“The Howling”
Movie #21: 31- Days of Horror Challenge 2018
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While pursuing a story about a serial killer, reporter, Karen White, is attacked and watches as he is shot to death by the police. On her psychiatrist’s recommendation, she and her husband go to a retreat, called “The Colony”, for relaxation and therapy. However, the residents of The Colony are unsettling, creepy, and have a frightening secret.
A person could write a full dissertation on the psychological subtext of this film. Someone probably already has, so I don’t feel the need to explore that in depth, except to say that there is so much going on in the story, it’s worth a few revisits. This classic werewolf tale has holds up well, even 35+ years later.
The make-up and effects are disturbing as hell and the performances… the cast!… is outstanding. Dee Wallace, Robert Picardo, Slim Pickens, Kevin McCarthy, John Carradine, Dennis Dugan, not only brought their unique talent to this, but also gave it a bit of legitimacy. These quality performances forces the audience to look past the surface of the werewolf and deeper into the psychology which the werewolf represents.
If you haven’t already seen it, it is a must. If you have seen it, watch it again.
