Despite its predictability and quirks, Silver Bullet remains watchable because of its earnest approach.
Before I watched Silver Bullet for this review, I had a vague recollection of seeing it at a drive-in in the 1980s. All I could remember about it was a kid in a wheelchair facing down a werewolf at some point. I remember liking the movie even though I couldn’t tell you much more about it. Now, after watching the film again, I see why that’s all I remembered about it.
Silver Bullet takes place in the small town of Tarker’s Mill. It’s one of those towns that seem to exist only in the movies. Everyone knows everyone else by name and everyone goes to church on Sunday. Although most of the townsfolk seem to visit the local bar more often than a house of worship. (Being that it’s based on a Stephen King novella with a screenplay penned by Mr. King, that type of small-town setting isn’t surprising at all.)
When the town is plagued with a series of brutal murders, the residents plead for the local sheriff (Terry O’Quinn) to do something. While the cops search for a killer, Marty (Corey Haim) believes that it isn’t a man that’s responsible for the horrible crimes but a monster. A werewolf, in fact. He tries to convince his Uncle Red (Gary Busey) and sister Jane (Megan Follows) of this as well.
Marty, a wheelchair-bound kid who idolizes his alcoholic uncle, is the hero of the story. How he is able to immediately discern that a werewolf is the murderer is a bigger mystery than the hidden identity of the killer. But, I digress.
While watching the movie, I kept thinking that if I wanted to introduce a young person to horror movies, Silver Bullet would be a great way to do it. With its overly simplistic plot and characters, relatively minor scares, and easily solved mystery, it’s a movie that a child could digest. That is, if it weren’t rated R and loaded with decapitations and gore.
Gary Busey delivers a nutty performance as Uncle Red, the lovable drunk. Corey Haim, in one of his first films, is quite good as well. The werewolf, designed by Carlo Rambaldi, has a bear-like head that’s entirely too big for its body. It reminded me of a costumed mascot from a college football game.
Despite its predictability and quirks, Silver Bullet remains watchable because of its earnest approach. It isn’t the slightest bit of a challenge but it’s fun and forgettable. And sometimes, that’s all you need from a horror movie.
3.0 out of 5.0 stars
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