The Howling (1981)

Director:

Joe Dante

Writers:

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

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 | Psychiatrist | Danger

Awards:

2 wins & 2 nominations

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
Don McLeod	...	T.C. Quist
Dick Miller	...	Walter Paisley - Bookstore Owner
Steve Nevil	...	Young Cop
Herbie Braha	...	Porno Cashier (as Herb Braha)
Joe Bratcher	...	Radio Man
Bill Sorrells	...	Kline
Meshach Taylor	...	Shantz (as Mesach Taylor)
Ivan Saric	...	Jack Molina
Sarina C. Grant	...	Hooker (as Sarina Grant)
Chico Martínez	...	Man on Street
Daniel Núñez	...	Liquor Cashier (as Daniel Nunez)
Michael O'Dwyer	...	Drunk
Wendell Wright	...	Man at Bar
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Forrest J Ackerman	...	Bookstore Customer (uncredited)
Robert A. Burns	...	Porn store patron (uncredited)
Roger Corman	...	Man in Phone Booth (uncredited)
Jonathan Kaplan	...	Gas Station Attendant (uncredited)
John Sayles	...	Morgue Attendant (uncredited)
Beverly Warren	...	Extra (uncredited)
Bill Warren	...	Extra (uncredited)

Directed by
Joe Dante

Writing credits
Gary Brandner		(novel)
John Sayles		(screenplay) and
Terence H. Winkless		(screenplay)

Produced by
Daniel H. Blatt	....	executive producer
Rob Bottin	....	associate producer
Jack Conrad	....	producer
Michael Finnell	....	producer
Steven A. Lane	....	executive producer

Original Music by
Pino Donaggio

Cinematography by
John Hora		(director of photography)

Film Editing by
Joe Dante
Mark Goldblatt

Casting by
Susan Arnold
Judith Weiner

Art Direction by
Robert A. Burns

Costume Design by
Jack Buehler

Makeup Department
Rick Baker	....	special makeup effects consultant
Joe Beserra	....	makeup effects studio artist
Rob Bottin	....	special makeup effects creator
Greg Cannom	....	special makeup effects artist
Bill Davis	....	assistant makeup artist
Tina Kline	....	contact lens technician (as Tina Klein)
Shawn McEnroe	....	first makeup effects assistant
Medusah	....	assistant hair stylist (as Anne Aulenta-Spira)
Medusah	....	assistant makeup artist (as Anne Aulenta-Spira)
Art Pimentel	....	second makeup effects assistant
Margaret Prentice	....	makeup effects studio artist (as Margaret Beserra)
Josephine Turner	....	special hair work
Josephine Turner	....	wig maker
Gigi Williams	....	hair stylist
Gigi Williams	....	makeup artist
Steve LaPorte	....	special makeup effects artist (uncredited)
Bill Sturgeon	....	creature effects crew (uncredited)

Production Management
Peter Manoogian	....	second unit manager
Jack C. Smith	....	unit manager
David C. Thomas	....	production manager

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Jack Cummins	....	first assistant director
Jack Cummins	....	second unit director
Jon Davison	....	second unit director
Nancy King	....	second assistant director

Art Department
Mary Church	....	art assistant
Ivo Cristante	....	property master
Richard Heskox	....	production illustrator
Steven Legler	....	set designer (as Steve Legler)
Frank Ventrola	....	production illustrator

Sound Department
Ken King	....	production sound mixer
Douglas Vaughan	....	boom operator

Special Effects by
Doug Beswick	....	special mechanical effects
Kevin Brennan	....	special effects makeup
Roger George	....	special effects
Morton Greenspoon	....	creative contact lens effects (as Morton K. Greenspoon)
Jeff Shank	....	effects unit line producer
Steve Shank	....	effects unit line producer

Visual Effects by
Dave Allen	....	stop motion animation (as David Allen)
Peter Kuran	....	love scene and main title animation: Visual Concept Engineering
Mike Warren	....	optical effects
Pam Vick	....	cel animator (uncredited)

Stunts
Carmen Babnick	....	stunts
Bruce Paul Barbour	....	stunts (as Bruce Barbour)
Roger Creed	....	stunt coordinator
Marneen Fields	....	stunt performer
John Moio	....	stunts
Conrad E. Palmisano	....	utility stunts

