The Howling (1981)

It's unfortunate that werewolves usually get the short end of the stick in the horror genre compared to vampires, especially now a days. Maybe it's due to the fact that creating a realistic visual recreation of the transformation process (which isn't solely dependent on CGI) isn't so simple and cheap, at least that's what I assume the excuse is.  The Howling proves that in 1981 substantial technology was there, and in my opinon the result is something that I don't believe has ever been topped.

The Good

• Special Effects - The best aspect of The Howling is easily the special effects and the process of how those behind the scenes managed to make the werewolves transformation look incredibly realistic.  The skin bubbles and expands, appendages pop, it's quite clear a lot of time and money went into these very long and detailed scenes.  There's also a scene where one of the character severs a werewolves hand and it transforms back into a human hand, I'd never seen something so detailed and realistic in a horror film.  These type of scenes make you long for the days when CGI wasn't available, or wasn't cheap, because now filmmakers simply don't bother using a lot of the old fashion processes anymore, even though in some cases the old fashion way created much better results.

• Elisabeth Brooks - Most likely an actresses whose completely unfamiliar to most, as she was to me.  Brooks had a small role as Marsha Quist, the colonies female werewolf.  She's incredibly exotic looking and unfortunately other than her face we never get to see her fully transform into one.  She had a very brief film career and died at the age of 46 in 1997 due to brain cancer.

The Bad

• The Story - It's not hard to fathom a horror film having a mediocre story but The Howling seems to push the boundaries of camp.  A female news anchor being stalked by a guy who turns into a werewolf?  She's so completely distraught over the encounter that she completely forgets what happens and is sent to a colony in the woods to recuperate, a colony that happens to be full of werewolves attempting to blend into society!?!  It's a crazy idea, and the only aspects that really ever work well are the forest scenes which do a fine job of portraying that classic creepy horror atmosphere.

• Horror Film Stereotypes - We all know you're better off staying in your house when you hear an unearthly sound outside instead of going to investigate it, investigation is how you die in a horror film.  But the boundaries of stupidity are surpassed here as werewolf victims stand wide eyed and watch as a werewolf transforms for five minutes in front of them instead of running for their lives.  The best time to escape a werewolf is when he's a little preoccupied, not to wait until he's done and then let him attack you!  But of course if logic was actually inserted into these situations we wouldn't get to see the cool transformation sequences now would we...

The Amusing

• Robert Picardo - Being a big Star Trek fan it's always amusing to see Trek actors outside of the franchise even though for the most part nothing they've done prior to or following Trek is ever half as good.  Robert Picardo played the holographic Doctor on Star Trek Voyager, and is one of the few Star Trek actors who has quite an extensive career outside of the franchise.  Seeing his name on the credits had me interested, discovering he was playing the serial killing werewolf was a hoot.  It was an odd casting choice.

6/10