The Howling

     An anchorwoman goes away to a retreat in the woods after being attacked by a psychopath.  But what she doesn't realize is that the retreat is overrun with werewolves...

     Not only is "The Howling" an awesome werewolf flick in its own right, but the fact that it was released in 1981 only ups its coolness factor.  In my opinion on an equal plane with "An American Werewolf In London"- I think they are simply the two best werewolf movies I've ever seen.  I can't decide which I like better because they're both different and I shouldn't even have to compare them in the first place.  I also love "Halloween" and "Friday the 13th" equally as well.

     I love "The Howling" because I love Dee Wallace-Stone and as usual she gives a standout performance.  I love the utmost respect "The Howling" has for 1941's "The Wolf Man" and other classic werewolf mythology- and how this movie has that old-fashioned monster movie feel to it. I love seeing a director (in this case Joe Dante) show so much creativity with so little budget.  I love the many in-jokes and references to other figures in the genre.  I love the great and moody soundtrack by the great and moody Pino Dinaggio(who also did the scores for "Carrie" and "Dressed To Kill"...).  I love the cinematography and art direction.  I love the smart satire running fresh through the entire movie.  And of course the werewolf effects are so good that they still haven't been topped today, even with CGI.

      "The Howling" effortlessly meshes scary tension to tongue-in-cheek humor, all without missing a beat.  It's easily one of the best werewolf movies of all time, and has earned the right to stand proudly beside "An American Werewolf In London".  "The Howling" borders on camp at times, but it's overall a spooky and effective movie.  A bona fide 80's classic.