Camera and Electrical Department
Norman Cattell	....	first assistant camera
Doug Cragoe	....	grip (as Douglas Cragoe)
Matia Karrell	....	electrician
Laurel Moore	....	still photographer
John C. Murray	....	gaffer
Stephen L. Posey	....	camera operator: second unit (as Stephen Posey)
Ronald Raschke	....	second assistant camera
Ted Rhodes	....	best boy grip
Richard 'Rico' Sands	....	electrician (as Rick Sands)
Richard 'Rico' Sands	....	grip (as Rick Sands)
Roger Sassen	....	best boy electric
Kurt Young	....	key grip

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Nancy G. Fox	....	wardrobe supervisor

Editorial Department
Kent Beyda	....	associate film editor
Alan Toomayan	....	assistant film editor

Music Department
Chris Carney	....	composer: song "Rocky Mountain Waltz"
Joyce Fienhage	....	composer: song "Howling Chicken"
Rick Fienhage	....	composer: song "Howling Chicken"
Marshall Leib	....	music coordinator (as Marshall Lieb)
Natale Massara	....	conductor

Other crew
Allen Alsobrook	....	production assistant
Donald P. Borchers	....	production associate
Frank Capra III	....	production assistant
Susan Gelb	....	production accountant
Frank Gomon	....	television material provided by
Robert Jellen	....	insurance (as Bob Jellen)
Stephan Kertesz	....	production assistant
Sherri Lubov	....	production assistant
John Ott	....	production assistant
Jeanne Rosenberg	....	script supervisor
Jack C. Smith	....	location manager
Terry Smulen	....	assistant to producer
Michael Takacs	....	television technical advisor
Mark Tarnawsky	....	production assistant
Stokely Van Camp	....	television material provided by

Thanks
Forrest J Ackerman	....	special thanks
Jane Alsobrook	....	special thanks
Jamie Anderson	....	special thanks
Paul Bartel	....	special thanks
Michael Chapman	....	special thanks
Roger Corman	....	special thanks
Mick Garris	....	special thanks
Gary Graver	....	special thanks
Jonathan Kaplan	....	special thanks
Sylvia Neil	....	special thanks

Production Companies

• AVCO Embassy Pictures
• International Film Investors
• Wescom Productions

Distributors

• AVCO Embassy Pictures (1981) (USA) (theatrical)
• New World-Mutual (1981) (Canada) (theatrical)
• Union Générale Cinématographique (UGC) (1981) (France) (theatrical)
• DEG Sale Company B.V. (198?) (Netherlands) (theatrical)
• Kamras Film Agency (1981) (Finland) (theatrical)
• Arcade Movie Company (1998) (Netherlands) (VHS)
• Astro Distribution (1998) (Germany) (VHS)
• Embassy Home Entertainment (1984) (USA) (VHS)
• Embassy Home Entertainment (USA) (laserdisc)
• Image Entertainment (USA) (laserdisc)
• Kinowelt Home Entertainment (2004) (Germany) (DVD) (special edition)
• MGM Home Entertainment (2003) (USA) (DVD) (special edition)
• MGM/UA Home Entertainment (2000) (USA) (VHS)
• MGM/UA Home Entertainment (2001) (USA) (DVD)
• MGM/UA Home Entertainment (USA) (laserdisc)
• Nelonen (1997) (1998) (Finland) (TV)
• Nordic Video (????) (Finland) (video)
• RCV Home Entertainment (2002) (Netherlands) (DVD)
• RCV Home Entertainment (2004) (Netherlands) (DVD) (special edition)
• Sandrew Metronome Distribution (2005) (Finland) (DVD)
• Studio Canal (19??) (France) (VHS)

Special Effects

• Dreamstate Effects

Other Companies

• Albert G. Ruben and Company  insurance
• American Films Ltd.  television footage provided by
• Associated Film Productions  promotional consideration furnished by
• BMW  promotional consideration furnished by
• Chrysler Corporation  promotional consideration furnished by
• City of Hope  special thanks
• Consolidated Film Industries (CFI)  color
• Extracast  extras
• Gatorade  television footage provided by
• Glen Glenn Sound  re-recording
• Goldcrest Films International  funding
• Head Sportswear  promotional consideration furnished by
• Jack Rabin & Associates  titles and opticals
• Mazda Motors of America  promotional consideration furnished by
• Minolta  promotional consideration furnished by
• Olympia Brewing Company  promotional consideration furnished by
• Quaker State Oil  television footage provided by
• Quasar Electronics Company  promotional consideration furnished by
• Royal Crown Cola Company  promotional consideration furnished by
• The Provision Company  sound effects
• The Round Oak String Band  string band
• United Van Lines  television footage provided by
• Universal Pictures  television footage provided by
• Varèse Sarabande  original motion picture soundtrack (as Varese Sarabande Records)
• Varèse Sarabande  soundtrack

