I've decided to do a little project while waiting to work on art work for 'Mark of the Beast' and that is reviewing one of the more prolific werewolf series in film these days: The Howling films. The good, the bad, the mostly bad.

First up, 1981's the Howling. Ah what can be said that hasn't already been said. This film is easily in the top five of my favorite werewolf films. The Howling is "based" on Gary Brander's book of the same name but the screen play by John Sayles and Terence H. Winkless follows the novel only in name and a very boiled down plot line, which is a good thing as the book is bleh.

We are treated to Dee Wallace as the main character of Karen White a news reporter who has been stalked by Robert Picardo of Star Trek Voyager fame, this time with a hair problem as Eddie Quist. Karen goes to meet Eddie because he's a suspect in a series of gruesome serial killer murders. Eddie reveals to Karen that he's a werewolf by transforming but is shot by the police. Karen tries to go back to work but can't get over the trauma of the event. She's recommended by Patrick Macnee's character Dr. George Waggner to go to the Colony his experimental retreat for people with mental issues. Karen goes with her husband (Christopher Stone) who is in no time seduced by Elizabeth Brooks as Marsha Quist who turns out to be a werewolf herself and bites him. In fact just about everyone at the Colony and around it IS a werewolf. The climax of the film has Karen aided by a fellow employee at the tv station trapping most of the werewolves in a barn and burning them only Karen gets bitten by her husband and decides to out werewolves to to world via transforming on tv. The film ends with Marsha Quist at a dinner flirting and order a hamburger rare of course.

So what is it about the Howling that makes it so good? It predates the American Werewolf in London by a mere five months and given that it's quite different. Where as most werewolf films before the Howling only had one werewolf usually being the villain, the Howling has several. The werewolves are amoral. Not really evil they are just eating humans because as they see it that's what they are suppose to do. Howling doesn't hide the werewolf angel either. In fact there's puns, jokes both visual and in house are all over the place, in fact most of the characters are named after directors of previous werewolf films. In this instance Joe Dante knew the audience, knew what to put in and made an effort to make at times a very tongue in cheek werewolf film. In doing so he broke new ground. One scene where the characters inquire about werewolves at a local occult book store are told point blank that transforming under the full moon is "Hollywood bunk." In truth it seems the writers did make an effort to go back into the classic lore and make werewolves what they were creatures that just thought they were above humanity. Hiding amongst us, trying to blend in while preying on us humans. In the end this is what makes the Howling work. The werewolves are simply there.

Added to this is Rob Bottin's make up job who under Rick Baker did a bang up job on a full didigraded werewolf look, something that Hollywood to this day has a hard time doing. The transformation sequence towards the end of the film with Robert Picardo is just eye popping good, though from today's standards does look cheesey. The real issue though is the American Werewolf in London's bright light full revealing transformation later on would forever over shadow the Howling's dull lit one. Both are impressive in their own right and work but Howling's just seems a bit over the top at times. The real telling thing is that the Howling has no real actor leading the film. It's a group effort. Unlike future werewolf films that either relied on the effects or star power of an actor to carry them, this film just carries itself as a pure up horror film about a woman who finds out that not everyone is what they appear to be.

The bad, let's be honest the effects really aren't the best there is. The plot is somewhat weak and overall the lack of any big name actors means you get pretty bland acting over all. There is also the sex scene. Ah yes in what would become a Howling must have, the werewolves are involved in each other. There's a mix of effects with several scenes going from animatronics, to claymation, to full on animation. Overall it gives a patch work feel to the film effects wise. The dialogue can be a bit much at times.

Overall the Howling suffers from what was to come more than what it was as a film. It's a bit weak compared to American Werewolf in London and I can see why it sort of plays second bat to it. Unfortunately the Howling would suffer not as a film but as a series and perhaps that's the first film's greatest curse, to be judged for what was to come in the series as a whole because what was to come was really really bad.