (a nuzzling couple, a Spanish cashier, etc.) are ridiculously tongue-in-cheek and plagiarized directly from a Zucker Bros. farce. Also I apologize for my lack of sophistication but I've never been an acolyte of Harryhausen stop-motion animation and a few frames of baying wolves is truly atrocious.Cory T Super Reviewer
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Apr 30, 2013[img]http://images.rottentomatoes.com/images/user/icons/icon14.gif[/img]Directors C Super Reviewer
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Nov 22, 2011A faulty addition to the werewolf genre, despite its own unique storyline. The transformation scenes are top notch and add a sense of realism with the makeup. The plot twist is very predictable and much of the acting is below average, if not bad. There are few scenes that are legitimately scary, but they are a breath of fresh air due to the slow start. A poor film that had plenty of potential to be classic, but fails in so many ways.Suneel J Super Reviewer
The Howling Quotes
Chris: | I've got silver bullets in here. (points rifle) |
Jerry Warren: | Silver bullets my ass! Get up, T.C.! |
Chris: | (looking in what was Eddie Quist's morgue locker) - He's not here! |
Morgue Attendant (Uncredited): | He was here this morning! |
Terry Fisher: | (noticing the damage on the inside of the locker door) - Look at the door! |
Chris: | You think somebody took him? |
Morgue Attendant (Uncredited): | Well, he didn't just get up and walk away! |
Eddie: | I'm gonna give you a piece of my mind. I trusted you, Karen. |
Dr. George Waggner: | Repression. Repression is the father of neurosis, of self-hatred. Now, stress results when we fight against our impulses. We've all heard people talk about animal magnetism, the natural man. The noble savage, as if we'd lost something valuable in our long evolution into civilized human beings. Now there's a good reason for this. |
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