Reporter Karen White (Dee Wallace) has been receiving phone calls from someone claiming to be a serial killer. She goes to meet him at an adult video store while wearing a wire for the local police. The meeting goes awry and the killer, named Eddie, is shot dead by police. Traumatized by the incident, Karen is sent by a psychiatrist named Dr. Waggner (Patrick Macnee) to “The Colony”, a retreat for people overcoming mental issues.
Karen travels with her husband, Bill (Christopher Stone), and is immediately creeped out by the residents who seem oddly eager to meet them. (That’s never a good sign in a horror movie.) On their first night there, Karen hears what sounds like wolves howling in the forest. Soon, Karen discovers that “The Colony” may be connected to her trauma in more ways than one.
When I was a teenager in the 80s, this movie was always on my list of horror films to see. Unfortunately, I never got around to it until now. It was always compared to An American Werewolf in London, which is one of my favorite horror movies of all time. Both films were released in the same year and both featured lycanthropy and groundbreaking practical make-up effects.
Like An American Werewolf in London, The Howling takes elements of classic horror and presents them along with a dose of humor. The Howling isn’t as front-loaded with straight-up comedy as its counterpart. It takes a more subtle approach to eliciting a smile. For example, in many scenes background items, such as cans or bottles, have wolf-related names or references. The script by John Sayles and Terence Winkless gives the characters personality so you’re invested in what happens to them. Dee Wallace’s performance makes her character especially sympathetic.
Along with the aforementioned Wallace and Macnee, The Howling features an interesting cast including Slim Pickens (Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb, Dennis Dugan (Happy Gilmore), the great John Carradine, Kevin McCarthy (Invasion of the Body Snatchers) and Dick Miller (Gremlins). Also, keep your eyes peeled for cameos from a few notable horror personalities.
The makeup effects by Rob Bottin don’t stand up as well as those from An American Werewolf in London but they’re still mighty impressive, especially the transformation scene late in the movie. Wisely, director Joe Dante keeps the werewolves hidden for the majority of the film which effectively builds the suspense. Actually, if The Howling has any flaws it’s the werewolves themselves. They look more goofy than scary in some scenes. Some of them look too wiry to be menacing and one actually looks cuddly.
Overall, though, The Howling is an entertaining, well-written, and (mostly) effective horror movie.
4.0 out of 5.0 stars
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