Director Joe Dante's infamous cult horror movie was released just a matter of months before "An American Werewolf in London", and both are generally regarded as being the most memorable werewolf movies ever made. But has this one aged as well as it's more well-known cousin?

Well, it's certainly still original. Karen White, a news lady, is lured into a trap by a psychopath which involves her going into a sex shop, being made to watch a violent porno and then witnessing the man changing into some kind of monster. She is left emotionally-scarred by all this, in a very Hitchcock-ian way, and so a respected psychologist suggests she spend some time as his secluded retreat called "The Colony". As it turns out, the colony is the last place on Earth she wants to be, and both Karen and her husband becoming increasingly unnerved by it's occupants and the strange creatures that seem to stalk through the woods at night.

Some have said that they actually prefer this film to "An American Werewolf", because it's a pure horror film as opposed to a horror-comedy, and thus they rank it as the greatest werewolf movie of all time. There are a few moments of subtle comedy here, but not as obvious as those in John Landis' own film. Also, you could argue that in some ways this is a more intelligent movie, which is really about "the beast in all of us", as Dr. George Waggner states at the beginning. It's a psychological thriller, and a well-structured one at that.

"The Howling" is one of Dante's best movies. It's certainly the one that got him noticed as a director, and just a few years after this he made "Gremlins" and became an even bigger cult horror icon. This is actually an early movie for him, which is impressive as it shows many signs of an experience and confident film-maker at the helm. The sets are fantastic, as is the lighting and the general atmosphere and pacing of the movie. The script is fairly tight and no longer than it needs to be, and the many references to werewolf movie history are subtely slided in to satisfy the film buffs. For example, there's a character named 'Jack Molina' -- a reference the average movie-goer won't get, but any werewolf movie fan is likely to. Various other characters are named similarly, but I'll let you get those yourself.

The acting is for the most part pretty decent. All of the leads handle their roles well, and watch out for John Carradine in a small but memorable performance. I was especially impressed with some of the special effects on show here. The transformation sequence is at least in some ways on the same level as "American Werewolf", and this was released several months earlier. It may have something to do with the fact that Rick Baker briefly worked on this project before moving over to the other, and so some of the same ideas may have been used.

For genre fans, this movie is pure gold. Others may find it a little cheesey or a little dull in places, but what the hell do they know? :P

I have to admit, I am a big can of CGI effects, but "The Howling" is one of my most favorite werewolf films. I enjoy it a lot better than "An American Werewolf in London" (which was good, but come one, the werewolf was basically a overgrown Cujo!). The film was both funny and scary as hell.

I love the transformation scene where Eddie turns into a werewolf. It is incredible that they could afford to do that back then. It's a shame that this film's sequels were terrible. But hey, I have heard rumors about a potential "Howling" remake . . .

Azzy's Review

Another classic which I am proud to be the owner of.

Although I think that the main character's hair looks to poofy and old-ladyish and seems to distract me a bit from the film, I must say that this is one of THE BEST werewolf movies out there. I like the mystery and the sadness in the story as you share Karens point of view throughout the film and feel what she does as she becomes aware of whats going on around her. Like I said, Im not particular to Karens style of clothing and hair-do because I get stuck and cannot seem to focus on anything else and I hope that this problem doesnt happen to anyone else since it makes it a little hard to enjoy the movie. As far as the story goes its a good story and the plot mixes ok with it. Although the movie itself isnt that scary, the scenario sure is. Also I hope im not giving away anything but all the puns, tongue in cheek and inside jokes and gags are enough to thrill any werewolf fanatic. all in all a good classic.

The wolves: Although the wolves could have been better, the budget was low but they still managed to come up with tall scary characters who make the movie great.

Sebiale's Review

Definitely a hallmark werewolf movie. The use of makeup, suits, etc. for the werewolves are among the best ever used. I especially like the cockroach comparison.

The werewolves give you chills, my favorite is the mad-grin mid-transformation. I get goosebumps running up and down my spine, no matter how much I see it. Also when the husband was trapped in the cabin, and the werewolf meeting in the barn.

The act of killing the werewolves was a bit easy, but I understand why, not enough time to get Rambo with it. Only part I didn't like were the ending credits, she said she wanted it 'rare.' Those burgers were far past 'rare' by the time the credits were done :P

Rob of Necrodemon's Review

This movie has always been a favorite of mine. I saw it as a kid. It gave me chills!

Acting and storylines have always been important to me. This film does well on both fields. I believe these people are scared for their lives and I also believe the wolves are out for blood. I cannot stand Christopher Stone as an actor but in this film he even impressed me.

The creature scenes are bad ass! The wolves are terrifying. Gary Brandner's vision came to life in this film.

Great movie. This film will definitely stand the test of time. Hell, it already has!

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The Wolf "Silver bullets or fire, that's the only way to get rid of the damn things," says the owner of the bookstore, knowingly (see top photo). "They're worse than cockroaches." As it turns out, taking out a whole pack of werewolves who live together in a colony isn't as hard as it might sound. Hell, it doesn't even take that much practise. A rifle loaded with silver bullets here, a little dose of fire there, cook for twenty minutes and you're done! On the other hand, this movie is loaded with all manner of werewolves (see below), several transformation scenes (see bottom three photos) and plenty of gruesome deaths. What more could you ask for in a horror movie? Many would argue that the werewolf effects in Joe Dante's "The Howling" are actually superior to those in John Landis' overshadowing "An American Werewolf in London", and to a certain extent they're absolutely right. If you forget about the classic transformation scene, none of the effects in that movie measure up to what's on show here ... Rick Baker began work on this project, and is credited as a 'consultant', but ultimately it was headed by the brilliant Rob Bottin, who went on to work on everything from "The Thing" and "Robocop" to "Total Recall" and "Fight Club". The decision to name most of the characters after Werewolf movie directors is a clever one, and allows movie buffs to spend hours figuring out who's named after who ... the most obvious are Jack Molina (Jactino Molina, Waldemar Daninsky) and George Waggner (The Wolf Man), but others are more obscure, such as Sam Newfield (The Mad Monster) and Lew Landers (Return of the Vampire).

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