The Howling (film)

The Howling

Company type	Film
Industry	Film industry
Founded	March 13, 1981 (1981-03-13)
Founder	Joe Dante (director), John Sayles (screenwriter), Terence H. Winkless (screenwriter)
Products	Horror film

The Howling is a 1981 American horror film both directed and edited by Joe Dante. The screenplay, penned by John Sayles and Terence H. Winkless, adapts the novel authored by Gary Brandner. The narrative centers on a television news anchor who, following a harrowing encounter with a serial murderer, visits a remote resort that conceals a community of werewolves. The ensemble cast includes Dee Wallace, Patrick Macnee, Dennis Dugan, Christopher Stone, Belinda Balaski, Kevin McCarthy, John Carradine, Slim Pickens, and Elisabeth Brooks.

Premiering in the United States on March 13, 1981, The Howling earned roughly $17.9 million at the box office, achieving moderate commercial success. Critics particularly praised Rob Bottin’s groundbreaking makeup effects. The film secured the 1980 Saturn Award for Best Horror Film and was one of three prominent werewolf-themed horror movies released in 1981, alongside An American Werewolf in London and Wolfen.

The movie’s commercial performance propelled Dante’s career forward, resulting in Warner Bros. enlisting him and producer Michael Finnell to create Gremlins (1984). The Howling later developed into a franchise comprising seven sequels. A remake is currently underway with director Andy Muschietti attached.

Plot

Karen White, a television news anchor from Los Angeles, becomes the target of serial killer Eddie Quist. Collaborating with law enforcement, she agrees to meet Eddie in a rundown adult movie theater to facilitate his capture. Eddie coerces Karen into watching a violent tape, and when she screams upon recognizing him, the police shoot Eddie. Though saved, Karen experiences memory loss. Her therapist, "Doc" George Waggner, advises her to undergo treatment at an isolated retreat called the "Colony," accompanied by her husband, Bill Neill.

At the Colony, Bill resists the seductive advances of Marsha, a nymphomaniac resident, but soon falls victim to an attack by a werewolf. Concerned, Karen contacts her friend Terry Fisher, who uncovers a connection between the Colony and Eddie after discovering that Eddie’s corpse has mysteriously disappeared from the morgue. Suspicious of Bill’s odd conduct, Karen delves deeper into the resort’s sinister secrets. That night, Bill and Marsha undergo transformation into werewolves during a moonlit encounter.

While investigating further, Terry is assaulted and killed by Eddie in his werewolf form as she searches for incriminating documents about him. Terry’s boyfriend Chris Halloran learns of the Colony’s true nature and arrives equipped with silver bullets.

Karen confronts Eddie after he returns from death and shifts into his werewolf form; she manages to escape by dousing him with acid. Chris shoots and kills Eddie as he attempts another transformation. It is revealed that all Colony inhabitants are shapeshifters capable of turning into werewolves at will. Karen and Chris survive and set fire to the Colony. While fleeing, their vehicle is attacked by a werewolf that bites Karen before being shot—unveiling Bill’s own transformation.

Intent on revealing the truth to the world, Karen initiates a global broadcast exposing the existence of werewolves and undergoes a live transformation on air. However, viewers dismiss her claims as mere special effects. Meanwhile, Marsha escapes unharmed and watches the broadcast from a bar.

Cast

• Dee Wallace as Karen White
• Patrick Macnee as Dr. George Waggner
• Dennis Dugan as Chris Halloran
• Christopher Stone as R. William "Bill" Neill
• Belinda Balaski as Terri Fisher
• Kevin McCarthy as Fred Francis
• John Carradine as Erle Kenton
• Slim Pickens as Sam Newfield
• Elisabeth Brooks as Marsha Quist
• Robert Picardo as Eddie Quist
• Margie Impert as Donna
• Noble Willingham as Charlie Barton
• James Murtaugh as Jerry Warren
• Jim McKrell as Lew Landers
• Kenneth Tobey as Older Cop
• Dick Miller as Walter Paisley
• Meshach Taylor as Shantz
• Don McLeod as Quist

Production

Steven Lane, originally a theater chain proprietor and an enthusiastic fan of horror literature—particularly the works of Stephen King—ventured into filmmaking by securing the adaptation rights to Gary Brandner's 1977 novel The Howling. After Warner Bros., the initial rights holder, transferred them to director Jack Conrad, Lane joined forces with Conrad to develop the project under Avco Embassy Pictures.

