[Film Review] The Howling (1981)

Warning: This review contains minor spoilers.

Trigger Warning: Contains references to sexual assault.

Forty years on Joe Dante’s satirical horror still bites with decent scares and, given its exploration of sexual trauma, self-help cults and conspiracy theory, it feels more relevant than ever.

Los Angeles TV news anchorwoman Karen White has a traumatic encounter with the notorious serial killer Eddie Quist during a bungled police operation. After experiencing amnesia and flashbacks of the incident, Karen and her husband Bill join her therapist Dr Waggner’s experimental living community, The Colony, in order to heal her trauma. However, it soon becomes clear that something beastly is afoot at The Colony and some of the residents are not who they  appear to be.

The Howling is a knowing tribute to old werewolf movies with genre references and in-jokes peppering John Sayles’ sardonic script which feels strikingly modern in our age of easter eggs and meta narratives. Dante’s second film as a lone Director also cements his trademark cinematic style – very dark humour, B-movie references and cameos abound and, of course, Dick Miller’s riotous presence. The practical effects are provided by the award-winning special effects artist Rob Bottin (The Thing, Total Recall, Fight Club) which were ground-breaking at the time and still look pretty good. The werewolf transformation sequences are impressive and disturbing, although the length of the Eddie Quist’s sequence feels a tad masturbatory (also if it takes that bloody long why don’t some of the characters just get the fuck out of there?). There’s also an excellently creepy score by frequent Brian de Palma collaborator Pino Donaggio which provides atmosphere and tension at all the crucial moments.  

The Howling also kicked off the 80s werewolf movie cycle with An American Werewolf in London (1981) and Wolfen (1981) hot on its furry heels. This explosion of lupine content was thought to reflect changing sexual attitudes and also a perception that Americans were becoming too inward looking and self-obsessed which was causing a moral malaise within the US. However, viewing the film through a contemporary lens it really struck me how prescient some of The Howling’s themes are today, especially in the context of the #MeTwo movement. Karen’s initial confrontation with Eddie Quist and the psychological fall-out of this event clearly mirrors the experience of sexual assault survivors with Karen suffering from PTSD-like symptoms. Karen is also a successful woman within the television news industry, but undeniably faces sexism within her workplace and it is ultimately the negligence of her employers that sets her upon a destructive path. Additionally, given our current fascination with ‘Wellness’ movements and sex cults like NXIVM, The Colony and Dr. Waggner’s self-help guru status (the book he hawks on television is ominously titled ‘The Gift’) feels very contemporaneous. 

Dee Wallace delivers a powerful and sympathetic performance as Karen, literally living up to her scream queen reputation with one of the most chilling primal screams in cinema. Belinda Balaski deserves an honourable mention as Terri Fisher, Karen’s intrepid and witty colleague, who attempts to uncover Eddie Quist’s mysterious origins. Patrick Macnee of The Avengers fame (no not that one, the other one) is also great as the dodgy therapist Dr Waggner who comes across as the more cuddly, genial version of Dr Raglan from The Brood (1979). Elisabeth Brooks as Marsha, one of The Colony’s more carnal inhabitants, is also a fascinating, enigmatic character who sadly doesn’t receive as much screen time as a contemporary audience would probably desire. 

For me The Howling is a chilling and nihilistic film about trauma and the destruction wreaked upon those who are not allowed to reconcile their experiences within themselves, and it is well-worth revisiting or viewing for the first time. Intriguingly, it was announced last year that Andy Muschietti will be remaking The Howling for Netflix and, whilst I’m not always a massive fan of classic horror movie reboots, I think this particular film is ripe for a modern retelling. If Muschietti manages to situate it within our post-#MeTwo landscape and/or grapple with issues of conspiracy theory and fake news it really could have something powerful and timely to say. Perhaps it might even spark another werewolf movie revival for all of us to sink our teeth into?   

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