The Howling franchise started off promising with the release of the first movie in 1981. It was a decent werewolf flick that I can recommend to fans of the genre. The sequels however....
The Howling
The Howling is the first movie in the franchise and is widely regarded as a fine flick and a great werewolf film and while it may not reach the same level as films like American Werewolf in London, it still holds its own and provides a strong viewing experience for fans of the genre.
The movie follows a reporter who becomes involved in a serial killer case and is ultimately recommended by her doctor to go to a rehabilitation camp for therapy. The camp, located in an upstate coastal area, provides a fish out of water scenario where she encounters eccentric locals with a taste for red meat and a love for wearing furry clothes.
The movie has a suspenseful plot and a refreshing take on the werewolf mythos. Without spoiling anything, I highly recommend this movie to any horror fan looking for a good werewolf film. [The Howling on IMDB]
The Howling II: Your Sister Is a Werewolf
The Howling II: Your Sister is a Werewolf had the initial promise of embracing the iconic 80s aesthetic, with its wild sunglasses, punks, and catchy songs about being a wolf and it seemed like the perfect setup for a fun and cheesy werewolf flick. However, the movie quickly took a disappointing turn when it shifted its focus to Transylvania, completely abandoning the vibrant 80s vibe.
One of the major issues with the movie was the inconsistencies with the location and languages used. While the movie was meant to be set in Transylvania, it was clearly filmed in Czechoslovakia, as indicated by the train station and the use of the Czech language and this lack of attention to detail in this aspect takes away from the authenticity of the setting and made it difficult to fully immerse in the story.
Also, the poorly shot and executed occult scenes added to the disappointment and the ritual scenes in which the old lady drained the life energy of a young woman felt amateurish and lacks the atmosphere that was intended. [The Howling II: Your Sister Is a Werewolf on IMDB]
The Howling III
Howling III: The Marsupials takes an interesting premise by setting the movie in Australia, showcasing the marsupial werewolves, but the execution of this movie falls short, resulting in poor storytelling and a lack of proper rules for werewolves.
The underutilized setting of Australia is a missed opportunity really, as the film fails to fully explore the potential of this location and the lack of established rules for the werewolves leaves you confused and disconnected from the story.
Despite its flaws, it does have the potential for entertainment due to its sheer weirdness. The bizarre premise and strange plot twists can provide some amusement for those who enjoy unconventional and offbeat movies. [The Howling III on IMDB]
The Howling IV: The Original Nightmare
Howling IV: The Original Nightmare is a cheap and boring addition to the Howling franchise and this movie lacks the presence of werewolves and the plot is pretty bad, even by the previous sequels standards.
One redeeming aspect of this film is the decomposing scene, which features impressive effects but this brief moment of interest is not enough to make up for the overall disappointment of the movie and the lack of excitement and poor storytelling make it difficult to find any enjoyment in this film really. [The Howling IV: The Original Nightmare on IMDB]
The Howling V: The Rebirth
The fifth installment in the Howling franchise, titled Howling V: The Rebirth, attempts to tie together the previous films but falls short in many aspects. While the idea of connecting the movies may seem promising, the execution leaves much to be desired.
A big disappointment in this film is the wasted potential of the cursed werewolf family. The movie introduces the concept of a werewolf curse within the family, but fails to fully explore this storyline and it feels like a missed opportunity to delve deeper into the mythology and create a more compelling narrative.
Despite its flaws, it does have some redeeming qualities. The dynamics between the characters are decent, providing some enjoyable interactions and the relationships and rivalries among the famous guests invited to the castle at least add some intrigue. [The Howling V: The Rebirth on IMDB]
The Howling VI: The Freaks
In Howling VI: The Freaks, the franchise continues its downward spiral.
The plot revolves around a freak show, introducing an outsider protagonist who becomes entangled in the spectacle. While the premise has potential, the execution falls flat, resulting in a lackluster and cringe-worthy horror comedy.
One of the major disappointments of the movie is the underutilization of characters with powers and while the concept of characters possessing unique abilities adds an intriguing element to the plot, this potential is never fully explored, and much like in some of the previous movies above, something that could potentially be interesting is pretty much glossed over.
The attempts at humor often fall flat too, resulting in awkward and uncomfortable scenes.[The Howling VI: The Freaks on IMDB]
The Howling: New Moon Rising
Howling: New Moon Rising was yet another failed attempt to tie together the previous movies in the franchise.
The film features two concurrent plotlines—one following an Australian drifter and the other focusing on a group of preachers but unfortunately, both plotlines are poorly executed, again.
The film is plagued by some terrible acting and cringe-worthy attempts at horror comedy and the dialogue and performances are so bad that it's hard to take this film seriously.
One of the major issues is the lack of clarity in the werewolf lore and storyline as it is unclear how the werewolves are connected to previous films or how they fit into the overall mythology of the franchise. The film fails to provide a cohesive and coherent narrative that just leaves you confused and frustrated.
Despite its many flaws, the film does have one redeeming aspect—the decent werewolf scenes. The special effects and werewolf costumes are surprisingly well done, providing some enjoyable moments for fans of the franchise. [The Howling: New Moon Rising on IMDB]
The Howling: Reborn (2011)
Howling: Reborn is a clear attempt to cash in on the popularity of the Twilight franchise, and this one tries to replicate its formula, but fails miserably. From the terrible acting to the visuals and cliché high school drama, it's clear that Howling: Reborn is nothing more than a Twilight rip-off, but worse.
The acting in this film is downright cringe-worthy with the performances being so wooden and lacking any depth or emotion. The characters feel like caricatures rather than real people and the oversaturated visuals only add to the overall cheap and amateurish feel of the film.
It also attempts to provide social commentary on modern youth, but it comes across as cringe-worthy and forced and it is just all very lazy and superficial, and one of the worse movies ever. [The Howling: Reborn on IMDB]
Do I Recommend The Howling Franchise?
The Howling franchise is a disappointment really. While the first movie is a decent werewolf flick that I can recommend to fans of the genre, the subsequent movies in the franchise fall way short of that mark.
It is my recommendation to only watch the first movie and skip the rest of the franchise as the sequels lack consistency and suffer from poor storytelling and acting.
Lake Mungo Review
Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2022 Review
The Babadook Review
Noroi: The Curse Review
Ranking The Child's Play Movie Franchise
Ginger Snaps Review
Comments