“Howling 4” is the fourth movie in the “Howling” franchise,
and it is not what you expect. Instead of continuing the original story, the
producers decided to remake the original in a way, and it was so good it went
straight to video. This did not have a theatrical release, and it shows. Fans
of werewolf movies will definitely want to seek this one out, and those that
love the series, will be in for a surprise, as I was for sure.
The plot is simple enough, a woman is having dreams of a
wolf, and she is starting to panic. To offset that she goes to a secluded cabin
in the woods where she can rest with her boyfriend. However, things go from bad
to worse as she keeps seeing wolf attacks in her dreams, and slowly causes her
distress. I do mean slowly because the movie has a pacing that is snail pace. I
managed to watch the whole film, and while I did like the throwback to the original,
I found myself bored with the way the production went through certain channels.
If you’re a fan of werewolf movies, then you’ll no doubt expect to see transformation,
battles with the wolf, and more, but you don’t get a lot of that with this
movie. In fact, this is lacking in a lot of horror ways, which is disappointing
considering the name. I found myself a bit taken a back as a result.
There is some good overall symbolism, don’t get me wrong,
but the majority of this movie is slow moving. It’s so slow that I almost turned
it off at one point. However, because I’m a fan of horror, I stuck with it, and
saw it through to the end. I don’t necessarily recommend this one, but there
are horror movie collectors that will want to have the collection and for that
I say go for it. If you’re not a collector, then I would say you can skip this
one. You’re not missing much with “Howling 4”, and it’s a shame. I really had
high hopes for it. There are some practical effects in this one, and while the
third act and final act do have some compelling moments, it is a slow burn that
makes you really wait for that to come. If you hang on to the film as a whole,
you’re going to get treated to some cool moments, but only diehard fans of werewolf
movies are going to recommend this one. I definitely don’t, but I managed to
sit through the whole thing.
If you have been following me along 800 plus reviews, then you know I love a good werewolf movie. I love the concept. I even gave an escort a copy of “Howling II” when I was in Las Vegas one year. She wanted to be a writer, and told her that she would benefit from writing about werewolves. It was a brief encounter, but last I checked she was in San Francisco writing for the Huffington Post. Good for you! As for this movie, it’s a different kind of werewolf movie. It is a drama that was directed by Adrian Garcia Bogliano. This was his first attempt at an English language movie and he knocked it out of the park if you ask me. Written by Eric Stolze, and starring Nick Mamici, Ethan Embry, and Lance Guest, this is a tightening screw of a horror film that pushes your emotional buttons until it breaks down your guard and eats your heart out. Like that? Good!
The plot is simple. A blind veteran moves to a small town. He wants to live on his own and doesn’t like a lot of people. One night a werewolf visits him and attacks, his dog goes down and he has to kill it. It’s a gut wrenching scene, especially since seeing eye dogs are masterful helpers and well this guy is now left without his best friend and guide. He thinks a werewolf is at play, and through the course of the movie you see him gearing up for a fight.
Pick Up Late Phases Blu Ray (click image)
Meanwhile the villain is turning all the individuals in the town into wolves, and things are going to rise up, creeping closer. As the body count starts to rise, our main hero, Ambrose, gets ready to take on werewolves, all the while blind, mind you. The ultimate battle takes on a very unique twist, with our hero’s disability taking center stage.
Late Phases has a lot of dramatic leads. It is a slow moving fire. I disagree with “Shock Till You Drop” completely. I do NOT think that they were going for a “Bubba Ho-Tep” vibe at all. That is ludicrous, and stupid to compare. This is not the same, it’s not a comedy in my opinion. Needless to say, this movie is far more dramatic than you may think. It has some serious soul, feeling, and then when you think it’s done, it unleashes the wolves.
Look, the wolves aren’t great. The costuming is lackluster, but the transition was good, and the overall meaning isn’t lost. The bites, the gore, and the horror that sets in is vibrant, with a lot to offer even the most jaded of horror fan. This is a well put together movie, regardless of what pundits said about it. It’s acted well enough, and it truly has a heart. I liked it. I liked the climax, and the overall visual tone of the movie. The “sheep’s” clothing metaphor works just as well here as it did in “Stephen King’s Silver Bullet”. I recommend this one, I liked it a lot, and think that “Late Phases” is worth checking out.
I love cult and horror, you know this. 800 plus reviews thus far has proved it. Well, last night while everyone in my house was asleep, I decided to slip in an action horror movie known simply as “Wolf Cop”. I had heard of this before, and I want to say that I saw it advertised at art theaters near me, but I never went to see it. This movie’s premise reminded me of an idea that I had about writing a novel with this notion of a half man, half wolf cop. Then again, maybe I dreamed this movie? I don’t know. Either way, “WolfCop” lives up to a lot of hype, even if the running time is way under the average movie. It’s only around 88 minutes total, but they do a lot more in this than many other horror movies. With that in mind, consider these thoughts on “WolfCop”.
The Transformation
The transformation in “WolfCop” is the most graphic I’ve seen. I say that because it starts with a penis shot transformation and it’s really graphic. In fact, I would not let a younger viewer watch this, it’s that graphic. It may be a few moments, but it’s enough to make you feel very uncomfortable. Heck, I had to look down to see if my junk was going to explode into a wolf penis. Other than that, the transformation is definitely great, fast, and it looked painful to boot. The practical effects and overall cinematography was great to watch, and I loved that aspect.
The story is a bit fast, convoluted, but I can dig it. A drunken cop gets thrown into a serious mess when a coven turns him into a werewolf. This all goes fast, but while he’s transforming, there’s someone close to him that is set to help him thwart off the danger of the coven, that just wants to drink his blood. Our anti-hero must defend himself and try to turn back to human before he is stuck as a wolf forever.
Peter La Rocque’s visuals mixed with Mark Montague’s editing make this a great overall feature in my book. Lowell Dean writes and directs a classic in my book, with a great poster to boot. It’s definitely a quality horror movie that mixes action and 1980s cop influences. This is my third favorite werewolf movie of all time now, and that’s saying a lot. This is a classic folks.
I recently picked up this book from an online used book store and I first thought it was like the movie. Howling 2: Your Sister’s a Werewolf is one of my favorite movies in horror, so I immediately thought that this was the source material. It is noted that it has nothing to do with the movie, so that’s what piqued my interest.
