Review of The Howling (1981) by Severin M — 17 Sep 2011

Karen: A secret society exists, and is living among all of us. They are neither people nor animals, but something in-between.

"Imagine your worst fear a reality".

The Howling is a decent werewolf film. It doesn't match some of the best of the genre, but it also exceeds the great majority. Joe Dante always brings a lot of fun to his movies and The Howling is no different. The movie is fun in sections, but throughout I'd call it only mildly engaging. The whole colony setup was really obvious, so it was all very predictable.

I liked the movie for the most part and will say that it is a worthwhile watch. There are a few scenes in the movie that are really well done including a really cool ending that I loved. The rest of the movie is just good enough to get you through to the great scenes. The cast isn't great, but it isn't bad. The performances are admirable without being all that good.

Basically The Howling ends up being a movie that I'm in between on. It's good enough for a recommendation, but not good enough to say you need to watch it. If you're a fan of the genre, definitely watch it because it is good enough for at least one viewing. Just don't expect a movie that exceeds An American Werewolf in London.