Early screenplay versions by Conrad and Terence H. Winkless failed to meet expectations, prompting director Joe Dante to bring on board John Sayles, with whom he had previously collaborated on Piranha, to revise the script. Sayles introduced a self-referential and satirical style, crafting a screenplay that diverged significantly from Brandner's original narrative. Winkless maintained co-writing credit alongside Sayles.

The film featured distinguished character actors such as Kevin McCarthy, John Carradine, and Slim Pickens, all recognized figures within genre cinema. Numerous in-jokes were embedded throughout the production, including cameo appearances by Roger Corman, John Sayles, James Murtaugh, and Forrest J Ackerman, who appeared holding an issue of his magazine Famous Monsters of Filmland.

The Howling stood out for its groundbreaking special effects for the time. Effects artist Rob Bottin, who had collaborated with Dante on Piranha, replaced original effects creator Rick Baker after Baker departed to work on An American Werewolf in London. Bottin’s highly praised transformation scenes employed air bladders beneath latex prosthetics to realistically portray werewolf metamorphoses. Additionally, the film utilized stop-motion animation by David W. Allen and puppetry to augment the creatures’ otherworldly appearances; however, most of Allen’s animated sequences were removed following preview screenings.

Leveraging their achievements on The Howling, Dante and producer Michael Finnell secured the chance to produce Gremlins (1984) under Steven Spielberg’s guidance. The film contains nods to The Howling, such as Eddie Quist’s smiley face sticker motif and the recurring character Lew Landers appearing in both movies.

Music

The score was composed by Pino Donaggio, who combined traditional orchestral horror themes with subtle synthesizer elements. In 2017, Waxwork Records issued the complete soundtrack as a double LP, featuring cover artwork by Francesco Francavilla.

Finance

International Film Investors (IFI) financed half of the production costs. Collaborating with Goldcrest Films, IFI invested £145,000 into The Howling and ultimately earned £396,000, resulting in a profit of £251,000.

Release

The movie debuted on March 13, 1981, opening in 170 theaters located in New York City, Philadelphia, and the Washington D.C.–Baltimore region.

Critical response

On Rotten Tomatoes, The Howling holds a 75% approval rating based on 43 critiques, with an average score of 6.4/10. The consensus highlights its unique combination of humor and striking visual effects that differentiate it from standard werewolf films.

In 1981, Roger Ebert awarded it 2 out of 4 stars, describing it as "silly" but noting its impressive special effects. Gene Siskel gave it three and a half stars out of four. Leonard Maltin praised it as a "hip, well-crafted horror movie" featuring playful tributes to classic werewolf cinema. Variety commended its humor alongside its conventional horror style. Kim Newman singled out Picardo’s transformation as "the most remarkable werewolf monster in cinema."

The film received the 1980 Saturn Award for Best Horror Film and was ranked #81 on Bravo’s list of 100 Scariest Movie Moments.

Box office

During its debut weekend, the film generated $1,160,172 in revenue. According to Variety's weekly rankings, which surveyed 20-24 markets, it secured the top position for that period; however, Back Roads, opening in 635 additional theaters, achieved a nationwide total of $3 million. Ultimately, The Howling amassed $17.9 million across the United States and Canada.

Themes and style

Scott Tobias from The Guardian observes that the movie revitalized traditional movie monsters, particularly werewolves, by blending vivid practical effects with overt sexual elements and embedding contextual allusions, such as a subtle reference to the Jonestown tragedy through the depiction of a forest enclave named ‘The Colony’.

According to The New York Times, the film explores themes of primal desire and the sexual nature of werewolves while offering satirical insights into television sensationalism, focusing on figures like Dr. George Waggner. It delivers a critique of media fixation on violent behavior and humanity’s darker impulses.

Home media

On June 18, 2013, Shout! Factory reissued The Howling on both DVD and Blu-ray under their Scream Factory label. Prior to this, MGM had released a Region 1 widescreen Special Edition DVD on August 26, 2003, maintaining video and television distribution rights through agreements with StudioCanal and Sony Pictures, who currently hold ownership of the AVCO Embassy catalog.

Sequels and remake

Main article: The Howling (franchise)

Following the original, seven sequels were produced. In May 2015, rights to the initial film were acquired by a new production company with plans for a ninth installment—a remake. By 2020, Andy Muschietti was appointed to direct this remake for Netflix.

Furthermore, Space Goat Productions introduced a comic book series titled The Howling: Revenge of the Werewolf Queen in May 2017. This series acts as a direct continuation of the original movie, disregarding events from previous sequels.