The Howling

Rating:
Summary: The best werewolf movie ever made, but disappointing DVD...
Review: THE HOWLING, clearly the best werewolf film besides AN AMERICAN WEREWOLF IN LONDON, is well deserving of a great DVD package including theatrical trailers, behind-the-scenes footage, documentaries on the making of the film, an audio commentary, and other assorted extras. But does it get this extravagent package? Nnnnnnnnoooooooo! MGM has decided to go bare-bones with this classic horror film, including nothing on the disc besides a measly trailer. What is wrong with them?! Can't they see that the fans want more? Surely they should be able to see that THE HOWLING has a rapidly growing cult following! What caused them to go bare-bones with this DVD? Who knows? They could have easily gotten something worthwhile enough to put on the disc... maybe they were just being lazy. There isn't even a scene selection sheet in the box which is usually included inside every DVD!

As you can see, I really love this film. It's in my top ten favorite horror films. So it makes me angry that they can give great treatments to other films, but not to this. My five star rating is for the FILM ONLY. If I had to rate this review on the DVD itself, I'd give it a one, despite how much I love this film. It is disappointing to see a classic such as this being neglected. Oh, well... at least they have released it on DVD-- let's be thankful for that! Despite the lack of extras, the picture and sound quality is very good, and MGM has done a great job on that part of the DVD. Now if they'll only release THE HOWLING in a Special Edition like they did to CARRIE... CARRIE was originally a bare-bones DVD also, but they recently released it into a great Special Edition. Maybe, just maybe, they'll do the same with this great film...

Rating:
Summary: A HORROR FILM TO HOWL ABOUT...
Review: This is an atmospheric and often scary horror flick, a classic in the werewolf genre. It stars the sweet voiced Dee Wallace as Karen White, a prominent television anchor woman. Contacted by serial killer/rapist Eddie Quist, who has been butchering women, Karen agrees to meet him, hoping to out scoop her competition and end his reign of terror. When she does final get to meet him clandestinely, things do not go as expected and Karen is severely traumatized by their encounter and unable to recall what happened when they met or recall what Eddie looked like.

Needing to recover from her ordeal, she goes with her husband (Christopher Stone) to an idyllic rural retreat, called "The Colony", on the advice of a celebrity therapist(Patrick MacNee). There, she meets an odd assortment of characters, including the beautiful and sexy Marsha (Elizabeth Brooks), an obvious seductress who makes no bones about desiring Karen's husband. Venturing into the forest one night, he has a memorable encounter with the feral Marsha, an encounter that the viewer will also not forget. From then on, things do not look good for Karen, as her world seems to close in on her. Tormented by the unearthly shrieks and howls that emanate from the forest at night, Karen is a woman on the verge of a nervous breakdown. When a fellow reporter and friend (Belinda Balaski) discovers that there is a connection between Eddie Quist and "The Colony", Karen is left to put all the pieces together. What she discovers will keep the viewer riveted to the screen. Look for a surprising ending.

This is a highly entertaining horror film with a number of scenes that are sure to unnerve the viewer. There are also some campy and laughable scenes, as well, but these do not detract from the overall impact of the film. It remains one of the best werewolf movies around. The special effects are very good and the film is well paced with enough action to go around. The scene in which Karen's friend discovers the real nature of "The Colony" is absolutely terrifying. The ending of the film is surprising and unique. It is a horror film not easily forgotten.

The DVD itself is a no frills DVD. It offers no special features to speak of other than the original theatrical trailer and the option for English and Spanish language subtitles. It is available in widescreen format only, and while the sound on the DVD is good, the picture is somewhat grainy, lacking the crystalline clarity one often expects of a DVD. Still, the movie is well worth having in one's collection, and DVD is the only way to go.

Rating:
Summary: I don't like bad movies!
Review: I have seen a lot of horror films in my days and this is by far one of the worst. It's so bad I don't even know why I'm spending time writing this review. Actually my review is to inform everyone not to waste 90 minutes of their life like I did. Why Slim Pickens was cast in this I'll never know. Though I will say one good thing about this film, at least it's better than all of it's sequels. For those of you who enjoyed this film, I'm sorry.

Rating:
Summary: A good comedy and A good B Horror Movie.
Review: This is one of the best werewolf movies of the 80s. Rob Bottin's (THE THING, BASIC INSTINCT) Make-up FX are at his best. I like this movie then THE WOLF MAN and the sly humor is some good fun like were the woman becomes a wolf on TV.
The story is about a were-wolf clan and a serial killer who is fixated on a newswoman (Dee Wallace Stone, from E.T. and CUJO).
Good movie, get it, and look out for the letterboxed DVD.

1981. MGM. 92 MINS (...)

Rating:
Summary: Major Disappointment
Review: Being such a huge fan of John Landis's entertaining horror/comedy AN AMERICAN WEREWOLF IN LONDON, I rented THE HOWLING (released around the same time as AAWIL) hoping that it would be just as good, maybe even better than what I was anticipating. Unfortunately, I was once again suckered into believing the reviews of this movie, calling it "The Best Horror Movie." THE HOWLING is far from it, an exercise of how bad you can screw up a seemingly good premise with poor pacing and a disjointed plot.

