Basically this is the werewolf version of Ten Little Indians. A group of people end up stranded at a castle during a snowstorm and while they wait for it to end someone or something begins to pick them off one by one. With the howling and teeth marks on the bodies it points to one of them not being what they seem. This is actually a fairly descent Howling movie but it does have a small budget. I will give credit in the fact that they did well with what they had. The ending is also somewhat clever if you are not paying close attention throughout the movie. Overall not bad for what it is and is better than some of the other sequels.
71 Reviews
Okay, despite some flaws.
Skutter-230 July 2006
The general consensus with this movie seems to be not that great but better than the first three sequels and I'm happy to go along with that. It is probably, and this says a lot about the quality of the series, the best of the sequels. Only the first was much good and it wasn't a masterpiece. Oh, for some more decent werewolf movies.
This installment is basically a variation on the Ten Little Indians (Or N*ggers to use the somewhat un-PC word that was the original title of the Agatha Christie novel) with the killer amongst the group being a secret werewolf. A group of varied characters arrive at the opening of castle (Kind of like the opening of a supermarket but classier I guess) near Budapest and are snowed in by a blizzard. How these exact people, a seemingly disparate group, end up in the castle for its opening is actually a plot point, and a rather flimsy one at that, which comes into play later in the movie.
The characters are you standard varied bunch- airheaded would be starlet, playboy tennis pro, down to earth Aussie, snooty rich dude and so on. Had this been a teen oriented movie you know it would be the jock, the bitch, the nerd etc. The acting isn't the greatest but it isn't the worst, most of the actors at least being able to put some personality into there characters, even if they don't exactly deliver their lines very well and when the scripts lets them down. For the most part nobody is annoyingly bad and fortunately the worst actors seem to be killed of earlier on, such as the Australian professor, or are given less to do. I don't know if this intentional but it works in the movies favour.
Naturally as the characters are killed off it becomes a whodunit. This aspect isn't too badly handled and it isn't too badly handled unless you apply some simple logic to work out who the killer must be at one point halfway through the movie. Basically ala the movie Clue, the characters split up into four pairs (There was one group of three IRC) to go searching for some of the other missing characters in the labyrinth beneath the castle. Two of the pairs get split up at around the same time and one of those four ends up dead. Surely it would be logical for the others to deduce that it must be of these three who was the killer when they decide it is indeed one of their own number which is doing the killing rather than an outside party, as everyone else has an alibi so to speak. The other two people should at least be able to work out it is one of the other two who was on their own at the time. However nobody on screen seems to put that much thought into despite being supposedly intelligent people. To add insult to injury the victim at this point actually is killed by the person he was paired up with but nobody actually makes the obvious connection (The point was made in a humorous fashion in the similar section of Clue that if any one of them dies whilst searching the house they'll know they will at least know the other half of the pair is the killer but that was a much more intelligent movie with a stronger plot despite having three possible endings and being a farcical comedy). For the viewer at home it is made even easier to work out who is guilty since we are shown one of the three possibly suspects shooting at the werewolf after the kill, proving their innocence. Of the remaining two one of them is set up so heavily to look guilty that it is obvious that the other must be the culprit unless the makers were actually being sneaky. That said, it isn't blatantly telegraphed who the killer is earlier on in any other way as it so often is these kind of stories.
The plot beyond the whodunit aspect, specifically as to why particular people are in the castle makes very little sense. Without going into detail it involves an elaborate plan to get these particular people into the castle so the werewolf can be trapped and killed, except those behind this elaborate plan put absolutely no thought into killing the werewolf once this improbable scheme is pulled off and everybody is massacred. The makers would have been better off leaving out this whole aspect of the plot and just making a straightforward trapped in a closed off location with a nasty flick.
The dumbness of the plot aside Howling V is not that bad a watch if you like cheesy horror flicks. The castle setting is cheap and kind of fake looking but strangely enough it works and the movie has a nice enclosed atmosphere to it. It is well paced and does a lot of things right despite its shortcomings- for example characters are not killed off in exactly the order you would expect them to be, when normally in these kind of movies you can work it out exactly. Gorehounds and monster fans might disappointed by the fact there is very little gore, other than some after the fact claw marks and a later in the picture decapitation and that we only really get glimpses of the werewolf and it don't look that impressive from what we see of it so that is probably a good thing. To me the single most endearing aspect of the movie is what it does instead of showing the gory deaths. Every time, with one exception, someone is killed by the werewolf the movie cuts away from the killing and there is short burst of bombastic Omenesque music. I don't know why, but I loved it. The one time it didn't happen I felt cheated.
This installment is basically a variation on the Ten Little Indians (Or N*ggers to use the somewhat un-PC word that was the original title of the Agatha Christie novel) with the killer amongst the group being a secret werewolf. A group of varied characters arrive at the opening of castle (Kind of like the opening of a supermarket but classier I guess) near Budapest and are snowed in by a blizzard. How these exact people, a seemingly disparate group, end up in the castle for its opening is actually a plot point, and a rather flimsy one at that, which comes into play later in the movie.
The characters are you standard varied bunch- airheaded would be starlet, playboy tennis pro, down to earth Aussie, snooty rich dude and so on. Had this been a teen oriented movie you know it would be the jock, the bitch, the nerd etc. The acting isn't the greatest but it isn't the worst, most of the actors at least being able to put some personality into there characters, even if they don't exactly deliver their lines very well and when the scripts lets them down. For the most part nobody is annoyingly bad and fortunately the worst actors seem to be killed of earlier on, such as the Australian professor, or are given less to do. I don't know if this intentional but it works in the movies favour.
Naturally as the characters are killed off it becomes a whodunit. This aspect isn't too badly handled and it isn't too badly handled unless you apply some simple logic to work out who the killer must be at one point halfway through the movie. Basically ala the movie Clue, the characters split up into four pairs (There was one group of three IRC) to go searching for some of the other missing characters in the labyrinth beneath the castle. Two of the pairs get split up at around the same time and one of those four ends up dead. Surely it would be logical for the others to deduce that it must be of these three who was the killer when they decide it is indeed one of their own number which is doing the killing rather than an outside party, as everyone else has an alibi so to speak. The other two people should at least be able to work out it is one of the other two who was on their own at the time. However nobody on screen seems to put that much thought into despite being supposedly intelligent people. To add insult to injury the victim at this point actually is killed by the person he was paired up with but nobody actually makes the obvious connection (The point was made in a humorous fashion in the similar section of Clue that if any one of them dies whilst searching the house they'll know they will at least know the other half of the pair is the killer but that was a much more intelligent movie with a stronger plot despite having three possible endings and being a farcical comedy). For the viewer at home it is made even easier to work out who is guilty since we are shown one of the three possibly suspects shooting at the werewolf after the kill, proving their innocence. Of the remaining two one of them is set up so heavily to look guilty that it is obvious that the other must be the culprit unless the makers were actually being sneaky. That said, it isn't blatantly telegraphed who the killer is earlier on in any other way as it so often is these kind of stories.
