Anyone who's ever heard the howl of an animal in the dead of night has probably asked themselves, 'what was that?' and perhaps more importantly, is it outside my window! If this has indeed happened to you, then 1981's "The Howling" won't put you at ease! It all begins on the mean streets of Los Angles with local TV reporter Karen White on her way to meet a vicious serial killer named Eddie Quist (Robert Picardo) who's reached out to her. After a terrifying encounter with Eddie in a darkened room and a police shoot, you can probably see why Karen's a little strung out. So on the advice of renowned psychologist Dr. George Waggner (Patrick Macnee) she and her husband, Bill(Christopher Stone) head up to a secluded, counseling sanctuary known as "the colony". All seems well at first; the people are friendly if not slightly odd to some degree, but still friendly enough. However just when she's settling in for the night is when the howling begins. Soon enough, we discover that the colony is actually a place for werewolves to get away from the civilized world and these aren't your Lon Chaney type wolves that have to wait for the moon to be full. They are the primal beasts within all of us, waiting to be unleashed onto the world. Will Karen and Bill make it out or are they destined to be victims of the howling?
Did you hear that honey?
Directed by Joe Dante ("Gremlins", "Pirana") "The Howling" came out at a time when werewolf films were all but dead. There hadn't really been any real hits like 1941's "The Wolf Man" in decades and most studio heads considered the werewolf premise corny and outdated. Needless to say, "The Howling" forever destroyed that idea. Based off of the novel by Gary Brandner, the story strips away all talk of the full moon belief (Which was never part of the original werewolf lore to begin with. The whole notion of the full moon was created by Curt Siodmak when he wrote the screenplay to 1941's "The Wolf Man") and instead presents the werewolves as simply shape shifters who have a craving for blood every now and then. This makes them more evil and powerful since there are no limitations to where and when they can transform. All of this is directed masterfully by Dante, who is able to create a spooky and foreboding atmosphere and for a second make you believe that all talk of beasts in the night may not sound so ridiculous after all. I would even go as far as to say this is his best work ever. The script is cleverly written to include not only horror but a few inside jokes for those who know a thing or two about werewolf flicks.
And as for makeup, this isn't your grandfather's werewolf flick. For the longest time, Hollywood werewolves looked like a guy with a hairy football glued to his head (No offense to Lon Chaney and the guys at Universal). Here, the werewolves look exactly as they should; big, hairy, mean beasts from the pits of hell.
The beast rears its ugly head!
Rob Bottin must be congratulated all the way for his work here, especially when it comes to Eddie's transformation sequence. Even in this day and age of CGI and digital cameras, that scene still is nothing short of incredible and has to rank as one of the best transformation sequences ever. In fact to really put things in perspective, the only transformation scene that might beat it would be the one from "An American Werewolf in London" which was also made in the same year as this. All of the actors and actresses play their parts well, which goes a long way to making films of this type into something special. Dee Wallace proves she is by far one of the actresses when it comes to getting into character and being scared out of her mind when playing Karen. Christopher Stone should be congratulated for his role as Bill, who badly wants to help his wife but is unsure just how. Patrick Macnee of "The Avengers" fame is delightful to watch here as the good if not slightly unconventional doctor (You'll see!), as is Robert Picardo as the disturbing Eddie Quist. Rounding out the cast is the beautiful but sadly deceased Elizabeth Brooks as wolf-siren Marsha Quist (below),
John Carradine, Slim Pickens, Dennis Dugan, Belinda Balaski, Noble Willingham, James Murtaugh, and many more who I just don't have space for. In the end, "The Howling" is a everything a horror film should be: Spooky, scary, unsettling, and able to stand the test of time. This film, along with "An American Werewolf in London" of the same year, probably saved the werewolf genre from extinction and still is one of the all time greats of its kind. There were a bunch of sequels after this, but none of the ones I saw could hold a candle to it. It's a real testament to the quality of work Dante and Co. did on this. So without further adieu, lock all the doors, shutter all windows, and settle in to watch a modern horror classic. P.S. Might not be a bad idea to keep some sliver at hand in case you should hear the howling outside your bedroom window!
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