Dee Wallace stars as Karen White, a TV news reporter who at the beginning of the film is being used as bait to capture demented serial rapist Eddie Quist (Robert Picardo). Karen meets up with Eddie, never seeing his face, but her brief encounter with him makes her traumatized. Since her trauma is putting a strain on her life and marriage, therapist Patrick MacNee sends her to "The Colony," a backwoods group therapy center which contains a host of patients including the sexy Marsha and a suicidal old man. Needless to say, Karen, along with her two friends, discover something fishy going on and soon the blood and fur start to fly.

Although Eddie Quist's transformation into a werewolf towards the end of the film is truly amazing, and the funny moments involving a mortician and a librarian are short but sweet, there's not much else to say about THE HOWLING. It's no small wonder why Dee Wallace has been starring in low-budget B-pictures ever since; she's a terrible actress. Throughout all 90 minutes of this movie, I never believed once that Karen was in any kind of danger or threat. Joe Dante is a good director, however, but his use of shocks and scares are predictable. Plus, the scenes where Karen's husband Bill (played by Christopher Stone, Dee's real-life beau) gets bitten by Marsha, has sex with her the next night, and automatically turns into a wolf is utterly ridiculous.

THE HOWLING is, in short, a disappointment.

Rating:
Summary: THIS MOVIE IS REALLY CREEPY
Review: I remember the first time that I saw the Howling back in the early 80s'. Back then it was unlike anything that I had ever seen and this opinion still holds almost 20 years later. The Howling is one of the few movies made back in the early 80s that does not have a "cheese factor." The story is genuine as far as horror.I think that the most frightening part of the movie is how Karen White (played by Dee Wallace Stone)is so vulnerable. The special effects look very real in the werewolf transformation. If the Howling were made by today's technology it would be ruined by cheap looking computer generated effects.

There are very few horror movies that will stick with you for life. The Howling is one of the few that will!

Rating:
Summary: BEST WEREWOLF FLICK. PERIOD. END OF STORY.
Review: If you want a decent werewolf flick with excellent effects and a goofy sense of humor, see AN AMERICAN WEREWOLF IN LONDON. If you want to see an AN EXCELLENT werewolf flick, with excellent effects, and a goofy sense of humor, AND want to be scared out of your pants, see THE HOWLING. THE HOWLING is a much more entertaining and terrifying ride, with a story is that is more involving and gripping than AAWIL: a Los Angeles anchorwoman (Dee Wallace)is nearly killed in a botched sting operation in which she is used as bait to catch a vicious serial killer known for mutilating his victims. She is sent to a remote rest haven in rural California to recover, but as soon as she arrives strange things start to happen: eerie howling sounds in the woods, a sense of being watched, and something attacking her husband (Chris Stone). Soon, she discovers that virtually everyone at the haven is a werewolf, including the seemingly kindly shrink (Patrick MacNee)who sent her there. The flick is a joltingly good example of an era when horror films were actually frightening. There is an almost claustrophobic sense of dread throughout, and several sequences are particularly memorable: Belinda Balaski (as Dee Wallace's best friend) making a disturbing discovery on a remote beach, then being stalked through the woods by something unseen, then attacked inside an ominous cabin, then escaping after a tense struggle, only to be cornered again in a nearby clinic. There's also the horrific transformation scene later in the clinic when Dee Wallace finally recovers all her suppressed memories at the sight of the metamorphosizing werewolf. It is also one of the film's special effects highlights. Then there's the finale of the film, which is both touching and terrifying at the same time (I won't say more about this). Bottom line: THE HOWLING is what a good horror flick should be: smart, sexy, scary, and funny in all the right places. See it, buy it, keep it.... Take that, AAWIL.....

Rating:
Summary: A TV-grade Sheep in Low-Budget Werewolf's Clothing
Review: For any genre fan with even a modicum of critical taste, it is difficult to understand why THE HOWLING often gets great kudos from other horror fans. The acting is either underplayed or histrionic, which is not surprising since many of the principal actors are veterans of B-grade TV; most of the special effects are noticeably low-budget, and they are neither visually interesting nor scary; and the story itself is ho-hum. At best, this flick should be relegated to the shelf alongside the B-grade TV or direct-to-video offerings.

Aside from the tissue-thin plot and the mostly mediocre acting, the special effects are really the biggest--and most surprising--letdown. The transformation scenes, for the most part, look stiff and unnatural, as if they were done on clothing-store mannequins rather than live actors. And the fully formed werewolves look more like mangy, rabid street dogs than preternatural lycanthropes. (There are two exception to this rule: In a scene were one of the werewolves gets its hand chopped off by a potential victim, the severed extremity reverts back to human form in a realistic and gruesome manner; and in the final transformation scene, Dee Wallace ends up looking less like a street dog and more like Chewbacca from STAR WARS.)