The story takes place in Seattle, Washington and it follows the aftermath of the first film. Karyn Beatty has set up a new life in a new place and doesn’t want to remember the things that occurred in the first novel (Set in California). In fact, this book starts with a news flash, a fire has hit California and her husband is missing, and many are dead. Fast forward to the present, and Karyn has to deal with a nightmare that is returning, her ex-husband, and werewolf!
This book is a small one, and much like a lot of horror books, it has gone through a lot of republication. My copy is from 1978 and has a cool metallic green cover design with some fangs coming through. I love the artwork, and the book is well paced, fast moving, and features some nice touches of gore.
The Howling 2 by Gary Brandner may be an older novel, but it’s still a classic werewolf tale and one that you have to check out. It’s not going to take you long to read it, and if you buy an older edition, you can get the really cool artwork that I mentioned. It’s a good cheap read, and it’s part of a greater werewolf tradition well worth exploring.
Ginger Snaps is a movie that I saw while working as a video store clerk in Culver City. It was my favorite job, and the movie was part of the late night movies I would play before closing up shop. It came out in 2001 and spawned a few sequels. The movie centers on werewolves in a whole new way. It takes the notion of going into womanhood and flips the tables, pushing new life into a tired genre that is still hard to do today.
The plot follows a couple of sisters that aren’t exactly in the popular crowd. As one turns into a woman through her menstrual cycle, a beast comes out of the blue to attack. She then begins to change slowly, turning into a monster, and while at first she thinks the urges are sexually based, they are for much worse, complete and utter chaos and rampaging beastly things.
There is a good sense of gore in this movie, but it is obvious that there wasn’t a huge budget. You don’t get the transformation scenes that the 1980s had, and you don’t get that compelling narrative that was in “Silver Bullet” and “Howling” but you still get a good werewolf flick. There’s nothing cute about the movie when it gets going, even though you sympathize with the characters at first glance. It’s when Ginger turns into fully beast mode that you start to really get a feel for the characterizations and in some way punch the validation card on the movie.
Ginger Snaps is a solid entry into a genre that has been done to death. It is not my favorite in this genre, but it’s a powerful movie with a lot of deep seeded meaning if you so choose to explore. Forget the 1980s, this is an updated version of the wolf lore that is definitely better than some of the mainstream releases that were put out before and after. I like it, you may like it, and it’s well worth the few bucks to get it. Ginger Snaps is a solid horror flick, and Katherine Isabelle as well as Danielle Hampton play their roles to perfection.
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When it comes to finding good movies, I tend to judge the cover. I know, they always say not to, but I can’t help it. I’ve found some of my favorite movies and books have the coolest covers ever. Maybe it’s because I’m a graphic designer (bachelor’s degree), or maybe it’s because I’m a man and visual stimulation comes naturally to me in some way, I just absolutely love cover art. When I saw the cover art for Werewolf Hunter, I was definitely intrigued and thought it would be a good overall flick. What ended up turning out was a moderately successful werewolf movie that left me wanting something else. The movie is a Spanish one that was originally titled Romansanta, but for this review it’s called Werewolf Hunter, the proper name.
The movie is an interesting one, it is based on true events, and it’s not completely implausible. The plot revolves around a man that seduces women and then eats them. He then takes their fat and makes soap. When many women start disappearing a small town starts a hunt for all wolves, thinking it’s merely a wolf that is doing the damage. After some time, we are introduced to a hunter that claims he has been turned into a wolf and now must hunt his nemesis in order to once again become a man. The whole thing is tied up to a folklore tale of a man that claimed he killed many people but wasn’t to blame, because he was a werewolf.
The plot moves slowly, although there are some nice visuals. You get a sense for the time and place, with great costumes and beautiful women. Yes, there is nudity, so score one for those looking for a little Spanish boob action. Other than that, the movie feels like a Shakespearean play, as there is high drama throughout the film. By the time you get to the killing, it’s subdued and boring. There is a quick transformation scene that is kind of cool, but other than that, this felt like a made for television romp than anything else.
Werewolf Hunter is not a good movie, if you’re looking for horror. It’s a good piece of dramatic film making, but outside of that, it’s just not for scary film review fans or anyone that wants to have fun at the movies. I started to fall asleep towards the end, which is an awful sign. Not every movie can be a winner, but then again, my girlfriend liked it, so maybe it’s good for some, not for others. Wow, how awful are my reviews getting? I’ll have more reviews coming sooner than later.
For today’s review I wanted to look at a little made for television movie about werewolves and boy did I find one that I didn’t hate, and was pleasantly surprised with. SyFy channel made this movie in 2010 and it starred some halfway decent acting mixed in with some interesting story telling elements and while it looked like it could be a straight to dvd feature, it still had elements worth noting that were far beyond the campy norm that usually plagues movies of this nature. Red: Werewolf Hunter takes the traditional route with horror, but there is enough to please just about anyone.
The movie revolves around the plot of Little Red Riding Hood, as she and her family are now hunters of werewolves. The first sequence of this film really hooked me. We get to see grandma get torn to pieces by a wolf, and while this moment was really harsh, it would not live up for the rest of the film, as this is the most violent scene you get without the aid of computer graphics. Grandma doesn’t live and through the floorboards of the attic a young Red watches on.
We are then moved forward to a new day, a new home and a couple visiting the woods to grandmother’s house. There we meet the werewolf hunters all in line with “Red” and there are some laughable moments in the introduction of each character, but you just live with it. The problem that plagues the family is a new breed of werewolf that can morph whenever they want, which means that outside of the full moon, the family will now have to fight.
The movie goes through the same elements that you would expect with any other horror film in this genre with people dying, the body count rising and the ultimate showdown between hunters and hunted. In the end, you get a favorable ending and that’s about it.
Red: Werewolf Hunter had some great moments. I liked the fighting for the most part, and did enjoy the movie more than I thought I would. I think SyFy is getting better with these pieces as the movie had a certain element of budget that is often times lacking. I didn’t like the graphics of the wolves, but I guess I can live with them. Overall, this wasn’t half bad, and would recommend it. It’s not great, by any means, but it’s far better than you’d expect.
