The Howling (1981)

User Rating:

6.5/10   

Director:

Joe Dante

Writers:

Gary Brandner (novel)
John Sayles (screenplay) ...

Release Date:

10 April 1981 (USA)

Genre:

Horror | Mystery | Thriller

Tagline:

Imagine your worst fear a reality

Plot:

After a bizarre and near fatal encounter with a serial killer, a newswoman is sent to a rehabilitation center whose inhabitants may not be what they seem.

Plot Keywords:

Serial Killer | Colony | Werewolf | Woods | Danger

Awards:

2 wins & 2 nominations

US TV Schedule:

Sat. July 18

2:30 AM

AMC

Cast

Dee Wallace	...	Karen White
Patrick Macnee	...	Dr. George Waggner
Dennis Dugan	...	Chris
Christopher Stone	...	R. William 'Bill' Neill
Belinda Balaski	...	Terry Fisher
Kevin McCarthy	...	Fred Francis
John Carradine	...	Erle Kenton
Slim Pickens	...	Sam Newfield
Elisabeth Brooks	...	Marsha Quist
Robert Picardo	...	Eddie Quist
Margie Impert	...	Donna
Noble Willingham	...	Charlie Barton
James Murtaugh	...	Jerry Warren
Jim McKrell	...	Lew Landers
Kenneth Tobey	...	Older Cop

Runtime:

91 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.66 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Canada:13+ (Quebec) | Canada:R (Manitoba/Nova Scotia/Ontario) | Argentina:18 | Finland:K-18 (cut) (1981) | Finland:K-18 (uncut) (2004) | Iceland:16 | Australia:M | New Zealand:R16 | New Zealand:(Banned) (Special Edition DVD) | UK:(Banned) (Special Edition DVD) | UK:R (Special Edition DVD) | France:-12 | Singapore:M18 | Sweden:15 | UK:18 | USA:R | West Germany:16 | Norway:18 (video premiere) (1984) | Norway:(Banned) (1981-2003) (cinema release)

Filming Locations:

Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, USA

Company:

AVCO Embassy Pictures

Trivia:

In line with other "wolf" puns in the film, the book Bill is reading in bed is "You Can't Go Home Again" by Thomas Wolfe,

Goofs:

Continuity: When Eddie is transforming into a wolf in front of Karen, his left hand turns gray and grows hair down to the knuckles. Then in the shot of his arm muscles expanding, his left hand has a normal skin color and hair only down to his wrist.

Quotes:

[first lines]
Dr. George Waggner: Repression. Repression is the father of neurosis, of self-hatred. Now, stress results when we fight against our impulses. We've all heard people talk about animal magnetism, the natural man. the noble savage, as if we'd lost something valuable in our long evolution into civilized human beings. Now there's a good reason for this.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in The Werewolf Cult Chronicles: Vietnam 1969 (2005) (V)

Very good.

Attractive reporter(Dee Wallace Stone)is coming to a small health resort.What she doesn't know is that all the residents of this resort are werewolves."The Howling" is one of my favourite werewolf flicks.It features some of the best transformation scenes ever filmed,excellent special effects and a bit of irony.The acting is pretty good,and Joe Dante's direction is well-handled.There's a nice amount of blood and gore too!This shocker offers also some delicious sleaze(sex and full frontal nudity).However I'm not going to waste my time writing about its sequels,because they pretty much suck(still I haven't seen the fourth and fifth installments of this series).Joe Dante also made the kick-ass "Piranha"(1978).