The Howling (1981)

First of all I like to say I'm a big fan of werewolves horror movies! The Howling (1981) is the sole best of the Howling movie series! The Howling (1981) is loaded with suspense, horror, terror (Great\Good Fear), a bit of sex and nudity (which comes with the territory of werewolves films often! 8), great costume and special effects. And most importantly of all, you'll see the best werewolf transformation in horror cinema history! Kudos\Bravo to the Makeup Department: Rick Baker ... special makeup effects consultant Joe Beserra ... makeup effects studio artist Rob Bottin ... special makeup effects creator Greg Cannom ... additional makeup effects Bill Davis ... assistant makeup artist Morton Greenspoon ... creative contact lens effects (as Morton K. Greenspoon O.D.) Tina Kline ... contact lens technician (as Tina Klein) Shawn McEnroe ... first makeup effects assistant Medusah ... assistant hair stylist (as Anne Aulenta-Spira) / assistant makeup artist (as Anne Aulenta-Spira) Art Pimentel ... second makeup effects assistant Margaret Prentice ... makeup effects studio artist (as Margaret Beserra) Josephine Turner ... special hair work / wig maker Gigi Williams ... hair stylist / makeup artist Kevin Brennan ... special makeup effects artist (uncredited) Steve LaPorte ... special makeup effects artist (uncredited) Bill Sturgeon ... creature effects crew (uncredited).And kudos\bravo to the cast & production crew of this film who made it the best werewolves movie ever! 8)

I first saw this on a VHS in the mid 80s. Revisited it recently on a DVD. After a very unpleasant incident involving a serial killer, TV reporter Dee Wallace takes some time off and goes to a retreat, but it's a place with horrifying secrets. The movie starts very slow with lots of chatting n nothing happening but eventually picks up the pace towards the end. The editing is bad as scene transitions r abrupt n the tension gets away too. The cinematography is decent. Nothing great to create the atmosphere. Joe Dante takes his time to build up the film n the werewolves. The transformation scenes are long and agonizing and go on forever. But the special effects by Rob Bottin r very good. Some may just laugh at the teeth of the werewolves. Viewers may find weird when they witness the werewolves' victim just standing there the whole time during the transforming instead of running for their lives. Notable was Elisabeth Brooks as she remains one of the hottest of all screen werewolves. And her campfire sex scene is one of the greatest love scenes of the 80's.

The Howling (1981) is an underrated cult classic werewolf film of the 80's a masterpiece in all horror genre. It is one of my personal favorite horror movies. From the director of Gremlins and Piranha comes the ultimate masterpiece of primal terror. Filed with edge-of-your-seat suspense genuine thrills and amazing special effects, this riveting werewolf tale sinks in teeth into your deepest fear and never lest go. This is my third favorite werewolf film of all time, I love this film to death! It was filmed and released the same year as was An American Werewolf in London my number 2 favorite werewolf horror film this is the third one that I love to death! A hip, well-made horror film brimming with film-buff jokes and amazing wolf transformations! This is still one of my favorite werewolf films, it isn't a great movie but the effects, directing and acting are really solid. Now, I do admit that there are a couple missed opportunities regarding the werewolves screen time-wise, like they could've shown some earlier in the film. But still, it's a pretty good film. This movie got a several sequels which I don't care for but I am going to give a second chance to see Howling II: Stirba - Werewolf Bitch (1985) because it has a good theme score.he film is about a television newswoman (Dee Wallace) sent to a remote mountain resort after a fatal incident with a serial killer, unaware that the inhabiting residents are werewolves. First and for most this is THE werewolf movie that started it all Besides American Werewolf in London (classic by the way) but this is a true werewolf horror. What a cast!!! The lovely delightful Dee Wallace oh my god, she was everyone's favorite movie mom (ET) The special effects (c'mon people for its time 1980/1981) great editing, amazing creepy music, weird people, a very secluded setting.. werewolf's!! Need I say more!! Anyone who knows horror films understands "The Howling" was a ground breaking film, and not just for the cutting edge SFX (for the time) that still holds up today.What I love about this film is beautiful actress Belinda Balaski as Terry Fisher who sees the island that a serial killer (Eddie Robert Picardo) drew, she run to the cabin and she fight off the werewolf, she chopped a werewolf's hand with an ax what a shocker. In this movie you have a pack of werewolf's who kill's people and Dee Wallece has to fight for her own life. I love the transformation of werewolf's in this film, I love the character Chris Halloran (Dennis Dugan) shooting werewolf's with a silver bullets. Chris bolts werewolf's inside of barn and together, Karen and Chris pour gasoline all around the barn and set it on fire and kills the rest of the werewolf's this a bad ass scene and the best one in the movie! I love the howling in this movie, Karen and Chris are surrounded in the car by group of werewolf's and they hardly escape. Karen is bitten by werewolf wow I love this movie. I love the music score by Pino Donaggio and mostly I love the acting by Dee Wallace.The film won the 1980 Saturn Award for Best Horror Film while still in development, and was one of the three high-profile wolf-themed horror films released in 1981, alongside An American Werewolf in London and Wolfen. Over the years, The Howling has accumulated a cult following. Its financial success aided Joe Dante's career, and prompted Warner Bros. to hire Dante (as director) and Michael Finnell (as producer) for Gremlins. A franchise consisting of seven sequels arose from the film's success.The Howling (1981) is my second personal favorite werewolf horror slasher film in the horror genre I love this movie 10 out of 10 it is wisely scary and it is also intelligent film.

In the name of good television, newswoman Karen White (Dee Wallace) forms a bond with serial killer Eddie Quist (Robert Picardo). But when the meeting of the two arrives, it nearly proves fatal and damages Karen psychologically. Her psychologist recommends that she spend some time with her husband out at a remote convalescence resort, but once there it appears all is not as it seems.A truly great Werewolf movie, one of the best in fact, The Howling - in some eyes - has lost some of its bite over the years due to countless sequels and imitators, but its importance never dims. It often gets forgotten that The Howling changed the werewolf DNA for the better, it invented its own hairy beast as it were, refusing to copy past treasures from the olde classic era. But director Joe Dante shows the utmost respect to those who had previously eaten at the Lycan table, naming many of the characters in his film after directors of Werewolf movies. Nice.Another thing forgotten, due in no part to the release of An American Werewolf in London later in the year, is that Dante's movie often has tongue in bloody cheek. It is happy to be a parody of the sub-genre of horror it loves, while some of the comedy visuals are deliciously and knowingly dry. But this is a horror film after all, and it so delivers in spades the frights and nervous tremors, even sexing things up as well. These Werewolves are completely bestial, and in human form enjoy having their secret other halves. This is just a colony at the moment but domination of all humans is most definitely appealing and on the agenda.Horror fans will sometimes stumble across a debate about effects wizards Rob Bottin and Rick Baker, who is best? It really doesn't matter, both are geniuses of their craft. Bottin is in the chair here, while Baker served as a consultant before doing his thing on An American Werewolf in London. The transformation sequences are superb and still hold up today as brilliant craft work, no CGI cheap tactics here. No sir. The Howling is scary, sexy and funny, and knowing Dante - maybe even political. A joyous Werewolf film whose impact on horror should always be respected. 10/10