Today we are featuring a film that came out in 1991. It is one that flew beneath the radar of millions of people, and only a select few ended up watching it. I saw the posters for it when I was a kid, but I never did venture forward to see it. That is, until last night when it was time once again to watch another werewolf spectacular! Today, we will be discussing the horror comedy named Mom.
The movie starts out interesting, with a loner at a bus stop waiting to head towards Los Angeles. He is in the darkness when a woman tries to befriend him. When she offers him a drink, he obliges by opening up her blouse and killing her wolf style! This kind of weird “rape” scenario really didn’t do too much in the way of introducing the character as more than a rapist, until the flash of the full moon offset the initial shock.
The plot fast-forwards to the present where an old lady and her family are enjoying Christmas and another year gone by. Things are normal, until our drifter ends up wanting to rent a room inside grandma’s house. When she tries to cook the man a nice dinner, he doesn’t want to eat, and then he attacks! The makeup here is fast, and no transformation scene is shown, but we get a full wolf style mask and jowls to prove that it’s a wolf.
The kicker here is that the werewolf is blind and states that he’s immortal and can turn grandma into a flesh-eating wolf. This transitional stage and process isn’t really shown, and the movie moves into a more buddy-style movie where the older lady (mother) is being groomed to become a full-fledged werewolf by the super villain. Of course the wolf plays blind, but we all know he can see.
When the old lady’s son, whom also is a reporter for the news station, finds out that his mother is eating the flesh of homeless people, he decides that the stranger needs to go and goes on attack, and this of course is where the movie starts to derail for everyone.
The movie throws a wrench into the werewolf lore. Forget about silver bullets, or anything like that, our main villain is killed by a fire, that’s it. He’s set on fire and he goes away into the dust. That leaves grandma (mother) with the vice of eating human flesh, so the son locks her away, and this of course starts an odd kind of “trapped” movie.
Billed as a comedy, “MOM” was supposed to be an interesting taking the werewolf lore; instead it proves to be a slow moving romp through lackluster jokes, and interesting problems. You start to wonder whether or not you’d let your mom kill to survive or would you kill her and save humanity? There are some moments where this movie becomes far too dramatic for its own good, and I found myself wanting to fall asleep.
I don’t necessarily recommend “MOM” unless you absolutely have to see every werewolf movie out there. It’s a bad example of the wolf lore, but it’s not terrible. It has a few shining moments, and an ending that will have you either applauding or simply laughing, you decide.
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When it comes to reviewing werewolf movies, I often times think about what I’ve already done on this website. I’ve been reviewing movies for several years now, and have posted over 700 posts on this blog. I did not just show up overnight and start wanting to talk about horror, and to showcase that love, I wanted to share links to the past reviews that I’ve done.
The werewolf movies that I’ve reviewed have been a toss up over the years, and before I move into publishing thoughts on more wolf movies, I wanted to relive the past one more time.
Check out the following links, and tomorrow we begin another round of conversations about werewolves.
For those of you that are new, or haven’t really checked out my site for a while, you’ll be glad to know that November 2012 is Werewolf month, and I will be looking at only werewolf movies. That’s roughly 24 – 30 movies related to t he evil creature.
Today’s pick will be our first entry into the genre. The movie is a 2005 horror movie that was based on a true story, or so they say, and features a creature so scary, that it most likely haunted a small town for a long period of time. The movie I’m talking about is The Best of Bray Road.
The movie starts off a bit slow, setting up the characters that are involved. We have the classic police force made up of locals in a small town with one transplant from the big city. He gets a lot of crap for being a “city” boy, and he has to deal with the attitudes of the town’s people as well as the department. He stumbles upon a missing person and he then starts to get notices that people are getting mauled by what appears to be a monster. It’s at around the third or fourth report that we get the inside story of what is going on, that a werewolf, the beast, is out there and has come back to seek revenge on the city that once took it out back in the 1800s.
The movie doesn’t really have much in the way of a transformation scene, nor does it do much for the genre, it just throws you (the viewer) into a small town in Wisconsin that is having problems with a werewolf and it’s up to the sheriff from out of town to stop it.
The monster is terrible. It’s absolutely obvious that there is someone in a wolf suit and it’s painfully obvious that the budget wasn’t spent on creating the monster suit, however, I didn’t expect greatness from a straight to dvd movie. The movie moves forward relatively slow after a few gorey death scenes, and by the time you’re ready to tune out the men in the audience get treated to some boobs. The skin and sin is short lived as our hero and a few helpers take their guns to the woods and try to hunt down the creature.
What seems like a straight up horror movie turns into a murder mystery in which you’re left guessing who the wolf really is. The contemporary rulebook on wolves and horror gets thrown out the window, and you have to just go with whatever is fed to you on this one as the movie dives off the deep end in the later parts of the film.
Overall, not a terrible movie, but not one of my favorites by far, but it shouldn't be a surprise since it's a straight to dvd film. It’s interesting to see what a low budget can get you, and you do get some decent acting out of Sarah Lieving and Tom Downey, but B-Movie mainstay Jeff Denton didn’t really do much to push his acting abilities. Then again, the whole movie isn’t exactly award winning. I thought it had its moments, especially with a few jump scares that even Hollywood steals from time to time. Check out the Beast of Bray Road, if you’re an ultimate fan of werewolves, otherwise, wait for something far better.
When it comes to watching everything, I am the one and only person that I’ve ever met that takes that to heart. I’ve seen movies starring celebrities you don’t care about, I’ve seen handheld footage of perverse things, including “The Hotty and the Notty”, so when people come up to me and ask for my favorites, I usually start with the worst of the pile. There are a lot of bad movies out there, and I’ve seen most if not all of them. Today, instead of a review, let me tell you 5 boring horror movies to watch and then see if you are one of the chosen few, the few that will watch just about anything.
The Blair Witch Project (1999) – One of the most boring movies to ever be marketed as the scariest film ever has to be this one. This movie was all shot on handhelds, long before shaking the camera became a fad. This movie featured a lot of dialogue, and a lot of suspense, before you got hit with something so boring and menial, that it would become parodied by just about anyone that was in the comedic industry. From the Wayans’s Brothers to Pauly Shore, everyone made fun of this movie, because it was that bad and boring. The sequel is better, but that’s not saying much.
