Tag Archives: werewolves

Remembering a Werewolf Classic: The Howling

April 09, 2012   Dr. Monstrosity   No comments
The-Howling-movie-poster

The Howling (1981)
Movie Review

Let’s take a walk down memory lane back to the time of cassette tapes, rotary phones, and the birth of cable television.  The eighties, where I spent my formative years headbanging, reading sci fi, and burning stuff in my backyard.  And going to my friend’s house to watch horror movies on cable television.  Yeah he had the premium channels, and that’s where I first saw The Howling.

The Howling is one of the premiere werewolf movies, although it was overshadowed by An American Werewolf in London which was released in the same year.  Clearly, An American Werewolf in London is a better film and more fondly remembered, but don’t forget about The Howling, it’s viscously good!

Early on we meet serial killer (umm, werewolf) Eddie Quist (Robert Picardo).  He’s pestering newswoman Dee Wallace (Karen White).  After a while we get to the juicy bit, the big change!  Eddie’s metamorphosis sequence is damn scary even today and certainly revolutionary for the time.  I love the bubbling skin and growing nails.  I also dig the creepy mid-change contorted rictus, bulging eyes, and puffed up chest.  And it’s all kicked off by Eddie digging out a piece of his brain in front of a horrified Dee Wallace.  Eewwwww!

Other notable scenes are the chopping off of a werewolf’s hand, a brutal throat chomping, and a werewolf sexual encounter with full frontal nudity.  And I got a chuckle from the Forrest Ackerman cameo complete with Forry toting a couple of copies of his mag Famous Monsters of Filmland.

The Howling is director Joe Dante’s crowning achievement in a career began under the tutelage of the legendary Roger Corman.  His other memorable film was the horror-comedy The Gremlins (a Steven Spielberg production).  Interestingly, the effects on The Howling were originally to be handled by one of the masters in the field, Rick Baker.  Baker ended up working on An American Werewolf in London leaving The Howling to be handled by Robin R. Bottin, one of Baker’s employees.  Bottin certainly rose to the task.  He was obviously a major talent and went on to do most of the effects for John Carpenter’s The Thing, one of the greatest and grisliest sci-fi horror classics of them all!

The Howling is a gruesome and groovy werewolf classic.  If you’ve never seen it, go for it.  If you saw it back in the day, it’s a great trip down a dark and shadowy memory lane.

Smile!

Yikes!

Yucky

 

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The Dresden Files Remains Magical

March 27, 2012   Dr. Monstrosity   No comments
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The Dresden Files (2007)
Episode 3

Dresden Files #3 Hair of the Dog continues the show’s high entertainment value, making me wonder yet again, why was this show cancelled after only one season?  Interestingly, all three episodes were written by different writers and directed by different directors, yet the quality remains high.  I hope the quality remains steady because the creative teams varied all season long.

Dresden is a down and out wizard for hire, trying to make ends meet by tagging along on the more mysterious police cases or doing investigative work for the possessed.  The show is based on the series of novels by Jim Butcher.  Dresden #3 was the best Dresden yet.  There’s some personal bias talking here because this episode was all about werewolves and I love werewolves!

Bob and Dresden

In this episode we meet a young lady whose friend has been killed.  Turns out she got mixed up with some lycanthropes.  Dresden (Paul Blackthorne) and his ghostly buddy Bob (Terence Mann) jump on the case and we’re in for some lycanthropic excitement.

I like the wicked method in which the lycanthropes can escape their curse introduced in this episode.  The plot is generally pretty engaging.  There’s also some great acting by all three guest stars involved.  And, the low budget special effects end up being quite effective in their intent, to creep you out!  It’s another well written, well-acted Dresden episode.  I’m bailing out on the cloying Being Human but I’ll be sticking with my wizard friend Dresden.

The Dresden Files Episode 1 Review
The Dresden Files Episode 2 Review

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Being Human UK: Do We Really Need the Ghost?

January 27, 2012   Dr. Monstrosity   No comments
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Being Human (U.K.) 2008

Season 1, Episode 2

With the second episode of Being Human we get to meet a new werewolf character in Tully.  The dynamic between Tully and George is really quite entertaining.  Tully acts a mentor to George but as things progress, becomes something a bit different.

We also get more of vampire Mitchell’s struggles with his thirst for blood, which is a bit like an addict trying to stay on the wagon.  Mitchell’s relationship with Lauren – a vampire whom Mitchell brought into the fold – also gets more interesting.  And there’s a nice sense of foreboding that something big is in the works for the vampires.

It’s become clear to me with this second episode that the weak link on this show is ghost Annie.  Essentially the entire idea of having a ghost paired with a vampire and werewolf doesn’t work; it’s like a square peg in a round hole.  Vampires and werewolves have great tension and drama between them, throwing a ghost in the mix simply diverts us from the cool stuff.  Moreover, the character of Annie is essentially a bore.

One crummy character can’t diminish Being Human’s great strengths.  The balance between horror and humor is wonderfully done, and the juxtaposition of normal human problems with bizarre and horrific ones is charming.  It’s a good show, but I’m not quite hooked on it.

Being Human Episode 1 Review

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