A good horror film that is actually much truer to the original book .
"Howling IV: The original nightmare" is one of those sequels to a revered horror film that is almost universally trashed by people who see it and even people who don't, which is something that can be understood to an extent. The film can't compare to the polished nature of the original film, nor can it compete with that film's revolutionary and downright groundbreaking make-up effects. Add to that that "Howling IV" has been butchered by its producer in post-production to create more of a contemporary and commercial horror film on its original release. But that's not the whole story. The truth is that for all the film's short comings there are some merits to it and they are not as few as many people think. The film is much truer to the atmospheric and suspensful storyline of the original book than any other film in "The Howling" series (much more so than the classic, but tongue-in cheek original film) and is also directed with much style and a good amount of atmosphere and suspense by John Hough (who directed the excellent ghost stoty "The Legend of hell house") whose style still shows and gives the film an unnerving, eerie feel to it even after the producer's tinkering. Add to that that the film has a very good story, effective if not stellar make-up effects and manages to end on an extremely eerie note and you get a very good B-movie that should be viewed with its low-budget in mind. This is a film that will please fans of the original book more than anyone else, but will also please fans who like good, intriguing horror stories that are presented on screen with a minimum of flash. Worth re-appraisal as one of the best "Howling" sequels. As for the DVD, all of the editions available around the world are almost of the same quality, which is fair, but adequate enough for a film as obscure.
Least Dated of the Serious
This is easily the least dated of all the 6 Howling films. V and VI also aren't very dated, though they are a couple of disturbing films, with VI beaing a freakshow and on the level of Todd Browning's Freaks. Nothing is dated. They are all modern. The most campy of the series is II- 80s new wave written all over it. Then the next campy is III- PG13 rated and regular 80s cheese. At the lower end of the campiness is the widely acclaimed masterpiece first Howling film- 80s redneck. The Howling films became a mess of campiness. Now looking back on them, this only heightened the entertainment value today. A writer goes to a retreat, only to be haunted and hunted by werewolves. This looks like it could've been made today. This is easily the least cheesey of the Howling films. Maybe one day I will write a script for a seventh Howling.
This movie sucked !!!!!
The best part of the movie was when you get to see the shopkeep naked . Otherwise dont buy this film unless your collecting the Howling series .
In Howling V: The Rebirth (**), a group of strangers gather for the re-opening of a Hungarian castle, which has been shut up for 500 years. One by one they are killed off by a (barely glimpsed) werewolf, and there is a secret that ties them all together. Nothing too extraordinary here, and werewolf fans will be disappointed by the monster's next-to-zero screen time. This is, in fact, a throwback to the kind of movie involving much prowling around a dark castle that Italy churned out in the 60s. Howling VI: The Freaks (**1/2) is more original. A stranger arrives in a dying town, and shortly after him comes a strange carnival, whose leader is more than just your average carnival barker. The werewolf make-up is quite lame, but the combination of sideshow, small town and warring werewolves... More Info about this DVD Director(s): Neal Sundstrom DVD Release Date: Released the 23 September 2003 Special Order
List Price: $14.98 Your Price: $13.48YOU SAVE $1.5!
Buy it
The Howling 2 is a real let down to the original Howling. It does not even come close to capturing the same beastly terror. The brilliant special effects of the Howling 1 is what made that film so special. In part 2 the special effects have gone backwards, they are infact a laughable attempt. Sybil Danning's fleshy expose is the best thing about this film. Its a total disrespect to the original.
More Info about this DVD Director(s): Philippe Mora DVD Release Date: Released the 23 August 2005 Usually ships in 24 hours
List Price: $14.94 Your Price: $13.45YOU SAVE $1.49!
Buy it
PLOT: The film opens with archival footage labeled as "Cape York, Australia, 1905." A group of Aborigines are posing with a dead werewolf that is tied to a tree. The film then jumps to modern day. The U.S. government intercepts a KGB report of a werewolf killing three villagers in a small Siberian village and that a special army has been dispatched to take care of the beast. Some think that the Soviets are using the word "werewolf" as a code name. Others think that it is the real thing. Next, the film introduces us to Professor Harry Beckmeyer (Barry Otto), an anthropologist. He shows his class the archival footage from the beginning of the film. The footage was made by his grandfather on an anthropological expedition of the Australian outback. He never returned but this was the footage... More Info about this DVD DVD Release Date: Released the 25 March 2003 Usually ships in 2 to 4 weeks
List Price: $14.99 Your Price: $13.49YOU SAVE $1.5!
Buy it
A graduate of Roger Corman's school of low-budget ingenuity, Joe Dante gained enough momentum with 1978's Piranha to rise to the challenge of The Howling, and he brought along Piranha screenwriter John Sayles to cowrite this instant werewolf classic. Makeup wizard Rob Bottin was recruited to create what was then the wildest onscreen transformation ever seen. With Gary Brandner's novel The Howling as a starting point, Sayles and Dante conceived a werewolf colony on the California coast, posing as a self-help haven led by a seemingly benevolent doctor (Patrick Macnee), and populated by a variety of "patients," from sexy, leather-clad sirens (among them Elisabeth Brooks) to an old coot (John Carradine) who's quite literally long in the tooth. When a TV reporter... More Info about this DVD Actor(s): Dee Wallace-Stone - Patrick Macnee Director(s): Joe Dante DVD Release Date: Released the 26 August 2003 Usually ships in 24 hours
List Price: $14.94 Your Price: $13.45YOU SAVE $1.49!
Buy it
Howling III - The Marsupials takes a refreshing and original approach to the standard werewolf film. I enjoyed the story line of marsupial werewolves living in the outback of Australia. If you enjoy campy, comical horror films, you'll love Howling III. ***** More Info about this DVD Director(s): Philippe Mora DVD Release Date: Released the 03 July 2001 THIS TITLE IS CURRENTLY NOT AVAILABLE. If you would like to purchase this title, we recommend that you occasionally check this page to see if it has become available.
List Price: $29.95 Your Price: $26.96YOU SAVE $2.99!
Buy it
