The Howling (1981)

After a bizarre and near fatal encounter with a serial killer, a television newswoman is sent to a remote mountain resort whose residents may not be what they seem.

Director:

Joe Dante

Writers:

Gary Brandner (novel), John Sayles (screenplay),

Stars:

Dee Wallace, Patrick Macnee, Dennis Dugan

2 wins & 2 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Dee Wallace	...	Karen White
Patrick Macnee	...	Dr. George Waggner
Dennis Dugan	...	Chris
Christopher Stone	...	R. William 'Bill' Neill
Belinda Balaski	...	Terry Fisher
Kevin McCarthy	...	Fred Francis
John Carradine	...	Erle Kenton
Slim Pickens	...	Sam Newfield
Elisabeth Brooks	...	Marsha Quist
Robert Picardo	...	Eddie Quist
Margie Impert	...	Donna
Noble Willingham	...	Charlie Barton
James Murtaugh	...	Jerry Warren
Jim McKrell	...	Lew Landers
Kenneth Tobey	...	Older Cop

Storyline

Eye-popping special effects highlight an updated werewolf story. Television newswoman Karen White goes on a retreat after a traumatic incident with a serial killer. But is she really safe? And what should she fear more: regaining her memory or the creepy residents of The Colony? Followed by many unsatisfying and unconnected sequels. Helped launch the short-lived werewolf craze in the early 1980s.

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Plot Keywords:

serial killer | werewolf | colony | psychiatrist | news anchor | 

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Taglines:

Imagine your worst fear a reality

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Genres:

Horror

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Certificate:

R

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English Spanish

Release Date:

10 April 1981 (USA)

Also Known As:

Aullidos

Filming Locations:

Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$1,000,000 (estimated)

Gross:

$17,986,000 (USA)

Company Credits

Production Co:

AVCO Embassy Pictures, International Film Investors, Wescom Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

91 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.66 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Art director Robert A. Burns had previously worked on the sets for The Texas Chain Saw Massacre. In fact many of the grisly set dressings for this film were hold-overs from "The Texas Chain Saw Massacre"; most notably the corpse in the armchair seen in Walter Paisley's bookstore.

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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.

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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.

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Crazy Credits

At the end very end of the credits there is a brief clip from "The Wolfman."

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Connections

Followed by Howling IV: The Original Nightmare (1988)

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Soundtracks

"Rocky Mountain Waltz"
by Chris Carney

User Reviews

awesome werewolf flick

This is an excellently crafted piece of work from former Roger Corman student, Joe Dante. I won't go much into the plot, but it involves a news woman who gets attacked while in a porno shop viewing room. To get her mind off things, a psychiatrist recommends she goes to his private retreat to be treated. After that, spooky happenings and strange deaths start occurring. This film has great direction and great atmosphere and mood. The lighting and use of fog is excellent and really hightens the spookiness of the film. One of the best werewolf transformations is shown in this film, rivaled only by the one in An American Werewolf in London. Although this movie starts out slow, the tension keeps rising and keeps you interested in what will happen next. The spookiness doesn't always lie within the content but also the claustrophobic feeling and the uncertainty of who you can trust. A very good movie, highly recommended.