Paranormal Activity (2007) – If you want to write a script of jump scares, go for it, because you can make some serious money. I for one can’t stand these movies, they are fluff, they are boring, they are stupid. Then again, the jump scares are ok, and I’m always down to see a ghost story, but does it have to be so tedious?
A Nightmare on Elm Street (2010) – When they announced a remake of this cult classic, and they weren’t going to use Robert Englund, I nearly lost it. How could you make a movie without the icon? The guy they cast to play him was sinister, ugly, and made the character stand out, but the movie was so tedious and boring that most people I saw in the theater walked away near the halfway point. This movie has some problems, and despite a polished look, it’s well…boring.
Drag Me To Hell (2009) – Everyone kept telling me how great this one was, and the hype was not and is not good. I don’t like it. It’s a boring, tedious movie that is so predictable it hurts. Sam Raimi is a good director, don’t get me wrong, but this movie was just boring. I didn’t like the CG and I thought the story was just too simple, then again, so are many of the horror movies I revere. It’s not that great, and it’s rated pg-13…no horror movie rated that is worth its salt.
Cursed (2005) – How can Wes Craven screw up his legacy? By making half-assed cash grab with werewolves. This fast paced horror flick is one of the worst examples you can get in regards to wolf movies. I thought for sure this would at least be appealing, it has a good overall cast, and I’m a sucker for a good werewolf pick, but nope, this one is mighty boring. Although, there are some moments worth noting, like Joshua Jackson’s reveal…but I won’t get into that.
The above 5 are still worth checking out, even if they are boring pieces of horror cinema. You might actually like them, but from what I remember, they weren’t that good, and aren’t that good, but if they are on at midnight on a Friday night, I’m fair game.
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The Hammer Horror studio is best known for putting Christopher Lee in the role of Dracula time and time again, and while some people absolutely loathe the movies that came out of the studio, others find the films to be awesome, especially those that mixed exploitation and horror quite nicely. Admittedly, some of the movies are horrible, and boring, but there are some shining gems amidst a lot of the movies that were continually being pushed to the public. Here is my list of the top 5 Hammer Horror movies.
The Brides of Dracula – The Brides of Dracula put together sex and vampires together long before HBO decided to throw it all together. This film from the 1960s has that classic old school feel and while the pacing can use some work, the blood and artistic viewpoint of the Dracula myth is all presented quite nicely. The brides come out of their graves to become the antagonists of this gothic horror picture, and while we get another shot at Peter Cushing in his infamous rolls with Hammer, it’s Baron Meinster that really gets the credit here. I love it, and you might enjoy it too.
Dracula Has Risen From The Grave – The year was 1968 when this movie came out and Christopher Lee played Dracula, in one of the better interpretations of the original tale. When you see this movie you will feel as though you are on set, or watching a stage play, the way the camera moves, the way the costumes are meticulously made, the way the acting draws you in. The whole time you are not sure whether to cheer for the vampire or to cheer for the hero, because Christopher Lee makes the old bastard look so cool.
Frankenstein Must Be Destroyed – A year after the aforementioned film, Peter Cushing reprised his role of an evil Baron, only this time he isn’t a protagonist, he is all bad. This guy is pure evil and he is out to somehow get his way and create a monster that will do his bidding. While some people will be mad at me for including this film in this list due to the strong rape scene, I will say that it’s just a movie and a Hammer movie at that. Grow up, it’s not making it “cool”, ok. Peter Cushing and his monster get the #3 spot, even though Frankenstein must be destroyed!
The Curse of the Werewolf – This wasn’t exactly a great one, but after repeated viewings this movie is actually not half bad. The movie has a lot of slow points, then really picks up in the third and fourth act, with the wolf going nuts and getting beaten and shot. The cool thing here was the mutation scene, which was far better than the Universal Monster movies. Although, my favorite wolf transition happens in The Howling, this one is kind of cool, even though it was from the early 1960s.
Now, at this point you probably are wondering what I would pick for the number one spot, and when you see it, you’ll understand, especially because the poster is so rad.
Dracula 1972 – One of my favorite movie posters is also my favorite Hammer Horror movie. This film updates the story of Dracula and places him in the present (well at the time it was the present), and with an all-new updated cast of cronies to help him. We also are introduced to the descendent of Van Helsing with Jessica Van Helsing, and Johnny Alucard. (Alucard is not a descendent, but teams up with the girl) The movie is a bit dry, but it has some awesome moments with Christopher Lee once again playing the role of Dracula and making it hard not to cheer for him.
There you have it, 5 of my favorites from Hammer Horror, what are your favorites? Drop me a line.
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Not all movies have to be marketed or labeled horror to be scary. If you have been following the life cycle of this website, you will know that I have reviewed a lot of movies that were marketed as either comedy, thrillers, or other types and have put them under the microscopic view of why it could be considered a scary film. That is something that you have to understand about this film, especially when you get to the meat of it all. The movie I’m going to try and talk about is The Grey.
The Grey came and went with nothing but a whimper. The plot of the film is about a group of oil workers in Alaska that suffer a plane crash. Many of the die in the accident, but there are some that survive and they all have to band together to try and find a way out of there. As the time goes by each one starts to lose hope and dies off, but not before they realize that they are being stalked by a monster of sorts, this time around it’s wolves.
Now, don’t get me wrong, I thought that the wolves could be werewolves or something far more scary, but the science and notion of the film showers you with a negative view of wolves in general. I for one am with the plot point, as scary as the outdoors are, combine that with a pack of wolves that are trying to eat intruders, and you have for some of the most scary premises ever made. That’s what makes this film work, the fact that the wolves are nature, and there’s nothing you can really do but fight, and die.
Liam Neeson plays the role of leader quite well, and it makes me think of him as Raas Al Ghul all over again. He fights hard to stay alive, and in the final sequence, has one of the most epic looks on his face as he creates a weapon out of small bottles of liquor and a belt. He then goes head to head with the Alpha Male of the pack.
The movie is straightforward, and the way the sounds work with the scenery, really makes a scary sound. There are some straight laced horror sequences here, and they don’t always shave to do with fighting wolves, it is definitely found in the despair of what it would be like to be a modern man trapped in the middle of nowhere. For those that aren’t aware of how big Alaska is, or how vast it is, get a map and start reading. The place is one of the only places in the United States where you will die in the elements and no one will find you, ever. The Grey is not a great movie, but it visually and semi sonically works to scare you when you start to realize how realistic a lot of the problems and answers occur throughout the film. Watch it, you might enjoy it.