The thing that makes the obvious low quality of the make-up and special effects so surprising is the fact that renowned Make-up artist Rick Baker was a consultant. At virtually the same time that he was helping with THE HOWLING, Baker was creating the make-up effects for another--and far superior--werewolf flick, AN AMERICAN WEREWOLF IN LONDON, for which he went on to win the 1981 Oscar for Best Make-up (first ever for this category). It creates an enigma: how could Baker contribute to such tripe for one film and at the same time create such art for another? Maybe after reading the scripts, he decided to save his best ideas for the better-written film.

That is not to say that THE HOWLING doesn't have a few interesting qualities, the most notable of which is the stunningly beautiful Elisabeth Brooks (who unfortunately passed away in 1997). Ms. Brooks' performance is both mysterious and erotic, and her nude scene is an absolute delight (in spite of being vitiated somewhat by the presence of Christopher Stone). It is also a joy to see THE AVENGER's Patrick Macnee--the one TV actor in this troupe who is a true thespian of note--and Kevin McCarthy (of INVASION OF THE BODY SNATCHERS fame) gives a fun-to-watch performance in a minor role. (Robert Picardo is a sometimes interesting actor--his recurring performances on the STAR TREK television series VOYAGER was wonderful--but his role here is rather dully played.)

There are also some fun in-jokes and cameos scattered throughout the movie. Genre director Roger Corman makes a brief appearance as a man waiting to use a pay phone, and famed horror actor John Carradine has a fun but small role as a purportedly recovering alcoholic. There is an absolutely delightful scene in a curio shop with Forrest J. Ackerman browsing through shelves in the background. As Ackerman turns and walks away from the principal action, it's not hard to notice that he is carrying two or three back-issues of FAMOUS MONSTERS OF FILMLAND.

Unfortunately, the few high points just don't work to elevate the film above standard B-movie fare. THE HOWLING is an enjoyable waste of an hour-and-a-half for dyed-in-the wool horror fans, especially those fans of the genre who place werewolf films at the top of their list. However, anybody seeking high-quality cinema horror or a really good scare should look elsewhere.

Rating:
Summary: A truly scary movie
Review: Despite some hilarious high-camp scenes, The Howling is one of the few scary movies that actually scares me. Some of the most chilling moments result from the camera focusing on only shadows or only the eyes or feet of a werewolf. A frantic pace, a remote setting, and some incredible pre-CGI creature effects help make this a classic horror flick. I've tried (unsuccessfully) to endure each of the sequels, but have never made it more than a few minutes through any of those B-movie clunkers. Instead, I watch this favorite again and again. If you must watch a werewolf B-movie, stick with the horrible but amusing Bad Moon or Project Metalbeast. Better yet, watch the good werewolf flicks, like The Howling, An American Werewolf in London, An American Werewolf in Paris, Stephen King's Silver Bullet, and some of the earliest black and white ones. You might even try The Wolfen, which features a complex mythology of werewolves in the clever and scary book; though the movie just uses wolves with glowing eyes, it certainly isn't bad either.

Rating:
Summary: Great film, poor DVD
Review: Too bad MGM stiffs the customer, but then, for $11 whaddya want?

Suffice to say, along with "An American Werewolf In London" (which has its "definitive" DVD release this month, and it's not bad, though it could have included extra footage), this is THE pinnacle in werewolf transformation sequences (ah! the days before digital efx). To put an early posts conundrum to rest: Dick Smith pioneered the "airbag" or "bladder" transformation with Rick Baker when Baker was signed to do "The Howling." Baker created the designs for the werewolves eventual shape and size, and began work on the transformation sequences (pre-production) only to find that John Landis finally, after a long struggle, finally got the clout and funding to do "An American Werewolf in London." Baker had pledged to do Landis's film since when they were in their early 20's and filming a little known movie called "Shlock" (which included one of Baker's first ape makeups). Baker turned to his protegee, Rob Bottin, who he had been training since Bottin was about 15 or so. Bottin was well versed in the Dick Smith designed bladder makeups (the bladder was usually a condom, tied off in different spots, with a small hose out one end and hooked up to either a syringe, a pneumatic ram, or a "harmonica" which the controller blew into to create a "bubbling" effect. The bladder was covered with a prosthetic appliance or latex that blended to the actors skin, or could be designed as part of a full puppet prosthesis). Bottin improved on the design and though Smith created it, Baker dropped it (it wasn't used for "American Werewolf In London, which went in for "change-o" heads of David Naughton/wolf to achieve a smoother transition from a man to wolf's skull structure), Smith later used it in "Altered States" for scenes of William Hurt transforming from Dr. Jessup to primitive man... it became Bottin's signature, utilized in many of his outrageous makeups and monsters ("Twilight Zone: The Movie," "The Thing").

Having cleared that up... "The Howling" is a brilliant film with Joe Dante creating what amounts to a drive-in chiller with smarts (courtesy of Dante's tuteledge under Roger Corman, and John Sayles witty and knowledgeable script) and a keen sense of satire ("The Colony" could easily be in Big Sur, as the Esalen institute is... get in touch with yourself, baby!) and absurdity... it plays with the genre in much the same way "American Werewolf" does, and it's hard to say which is the better film when they are both supurb examples of a time when filmmaking was more of a craft than a yet another pop-culture chore.

So, the DVD blows chunks, but the film is still a great date movie! ("'Cause it's a Thrillah!")