The Howling (1981)

This 1980 flick by Joe Dante not only updated the werewolf picture for the modern age, it performed exactly as he intended...it scared the living shit out of me when I was a kid. Mission accomplished Joe. Before the string of shitty sequels, the original “Howling” stood as a terrific little low budget film that combined competent acting, solid story, atmospheric photography, and showcased some simply awesome Rob Bottin special effects. Many horror films wish they could boast in just one of those category’s let alone all of them, and hell, the Pino Donaggio score was pretty damn good as well.

Dee Wallace plays TV anchorwoman Karen White, on the trail of L.A.’s latest serial killer “Eddie the Mangler”. Wired to her T.V. people and the police, she agrees to meet Eddie in a porno shop where she is attacked and traumatized by the meeting, escaping with her life only after the police shoot and kill Eddie. Unable to cope with the incident, Karen and her husband are invited to stay for a week at her shrink’s personal backwoods retreat known as “The Colony”, where she is told she’ll be able to heal from her ordeal through a little group therapy, enjoying nature and the like. Of course, everyone at the colony seems just a tad “peculiar” and say, just what is making those weird howling noises that Karen hears at night?

“The Howling” doesn’t necessarily start out with werewolf attacks left and right, it feels more like a mystery flick for the first hour or so, with only occasional hints dropped here and there to remind you it’s a werewolf picture. It’s interesting to note that the promos for the film conjured up vibes of a crime/drama flick rather than a werewolf/monster picture. But oh boy, when these wolves hit my friends, they hit hard. It takes some time until we see the first creature, but it’s well worth the wait. Rob Bottin’s werewolf transformations are by now legendary, and it’s simply incredible to see what he created on such a low budget. Forget the old Lon Chaney/time elapse technique, turning into a werewolf here looks pretty damn painful. Bones break, muscles stretch and the whole body twists, contorts, and bubbles. Some feel these transformations have aged through the years, but I disagree. Twenty years after the fact, it’s still some killer stuff to watch, as today it would all be done via crappy CGI. The film is more than just a special effects showcase however, Dee Wallace is great as Karen and the entire cast is full of quirky characters from the nympho Marsha to fan favorites like Dick Miller and John Carradine. There are also tons of little in-jokes for the horror aficionado to catch; you get the vibe throughout the whole film that Dante truly loves the genre. "The Howling" stands as one of the best werewolf films ever, if not “the” best, and a terrific example of a well-executed monster movie.