The Howling

The news anchor Karen White is traumatised after an encounter with a serial killer. Her therapist sends her to a retreat in the country. What the people there are becomes clear quickly. Joe Dante directed. The source is Gary Brandner's 1977 novel; John Sayles rewrote the script entirely and gave the film a self-aware, satirical tone. Dee Wallace stars. What gets cited most is Rob Bottin's transformation effects: air bladders under latex, in scenes that became iconic within the genre. On a 1.7 million dollar budget it took between 17.9 and 20 million domestically. Rotten Tomatoes sits at 76 percent. Roger Ebert called it the silliest film he had seen in some time while acknowledging the strength of the effects. It won the 1980 Saturn Award for Best Horror Film and competed in the same field as An American Werewolf in London, released the same year. The success opened Dante's career: Warner Bros. hired him and producer Michael Finnell for Gremlins in 1984. Seven sequels followed. Who it is for: viewers who like eighties practical effects and horror that jokes about its own genre. Who it is not for: anyone wanting to be seriously frightened. The film mocks its own form throughout.