The plot beyond the whodunit aspect, specifically as to why particular people are in the castle makes very little sense. Without going into detail it involves an elaborate plan to get these particular people into the castle so the werewolf can be trapped and killed, except those behind this elaborate plan put absolutely no thought into killing the werewolf once this improbable scheme is pulled off and everybody is massacred. The makers would have been better off leaving out this whole aspect of the plot and just making a straightforward trapped in a closed off location with a nasty flick.
The dumbness of the plot aside Howling V is not that bad a watch if you like cheesy horror flicks. The castle setting is cheap and kind of fake looking but strangely enough it works and the movie has a nice enclosed atmosphere to it. It is well paced and does a lot of things right despite its shortcomings- for example characters are not killed off in exactly the order you would expect them to be, when normally in these kind of movies you can work it out exactly. Gorehounds and monster fans might disappointed by the fact there is very little gore, other than some after the fact claw marks and a later in the picture decapitation and that we only really get glimpses of the werewolf and it don't look that impressive from what we see of it so that is probably a good thing. To me the single most endearing aspect of the movie is what it does instead of showing the gory deaths. Every time, with one exception, someone is killed by the werewolf the movie cuts away from the killing and there is short burst of bombastic Omenesque music. I don't know why, but I loved it. The one time it didn't happen I felt cheated.
The werewolf concept poured into a slasher/whodunit mystery format
Vomitron_G27 May 2009
With this one, I've finally watched all the HOWLING sequels. I can see why people actually like this 5th installment, as it does try to do something else with the werewolf concept. It plays out like a whodunit-slasher, set on one imaginative location (a Hungarian castle setting). Yet still, when you have to judge it on its own terms and nature, it falls short at the end of the ride. There's too little of the mystery-plot to enjoy (not enough red herrings, no twists worth mentioning and the killer/werewolf could just be anybody really - it's no fun to think along with the plot as there is not much to think about and no real puzzles to be solved). All the actual kills sadly happen off-screen (only ripped throats are shown after the events). We don't get to see much of the werewolf (only some brief glimpses during the attacks) and the film does not feature a transformation-scene (which I was so hoping for to happen during the conclusion). It's even lacking a decent climax of sorts.
The acting is strictly so-so, provided by a cast compiled out of unfamiliar names (at least to me they were). The small bits of humor injected into some of the dialogues, didn't really pay off. Fortunately they weren't too distracting. As far as cinematography goes, I only found the special effect shots, of the exterior of the castle during a snow storm, to be enjoyable. The interior sets of the castle chambers, dungeons and corridors looked a little cheap. But that can be forgiven, due to the movie's low budget.
It's an amusing watch and certainly not the worst or most idiotic HOWLING sequel, yes, but nothing more. HOWLING V might have drawn a lot of influences from that other 'guess the werewolf'-film THE BEAST MUST DIE (1974, starring Peter Cushing). Slightly more ridiculous but also a lot more fun, that film's at least worth checking out. I'm not too sure about HOWLING V, though. I probably should be flunking this film, but I'll be forgiving in my final rating. If only for the fact that HOWLING V: THE REBIRTH is infinitely better than the series final installment, (Part 7) NEW MOON RISING. Part 7 tries to tie up loose ends between part 4 (THE ORIGINAL NIGHTMARE) and part 5 (THE REBIRTH), but writer/director/producer/actor Clive Turner turned it into an insufferable mess of a movie.
The acting is strictly so-so, provided by a cast compiled out of unfamiliar names (at least to me they were). The small bits of humor injected into some of the dialogues, didn't really pay off. Fortunately they weren't too distracting. As far as cinematography goes, I only found the special effect shots, of the exterior of the castle during a snow storm, to be enjoyable. The interior sets of the castle chambers, dungeons and corridors looked a little cheap. But that can be forgiven, due to the movie's low budget.
It's an amusing watch and certainly not the worst or most idiotic HOWLING sequel, yes, but nothing more. HOWLING V might have drawn a lot of influences from that other 'guess the werewolf'-film THE BEAST MUST DIE (1974, starring Peter Cushing). Slightly more ridiculous but also a lot more fun, that film's at least worth checking out. I'm not too sure about HOWLING V, though. I probably should be flunking this film, but I'll be forgiving in my final rating. If only for the fact that HOWLING V: THE REBIRTH is infinitely better than the series final installment, (Part 7) NEW MOON RISING. Part 7 tries to tie up loose ends between part 4 (THE ORIGINAL NIGHTMARE) and part 5 (THE REBIRTH), but writer/director/producer/actor Clive Turner turned it into an insufferable mess of a movie.
It's Budapest, Hungary...not Romania
king_savage13 April 2004
I agree that this film is probably one of the most underrated werewolf films ever made. The original was truly a masterpiece. The second was very campy and corny, but worth the watch thanks to an amazing actor you might have heard of...Christopher Lee. The next two Howling installments were terrible and gave the franchise a bad name. Then along comes Clive Turner. He takes the werewolf out of the woods and confines it within a castle. What scares most people? Isolation...no escape...the unknown. Add an enormous werewolf to the mix and throw a scooby doo mystery twist on it and you've got Howling V: The Rebirth. A group of strangers are hand picked to spend the weekend in an isolated medieval castle in the Budapest country side that hasn't been opened for 500 years. Slowly, the guests begin to notice many similarities between themselves. Then it is revealed that one of them is a werewolf. The blood that flows through their veins is the blood of the werewolf that has plagued this castle and country once before. One of the members of the bloodline must kill the werewolf and lift the curse forever. In classic who done it fashion, The Rebirth delivers a compelling story with a fairly obvious twist. The entertainment value is high enough to deserve a late night viewing with a blanket and some popcorn. Just make sure to leave at least one light on...you'll need it.
Initiate murder mystery slasher mode
spencergrande627 November 2017
Finally someone has the cajones to put werewolves in a castle and initiate murder mystery slasher mode. My god, how did it take till 1989 to kick this into gear? And what fun we have here!
