The Howling (1981)
The early 80s saw a revival in werewolf films. A lycanthrope renaissance if you will. The first film to kick off the re-emergence was Joe Dante’s, The Howling.
Famous TV anchor, Karen White (Dee Wallace) encounters a notorious psycho slasher in what is quite possible the most poorly executed police sting of all time. Karen gets attacked and the fuzz pumps lead into the deranged lunatic. The whole ordeal traumatizes Karen and her psychologist recommends that she goes to some hippie retreat known as The Colony.
The Colony is located in the sleepy pines of Northern California and the foggy as fuck forest is effectively chilling both day and night. Perhaps just as appealing as the setting are the whack-job inhabitants of The Colony. From Slim Pickens oxymoron shaped sheriff to the sexy, nymphomaniac Marsha (Elisabeth Brooks), they all help draw you into the primal tale unfolding around Karen and her mustache aficionado husband, Bill (Christopher Stone).
Joe Dante makes the best use of his actors and special effects and that’s part of The Howling’s scrappy appeal. Dante winks and nods at the classic werewolf films and then shrewdly debunks stereotypical lycanthrope lore. Watching occult bookstore owner Walter Paisley (Dick Miller) educate folks on werewolves with his “snake oil salesman” approach is devilishly funny.
Special effects guy, Rob Bottin, unleashes a show stopping transformation that is practical effects ecstasy. The sinewy, bone cracking, scene never cuts away and you’ll be wondering how they pulled it all off. It looks unbelievable and certainly better than any CG transformations that has been used in recent years. The werewolves are tall, menacing and actually frightening. Luckily, Dante had some money left in the budget for some adequate gore effects that help give the wolves some bite.
The Howling is like that former high school stud athlete who currently spends his days in bars trying to woo floozy whores that still worship him. What I’m trying to say is, if you didn’t grow up idolizing this movie, you probably won’t enjoy it much. The pacing is excruciatingly slow and the miniscule budget forces the werewolves to take a backseat to the satirical story that focuses on self-help psychology. The special effects still have that “wow” factor, but everything else feels a bit long in the tooth. I can wholeheartedly recommend The Howling, though only hardcore werewolf fans need apply.
Final Grade: B+