The Howling (1981)
One of the two werewolf films released in 1981 (the other being An American Werewolf in London), this is the lesser effort. The movie centers around news anchor Karen (Dee Wallace), who, after being attacked by sex maniac, goes to a retreat to recover. The problem with this woodland getaway, though, is that everybody's a werewolf! The movie starts off well enough with the aforementioned attack, but loses its footing soon after and doesn't regain it until halfway through with a very strange werewolf sex scene, which manages to be disturbing and erotic at once. After that, the film really takes off, and it's topnotch werewolf action with excellent makeup effects by Rob Bottin. One of the pleasing things about this film is its reverence for the past. Classic horror star John Carradine has a supporting role as a nutty old coot, and John Sayles' script is filled with references to previous werewolf films (see the Trivia note on names below). A good werewolf film, almost a great one. An excellent rental for lycanthrope lovers.
Famous Quotes: "Silver bullets or fire, that's the only way to get rid of the damn things. They're worse than cockroaches." -Bookstore Owner (Dick Miller).