Jul 17 2011
‘The Howling Reborn’ continues the legacy of B-movie crap
Ahh, the return of ‘The Howling’ series. It was only a matter of time. This trailer looks like what one would expect to see after the success of the ‘Twilight’ franchise. More ‘Scream’ than ‘The Howling’, this entry has the gall to trash the Meyer’s series at the same time it’s slavishly referencing it in a near reverant way.
What can one expect though? The Howling is one of the dodgiest collection of films to ever bear the same moniker (ok, maybe Silent Night, Deadly Night or Curse might take that cake). The first movie, directed by Joe Dante, is a mostly fun little piece of work that boasts good werewolves and some welcome black humor. It’s not a homerun however, and the follow-ups were increasingly bizarre and finally pathetic.
Howling II had Christopher Lee and almost always nude Sybil Danning. I don’t rememeber anymore. Howling III: The Marsupials is the best of the sequels by virtue of its complete insanity and the presence of unwashed Aussie bushbillies. Howling IV: The Original Nightmare was neither original nor nightmarish, Howling V: The Rebirth was like Clue with a werewolf. Howling VI: The Freaks was the first of the series to present vampire fx that were even worse than the wolf fx. Howling: New Moon Rising was ambitiously bad in the way it tried to tie the last few movies into what appeared to be a country line-dancing tutorial.
And now, there’s this. Werewolves who wish they were glittery vampires or buff Native American dudes. For shame.
Jul 18, 2011 @ 09:01:09
Wait… So Howling V was The Rebirth, and now Howling VIII is called Reborn? The thought and creativity they put into the title is truly spectacular.