Howling, The

Review by Scarface

Plot Outline: Following a traumatic encounter with serial killer Eddie Quist, T.V journalist Karen White is advised by her psychologist to take a break from her work and attend a private therapy center called “The Colony”. Karen is left with no choice but to follow the advice and together with her husband heads for the woods where the Colony therapy center is located. Things soon turn for the worse as her husband is brutally attacked by a mysterious creature one night. Karen begins to suspect that something is terribly wrong at the Colony, until she finally realizes the therapy center is actually owned by werewolves. With her husband turning into a werewolf himself, she is left with no choice but to confront the creatures in order to get out of there alive.

	The Review

Together with vampires and zombies, werewolf movies have always been embraced with open arms by avid horror fans. The undisputed classic of this genre, praised by horror buffs all around the world is undoubtedly “An American Werewolf in London”. However, few can deny the fact that there was an equally brilliant, perhaps lesser known werewolf movie released the same year by the name of “The Howling”.

There are essentially two main reasons why you should watch this film. One of these are the werewolf transformations themselves. The ones in “American Werewolf” were great; but these, believe it or not, are even better. Thanks to perfect use of editing and extraordinary make-up effects (duly provided by Rob Bottin, whose other credits include “John Carpenter’s The Thing”); the transformations seem way ahead of their time. In an era continuously characterized by the extensive use of CGI in movies, “The Howling” is living proof that brilliant effects can still be obtained by old-school methods.

The film drags a little too much at the beginning; hence the 1 star reduction in the final rating. This could make you lose some interest on what’s going on, but the second part more than compensates for this. As soon as the scene in which Karen’s husband is bit by a werewolf comes along, the film doesn’t look back and takes the viewer on an unforgettable roller-coaster ride! Expect to see some surprisingly hot werewolf sex, a substantial amount of action, and even a little dose of black humor.

	The Conclusion

The movie as a matter of fact pretty much plays like a mystery novel. The viewer isn’t completely sure what’s going on in the first part, as he is introduced to various eccentric characters and strange situations. The most memorable of these characters is a young woman named Marsha; who most probably is the hottest female werewolf ever to grace the big screen. As the story unfolds bit by bit; the viewer begins to realize the real danger main character Karen is forced to face; as she has to transform herself from an unlucky victim of fate to a fighting survivor (pretty much like Sarah Connor in “The Terminator”). I mentioned in the beginning of the review that there are essentially two main reasons why this movie is great. One reason which I already mentioned is the werewolf transformations. The second reason is the jaw-dropping ending. There is not one, but TWO unexpected major surprises in the last five minutes of the movie; which also paved the way to endless sequels which I have yet to see. Of course, I’m not going to spoil it for you; you have to check it out for yourself. All I’m going to tell you is if you’re ever on a date and your sweetheart orders a rare cooked burger, you should become very suspicious of her true origins. Don’t you just love it when movies give you such life-saving tips?