MONSTERZERO NJ’S MOVIE MEMORIES: HAPPY 42nd ANNIVERSARY THE HOWLING (1981)

HAPPY 42nd ANNIVERSARY THE HOWLING (1981)

The Joe Dante werewolf classic turns 42!!

The Howling was released 42 years ago, and its anniversary has brought back memories, as I saw it with friends at a special preview screening, weeks before it’s March 13th release, at the now long-gone Stanley Warner Theater in Paramus, NJ. Preview screenings were quite common back in the 80s before there was an internet and were used to spread advance word of mouth to promote movies before websites like Rotten Tomatoes and Bloody Disgusting did the job as they do now. As such, we didn’t know quite what to expect as the only knowledge of the movie came from Fangoria articles and brief commercials on TV. There was no Youtube to view trailers either. If you didn’t catch a trailer at your local theater with another movie, you missed it.

 

Howling heroine and future horror queen Dee Wallace knows there is something lurking in the woods!

For those unfamiliar… The Howling is a true horror classic and is regarded as one of the best werewolf movies ever made. Joe Dante, fresh off of Roger Corman’s Piranha, re-teamed with writer John Sayles for a fun and spooky tale of lycanthrope loose in the California hills that was based on a book by Gary Brandner. After a traumatic close call with a strangely animalistic serial killer named Eddie Quist (Robert Picardo), young newswoman, Karen (Dee Wallace) is sent to a holistic retreat by her therapist, Dr. Waggner (Patrick Macnee) for treatment. But unknown to Karen and her husband, Bill (Christopher Stone), The Colony is actually a haven for werewolves that the therapist is trying to civilize…and that a certain, Eddie Quist was one of his ‘patients’. Some of the pack have other ideas and are looking at Karen as their next meal.

 

Rob Bottin’s amazing transformation FX that beat Rick Baker’s American Werewolf work to theaters by five months!

We all loved it! It was fun, scary and Rob Bottin’s make-up, gore and werewolf transformation effects blew us away. The mix of twisted humor and horror elements was perfect! It’s been my favorite werewolf movie ever since…sorry American Werewolf in London. Personally, I am not a fan of the sequels that followed and was very disappointed at the route they took with Howling II, which has now become a cult favorite all these years later after initially being scorned. Why they didn’t do a direct sequel and bring back Marsha (Elizabeth Brooks) was beyond me and how they screwed up a sequel that starred the great Christopher Lee, I’ll never figure out.

 

There is something malevolent and hungry stalking a remote retreat in the California woodlands.

Accepted by horror fandom as a horror classic and one of the best werewolf movies of all-time, The Howling has remained effective all these decades later and Rob Bottin’s prosthetic transformations effects still lauded as a far better than any CGI could hope to be. Dee Wallace is also renown as one of the queens of modern horror and it’s still counted as one of legendary filmmaker Joe Dante’s best movies!

HAPPY 42nd ANNIVERSARY THE HOWLING (1981)

-MonsterZero NJ

 

INDIE HORROR “WOLF GARDEN” GETS A POSTER AND TRAILER

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From the official press release…

“Date: 02/28/2023

Directed by: Wayne David

Starring: Wayne David, Sian Altman, Grant Masters

Synopsis: William has gone into hiding in the countryside following horrifically violent events. Struggling to come to terms with reality, he flashes between past, present and fantasies involving the woman he loves, Chantelle. As his sanity crumbles and he continues to feed an unseen creature locked inside a shed in the woods, he begins having apparitions of a ghostly Visitor who pushes him to kill the creature and discover a terrible truth about Chantelle before the next full moon.”

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-MonsterZero NJ

Source: Lightening Strike Pictures/Gravitas Ventures

BARE BONES: THE WOLF OF SNOW HOLLOW (2020)

THE WOLF OF SNOW HOLLOW (2020)

Offbeat horror finds Officer John Marshall (Jim Cummings) already dangerously close to going over the edge, when a series of brutal murders lays siege to the sleepy mountain town of Snow Hollow. His sheriff father (Robert Forster) is too old and frail to handle the case and so it all falls in his lap. He feels it is a serial killer, while his barely competent staff thinks it’s a wolf…or a werewolf. As the killings continue and Marshall gets closer and closer to finding the culprit, the more it starts to appear like there is a werewolf responsible. 