The Howling is one of my favorite films and to see the series get a third release was something of great interest for me, but I hadn't sat down and watched it for a long time. Since I have time on my hands, I decided to check out this Australian sequel to the werewolf lore, and was surprised to see that Ozploitation really manage to take the elements of the series and really poke holes into it, and bleed it out into an entertaining piece of horror.
The first thing you need to know is that this is not part of the original films. Yes, it is called The Howling but it's only because the name was purchased and this film has nothing to do with the books of the same name. Yes, there are some interesting views that are similar to the novels, but the third book in the Howling series is nothing like this movie, in terms of plot. The director of this film also did Howling II, but this is NOT part of the original ore, and it's interesting to see that the rating on this film is pg-13, and really is tame in a lot of ways. Much like Halloween 3: Season of the Witch is it's only stand alone film, this one stands apart in the series.
If you like a ton of subplots, you're going to get it here. There is a lot of things going on. This is not your average "centralized" plotted horror movie, and the viewer really has to pay attention to catch everything. There is a main plot, and it involves a professor that is working on werewolves and culture, tied together in a strange cult. A woman is found on a park bench and is placed in a film and she starts to attract attention after being hit by a car. There's a film within a film as we are treated to a mockery of the genre, when the newly found woman turns out to be, a werewolf!
There is a lot of tongue and cheek humor found in this film, and it's not really scary. There are some of the most ridiculous and cheese ball effects utilized to make this film fit into the previous films scope. The original films had a sort of traditional werewolf lore, while this one tries to inject science, religion, and breeding into the mix. The whole premise of a scientist experimenting on werewolves makes the film seem odd. The movie is notorious for making werewolves become anti-hero's here, and some might even try to shoehorn political movements, religious condemnation, and race relations as being the catalyst for the film's message. I felt as though the film was trying to make me feel bad for the werewolf, and that's where I just started to hate the film. The wolf is NOT supposed to be loved, or is it? My favorite parts of the film have to be the Alien Baby sequence and the terrible "movie within a movie within a movie" subplot, which was brief, but hilarious.
The funny elements of this film make for a more comedic movie rather than a true horror film. I am ok with comedy horror films, but I felt cheated with this one. I really felt as though I was going to get something along the lines of the original, or even the sequel, but instead this just seemed to lack gusto. I liked it, it's entertaining, but it's not scary at all, and really is a major departure from the previous entries. The parody elements go a bit too far at times, and I just miss more serious toned werewolf films. Check out Howling III: The Marsupials if you're a fan of the series, otherwise, you're not missing a whole lot. You'll laugh more often than not, so don't think this is going to be a great one to turn the lights out and scare yourself with, because it won't even be remotely scary. Unless you're scared of Australian made B-film. Hey, at least it's not British right? Just sayin.
Britain, Britain, Britain, it was about time I got around to reviewing another werewolf movie. I'm a fan of the genre, Howling being my favorite, although Silver Bullet had Busey in it as a "role model" so I guess that one wins some credit too. In 1981 "An American Werewolf in London" came out and it was directed by John Landis. The film was an easy to following horror film with some cool sequences of horror and violence.
The plot follows a couple of young men on a backpacking trip through Europe, although they don't make it past a small town, and one of them doesn't make it past London. The film immediately plunges the audience into peril with a werewolf attack, and then slowly builds to some awkward sexual scenes, and finally, the grandaddy of them all, a full transformation scene!
After we get the transformation sequence, our hero (named David) or rather anti-hero, goes into a self-realization that he's a werewolf and he'll be hungry and eating again, so he does what any self-respecting undead entity does, he goes to a porno theater! The film then starts to go into a "panic" mode as the werewolf takes center stage, and well, eats people. Eventually the cops get in the way and well, the rest is history.
The ending of the film is quite abrupt, and just kind of "closes" after a while. It's interesting to note that the film had a lot of inside jokes, lots of little references to other works, and a lot of random inserts that modern audiences will not understand, since most people don't carefully diagnose or write about film in general.
The dream sequences really made me love this film. Full blown fantasy land is really done nicely, with scary tones all over. David's friend walking around London as a zombie, telling him to end it all was cool. The whole wolf metaphor really gets played up here in the dream sequences and makes the film far better than I remembered it.
An American Werewolf in London isn't half bad. I liked Jenny Agutter's role as "Nurse Alex Price" and it didn't help my nurse fetish. Speaking of nurses, why are most of them in the United States fat? I mean, when I watch older film and read about history and what not, Nurses are HOT! In some of my fantasies...uh...never mind.
The acting is good overall, nothing too harsh on there, the film grain is quite good with a great overall transfer to dvd, and I found it better than I remembered. I loved the juxtaposing of the gore with real life cuts and edits, and I liked that there was a porno theater in the middle of London. It kind of made me want to go to London. Ok, no it didn't, but the nurse most certainly did, wow....what a hot lady.
I'll stop. I recommend checking out An American Werewolf in London, as it is a throwback to a classic time in horror, where werewolves were far better than Vampires, or at least better than shiny vampires and pasty white chicks. Till next time, watch out for the full Moon!!!
2010 is NOT the year of good quality horror movies. Sure there are some movies out there, but it's just not a great year in horror film. I'm not going to say that there are NO horror movies, but let's just say there's not a long line up of films that have gotten me excited. Then again, no one cares.
Werewolf movies, what can be said? I've reviewed a lot of movies in my day, and some of my favorites are werewolf movies. Heck, HOWLING! COME ON HOWLING! One of my favorites. There's a lot of movies about this type of character, and it begs to question whether or not another one can be made, and well....it happened. Before I dive into this film, considering that Geraldine Chaplin is in this...Chaplin comes full circle, just saying.