At least in terms of a C-movie eclectic character cast and some cool castle cinematography. This is a murder mystery where you don't really care about the reveal, and you know it's a werewolf anyway so the why isn't important. It's also a slasher where there's not much bloodletting or fun. It lies somewhere flatly in-between these two genres that share so much in common and yet can't meet a happy middle ground.
At least in terms of a C-movie eclectic character cast and some cool castle cinematography. This is a murder mystery where you don't really care about the reveal, and you know it's a werewolf anyway so the why isn't important. It's also a slasher where there's not much bloodletting or fun. It lies somewhere flatly in-between these two genres that share so much in common and yet can't meet a happy middle ground.
And Then There Were Barely Any Werewolves
capkronos9 September 2014
Warning: Spoilers
Count Istvan (Philip Davis) invites nine strangers to an isolated Hungarian castle that has been closed down for 500 years after everyone inside was slaughtered save for a baby. Among the guests invited to the opening are photographer David Gillespie (Ben Cole), doctor Catherine Peake (Victoria Catlin), airhead aspiring actress Marylou Summers (Elizabeth Shé), writer Gail Cameron (Stephanie Faulkner), pro tennis player Jonathan Lane (Mark Sivertsen), adulterous playboy Richard Hamilton (William Shockley), historian Professor Dawson (Nigel Triffitt), Scandinavian actress Anna Benson (Mary Stavin) and ponytail-sporting Aussie Ray Price (Clive Turner, who also produced and wrote the script). Quite a varied group, but each turn out to be connected in some way they don't yet realize and all happen to share the same odd birthmark on their arm. Oh yes, and one just so happens to be a werewolf. The Count has lured them all there to find out just who it is and to finally put an end to the curse once and for all.
Part V isn't at all like the previous four films. In fact, this is one bizarre series in general. The first is a vastly entertaining, in-joke- filled horror film with a sense of humor that helped put director Joe Dante on the map and was an entirely American production. The second is a misbegotten attempt at camp barely linked to the first film, which had UK backing and was filmed mostly in Prague. The third is a truly bizarre kitchen sink horror-comedy-social commentary that was an Australian production (with marsupial werewolves). Part IV was a serious and dull virtual remake of the first movie minus the professionalism and humor that was filmed in South Africa. And this one, which has clearly been influenced most by "Ten Little Indians," had UK, US and Hungarian backing and was filmed in Budapest. If you're keeping score, that's five different movies filmed in five different countries that seldom even relate to one another. None of the sequels come anywhere near the original film and this is no exception to that rule, but it's somewhat better than most of the other sequels.
One of the things I liked best about this was the Gothic setting, which is quite unusual for a werewolf tale. There are secret passageways and an endless labyrinth of catacombs underneath the castle for the action to play out in and the art direction and sets are fairly good in this low-budget film. It's also set during a bad blizzard that traps all of the characters inside the castle, so the snowy atmosphere was a nice change of pace, as well. That said, every other component to this film was highly uneven. The cast was a mixed bag of competent actors (Davis, Catlin) and embarrassing amateurs (Shé being the worst offender there, though several of the male cast members give her a run for her money). The dialogue is frequently laughable and the whole mystery plot (possibly influenced by the earlier THE BEAST MUST DIE [1974]) also isn't anything to write home about. The filmmakers employ at least one 'cheat' scene to conceal the identity of the wolf, which isn't revealed until the very end.
Perhaps the most disappointing thing of all is that this film is sorely lacking in werewolf scenes. You rent a werewolf movie to see werewolves, am I right? Well here we never once get a full view of one of the creature. It is almost always shown in silhouette or in shots too dark to make out and the werewolf's face is only shown two times that I recall, with both shots little more than brief flashes. Needless to say, that also means there are no man-to-wolf transformation scenes that the series bases hinges its reputation on and that all four previous films contain. Don't expect any blood, gore or on-screen deaths either. All of the victims either just react to an approaching werewolf or get pulled off-screen to die. If not for two instances of female nudity, this probably would have received a PG-13 rating.
Part V isn't at all like the previous four films. In fact, this is one bizarre series in general. The first is a vastly entertaining, in-joke- filled horror film with a sense of humor that helped put director Joe Dante on the map and was an entirely American production. The second is a misbegotten attempt at camp barely linked to the first film, which had UK backing and was filmed mostly in Prague. The third is a truly bizarre kitchen sink horror-comedy-social commentary that was an Australian production (with marsupial werewolves). Part IV was a serious and dull virtual remake of the first movie minus the professionalism and humor that was filmed in South Africa. And this one, which has clearly been influenced most by "Ten Little Indians," had UK, US and Hungarian backing and was filmed in Budapest. If you're keeping score, that's five different movies filmed in five different countries that seldom even relate to one another. None of the sequels come anywhere near the original film and this is no exception to that rule, but it's somewhat better than most of the other sequels.
One of the things I liked best about this was the Gothic setting, which is quite unusual for a werewolf tale. There are secret passageways and an endless labyrinth of catacombs underneath the castle for the action to play out in and the art direction and sets are fairly good in this low-budget film. It's also set during a bad blizzard that traps all of the characters inside the castle, so the snowy atmosphere was a nice change of pace, as well. That said, every other component to this film was highly uneven. The cast was a mixed bag of competent actors (Davis, Catlin) and embarrassing amateurs (Shé being the worst offender there, though several of the male cast members give her a run for her money). The dialogue is frequently laughable and the whole mystery plot (possibly influenced by the earlier THE BEAST MUST DIE [1974]) also isn't anything to write home about. The filmmakers employ at least one 'cheat' scene to conceal the identity of the wolf, which isn't revealed until the very end.
Perhaps the most disappointing thing of all is that this film is sorely lacking in werewolf scenes. You rent a werewolf movie to see werewolves, am I right? Well here we never once get a full view of one of the creature. It is almost always shown in silhouette or in shots too dark to make out and the werewolf's face is only shown two times that I recall, with both shots little more than brief flashes. Needless to say, that also means there are no man-to-wolf transformation scenes that the series bases hinges its reputation on and that all four previous films contain. Don't expect any blood, gore or on-screen deaths either. All of the victims either just react to an approaching werewolf or get pulled off-screen to die. If not for two instances of female nudity, this probably would have received a PG-13 rating.
There is zero atmosphere inspite of the movie being set in a castle situated in the snowy Budapest.
Fella_shibby25 June 2021
I first saw this in the early 90s on a vhs.
