Everything is silly: the story line, most of the special effects, the acting. I don't know how one can seriously name this 80ies flick in the same breath with "Helloween", "Nightmare on Elmstreet"" or even "Friday the 13th".
This is still my favorite werewolf film. It's a little goofy at times. The tone changes often. But man! Those Rob Bottin special effects...I love the "bubbly" skin and the way the nose stretches. Looks painful!
The "Eddie Quist" werewolf transformation is the best and scariest one of its kind in any movie from any era. It's incredible that thirty years later it still amazes. I remember seeing this movie when I was a teenager and I recall how great I thought it was at that time. Sitting down and really watching it again giving it my full attention, it really holds up. And why am I not surprised? It's a Rob Bottin creation. He'd do "The Thing" just one year after this. The fully transformed werewolf here tops even those in "An American Werewolf in London".
The story itself is a little corny to start but Dee Wallace is at her best. She's tough but still vulnerable and cute and you can't help but pull for her. She is really up against it once she enters the 'Colony' camp, but she holds her own. The ending doesn't work well because the mood changes from dead serious to funny, but the rest of "The Howling" has such quirky characters and such an overwhelming sense of impending doom it's not too hard to accept its odd wrap up.
Back to the "Eddie" werewolf transformation...I was watching it by myself in the dark late at night and it frightened me. In mid-transformation, Eddie looks insane, his mouth stretched into a demonic grin with bugged out, practically spinning eyeballs. I've seen this look from a creation in a Joe Dante movie before, in his "It's A Good Life" segment of "Twilight Zone: The Movie". It's unnerving for me to watch in that movie but in "The Howling" it's downright scary. I'm sure it had something to do with the mood I set for myself while watching, but the effects in this scene are amazing and there are some accompanying sound effects and music that really tweak the nerves.
There are pretty good performances throughout with the members of the 'Colony' almost completely over-the top. It's good to see Patrick Macnee, Kevin McCarthy, and John Carradine with relatively substantial roles too.
"The Howling" is an underrated treat with a good story, smart characters, and really impressive special effects.
THE HOWLING IS A ACTION COMEDY HORROR MYSTERY THRILLER FROM JOE DANTE THE DIRECTOR OF
THE HOLE, THE BURBS, SMALL SOLDIERS, HOLLYWOOD BOULEVARD, PIRANHA, ROCK N ROLL HIGH SCHOOL, TWILIGHT ZONE: THE MOVIE, GREMLINS, EXPLORERS, INNERSPACE, GREMLINS 2: THE NEW BATCH, MATINEE, THE SECOND CIVIL WAR AND LOONEY TUNES: BACK IN ACTION AND STARRING DEE WALLACE, PATRICK MACNEE, DENNIS DUGAN, CHRISTOPHER STONE, BELINDA BALASKI, KEVIN MCCARTHY, JOHN CARRADINE, SLIM PICKENS, ELISABETH BROOKS, ROBERT PICARDO, NOBLE WILLINGHAM, JAMES MURTAUGH AND JAMES MCKRELL AND I RENTED ON VIDEO AND WATCHING ON DVD.
I really enjoy these movies with the practical special effects. They are so creative compared to modern CGI. I also like the nods to the Universal Monster movies. The addition of John Carradine was a nice touch.
I had high expectations because it's considered a cult classic but I don't see what's so special about. Not as fun as An American Werewolf in London.
I did love the last ten minutes, though.
An extremely boring first half followed by one of the best werewolf transformation scenes i've seen. Great practical effects, nice costumes and good score. Lots of dumb decision making from not only the victims but the werewolves too. A decent amount of action in the third act but I was so bored the rest of the time.
Fully delivers with some classic Joe Dante characters and some great werewolf action, lags a little in the middle but makes up for it
This one doesn’t live up to its cult status for me. Perhaps my expectations were to high considering the following and being a Joe Dante film.
The Howling is a solid werewolf movie that still works pretty well today. The effects are strong. In particular, the transformation looks fantastic, and the monster design is also impressive. The atmosphere is great, too. In the dark, foggy forest, the horror comes across well. Acting and writing, on the other hand, deliver mixed results. Some of the actors made some questionable choices in portraying their characters, although I liked Dee Wallace and Robert Picardo in their roles. The story takes place mostly in a remote community, and if you don't know what's going on after a few minutes, you must be really not paying attention. The film ends on a high note because of the strong finale. I wouldn't eat that burger, though.
Horror with werewolves in this film.
This is the best werewolf movie. The best. Best effects and also weird. The best!!!!
A classic. The effects hold up because they are real! The story is creepy and the monsters are, well, monstrous. The tongue in cheek nature of some of it really helps heighten the horror in my mind. Robert Picardo is nearly unrecognizable in what turns out to be a pretty good sized role.
Back then when werewolves look ugly and genuinely scary, not some plain looking wolves in a forbidden love story shit. This is a great werewolf classic! It's bizzare and unsettling! The transformation into werewolf is wild and satisfying thanks to fantastic make-up and practical effects. The score helps set the right mood. You got over-the-top 80s acting and weird cult action going on. What's not to like?
I love the early years of John Sayles’ career, when he divided his time between directing earnest character drama that explored social issues, and writing genre films about werewolves, alligators in the sewers and genetically engineered piranha that explored social issues. In this one he also has a small role as a coroner who keeps his sandwich on the same tray as someone’s brain.
This movie did for werewolves what PIRANHA did for, er, fish...it treated the monsters in a bloody, but not over the top, way.
Very predictable. Bland story and characters. Relies on it being scary just because a werewolf is in the movie.
Shout by Lars SievalVIP EP 7BlockedParent2019-10-05T11:35:48Z
This is my first rewatch of The Howling and I still like it, the story is interesting, I like the werewolf society idea, forgot the ending so I loved it again. The werewolf transformations are looking good, Dee Wallace is always a blast, the chopped off paw turning to human hand is amazing, Joe Dante's direction is always solid and it is one of the best Werewolf films out there.
I think the Howling is a film I can rewatch every year and still enjoy it. The runtime is perfect, the film will never bore you and it is just one of those solid 80's horror film and a classic in the horror genre for me.
Anyway, The Howling was an enjoyable way to spend this morning!