The plot of The Wolfman is interesting at first, even if some call it formulaic. There is nothing new to the werewolf myth here, except the transferring of power if you survive a bite from the wolf. The film is not really a "township" vs the animal, and is really more about the wolf and his father. Yep. This film is a metaphor about sons and fathers, and if you missed that, you missed the grand majority of the plot. There are some great lines that explain that as well, and it's interesting. Benicio Del Toro and Anthony Hopkins work well together and I have to say that Hopkins out acts everyone in this film, without even trying. That's not to say that the acting is all that great, but man, Hopkins has a presence that is hard to forget.
I loved the costumes. I absolutely love 19th century Victorian costuming, and there are some great ones here. There are some absolutely beautiful dark dresses that are juxtaposed with pale white faces...sorry, I love pale skin and...uh...nevermind. So I loved the details, and characterizations of the clothing.
I also loved the photography and cinematography. There are some beautiful shots of the forest, and faraway shots of horse drawn carriages. There is such a beauty found in scenes of death here, with an old school hearse, glass and all, and there are some amazing lighting choices. I loved the ambiance.
There is gore. I saw the unrated version and boy do they have gore. There is CG blood effects, but there are a LOT of close up shots with latex and gore effects that are a throwback to the 1980's. The gore is not comedic, it's straight up, with severed arms, legs, and all sorts of other harsh moments that will leave some a bit sick. I liked it.
The transformation scenes are terrible, and I didn't like it. I also didn't like the obvious throwbacks and CG. It was terrible...I'm sorry. I'd rather get the slow moving Howling stuff back...sorry.
Oh and in case anyone was wondering, there are more bestiality references than Disney's Beauty and the Beast...ok, so it might not be like that, but there are some moments that make you scratch your head. I mean, do women really like "beasts"? No wonder I can't get laid...geeks/nerds that love horror just never get any love :(
Is The Wolfman a scary film?: No.
I loved the ambiance, and loved the costumes and scenery, but the story? Nope. this movie isn't scary at all. I just don't think anyone is scared by werewolf's anymore. Yes, early on in this blog, I gave a huge comparison of good vs evil for Silver Bullet, and tried to balance the current nature of religion and animal rage, but this film doesn't let me do that.
Yes, there are some great moments in The Wolfman, moreover, the film tries to create a "good guy" role for the Wolf rather than making it a complete villain. So you're rooting for the anti-hero, yet there are points when you're suppose to hate him, and it's hard to balance what to think and whether or not to be scared.
I absolutely loved certain aspects of this film. I thought there were some great shots, and amazing stills, but overall? This movie kind of bored me with some serious identity crisis moments, and dream sequences, that just led nowhere. The pay off isn't even there, and there is a great point at the end of the film where we can jump off to a sequel. In the annals of werewolf history, this film is NOT one of the top draws. Is it the worst? No. But it's far from the best.
Those that loved the original, and love werewolf films in general, will NOT love this film. I admit. There is some slow moving sequences, and there are some points that were boring. However, some might find this to be quite good, specifically those that catch the metaphors and underlining story about "fathers and sons" etc. As a man who is the son of a broken man, and in some ways a broken man, I find that appealing about the film. Will you? I dunno. Check out this film, but owning it might not necessarily be a positive thing.
Today on this very special Rewind Post I went back to my roots and re-watched The Howling. I didn't change my opinion much, and still think that First person Camera view of the Wolf is one of the best parts of this film. I also thought the up-scaled violence was worth while, and it had some good points.
The Howling spawned many sequels, that I haven't really reviewed, but I'll have to do so sooner than later.
The Howling is a werewolf classic . However, it is not without its own flaws and many people disregard the franchise due to the amount of sequels involved in the series, however it is still one cool werewolf movie.
The movie follows a news anchor that nearly escapes the grasp of a serial killer. Along the way she learns of a psycho therapy colony that turns out to be a werewolf breeding ground of sorts, and is attacked. After the attack she starts to warn others of the existence of werewolves and when people don’t believe, she turns into one, causing chaos to break loose.
This movie is a classic in many ways. It is one of the first werewolf movie’s that I saw growing up and revisiting this classic was easy. For me it is just a cool movie at times, but the pacing has not gotten better.
The movie seems to go on a weird tangent involving sex at one point, and the pacing between the story set up and the actual dangerous situations seems a bit extended. I’m not sure at some points where the story is going, even though I know there is going to be a werewolf just around the corner.
Some might find the pacing to be the deal breaker, but if you hang in there, you will see a makeshift transformation scene.
One thing that I always ask when watching these films is, what are people doing during the transformations? I know one thing is for sure, they aren’t running. They wait for the transformation to be complete, then they scream and then they run.
The coolest part of this movie is found in the latter sequences where the main wolf is seen through first person viewing. You see two arms as the camera assumes the head position of the wolf, creating an awesome scene where you are almost in control of the action. Why they haven’t made a howling fps yet is beyond me!
The movie doesn’t take itself too seriously and you can notice this in many different comical reactions and disbelief in the characters as they realize what is going on around them. Unlike many werewolf movies, this one has a sense of its own stupidity, and doesn’t try to make it too serious like many other films. You actually appreciate that because if you’re a horror movie fan, you know how serious some of these werewolf movies try to be (ie; Cursed).
On a gore level, the blood splatter is minimal in comparison to other wolf films, but there is enough sexuality, blood and violence to satisfy most audiences. The Howling seems to want to stick to the original novel it is based on, although I doubt it really makes it to such a literary level.
I liked this one and it is one of my favorite werewolf films of all time. I know that the chimera aspect of werewolves is a bit odd for most, but there are some great sequences and for the time, the effects are awesome. I recommend The Howling as a staple in the werewolf film franchise, but make sure you take this with a grain of salt, because it’s not the end all be all werewolf film.
If you like werewolf movies, check out these other wolf classics:
I'm still unpacking a bunch of things here in my new home. I have also started a new exploitation film review site, as well as a complete kungfu site, so things are moving. As for this website, I'm working on new updates, they are just slower than usual because of the move. Please hang on though I will get back to good posts and even a podcast...I will keep you posted.
One of the worst things about horror are adaptations of Stephen King books, short stories, and novellas. No one really gets it right, and while I don’t think that there is a definitive greatest Stephen King movie list, I think that Silver Bullet is a strong contender for one of the better adaptations, even if I’m alone in thing this sort of thing. Stephen King’s Silver Bullet is a scary werewolf movie, even if you’re not a fan of the execution of this film.
