Macabre...ish Horror Review: The Howling


 


The Howling, 1981/ 91 min.

 

 


A news anchor goes undercover in a police sting, while being stalked by a serial murderer, in order to catch him. She’s traumatized by the experience and develops amnesia. Following the advice of a therapist, she and her husband, Bill, goes to a therapeutic retreat, known as The Colony.

 

 

The place is full of strange people, a nymphomaniac, Marsha Quist, goes hard after Bill and as he’s returning to his cabin, he attacked and scratched by a werewolf. Karen calls a friend, Terri to the resort afterward and discover that her stalker, Eddie...the murderer, has vanished from the morgue. The inside of the cooler door, damaged.

 

 

It would appear that The Colony is not what it seems. Bill is eventually lured by Marsha and turns during their meeting. UTerri is attacked while trying to find out the truth of this retreat.

 

Barely escaping the Colony, Karen returns to work and during a live broadcast, tells the world about the existence of werewolves, to the shock of her employer. And with proof, to the shock of everyone!

 

 

Expect sex, nudity and sexual violence. What’s great about this movie is the werewolf transformation, sometimes great and sometimes hilarious! But mostly graphic and good, complete with sound effects. The practical effects are gross and well done. The feel and cinematography is very 70s, dark, gritty and heavy. The score really turns up the intensity.

 

This is the first movie of 8 movies (each more hysterical than the last) based on a novel series, The Howling by Gary Brandner (1977).

 

Dick Miller aka Murray from Gremlins is in this movie. And he passed away this January, 2019.

Mastodon