Revisited it recently.
We dont get to see a single werewolf in the entire movie and all the kills are offscreen except for a lousy decapitation.
This one is more like a whodunnit without any suspense, tension or engrossing story.
Revisited it recently.
We dont get to see a single werewolf in the entire movie and all the kills are offscreen except for a lousy decapitation.
This one is more like a whodunnit without any suspense, tension or engrossing story.
Not Bad (for a Howling movie)
cdusher27 May 2001
Howling V is my favorite so far out of all the Howling movies. However, that doesn't mean this is a good film. The acting is pretty bad and the effects are absolutely horrid, but the plot is decent enough to make it tolerable. This one, the original Howling, and Howling IV are the only ones worth watching out of the first 5 flicks. The Howling series is really really bad. Only true horror fanatics would be interested in them at all. The only worse horror series i have encountered is the Children of the Corn series. Howling V is pretty predictible and the characters aren't killed off fast enough, so it moves kind of slowly. The music played after each death is annoying too. Recommended for Horror/Werewolf fans. Rating 4 of 10.
A Decent Werewolf Murder Mystery
manisimmati11 July 2017
Count Istvan invites twelve people to a spooky castle that was locked up for more than 500 years. In the evening a blizzard encases the dark ruins and traps the twelve visitors inside. Suddenly people disappear. A wild animal seems to walk abroad. Is it a werewolf like the legend suggests? Or is it just the count playing a sadistic game? A life-threatening cat-and-mouse game ensues.
The Howling franchise is a cinematic trainwreck of epic proportions. Parts II and III are crackbrained trash festivals, while Part IV is a dreary remake of Part I, which isn't that great to begin with. Within this landscape of dilettantism, "Howling V: The Rebirth" is a breath of fresh air. It's actually a quite decent flick, mixing slasher elements with a murder mystery plot. The script has some engaging twists and turns, although it ultimately is pretty predictable. The twelve characters aren't fleshed out enough. They're sketchy stereotypes at best. There's a smart-alec professor, a femme fatale, a goofy never-do-well, an aloof pretty boy and a painfully naive fool of woman. You'll have a hard time caring about even one of these characters, which hurts the suspense a lot.
There are some cool jump scares, but other than that, the horror elements are pretty tame. In fact, we barely see any werewolfs. Most of the action happens off screen. Director Neal Sundstrom emphasises mystery over gore, which is fine with me. (I'm not sure if I want to see any more Howling werewolfs, at this point.) The castle has an eerie look to it and the soundtrack is amazing. Whenever one of the visitors gets murdered, there's an epic music cue: a choir singing something like "Sanctus! Sanctuuus!" After the second time, I sang along cheerfully. Great stuff.
Phil Davis does a good job portraying the humorless Count Istvan. Otherwise, the acting is subpar at best. Elizabeth Shé as the starry-eyed Marylou is the queen of underacting: "No. This is not real. Please say it's not real. (Yawn.)"
"Howling V" is by far the best of the Howling sequels. (Hey, it only took them four tries.) But that's not saying much. Check it out if you want to watch a decent, yet clumsy werewolf murder mystery.
The Howling franchise is a cinematic trainwreck of epic proportions. Parts II and III are crackbrained trash festivals, while Part IV is a dreary remake of Part I, which isn't that great to begin with. Within this landscape of dilettantism, "Howling V: The Rebirth" is a breath of fresh air. It's actually a quite decent flick, mixing slasher elements with a murder mystery plot. The script has some engaging twists and turns, although it ultimately is pretty predictable. The twelve characters aren't fleshed out enough. They're sketchy stereotypes at best. There's a smart-alec professor, a femme fatale, a goofy never-do-well, an aloof pretty boy and a painfully naive fool of woman. You'll have a hard time caring about even one of these characters, which hurts the suspense a lot.
There are some cool jump scares, but other than that, the horror elements are pretty tame. In fact, we barely see any werewolfs. Most of the action happens off screen. Director Neal Sundstrom emphasises mystery over gore, which is fine with me. (I'm not sure if I want to see any more Howling werewolfs, at this point.) The castle has an eerie look to it and the soundtrack is amazing. Whenever one of the visitors gets murdered, there's an epic music cue: a choir singing something like "Sanctus! Sanctuuus!" After the second time, I sang along cheerfully. Great stuff.
Phil Davis does a good job portraying the humorless Count Istvan. Otherwise, the acting is subpar at best. Elizabeth Shé as the starry-eyed Marylou is the queen of underacting: "No. This is not real. Please say it's not real. (Yawn.)"
"Howling V" is by far the best of the Howling sequels. (Hey, it only took them four tries.) But that's not saying much. Check it out if you want to watch a decent, yet clumsy werewolf murder mystery.
"We're not in the middle ages anymore"
lost-in-limbo31 October 2010
The Howling series doesn't have much of a great reputation, each one being different in style and tone with no real connection to each other. Although the second film does touch upon the original in some sort plot tie. I never been a huge fan of the original and the sequels that I've seen (2, 3 and 4) are simply inferior. So I went into the filth venture (another straight-to-video fare) expecting less, but actually came away mildly enjoying it. In some regards I enjoyed it more than the original
that's not to say it's better than that film. But I was pleasantly surprised by it.
A group of strangers selected from around the world are invited by an aristocratic count to the re-opening of a castle in Budapest that hasn't seen light for over 500 years due to its terrible past. Unknowingly to them everyone in the group bears an identical birthmark that links them to the castle's terrible past.
The low-budget, but sturdy "The Howling V: The Re-Birth" plays around with the ten little Indians murder mystery formula, but the killer is no ordinary being but actually a werewolf. The revelation might not come as a surprise, as there are certain clues scattered about pointing to the one in question, but it still remains cleverly penned (it elaborately plotted) and unpredictable in what order the guests become fresh meat. The performances are down-to-earth by the likes of Stephanie Faulkner, Mark Sivertsen and William Shockley, as there is an odd assortment of characters where a lot of time can be spent on trivial dialogue exchanges. However it stays gripping, crowned with mystery and danger where the remote Gothic castle setting (modern day Budapest) is dark and dank. The ominously gloomy and taut atmosphere works, as they keep to what its budget allows it and this means making sure the beast mostly stays in the shadows. Lurking or stalking its prey. Director Neal Sundstrom favours suggestively brooding handling. We don't get much of a real look, as there's plenty of rapid moving POV shots, minor flashes and off-screen attacks. What we did see of it didn't look the greatest, but it's acceptable. Moments do strike up some eerie spells and suspenseful build-ups before it deliver the shocks. It's helped by competently sweeping camera-work and a foreboding music score.
