Ranking The Howling Movies Worst To Best
1. The Howling (1981)
Was there ever any question that Joe Dante's 1981 original would take the top spot on this list? I hope not.
The Howling follows famous newscaster Karen White as she escapes to a woodland retreat following a horrific stalking incident with a serial killer. Unfortunately for the traumatized woman, the retreat consists of a colony of werewolves, and he stalker is among them.
Joe Dante chose to largely disregard Gary Brandner's 1979 novel and tell his own werewolf story here, which helps the film a great deal. The novel deals with heavy themes of rape, miscarriage and trauma, Dante's choice opens The Howling up and allows it to be a much freer popcorn monster-flick.
Standouts from this classic include an absolutely stunning lead performance from Scream Queen Dee Wallace who gives her all in one of her trademark "in peril" performances. Of course, we cannot mention The Howling without giving credit to the incredible creature effects by Rob Botin. The in camera transformations from man to beast are a sight to behold and it's a shame that they are often overshadowed by Rick Baker's work on the same year's An American Werewolf in London.
Never skimping on gore or tense chase scenes and putting its own spin on the werewolf lore of olde, The Howling is an essential creature feature for any genre fan.