Dee Wallace | 31 Nights of Horror

For this year’s 31 Nights of Horror Challenge, the Night 26 prompt is Dee Wallace. We watched the movie The Howling (1981) on Netflix.

Storyline

After a bizarre and near deadly encounter with a serial killer, a television newswoman is sent to a remote mountain resort whose residents may not be what they seem.

in a red light district, newswoman Karen White is bugged by the police, investigating serial killer Eddie Quist, who has been molesting her through phone calls. After police officers find them in a peep-show cabin and shoot Eddie, Karen becomes emotionally disturbed and loses her memory. Hoping to conquer her inner demons, she heads for the Colony, a secluded retreat where the creepy residents are rather too eager to make her feel at home. There also seems to be a bizarre connection between Eddie Quist and this supposedly safe haven. And when, after nights of being tormented by unearthly cries, Karen ventures into the forest and makes a terrifying discovery.

‘The Howling’ stands as a landmark werewolf film, praising Joe Dante’s assured direction that masterfully balances dark humor with genuine scares. Rob Bottin’s groundbreaking practical effects and the film’s terrifying atmosphere earn widespread acclaim, with Dee Wallace delivering a strong lead performance. However, many criticize the slow pacing, particularly in the first half, with scenes that drag before the compelling final act. Despite some dated elements, most consider it an influential horror classic that revolutionized the genre.

Our thoughts on The Howling (1981)

Slow starting, but this werewolf picture finishes with a bang.

This classic werewolf movie is not as good as “An American Werewolf in London”, however it is a pretty good horror movie in its own right. It is also one of the first (if not the first) to do an on screen transformation scene not using the old frame by frame technique. The story has a female reporter traumatized after she helps the police track down a serial killer. A friend psychiatrist sends her to a retreat known as “the colony” to help her unwind and get to the root of her problem. Well lets just say her first impulse was right as she really seems to think her and her husband are out of place in this retreat. I would agree, I do believe I would have left after seeing the first little beach party where the guy about to throw himself in the fire seemed the most sane. For the most part this movie has a bit of a slow setup, but once it gets going near the last 20 or thirty minutes it really gets going.

The werewolves look rather good, there are a couple of scenes where they appear to be nothing more than cartoons or something, but for the most part they look like working models. There is a bit at the end which puzzles me as it seems to add humor into what was otherwise a movie that wasn’t trying to garner laughs.

However, for the most part you get a rather nice horror movie with lots of stars, something of a rarity this day and age.

7 out of 10 stars

Trivia

Rick Baker was originally doing the special effects for this movie, but he left to do An American Werewolf in London (1981), leaving the effects job for this movie in the hands of assistant Rob Bottin. Both this movie and “American Werewolf” were released the same year and both received praise for their makeup work.

In the scene where Terri calls Chris from Dr. Waggner’s office, a picture of Lon Chaney Jr. is seen on the office wall. Chaney played the Wolf Man in a series of five films (The Wolf Man (1941), Frankenstein Meets the Wolf Man (1943), House of Frankenstein (1944), House of Dracula (1945) and Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein (1948). He was the only actor that played a Universal Classic Monster in the original film and all of its sequels.

Because of their work in this movie, Joe Dante and Michael Finnell received the opportunity to make the movie Gremlins (1984) for Steven Spielberg. That movie references “The Howling” with a smiley face image on a refrigerator door. Eddie Quist leaves yellow smiley face stickers as his calling card in several places all through this movie. Also James MacKrell‘s character as news reporter Lew Landers appears in both “The Howling” and “Gremlins,” which suggest both movies share the same universe.

There is a debate in the critical community which werewolf effects are better; this film or An American Werewolf in London (1981). Most critics lean towards “London”; but both movie effects were heralded as revolutionary and highly influential in the world of film.

Dee Wallace (Karen White) and Christopher Stone (Bill Neill) were engaged in real life when shooting this horror movie. They stayed married until his death in 1995 of a heart attack.

So what do you think? How many of these scary movies have you seen? Do you have any others to add to the list? Let us know in the comments section and please consider joining our Facebook page, Scary Movies at the Fort. Each October we host the 31 Nights of Horror. Check us out.

Also, be sure to check out our Complete List of Dracula, Frankenstien, Wolfman, and The Mummy, and Universal Monster Movies.

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