Entertaining superstitious whodunit b-grade hokum
A group of strangers selected from around the world are invited by an aristocratic count to the re-opening of a castle in Budapest that hasn't seen light for over 500 years due to its terrible past. Unknowingly to them everyone in the group bears an identical birthmark that links them to the castle's terrible past.
The low-budget, but sturdy "The Howling V: The Re-Birth" plays around with the ten little Indians murder mystery formula, but the killer is no ordinary being but actually a werewolf. The revelation might not come as a surprise, as there are certain clues scattered about pointing to the one in question, but it still remains cleverly penned (it elaborately plotted) and unpredictable in what order the guests become fresh meat. The performances are down-to-earth by the likes of Stephanie Faulkner, Mark Sivertsen and William Shockley, as there is an odd assortment of characters where a lot of time can be spent on trivial dialogue exchanges. However it stays gripping, crowned with mystery and danger where the remote Gothic castle setting (modern day Budapest) is dark and dank. The ominously gloomy and taut atmosphere works, as they keep to what its budget allows it and this means making sure the beast mostly stays in the shadows. Lurking or stalking its prey. Director Neal Sundstrom favours suggestively brooding handling. We don't get much of a real look, as there's plenty of rapid moving POV shots, minor flashes and off-screen attacks. What we did see of it didn't look the greatest, but it's acceptable. Moments do strike up some eerie spells and suspenseful build-ups before it deliver the shocks. It's helped by competently sweeping camera-work and a foreboding music score.
Entertaining superstitious whodunit b-grade hokum
The best Howling sequel
nfxstudios21 August 2004
Howling V is definitely the best of the Howling sequels, but that really isn't saying much. The basic premise has a group of previously unrelated people brought to an ancient castle in darkest Europe, and before long they're left with the mystery of who is killing them off one by one. The pro log shows a previously failed attempt to kill off the bloodline of the werewolf in this same castle; we're to assume by this and of course by the title that the killer is a descendant of the survivor so many years ago.
Super low budget and looks it, with hardly a werewolf to be seen, but I think it works in it's own way. Fairly suspenseful, fairly well acted for what appears to be an amateur endeavor, with a good twist ending. Not a literary classic by any means, but definitely enjoyable. Howling 6 was a decent although lesser sequel. New Moon Rising is embarrassing to watch. Not only shot on video, but apparently shot on 8mm video to boot. The three entries in this series worth seeing are the original, this one, and to a lesser extent part 6. Avoid the others like the plague.
5/10
Super low budget and looks it, with hardly a werewolf to be seen, but I think it works in it's own way. Fairly suspenseful, fairly well acted for what appears to be an amateur endeavor, with a good twist ending. Not a literary classic by any means, but definitely enjoyable. Howling 6 was a decent although lesser sequel. New Moon Rising is embarrassing to watch. Not only shot on video, but apparently shot on 8mm video to boot. The three entries in this series worth seeing are the original, this one, and to a lesser extent part 6. Avoid the others like the plague.
5/10
The best of the HOWLING movies
ryannemetz14 February 2005
Howling V: The Rebrith takes place in an ancient medieval castle set in Hungary. The castle has been dormant for 500 years, and now there are a selected group of guests that are invited to spend a weekend there. Furthermore, none of these guests have had any previous contact with one another. It's not like they're there for a birthday bash or something of that nature. But soon enough, they realize they have more in common than they first expected. As the savage murders begin, they cannot escape the castle, essentially they are trapped inside its walls. By the way, the castle is sure a creepy one. I really love the atmosphere of this movie. And once all of that starts up, it's a game of who's the werewolf. The special effects are nothing special in this film. However, I think that the way the film carries itself proves that you don't need a ton of blood to have a good horror film. It's too bad that you don't get to see too much of the werewolf. I don't know if the budget contributed to this, or just maybe that's the way Neal (director) Sundstrum wanted things. Speaking of Sundstram, I would have liked to see him direct some other features. As far as I know, this is the only movie that he has directed. And finally, the ending has a good twist to it. I've seen all of the Howling films, and this is by far the best in the series. Howling V has no relationship to the previous films, outside of the title. 8/10
Campy, cheesy fun.
vmalast19 October 2018
Definitely not the greatest werewolf movie but, it's still great fun. The overall acting was good considering the era it was made. By good acting I mean basically over acted in a good campy way. FX was minimal and in shadows so, don't expect to see much of the creature. Just a fun movie to enjoy on a rainy day or holloween.
Howling V doesn't reach the level of entertainingly crazy as II or III, but it's a major step up from IV
IonicBreezeMachine24 February 2024
In Budapest, Hungary, a long closed and forgotten castle is now being re-opened 500 years after a mysterious incident left its prior occupants massacred. The enigmatic Count (Phillip Davis) plays host to an eclectic group of guests for a party which they are forced to stay at due to the remote location and onset of a blizzard and one by one the guests are slaughtered by a strange beast and discover their invitations may not have been random.
While Howling IV was panned by audiences, critics, and even the producers and crew, the film was successful enough that producer Steven Lane was able to justify another installment. Made as an international co-production as a cost saving measure to utilize the affordable locations of Eastern Europe. Utilizing a more gothic atmosphere and a whodunit style narrative intended to de-emphasize effects sequences, Howling V uses these limitations to its advantage. While Howling V never gets as entertainingly bonkers as II and III, it's a solid enough whodunit that engages in spite of technical and acting limitations.
If you're familiar with the setup of your traditional limited location murder mystery, Howling V covers many of those beats by producing a distinct lineup of characters and a solid location in the old castle that's a character in and of itself. Howling V has much loftier ambitions than a direct-to-video werewolf film really needs and with a little more budget and polish you could hypothetically see this setup as something a major studio could do but given this is from the director of Space Mutiny it strives for being serviceable if slightly disposable entertainment which it is. As a murder mystery it's pretty engaging and fun although the hit-and-miss acting coupled with a very frugal approach does sometimes make the film feel less like a classic gothic murder mystery and more akin to a spoof like Clue or Murder by Death played straight with no jokes (arguably making it as if not more humorous).
I can't really defend Howling V too heavily on its own merits (though it has more than it really needed, especially in comparison to its predecessor), but if you're looking for fun if very straightforward werewolf trash Howling V has you covered.
