© FAKESHEMP.NET
  • Home
  • Reviews
  • Podcasts
    • Podcasts
    • Good Movie Monday
    • WTF was that?
  • MEDIA
    • Videos >
      • Photos
  • GLG
  • Blog
  • Interviews
  • About

THE HOWLING / THE HOWLING 2

5/9/2012

0 Comments

 
Picture
This weeks moon cycle has been amazing and me being me, I seized the opportunity (I'll take anything) to watch a werewolf movie. Following their wicked creature feature, Piranha, Joe Dante and writer John Sayles returned with The Howling. An important rule when watching movies like this is to place yourself back at the time of it's release. As hokey as it might be now, The Howling was a damn effective and somewhat groundbreaking movie. The special FX were powerfully innovative for 1981 and if it weren't for An American Werewolf In London overshadowing it's release at the same time, this would have wound up the definitive werewolf movie. A television reporter is sent to a retreat after falling victim to a serial killer and unbeknownst to her, the retreat is a werewolf lair. Dee Wallace Stone headlined the movie at a time when she was THE scream queen of the 70s & 80s (screw Jamie Lee Curtis!). Acclaimed make-up artist Rick Baker was signed do all of the werewolf fx but he jumped ship at the last minute to work on American Werewolf... he won an Oscar for that work. And so while the werewolf fx are good in The Howling, they are over exposed and left on screen just enough to lessen their potancy. Less is more. But hey, the story is great, the gore is good and the movie is just heaps of fun. 

And then there was The Howling II. It's a shit film right from the getgo. Of all the sequels in the franchise this is the only one to continue the continuity as we pick up shortly following the first movie. Christopher Lee stars and delivers a shlocky and hammed up performance as an occult investigator who leads a brother and a journalist on a hunt for the queen werewolf who's pack of cubs (for lack of better word) maimed a character from the first movie (I wont spoil for those who haven't seen). The movie was directed by Aussie Philippe Mora who helped forge the Ozploitation movement in the 70s. Its hard to tell if he's taking the material seriously or whether he's taking the piss and because of this, its a difficult movie to enjoy. He followed it up with The Howling III which is a blatant satire taking place in Australia with marsupial werewolves. It's now considered a trash gem and I'll review it some time down the track. It's a shame that this franchise ran out of steam so quickly though. There was a good mythology to work with as well as source material (novels) which were ignored.

0 Comments



Leave a Reply.


    OUR WRITERS
    GLENN COCHRANE
    JARRET GAHAN
    SHAUN CRAWFORD
    ALEX MAYNARD
    CHRIS THOMPSON​
    Picture

    RSS Feed

    Archives

    March 2021
    February 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014
    July 2014
    June 2014
    May 2014
    April 2014
    March 2014
    February 2014
    January 2014
    December 2013
    November 2013
    October 2013
    September 2013
    August 2013
    July 2013
    June 2013
    May 2013
    April 2013
    March 2013
    February 2013
    January 2013
    December 2012
    November 2012
    October 2012
    September 2012
    August 2012
    July 2012
    June 2012
    May 2012
    April 2012
    March 2012
    February 2012
    January 2012
    December 2011
    November 2011
    October 2011
    September 2011
    August 2011
    July 2011
    June 2011
    May 2011
    April 2011
    March 2011
    February 2011
    January 2011
    December 2010
    November 2010
    September 2010
    April 2010

    RSS Feed

© 2018 FakeShemp.Net    All rights reserved.  FakeShemp.Net Illustrations by MJ Barros. 
  • Home
  • Reviews
  • Podcasts
    • Podcasts
    • Good Movie Monday
    • WTF was that?
  • MEDIA
    • Videos >
      • Photos
  • GLG
  • Blog
  • Interviews
  • About