The Howling (1981)

werewolf

This movie kept me from sleeping when I saw it as a kid. I still love it today. It is a little dated but the werewolfs and the story are still great even today! April 18, 2008

Bark at the moon in Werewolf Camp! The movie that changed the lycanthrope myth forever.

After viewing this film, did you ever wonder "What kind of lycanthrope should i become in a full moon night", the werewolf version of myself? I don't know about me, but i'm pretty sure my boyfriend should look like a mutant giant Saint-Bernard drooling all over the place, or maybe my little baby nephew should look like a cute little yorkshire terrier with a little pink lace. Now, how can those "deep" thoughts emerge out of this creepy, menacing, visceral, thrilling over the top horror clasic? Out of the genre-defining movie that changed not only the looks and feels of the werewolf physical nature forever, but the very escence of the mythology in this lycanthropy movie culture?

The answer is simple: Self-awareness. The old stereotype of the werewolf as a lonely creature holding a cursed soul but a good heart, desperatly escaping is own terrible fate and evading the deadly moonlights, is gone. In this movie, werewolves are presented for the first time as an organized clan of self-aware vicious and evil creatures, hidding behind their HUMAN day forms, and not the other way around. See? That is a big achievement in horror morphing-creature films, and a big "breakthrough" vision for the new 80's more extreme and bloody industry.

On the other half, the "wolf man" seems light-years away from this groundbreaking Epic in terms of creature evolution and special effects design: Say goodbye to the classic human disguised in make-up, with hair, nose and teet, and say hello to the new giant mutant wolves walking in two legs, and the consequent animatronic and visionary special effects features. The gruesome design of humanoid wolves instead of hairy humans was the major contribution of this film for the horror aesthetics industry till today. Check the first creepy "realistic" transformation ever filmed. Yes sir!

On top of that, put some nudity and some adult situations and you get the new standard for raw and gory horror films for the newborn decade of the 80's. I guess Joe Dante never imagined that back in 1981, he designed and invented the new werewolf culture for times to come.

Of course i won't talk about the creepy, atmospheric, twist-and-turn and incredibly tense story. I can't tell you that but this i can tell you: This is history in horror filmaking, the bible in werewolf films. Of course there's my beloved "American werewolf in london", a classic "cursed soul" type but incredibly funny, with the zombie-friend and victims haunting the poor guy, the incredible "hound out of hell" monster, the painfully detailed transformation, and the touching love story. This is completely different in every aspect, but somehow people tent to compare them, big mistake.

Enjoy this wonderful DVD edition with the remastered full-lenght theatrical version, with great sound and picture, full-packed with extras and all the information available, including interviews, trailers and documentaries. The most important of course, the special effects and creature design feature. A real piece of work.

Don't you ever miss this movie, "Dog Soldier" fan. This is a part of your culture.
March 20, 2008

A howling good time!!!

This is a true classic .It scared the heck out of me when I saw it at the drive in.The werewolves are far advanced compared to Lon Chaneys wolfman.They are huge and imposing.This movie took me off guard.The little bits of nostalgia and humor make it lighter too.Seeing little red riding hood and the gypsy in Lon Chaneys "the Wolfman"footage along with Dee Wallace as the newsanchor turning into a cute werewolf then getting shot and switching quickly to a closeup of dogfood in a commercial were pretty cool!And the little piece at the end with the sexy wolfgal ordering a burger rare were a nice touch. January 31, 2008

Classic flic

I saw it on the big screen as a teenager. Pretty intense back then - still good now though. Well acted.
Fairly erotic too. Great sex scene with Elisabeth Brooks - what a knockout. Really must have stretched the R rating to its limit back then, when all you need to get an R rating was a 4 letter word or two.
Never saw the sequels - should check them out sometime. January 18, 2008

Great horror homage

The Howling I have always enjoyed because it mixes elements of fear and humour but mainly because it is this massive homage to the early years of horror.
Horror collector extraordinaire Forrest J. Ackerman, and Roger Corman are in it and there is even a clip at one point of Lon Chaney Jr., in the Wolfman, and a reference to Wolfman Jack.
Also characters in the film are named after horror directors such as
George Waggner (Patrick Macnee), who directed Wolf Man, Man Made Monster;
Erle Kenton (John Carradine), who directed House of Dracula, House of Frankenstein, The Ghost of Frankenstein, The Cat Creeps
Lew Landers (Jim Mcrell) who directed The Raven, Return of the Vampire, the Boogie Man Will Get You,
As for John Carradine, he appeared in Invisible Man, the Black Cat, Bride of Frankenstein, Mummy's Ghost, House of Frankenstein, House of Dracula, and Bela's last great piece, The Black Sleep. November 13, 2007

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