While Howling IV was panned by audiences, critics, and even the producers and crew, the film was successful enough that producer Steven Lane was able to justify another installment. Made as an international co-production as a cost saving measure to utilize the affordable locations of Eastern Europe. Utilizing a more gothic atmosphere and a whodunit style narrative intended to de-emphasize effects sequences, Howling V uses these limitations to its advantage. While Howling V never gets as entertainingly bonkers as II and III, it's a solid enough whodunit that engages in spite of technical and acting limitations.
If you're familiar with the setup of your traditional limited location murder mystery, Howling V covers many of those beats by producing a distinct lineup of characters and a solid location in the old castle that's a character in and of itself. Howling V has much loftier ambitions than a direct-to-video werewolf film really needs and with a little more budget and polish you could hypothetically see this setup as something a major studio could do but given this is from the director of Space Mutiny it strives for being serviceable if slightly disposable entertainment which it is. As a murder mystery it's pretty engaging and fun although the hit-and-miss acting coupled with a very frugal approach does sometimes make the film feel less like a classic gothic murder mystery and more akin to a spoof like Clue or Murder by Death played straight with no jokes (arguably making it as if not more humorous).
I can't really defend Howling V too heavily on its own merits (though it has more than it really needed, especially in comparison to its predecessor), but if you're looking for fun if very straightforward werewolf trash Howling V has you covered.
Better than I expected it to be, but...
Deviant-73 February 1999
Howling V: The Rebirth was better than I expected it to be, but still not a very good film. I don't know about you, but when I watch a werewolf movie I hope to actually SEE the werewolf from time to time. You DON'T SEE THE WEREWOLF in this movie. There are parts of it shown for a couple seconds here and there, but you never see the whole thing. This movie tries to be a mystery, wanting you to figure out who the wolf is. It isn't too hard to figure out, and the answer is confusing. If you want to watch a good werewolf movie, try the first Howling (stay away from parts 3 and 7 AT ALL COSTS) or Silver Bullet.
Good not great
Vornoff-322 April 2011
This is one of the better horror movies shot in the period right after the fall of the Iron Curtain in Eastern Europe. It's not a great by any means - in fact it borrows heavily from the 1970s film "The Beast Must Die" (itself a riff on the "Ten Little Indians" theme), but it is kind of fun in its way. It has nothing whatever to do with the previous "Howling films, which at least means you can see it without sitting through four previous movies for it to make sense. Basically, it's a slasher film in which a collection of fairly ill-defined characters are isolated in a lonely Hungarian castle and eliminated one by one by something that may or may not be a werewolf, and which is surely one of them (but which one?). My favorite Howling Movie is still #7, "New Moon Rising," but this is a respectable entry in the series.
Rebirth comes before Reborn
kosmasp20 October 2022
Or something along those lines - and no pun intended of course. This is a bit better than the last two entries, but I would not hold it in the same breath or even league as the first two movies. Especially not the very first one. Why do I keep watching movies like this? It is not exactly to warn others, it is because I like to complete things, if that makes sense. Also you sometimes find something good, that you didn't think was good. Or was told is not good.
In this case, it is a decent effort. I like the setting (castle) and while there seems to be only one blood effect (when people die off camera mostly), if you don't mind too much ... you'll understand it is a budgetary reason. If you don't have money for effects, you just try to help yourself. So suspend your disbelief and go with the flow ... even more important ... do not watch the next two Howlings ... unless you are as crazy as I am of course.
In this case, it is a decent effort. I like the setting (castle) and while there seems to be only one blood effect (when people die off camera mostly), if you don't mind too much ... you'll understand it is a budgetary reason. If you don't have money for effects, you just try to help yourself. So suspend your disbelief and go with the flow ... even more important ... do not watch the next two Howlings ... unless you are as crazy as I am of course.
Revenge of the 80's: The sequels.
Captain_Couth22 June 2004
Howling V: The Rebirth (1989) was an improvement over the atrociously bad Howling IV. It's not a great film but on the other hand, it's not a good film. This time all of the action takes place in some old moldy dumpy castle. The theme is based upon this sequel is loosely based upon "The Ten Little Indians". Sadly they should have ripped off the story a little more because the movie might have been slightly more entertaining. As it is, it's a mediocre horror film that's quite boring in spots (I guess they call it suspense). Watching these greedy fools waste there time in some dump keeping an eye out for some invisible (too the average person) to the naked eye beast. Could've used more skin and gore. Not unwatchable like part IV.
Slightly recommended.
C
followed by two more sequels!! Each more boring and less watchable than the next! Be for warned!
xxx
Slightly recommended.
C
followed by two more sequels!! Each more boring and less watchable than the next! Be for warned!
xxx
Inexplicable
jeeves-17 September 2002
I have seen this movie 5 or 6 times over the past 10 years or so - whenever Scifi Channel plays it pretty much. I have to say that this movie is just awful but it is thoroughly entertaining. In that regard I love it. To give an analogy, this would be like making a movie yourself. It won't be that great but you will love watching it nonetheless... The Howling V is full of cheesy acting and has cheesy plot, if any, but there are some good scary moments. The set and lighting, while not thoroughly professional looking, are good indeed and do help to make the movie as good as it is.
All things being equal, this movie sucks, but, is worth a whirl in the VCR.
All things being equal, this movie sucks, but, is worth a whirl in the VCR.
Almost as bad as part 4
doctorsmoothlove21 May 2010
Warning: Spoilers
There is one shot in The Howling 5: Rebirth I will never forget. This is a werewolf movie with less than five minutes of on screen hominid animal attacks. Whenever we do see the beast, the director places the camera on distinct parts its body. The first time this happens, we see its jaws open. The screen is entirely dark. Out of the mouth of badness comes an awful, irrelevant sequel.
This is actually a slasher pic with fur. Read the setup. A diverse group of adults is trapped in a Hungarian castle and is stalked individually by a werewolf. Change the words in italics to teenagers, house, and crazy person for your usual genre effort. The movie came out in 1989 near the end of the slasher craze, and being the cash grab that it is, doesn't distinguish itself in any way. This is an improvement over part 4 barely. At least it rips off a sub-genre and not another film in its own series.
