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Title: The Howling (1981)
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Cast
| Cast overview, first billed only: | |||
| Dee Wallace | ... | ||
| Patrick Macnee | ... | ||
| Dennis Dugan | ... | ||
| Christopher Stone | ... | ||
| Belinda Balaski | ... | ||
| Kevin McCarthy | ... | ||
| John Carradine | ... | ||
| Slim Pickens | ... | ||
| Elisabeth Brooks | ... | ||
| Robert Picardo | ... | ||
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Margie Impert | ... | |
| Noble Willingham | ... | ||
| James Murtaugh | ... | ||
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Jim McKrell | ... | |
| Kenneth Tobey | ... |
Older Cop
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Storyline
Television newswoman Karen White takes some much-needed time off after a traumatic incident with a serial killer. Hoping to conquer her inner demons, she heads for The Colony, a secluded retreat where the creepy residents are a little too eager to make her feel at home. Also, there seems to be a bizarre connection between Eddie Quist and this supposedly safe haven. And when, after nights of being tormented by unearthly cries, Karen ventures into the forest and makes a terrifying discovery. Now she must not only fight for her life... but for her very soul! Helped launch the short-lived werewolf craze in the early 1980s. Written by Tim Kretschmann <Tim.K@VirComm.com>
Taglines:
Imagine your worst fear a realityGenres:
HorrorParents Guide:
View content advisory »Details
Country:
USARelease Date:
10 April 1981 (USA) See more »Also Known As:
Aullidos See more »Box Office
Budget:
$1,000,000 (estimated)Gross:
$17,986,000 (USA)Company Credits
Technical Specs
Runtime:
Sound Mix:
MonoColor:
ColorAspect Ratio:
1.66 : 1Did You Know?
Trivia
Due to their work in this film, Joe Dante and Michael Finnell received the opportunity to make the movie Gremlins. See more »Goofs
When Marsha makes the scratches on Bill's back, his back smooth and hair free. Yet the shot before showing them turning into werewolves, they were both covered with hair. See more »Quotes
[first lines]Dr. George Waggner: Repression. Repression is the father of neurosis, of self-hatred. Now, stress results when we fight against our impulses. We've all heard people talk about animal magnetism, the natural man. the noble savage, as if we'd lost something valuable in our long evolution into civilized human beings. Now there's a good reason for this.
See more »
Terrific modern werewolf film from director Joe Dante remains one of his best movies.
News Anchor has a terrifying encounter with a lunatic murderer, then decides to seek rest in an isolated colony of weird characters. It's about to become a hairy situation!
Writer John Sayles (who does a humorous cameo as a morgue attendant) makes The Howling a clever and deeply spooky picture with some nicely tongue-in-cheek humor. The story references lots of old-school horror movies, notice how many of the characters in this movie are named after directors of old werewolf films. Dante lends some well-crafted direction, giving the movie a truly haunting atmosphere. He builds some great suspense and the occasional good shock. The art direction by Robert Burns is also quite good, making for some creepy settings. Rob Bottin's makeup FX are impressive and frightening. Pino Donaggio's music score is splendidly dramatic.
Dee Wallace Stone does a strong performance as the film's troubled heroine. Patrick Macnee, Dennis Dugan, Belinda Balaski, and Christoper Stone are also good in their supporting roles. Elisabeth Brooks and Robert Picardo make for some truly scary villains.
Along with Landis's great American Werewolf in London, which ironically came out the same year as this film, The Howling ranks as one of the very best modern werewolf movies!
**** out of ****