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The Howling -
This is a pretty good werewolf horror movie starring Dee Wallace as Karen White, a news reporter who has an encounter with a stalker that's so traumatic, she's unable to function in her job or be there for her fiancé, Bill (real-life husband Christopher Stone). They hope to remedy this by staying in a small retreat in the mountains, which as the couple soon learns is the last place in the world someone in Karen’s condition should be. My favorite quality of Joe Dante's movies is how deftly they shift from funny to scary, a quality that is on full display in the two Gremlins movies and Matinee. This one proves that it took the director a while to master striking this balance because for the most part, the horror isn’t all that scary and the comedy isn’t all that funny. Despite a fireside sex scene that becomes something else entirely and the requisite Dick Miller appearance - this time as an enterprising used book seller - this could be said of the first two acts. They also have a listless, formless and “not quite there” vibe, if you will, that made it hard to stay interested.
Despite not being as scary as I would like, the finale, which features some delightfully gross makeup courtesy of Rob Bottin and a terrifying performance by Robert Picardo, comes close to making up for it. It's a credit to Dante and company that they saved the best for last, so much so that the finale is strong enough for me to recommend the entire product. With that said, if you're in the mood for a werewolf movie, see that other one from 1981 first. Also, if you're in the mood for a Joe Dante movie, unless you're interested in seeing how he started out, watch one of those other ones I mentioned first.
This is a pretty good werewolf horror movie starring Dee Wallace as Karen White, a news reporter who has an encounter with a stalker that's so traumatic, she's unable to function in her job or be there for her fiancé, Bill (real-life husband Christopher Stone). They hope to remedy this by staying in a small retreat in the mountains, which as the couple soon learns is the last place in the world someone in Karen’s condition should be. My favorite quality of Joe Dante's movies is how deftly they shift from funny to scary, a quality that is on full display in the two Gremlins movies and Matinee. This one proves that it took the director a while to master striking this balance because for the most part, the horror isn’t all that scary and the comedy isn’t all that funny. Despite a fireside sex scene that becomes something else entirely and the requisite Dick Miller appearance - this time as an enterprising used book seller - this could be said of the first two acts. They also have a listless, formless and “not quite there” vibe, if you will, that made it hard to stay interested.
Despite not being as scary as I would like, the finale, which features some delightfully gross makeup courtesy of Rob Bottin and a terrifying performance by Robert Picardo, comes close to making up for it. It's a credit to Dante and company that they saved the best for last, so much so that the finale is strong enough for me to recommend the entire product. With that said, if you're in the mood for a werewolf movie, see that other one from 1981 first. Also, if you're in the mood for a Joe Dante movie, unless you're interested in seeing how he started out, watch one of those other ones I mentioned first.