At least, unlike the last movie, we get some cool scenery to enjoy. This movie takes place in Europe and looks like it was filmed in an old building. I spent a lot of time looking around at the sets or snow-covered ground in between boring segments. The movie is self-aware of its awfulness and provides a musical jolt whenever a werewolf attack is coming. Some refrain from a song by some group called The Factory plays every single time. An extended version plays over the opening credits. I can't determine if the director chose to do this because he deluded himself into thinking it would be scary or if The Factory got a lot of free advertising. The song is stylistically similar to a Beethoven opera and contrasts nicely with the phony "attack" sequences where people are touched by the wolf.
A group of international tourists have won a visit to a castle where in 1489 a wealthy family committed mass suicide. A child was smuggled out, and the tourists are its descendants. The family was cursed with lycanthropy and attempted to save the world by preventing its proliferation. If only they could have saved us from watching this play out.
That smuggled kid was a werewolf who passed his genes onto the rest of the world or at least the twenty or so people in this movie. Only one of them is actually a werewolf whose powers are unleashed when in the castle. There's a bit of mystery as to who the villain is at first. The guy with the heavy Eastern European accent just HAS to be the antagonist. We are stupefied, of course, until one of the characters disappears whenever the group goes actively looking for the werewolf in a darkened basement twice. Only one of the tourists, by the name of Ray, escapes.
The movie is too pedestrian to recommend even to genre fans. People are willing to overlook its dearth of creativity under the strange idea that its slight variation of slasher staples is OK. There is a nice twist to the ending where two men argue over which one of them is the werewolf while ignoring a young girl who is rarely seen on screen. I just wish we saw the werewolf get them. The girl, Mary Lou, makes a cameo in the much-better follow up to this film: The Howling 6: The Freaks. She is also the central antagonist of part 7.
Not Recommended
This is actually a slasher pic with fur. Read the setup. A diverse group of adults is trapped in a Hungarian castle and is stalked individually by a werewolf. Change the words in italics to teenagers, house, and crazy person for your usual genre effort. The movie came out in 1989 near the end of the slasher craze, and being the cash grab that it is, doesn't distinguish itself in any way. This is an improvement over part 4 barely. At least it rips off a sub-genre and not another film in its own series.
At least, unlike the last movie, we get some cool scenery to enjoy. This movie takes place in Europe and looks like it was filmed in an old building. I spent a lot of time looking around at the sets or snow-covered ground in between boring segments. The movie is self-aware of its awfulness and provides a musical jolt whenever a werewolf attack is coming. Some refrain from a song by some group called The Factory plays every single time. An extended version plays over the opening credits. I can't determine if the director chose to do this because he deluded himself into thinking it would be scary or if The Factory got a lot of free advertising. The song is stylistically similar to a Beethoven opera and contrasts nicely with the phony "attack" sequences where people are touched by the wolf.
A group of international tourists have won a visit to a castle where in 1489 a wealthy family committed mass suicide. A child was smuggled out, and the tourists are its descendants. The family was cursed with lycanthropy and attempted to save the world by preventing its proliferation. If only they could have saved us from watching this play out.
That smuggled kid was a werewolf who passed his genes onto the rest of the world or at least the twenty or so people in this movie. Only one of them is actually a werewolf whose powers are unleashed when in the castle. There's a bit of mystery as to who the villain is at first. The guy with the heavy Eastern European accent just HAS to be the antagonist. We are stupefied, of course, until one of the characters disappears whenever the group goes actively looking for the werewolf in a darkened basement twice. Only one of the tourists, by the name of Ray, escapes.
The movie is too pedestrian to recommend even to genre fans. People are willing to overlook its dearth of creativity under the strange idea that its slight variation of slasher staples is OK. There is a nice twist to the ending where two men argue over which one of them is the werewolf while ignoring a young girl who is rarely seen on screen. I just wish we saw the werewolf get them. The girl, Mary Lou, makes a cameo in the much-better follow up to this film: The Howling 6: The Freaks. She is also the central antagonist of part 7.
Not Recommended
Ten Little Indians and One Werewolf
Wuchakk20 February 2012
HOWLING V: THE REBIRTH (1989, 96 minutes)
Shot in an actual Hungarian castle, the plot is borrowed from "The Beast Must Die" (1974) wherein a group of people spend the night in a huge European estate while one of the party, a werewolf, systematically butchers the guests. It's basically a whodunit a la Agatha Christie's "And Then There Were None." It's also reminiscent of the underrated "Devil's Nightmare" aka "The Devil Walks at Midnight" (1971), albeit not as good.
Still, it comes close, and although the werewolf is barely seen I found this a solid low-budget mystery flick with a werewolf. Besides, Elizabeth Shé (Marylou) has an exceptional scene and there's a superb Gothic score. But gorehounds who want to see loads of bloody werewolf action should pass (there's a little, but not enough to appease modern gorehounds).
GRADE: B-
Shot in an actual Hungarian castle, the plot is borrowed from "The Beast Must Die" (1974) wherein a group of people spend the night in a huge European estate while one of the party, a werewolf, systematically butchers the guests. It's basically a whodunit a la Agatha Christie's "And Then There Were None." It's also reminiscent of the underrated "Devil's Nightmare" aka "The Devil Walks at Midnight" (1971), albeit not as good.
Still, it comes close, and although the werewolf is barely seen I found this a solid low-budget mystery flick with a werewolf. Besides, Elizabeth Shé (Marylou) has an exceptional scene and there's a superb Gothic score. But gorehounds who want to see loads of bloody werewolf action should pass (there's a little, but not enough to appease modern gorehounds).
GRADE: B-
Another Sequel?
gavin694212 February 2013
When a group of people from different walks of life converge in a Hungarian castle situated in Budapest which has been sealed for 500 years, they bring with them a werewolf which slowly begins to cut their numbers down.
As I like to say, I would rather watch a bad 1980s horror film than a bad 2010s horror film. This is a prime example of that. While it has very little redeeming about it (trying to latch on the disreputable "Howling" franchise is its first mistake), I still like the general 1980s style of horror film better than many of the failures made today.
Some have compared this to Agatha Christie's "And Then There Were None", which is probably fair. But if you are going to do that, you may as well compare it to "The Beast Must Die", which was a werewolf film that followed a similar concept. And heck, "Beast" is a great film... much better than this one.
As I like to say, I would rather watch a bad 1980s horror film than a bad 2010s horror film. This is a prime example of that. While it has very little redeeming about it (trying to latch on the disreputable "Howling" franchise is its first mistake), I still like the general 1980s style of horror film better than many of the failures made today.
Some have compared this to Agatha Christie's "And Then There Were None", which is probably fair. But if you are going to do that, you may as well compare it to "The Beast Must Die", which was a werewolf film that followed a similar concept. And heck, "Beast" is a great film... much better than this one.
