Really good horror films scare, entice, and stupefy their audiences. They are remembered not only for the shock they provoke but the curiosity they inspire. One such film that has never failed to provide this was Joe Dante’s The Howling from 1981. In the 40 years since its release, this werewolf classic set a bar for make-up effects on the surface and post-traumatic recovery underneath.
Based on the novel printed in 1978 of the same name, The Howling was one of the few werewolf films that spawned a wave of lycanthrope films to come out of the decade. It was in good company leading the 1981 charge side by side with An American Werewolf in London and Wolfen. As the 1980s rolled on, films such as Teen Wolf, Silver Bullet, In the Company of Wolves, My Mom’s a Werewolf, and the criminally undervalued Scooby-Doo and the Reluctant Werewolf all fell out of this new wave pool of effects, hair, and blood. Given the proclivity of cheap horror making swift big returns at the box office, an avalanche of Howling sequels also followed suit. The current count for the franchise sits at eight films.
Franchise aside, The Howling still stands as a pillar of fun. It demands multiple viewings because of the interesting characters and inventive creature effects. It has a simple plot, something no horror film should be without. The main character, Karen, is played by Dee Wallace (The Hills Have Eyes, E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial). She is a news reporter on a journey of healing after being nearly murdered by a serial killer. Her husband Bill (Christopher Stone: Cujo) accompanies her to a retreat known as The Colony to deal with her own traumatic experience from the film’s opening sequence. She is sent there by her therapist, Dr. Waggner (Patrick Macnee: This is Spinal Tap), due to her suffering from amnesia with painful snippets of memory from her assault. This Colony is populated with other patients of the good doctor. All of them are colorful and weird. The standout is the seductive Marsha (Elisabeth Brooks), with her cleavage and pouty lips, looking to make a meal out of Bill.
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Well, it turns out that the entire cadre of occupants are all werewolves. Bill gets turned after he gets bitten during an attack, and one of Karen’s friends, Terri (Belinda Balaski: Gremlins), gets killed. So much for healing. The character Terri is important as she and her partner Chris (Dennis Dugan: Can’t Buy Me Love) are investigating the serial killer named Eddie Quist (Robert Picardo: Star Trek: Voyager) that Karen was a target of during the film’s beginning. There are fun sequences of the pair looking through books and films on werewolf lore, even searching the creep’s apartment for answers.
The mystery of the enigmatic Eddie character all ties back to The Colony. Surprise, Eddie was a werewolf, too! Unfortunately, this leads to Terri’s demise after she meets Eddie personally. But it also provides Chris the opportunity to arm himself with silver bullets and eventually rescue Karen.
There are many fun parts that make the film a great experience, even after 40 years. It has small slivers of appropriate humor. The pace is quick but not rushed. I enjoy the labor that the make-up people went through to bring these creatures to life. I love that there are so many werewolves in this film. I wished we had more time with them.
The Howling’s sequences and creature designs play right into the sets they are shot against extremely well. From close-ups of wolf paws grabbing things in fast insert shots to backlit characters with their modulated voice changes and even the silly-line-straddling sequence when Bill and Marsha transform and make wolf whoopie in the moonlight all have their unique charm.
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If there is one common thread that every werewolf movie shares, it’s the ability to explore pain and loss. The Howling does this very well. Between the established werewolves at the doctor’s retreat to Karen herself, both groups go through subtle and not-so-subtle scenes of coping and pain. I like that this exploration of trauma isn’t surface level but rather almost felt subconsciously. It keeps the horror going full steam but still leaves you something to think about after the credits roll.
Speaking of credits, the opening credits are so punchy and visual. When coupled with the closing credits, which scroll over a static shot of a hamburger being cooked, they sandwich the ’80s vibe of this whole movie. They’re both visually delicious.
The Howling is a great comfort horror flick. It is packed with lore and gore and isn’t too scary. The getaway scene at the end packs enough suspense and chills that make the first 70 minutes of exposition and mystery worth it. What keeps The Howling timeless is its heart that spills into its characters, its storytelling, and its fun energy.
I hope you’re as convinced at how classic this movie is as I am; paraphrasing from Karen’s finest moment in the film, “I have to warn you, I have to make you believe.”