The movie revolves around a small town, and a new string of murders that are plaguing the area. These murders are often covered up by the coroner and are never truly revealed as happenings of a Werewolf…until a kid discovers a deep dark secret, and then things go into high gear!
One of Gary Busey’s less psychotic roles, playing a good intentioned, unbelieving uncle (who happens to be an alcoholic), he actually looks young and sane. The rest of the cast play their roles well and I enjoyed it on an entertainment level. The initial set up takes some time to play out, however it isn’t really scary at first. We are introduced to the cast of characters with ease, as the murders play out as a back drop, you suspect a few people before the story turns on a dime and shows you who the culprit really is. I don’t know if you will catch it right away, but it is not exactly something that I was expecting, at least not the first time I saw it.
The main protagonist is bound to a wheelchair. One cool scene, that has nothing to do with horror, is that the kid gets an awesome upgrade thanks to his uncle. He gets this sweet looking, super wheel chair! That’s right, it’s awesome, and something that was most likely inspired by the imagination of a young child, rather than an adult, but then again, this film was made in the 80’s and these outlandish paleo-future ideas were the norm amongst Hollywood writers and director’s at the time. (Main example, Back to the Future and the hover-board)
The antagonist of this film is a werewolf, but who is the wolf? That’s the crux of these types of movies, and it’s not something that is done in movies often. Usually the occult is the vocal point of animalistic rage, or monster movies in general. If the occult is not named right away, it is implied through various sequences, and this film relies on a Judeo-Christian tinge to frighten viewers, and proclaim that people should watch out, lest wolves truly be in sheep’s clothing!
Just like in “The Howling” we get a combination of first person action and third person action. As a fan of video games and even online bingo at poshbingo, I really love the first person shots from the werewolf’s perspective where the hands are extended and the action is being followed through your television. It’s really a cryptic and weird camera perspective, and is done well for the time.
As far as its place in history, this film came out in 1985, meanwhile “The Howling” came out in 1981, and the camera angles and sequences seem stolen here. However, there aren’t a lot of scholars of horror that argue the intricacies of such a notion. Wes Craven’s “Cursed” and the Jack Nicholson movie “Wolf” also borrow subtle motions from the 1981 cult classic, but it can easily be said that they are all borrowing elements from MGM’s “The Wolf Man” from 1941 or dare I even say 1920’s? Or even the John Landis film “An American Werewolf in London”, which is regarded as one of the better werewolf movies since it was one of the first movies to film a long form transformation scene.
While on the topic of visuals, the formation of the silver bullet is done in quite the throwback to professional iron working, or maybe I’m just giving it too much credit. There are also great plays with the shadows as we see the main antagonist rise from beneath them, almost romanticizing the werewolf as a sexual predator, as we are seeing an abuse of power.
Why Silver Bullet is scary: Stephen King has been noted as being somewhat religious, and if not religious completely at least well versed in religious iconography and notion. In his novels he uses Christianity as the focal point to his villains madness (The Shining, The Stand, Misery), and in this film he really pushes the envelope to the extreme. The scary part of this film is not just the usual that no one believes the kid about the werewolves, but more over the fact that the most trusting person is the villain and the most obvious villain is not the villain!
Ok, let me settle down a little. Gary Busey plays a drunk. He shouldn’t be trusted, and he uses the drink as a crutch to somehow muster up enough courage to fight off the werewolf. However, the fight is not just his own, as Marty gets in on the action and we get a very exciting final fight of sorts. Seriously, the final fight is teased for so much of the film that when it finally goes down you get into it, if not initially, then definitely when Gary Busey gets thrown through a book shelf, creating a stand out point to get up and yell at your screen!
In regards to scary notions, this movie presents a Pastor as the villain. The Pastor is well trusted and the community is not quick to believe that he is doing anything wrong, let alone being a Werewolf. This is timely in many ways. We hear stories from victims of child abuse ranging from Catholic Priests to Youth Pastors, and that’s just religious sectors. Abuse is a sad thing, and this movie plays up the religious leader role to a tee, and if you’re reading into this a lot more than usual (like me) you’ll notice that this film sometimes parallels the notion that religious leaders are not only sometimes involved in criminal acts, but when accused, they aren’t always found guilty by the community or the leaders. I know, I’m reaching far for this one, but it seems to me that Stephen King has made a somewhat cautionary tale about abuse of power and how scary it is that those that we have trusted have caused so much pain our lives and the lives of others.
If that’s not scary, and it just seems too outlandish. Then the Cryptozoology aspect of the werewolf mythos is scary enough for you. Sure, I’m not exactly too scared about wolves coming to get me. However, we can all relate to the idea that sometimes the most trusted people screw you over the most.
I admit, Silver Bullet is not the greatest werewolf movie in the world. In fact, for some, Corey Haim’s over acting, Gary Busey’s under acting and Stephen King’s obvious jab at religious figures is just not the makings for a great horror film. Stephen King’s Silver Bullet offers a good enough thrill and scare for fans of Stephen King adaptations, but might be a little shallow in the true horror department. This movie is not gorey, doesn’t really have a lot of sexuality, and really swings the pendulum between disbelief between the notions of who is more righteous: the drunk uncle or the Baptist minister. I would recommend Silver Bullet to some fans, but not everyone is going to enjoy the obvious meddling with werewolf traditions and some blatant rip-offs of previous werewolf films like “The Howling”, but maybe I just like that film too much. I’m not sure.
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Today we have a special movie review. While I was under the impression that this film was a blaxploitation film, but turns out it wasn't such. This 1993 film is not exactly the first thing you hear about in the cannon of Mario Van Peebles. However, it's an interesting movie that takes a look at a genre of film that is dominated by bigger budgets, that genre of course is werewolves. The movie I'm going to try and review for you guys today is the 1993 film Full Eclipse.
Full Eclipse is a movie about a group of werewolves who have infiltrated the local police infrastructure, becoming an elite unit of vigilante crime fighters. When our main character resists joining the elite group, he's dragged into it, only to want to fight out tooth and nail.
The movie starts with two detectives responding to a call in a night club. Together they unload shot after shot and one of them nearly dies. As the movie progresses we see a sinister plot unfold and someone gives a serum to the fallen. We learn that the serum wasn't poison, at least not in the traditional sense, it's werewolf serum and we get into the action portion of this film. The former slain victim is now super human and we see a poorly choreographed chase scene to illustrate the fact.