The Best of the Howling series...
jimmyplm6 December 2000
I am not a huge fan of the Howling series, but this film is a lot of fun. The mystery element (of the "who's the werewolf" theme) was fascinating to watch. I wish that all of the Howling movies had been this interesting. This is a must see for all horror fans. A-
Not really a werewolf film
preppy-316 November 2006
A bunch of people are invited to this remote castle. As far as they know they have nothing in common with each other. Then they start getting murdered one by one--they can't escape the castle because of a huge blizzard outside--and one of them is the murderer...and a werewolf.
Sort of like Agatha Christie's "Ten Little Indians". It's very atmospheric with some good acting and a real neat ending that got me by surprise. There's not a lot of blood and gore however and ALL the werewolf stuff is kept off screen (!!!). The budget on this film must have been tiny. Still I was entertained and enjoyed it. A neat little horror film--just don't expect it to be a "Howling" movie. I give it a 7.
Sort of like Agatha Christie's "Ten Little Indians". It's very atmospheric with some good acting and a real neat ending that got me by surprise. There's not a lot of blood and gore however and ALL the werewolf stuff is kept off screen (!!!). The budget on this film must have been tiny. Still I was entertained and enjoyed it. A neat little horror film--just don't expect it to be a "Howling" movie. I give it a 7.
The beast's anaemic return
TheLittleSongbird28 February 2019
While not perfect, will always consider the original 'The Howling' film the best of 'The Howling' franchise, which otherwise is on the most part not a particularly good one. The original is the only one classed by me as good, and it still has a lot of wit and atmosphere with amazing effects. Things that the sequels lack generally, on top of having weak writing and acting and either going over-the-top on the camp value or taking things too seriously.
Am not going to say that the fifth film, and the fourth sequel, 'Howling V: The Rebirth' is a great film, because it isn't. Don't even class it as a particularly good one. By 'The Howling' sequels standards though, 'Howling V: The Rebirth' was surprisingly watchable, and for me it's the best since the original easily, most likely the best of the sequels and the only one of the sequels (certainly up to this point of the franchise) to be above mediocre at best. This is saying quite a fair bit, seeing as the previous sequels, as already indicated above, were way off the quality of the first film, almost like it didn't happen and like they belonged in another series. This also doesn't live up to the same quality, but there are improvements here and fewer issues compared to the previous sequels (not as big quality-wise too).
Starting with the good things, while not anything to rave about it is the best-looking of the sequels, although the effects are limited and some of them downright awful, something that was not unexpected. Really loved the Gothic atmosphere and setting, reasonably well-designed, atmospheric, made the most of and was suitably eerie. The music score was also a big improvement here, there were some genuinely haunting moments that didn't compromise the mood or discord with it, it appealed to the ears, wasn't used too obviously and it at least fitted.
There are some well-timed shocks and unsettling moments, and of the sequels in my mind 'Howling V: The Rebirth' is the best paced. It didn't leave me as bored and wasn't as aimless and padded as the other sequels, the story also not as thin. Unlike before and since, there is not an overload of camp like there was in the second and third films, yet the film didn't take itself too seriously like the fourth did.
On the other hand, apart from a decent Phil Davis the acting is very subpar. Elizabeth She's expressionless-ness badly sticks out. The characters have no development and not enough personality (less of them may have helped), though at least the way they behave doesn't annoy as much as feared. The film does take too long to get going perhaps, and a lot of it lacks any kind of surprise. Did find the outcome quite predictable and thought it also could have been explained much better, it got lost on me a bit.
'Howling V: The Rebirth' is rather short-changed when it comes to the werewolf action, which is criminally underused and seen too briefly and without much atmosphere of any kind when it does appear. The more humorous elements came over as out of place and incorporated awkwardly, in terms of overall quality too in this regard it does lack the wit of that of the first film. Tension, creepiness and suspense is nowhere near enough and only comes in spurts, better than the previous sequels admittedly but still underwhelming.
In conclusion, heavily flawed and anaemic, but actually better than expected and surprisingly watchable considering the general standard of the franchise after the first film. 5/10
Am not going to say that the fifth film, and the fourth sequel, 'Howling V: The Rebirth' is a great film, because it isn't. Don't even class it as a particularly good one. By 'The Howling' sequels standards though, 'Howling V: The Rebirth' was surprisingly watchable, and for me it's the best since the original easily, most likely the best of the sequels and the only one of the sequels (certainly up to this point of the franchise) to be above mediocre at best. This is saying quite a fair bit, seeing as the previous sequels, as already indicated above, were way off the quality of the first film, almost like it didn't happen and like they belonged in another series. This also doesn't live up to the same quality, but there are improvements here and fewer issues compared to the previous sequels (not as big quality-wise too).
Starting with the good things, while not anything to rave about it is the best-looking of the sequels, although the effects are limited and some of them downright awful, something that was not unexpected. Really loved the Gothic atmosphere and setting, reasonably well-designed, atmospheric, made the most of and was suitably eerie. The music score was also a big improvement here, there were some genuinely haunting moments that didn't compromise the mood or discord with it, it appealed to the ears, wasn't used too obviously and it at least fitted.
There are some well-timed shocks and unsettling moments, and of the sequels in my mind 'Howling V: The Rebirth' is the best paced. It didn't leave me as bored and wasn't as aimless and padded as the other sequels, the story also not as thin. Unlike before and since, there is not an overload of camp like there was in the second and third films, yet the film didn't take itself too seriously like the fourth did.
On the other hand, apart from a decent Phil Davis the acting is very subpar. Elizabeth She's expressionless-ness badly sticks out. The characters have no development and not enough personality (less of them may have helped), though at least the way they behave doesn't annoy as much as feared. The film does take too long to get going perhaps, and a lot of it lacks any kind of surprise. Did find the outcome quite predictable and thought it also could have been explained much better, it got lost on me a bit.
'Howling V: The Rebirth' is rather short-changed when it comes to the werewolf action, which is criminally underused and seen too briefly and without much atmosphere of any kind when it does appear. The more humorous elements came over as out of place and incorporated awkwardly, in terms of overall quality too in this regard it does lack the wit of that of the first film. Tension, creepiness and suspense is nowhere near enough and only comes in spurts, better than the previous sequels admittedly but still underwhelming.
In conclusion, heavily flawed and anaemic, but actually better than expected and surprisingly watchable considering the general standard of the franchise after the first film. 5/10
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