Runtime:

91 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English | Spanish

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 | UK:(Banned) (Special Edition DVD) | New Zealand:(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:

Jack Conrad was originally set to direct and write the film, but troubles with the studio forced him to leave the project. In addition Terence H. Winkless was writing the script at one point, but when his version proved unsatisfactory, he left the production. It eventually fell into the lap of director Joe Dante who brought on writer John Sayles, with whom he had previously worked for Piranha (1978), to write the screenplay.

Goofs:

Factual errors: Slim Pickens is shot twice with the shots coming almost on top of each other in quick succession. However, he is shot with a manual bolt-action rifle making that impossible.

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 Wolfman Chronicles (1991)

One of the best werewolf movies ever made.

The Howling

Easily one of the most historically popular werewolf films out there deserves some attention, right? Well of course. And since lately I'm getting more and more into werewolf films, I figured it was high time I actually bought this one and reviewed it. This, along with American Werewolf in London, were the two films that revolutionized werewolf movies and transformed them from just some guy running around bein' all hairy and strangling people. On top of it all, we have Joe Dante (Piranha, Gremlins) directing. Good times will be had by all!

This film revolves around a news anchor-woman who is helping the police track down a serial killer, made all the easier by the fact that he's taken an interest in her. Well, everything goes just awful and she ends up traumatized. Her shrink suggests she and her husband take a comfortable, soothing vacation in a community that he's a major part of. Of course, the movie is helped along by the fact that the town just happens to be chock full of werewolves who can't seem to decide whether to eat these new people or have them join up.

Here's the breakdown:

The Good:

--We've got some beautiful and unique looking werewolves here. The first one we have a very clear view of, in the doctor's office, almost resembles some creature that's part wolf, part man, and part cat. It just kind of had that feel--not that it's bad, I liked it.

--Interesting story, one of the better ones in the world of werewolves.

--The acting is pretty good, one has to consider the fact that a lot of actors just don't take these kinds of roles seriously enough. So finding a movie like this where they do is quite nice.

--Naked transforming werewolf sex scene by a campfire. Hmmm... maybe this should be the Memorable Scene....

--Average amounts of violence--more a suspenseful werewolf film than a visually disturbing one. The gore, while only occasional, is really good.

--Nice mystery story wrapped up in here.

Didn't Hurt It, Didn't Help:

--Decent music, somewhat average for these kind of movies.

--Dee Wallace-Stone's acting occasionally isn't quite up to par, shall we say...

--One werewolf transformation sequence is actually animated--like with cell animation and it doesn't look very good. It's brief and small, and doesn't detract from the film's overall quality.

--Dee Wallace's friends in the movie really seem to adopt the notion of werewolves rather easily--I would think it would be hard to accept that idea... oh well...

The Bad:

--Some two-dimensional characters.

--This film is in a series notorious for it's much crappier releases, but that's really about all there is that's not to like.

The Ugly:

--Robert Picardo (the hologram doctor from Star Trek: Voyager) plays the ultimate bad-ass werewolf--and boy, his face doesn't look good all charred with acid...

Memorable Scene:

--Robert Picardo's werewolf in the Doctor's office. Oh, and that werewolf transformation sex scene. That was pretty hot.

Acting: 8/10 Story: 9/10 Atmosphere: 9/10 Cinematography: 8/10 Character Development: 8/10 Special Effects/Make-up: 8/10 (some less than fancy stop-motion, and one bit of obvious animation) Nudity/Sexuality: 4/10 Violence/Gore: 8/10 (Average amount, but very high quality) Sets/Backgrounds: 9/10 Dialogue: 7/10 Music: 7/10 Writing: 8/10 Direction: 9/10

Cheesiness: 1/10 Crappiness: 0/10

Overall: 8/10

A horror must-see. One of the classic werewolf films. Personally, I think Dog Soldiers may still be a little better, but that's just me. For horror fans and a great piece for non-horror fans to find out what a good werewolf movie should look like--sans CG werewolves.

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