As the movie progresses our main hero is wrangled into an elite group of werewolf warriors, but he doesn't want in. After finding out more about these hero's things go awry and he fights them, and that only progresses after about 90 minutes of set up, creating a boring film.
Seriously, this movie took a major turn after the first twenty minutes. The first twenty minutes of this film has a lot of action, and at times you really think you're watching a Batman film or something because this thing is tedious in its initial set up and action packed for apparently no reason. As the movie progresses though, it starts to slow down, then really slows down, eventually it slows down to a crawl and you start to compare this film to Scifi original tv films. I started to give up on the film, and then the last ten or so minutes really sewed it up.
At the full eclipse of the moon the main werewolf transforms into a monster. The transformation is instant, and you can completely tell that there is a man inside a werewolf suit. The characters fight it out for a good four or five minutes, and it's interesting to see how this turns out.
The computer graphics are terrible. The story is full of plot holes and really terrible acting. The make up and effects on the werewolves themselves are mediocre. The wolves don't even have legitimate claws, they come out of their fists like Wolverine! The film is terrible, it's not scary and really insults your intelligence.
However, that's the type of film that I enjoy sometimes. Sure Full Eclipse isn't going to win any major awards soon, but I'd watch this film over any recent Nicolas Cage film. I enjoyed this film on a comedic level, even though it's suppose to be a serious film. This film has a scary premise, consider it. Think about the idea that the Police were run by werewolves, outlandish, but if it were possible it'd be scary. This whole movie could be a metaphor for drugs. If you take drugs you will become an animal, and won't be able to control yourself. You know what, it's more of a metaphor for cult activity. Once you get in, you can't get out without blood being spilled.
Nevermind, this movie doesn't deserve much more review. Full Eclipse is laughable, but it's not worse than Vegas Vampires. In fact, you want a good time? Watch Full Eclipse and Vegas Vampires back to back, and enjoy the show. It doesn't add or take away much from the werewolf lore or stories from the past, even though it's definitely a sore spot for horror movie fans that saw this one.
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Here we go again, another film from the Hammer Production studio. This film from way back when, 1961, features a clever take on the Werewolf myths, based on a French Novel "The Werewolf of Paris" by Guy Endore. In the annals of werewolf movies, this thing is not memorable, and it really isn't too shocking in terms of gore, but it's a Hammer Horror film none the less, and it is worth noting and viewing, for this great movie blog...well it's an ok movie review blog...at best. So come with me as we go back to the 18th century Spanish world and read the styling of Curse of the Werewolf.
Right off the bat this film sets you up for character development. This movie is deeply moving in terms of acting and character development, with lavish sets setting a great back drop to a somewhat scary idea of werewolves in the age of pre-American traditional lore. For being a 1961 movie, the sets are well put together and the film looks like it had some serious money and artistic ability behind the production, and it really is a great testament to how much Hammer Film Studios paid attention to details.
The stars of this film were Clifford Evans, Oliver Reed, Yvonne Romain, Catherine Feller, Anthony Dawson, and Michael Ripper, and they do a really good job in this. These people are not fly by night actors, they really try to do the best they could with the material given to them. It really does make you wonder what happened to horror films. Today, you don't really get good acting in standard horror films.
The story starts out with a beggar arriving into a Spanish village and ends up in the courts of royalty. There they treat him like a pet, until they eventually send him to the dungeons. He befriends a mute girl while he is there, and eventually she grows up to be beautiful. Then, the beggar strikes when you begin to think that this film is a love story, and we get to the good stuff, werewolf transformation!
Now, you usually get transformation sequences that range from stupid to good. Recall the transformation in the movie "Wolf" and you know that things aren't always good in the realms of turning men into wolves. This film goes with a more realistic approach and do not elongate the face like you see in "Howling" which was definitely exaggerated in a lot of different ways. There is no crazy transfer and the u can distinguish between the beggar and the wolf.
At this point we start getting serious character development and story, and the majority of viewers will just go to sleep, because the film is treated as a serious thing, instead of a scary and obscure horror film. With movies like "The Howling" we saw some serious dark tones involved with the exploration of the werewolf idea. This film doesn't have that, you don't see a lot of smoke and mirrors, and you aren't mysteriously led into transformation sequences, sexual scenes, or anything that you might want to think of in terms of recent werewolf films. It's just tone down in a lot of ways, and you might not enjoy that.
The best part of this film for me, is the ending, when the werewolf gets tore up, he acts like an animal! Seriously, he gets shot and he jumps around like a real life animal, which made a touch of realism to an otherwise non existent romp through horror.
Is The Curse of the Werewolf Scary? No. This movie isn't really that scary. Sure there are horror elements, but for today's horror aficionado's this film doesn't create enough mood to scare. In 1961, this film was censored in a few frames upon release, and was recently restored when released for dvd recently. So maybe it was scary at one time, but overall this isn't as scary as the other Hammer Horror films. This is not a vampire film, and this is toned down a lot in comparison to any modern day horror film.
I'm going to go out on a limb here, but I really think that this film would be an ok introduction for children and horror film. The movie has such a slim line, stream of horror that a child would find somewhat scary. If you watch this with your child, you might have to explain that werewolves are not real, but you won't have to explain a ton of other things. There's not a ton of innuendo, sex, and gore. So this movie in 2009 seems a lot like a "Goosebumps" book rather than a real horror film. You really have to put your 1960's hat on and consider the time that this film was in and enjoy it. Don't approach this film thinking that this is a horror, gore, and sexual fest. While there are arguments that can be made in regards to that, they are tame and done with a sense of taste and class, so you might not even see them coming.
This 1961 Hammer Horror film is really cool. It's a cool film. Hammer Horror's The Curse of the Werewolf is a tame horror entry, but it was scary at one point. 40 years ago this thing would have scared a lot of people and rightfully so, but I think I nailed it on the head in saying that this is really tame in today's standards. It is even probably something that I'm going to show my kids as they develop their tastes into horror movies. Check this one out, but don't expect a thrill ride, it's really slow to develop and the action doesn't make the film, the acting makes the film. I know, that's a strange thing.
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