Directed by:
Joe DanteScreenplay:
John SaylesCinematography:
John HoraComposer:
Pino DonaggioCast:
Dee Wallace, Patrick Macnee, Dennis Dugan, Christopher Stone, Belinda Balaski, Kevin McCarthy, John Carradine, Slim Pickens, Robert Picardo, Noble Willingham (more)VOD (1)
Plots(1)
Severely traumatized by a near-fatal encounter with a serial killer, TV newscaster Karen White (Dee Wallace) takes time off at a secluded retreat called "the Colony." But when, after nights of being tormented by bestial, bloodcurdling cries, Karen ventures into the woods seeking answers, she makes a terrifying discovery. Now she must fight not only for her life but for her soul! (official distributor synopsis)
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Reviews (4)
Joe Dante likes A and B horror movies, and I like Joe Dante. This time, however, compared to his other works, I missed one very important component - humor. Yes, it's simply not that serious and the plot asks for some lightness from time to time. Now, of course, I'm not referring to the excellent opening, which has a Brian de Palma-like atmosphere, but to most of what happens afterwards in Colonia. The very end, in which we finally get to see the humor, makes this clear. We should have laughed more, then maybe we would have been more scared.
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Werewolf films are not precisely my favourite type of horror and The Howling won’t make me change that view. Its main problem is the first half, which is not just relatively boring, but incredibly so. Things pick up speed in the second half and the turns in the story start to accumulate, only to be brutally killed by its rubbish ending. Some of the scenes with the werewolves are very well made, but there were others that aren’t so effective. For example, the transformation scene looks quite ridiculous today, but becomes an utter loser when compared with a similar scene in An American Werewolf In London. 50%
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Hardened wolf fur, a bright moon, and finally some silver bullets in Joe Dante's werewolf hell. For its time, the masks are decent, and there's one longer, well-executed transformation, but what good does that do when the film is so incredibly stupid, with odd scene transitions and, at times, framed by truly bizarre music? The attempt to insert a sexual aspect into the werewolf's nature, a nod to Jonestown, or criticism of sensationalist TV might have been commendable if Joe hadn't also tried so hard to be entertaining in a forced way.
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This film has a nicely upwards trend, after all. The beginning is awful and chaotic, but the psychology finds its feet after they move to the island, the viewer can take in the intentions of the creators, and the last act is actually very good (the part after they burn the barn maybe even excellent). It’s a pity that it’s so shoddy overall and lacking creative initiative; the potential for boldness didn’t need to end with werewolf sex and a naked Elizabeth Brooks, whom I would immediately cast in Baywatch. 55%
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Gallery (99)
Photo © Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)
![The Howling - Photos](http://image.pmgstatic.com/cache/resized/w663/files/images/film/photos/159/976/159976997_a2aed9.jpg)
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