Film is written and directed by star Jim Cummings with a very offbeat and quirky sense of humor. This underlying humor takes a while to get used to and the film is just as much about John’s life falling apart, as it is about the quite gruesome murders occurring in this usually dull town. The flick can be quite bloody at times and does have a surprise or two up its sleeve regarding its killer. The gore is well rendered and the werewolf in question is effective and well designed. The snowy Kamas, Utah locations work very well and are a refreshing change of pace from the usual locals used for this kind of flick. The mix of humor and the more serious elements doesn’t always gel, and sometimes the film does seem more concerned with Officer Marshall’s emotional state than the pursuit of its lycanthropic killer. At least it doesn’t overstay it’s welcome at a brisk 83 minutes. Overall, it’s something a little different, if you are in the mood for a movie more off the beaten path horror-wise. Also stars Riki Lindhome as Officer Julia Robson and Chloe East as Marshall’s daughter Jenna, with whom he has a troubled relationship. The film is legendary actor Robert Forster’s final role.

-MonsterZero NJ

TOMB OF NOSTALGIA: BAD MOON (1996)

BAD MOON (1996)

(Remember, clicking the highlighted links brings you to other reviews and articles here at The Movie Madhouse!)

1996 Werewolf flick is a sadly overlooked movie when folks talk about this particular horror sub-genre. It opens effectively in the jungles of Nepal where photo journalist Ted Harrison (Michael Paré) and his lover (Johanna Lebovitz) are attacked by a vicious bipedal wolf creature. Ted is bitten but survives and moves back to Seattle to be close to his single mom sister Janet (Mariel Hemingway) and her son Brett (Mason Gamble). This proves a mistake, as Ted now transforms into a wolf-like creature at night and the only thing standing between the lycanthrope and his sister and nephew is the loyal family german shepherd, Thor (Primo).

Film is written and very well directed by Eric Red (writer of Near Dark) from the book Thor by Wayne Smith. Bad Moon is a very tense and effective thriller that sets up an interesting situation as dog Thor is the only member of the family to first know Ted is a werewolf, but is mistakingly blamed by authorities for his actions. While there are victims of Ted’s wrath/hunger, such as an obnoxious con-man (Hrothgar Mathews) that hassled Janet earlier, the film focuses on the growing tension and suspicions between Ted, Janet, Brett and, of course, Thor. The werewolf attacks are surprisingly vicious and Bad Moon has some very effective and abundant gore. Not only are Ted’s attacks quite gruesome, as is the vicious opening sequence, but his climactic battle with Thor is quite bloody…and that is no spoiler, as the whole film is setting up this fur-flying confrontation. The only drawback with the make-up FX is Ted’s fanged alter ego is shown quite a bit and in full view and the suit is somewhat rubbery. Also, it is obviously a stuffed and fake stand-in for Thor during some of the battle moments. It takes away a bit from the illusion of reality, but not enough to hurt this intense and effective chiller all that much. It’s got a brisk pace, at a trim 80 minutes, and by opening the film with a bloody attack right off the bat, it sets the tone for the rest of the movie. The characters are likable, including Ted at first and this helps the audience to care about them and thus the proceedings. Shame this flick never caught on in it’s initial release.

The small cast are very good and help make this more intimately staged werewolf flick work all the more better. Michael Paré is effective as Ted in that he is both tragic and a bit villainous. He is both aware of his transformation and tries to protect others against it, while not above letting Thor take the blame for his killings. Paré shows he had star potential. Mariel Hemingway is good as Janet. A lawyer by profession, she’s tough and smart and very protective of her son, even if it means seeing their loyal…and wrongfully accused…dog separated from her family. Young Mason Gamble is very effective, with his Brett being a bit of a tough kid and not one to scare easily. He has good chemistry with movie mom Hemingway and an interesting dynamic with his uncle, as he begins to suspect something is up with Paré’s Ted. As for Thor, four legged actor Primo does a wonderful job creating a character with barks instead of dialogue. The animal is very expressive and is a strong hero, playing basically the character no one believes when evil is afoot. Makes this film work and work well.

Overall, this film sadly underperformed in 1996 when released and it is a shame. It’s not perfect, but is a tense and gory little movie with a solid cast, especially it’s canine star. The film adds an interesting dynamic by giving it’s werewolf a four legged thorn in it’s side and adds an interesting element as the family dog takes the fall for werewolf activity. It builds to a violent and effective confrontation and doesn’t spare the the blood spurting and savaged limbs, despite a family element to it’s story. Not a great movie, but one that should be included when talking about the werewolf sub-genre in general. If you haven’t seen it, Bad Moon is streaming free on Tubi and available from the great folks at Scream Factory on blu-ray.

-MonsterZero NJ

Rated 3 (out of 4) full moons.

 

 

 

 

 

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