The Howling (1981)

I didn't enjoy The Howling quite as much as The Fog, the movie which shares a DVD with this film. While the latter movie is more structurally perfect, The Howling is more innovative and takes more risks.  As I am most familiar with director Joe Dante's more family oriented, if still horror tinged fair, like Gremlins and Matinee, I did enjoy seeing him doing something more purely in the genera he so often evokes. His love of nostalgia is still very evident here, what with the cartoon clips, the horror movie clips, the Dick Miller cameo. This film also has some of the rubber, hydraulic type effects memorable form Explorers and his segment in Twilight Zone: The Movie. The Werewolves, when you finally see them in their full glory, still work and are impressive special effects. The organization of the Werewolves community is interesting, and the film makes good use of Patrick Macnee, and uses Robert Picardo rather interestingly. Dee Wallace is the lead, she did so many horror movies, particularly in this period of her career, that her casting in E.T. must surely constitute some kind of in-joke. This is a pretty sexual movie, so beware of that. ***