The Howling
6.576%61%6.6
After a bizarre and near deadly encounter with a serial killer, a television newswoman is sent to a remote mountain resort whose residents may not be what they seem.
- josephbraun9674d agoSpecial Effects Where Excellent.
- bryan.841October 18, 2026I as lucky enough to have seen this in the theater when it was first released in 1980. I was 15, and this scared the crap out of me. I have seen numerous times since and it still is my favorite Werwolf movie with American Werewolf coming in at a very close second. I am now in my 60’s and this great film never disappoints and honestly doesn’t get the credit it deserves.
- angeltreadSeptember 1, 2026Im kinda surprised i never seen this. Werewolf movies unfortunately just dont have the overall pedigree of sheer amount of great ones like vampire movies. Always heard this one was good not great. And i concur. The first half is slow. Then finally you get some monster action and it’s with thee littlest fanfare ever. Finally though the 3rd act goes bonkers and gets pretty fun. This went places i never expected it to go and was digging it for that. I like the effects to a degree. They honestly hold too long a bunch of the transformation scenes. They went nuts on the air bladders to a detriment. Better than showing nothing though. And to be honest how you shoot and edit practical effects might be more important than the effects themselves. The editing doesnt do them any favors, but Rob Bottin really upped his game fast with doing the Thing the very next year. With nostalgia this probably sits real high for many, without that nostalgia though, as much as i want to love this, cause i love Joe Dante… i have a hard time not seeing its flaws. Joe really came into greatness with Gremlins for me though. Its a decent werewolf movie is an aboslute ocean of terrible ones, some ok ones, a few decent ones, and only a few absolute bangers. I.
- Aaron SladeAugust 29, 2026My favourite werewolf movie (along with Dog Soldiers) Highly recommended!
- Doc WormMarch 18, 2026The Howling is easily one of the absolute best werewolf movies of all time. Some pacing and scripting issues are easy to forgive with its tremendous cast and creative creature effects. Tension is effectively conveyed throughout the film and how it approaches the concept makes for an awesome story. While this is my first viewing, I can confidently put this towards the top of my favorite Joe Dante films.
- raulolvera890January 19, 2026Awesome movie from the 80's..
- MrMitchieNovember 5, 2025This is a classic werewolf movie from the early 80s directed by Joe Dante who I love and has directed many classics you need to watch. The transformation scenes are awesome but not quite as good as what John Landis did in American werewolf in London. Still it is right up there with one of the best werewolf movies you need to watch.
Get Plex on Your Devices
Free on 20+ platforms. Pick yours.The Howling Trivia
The Howling was released on January 21, 1981.
The Howling was directed by Joe Dante.
The Howling has a runtime of 90m.
The Howling was produced by Jack Conrad, Michael Finnell.
After a bizarre and near deadly encounter with a serial killer, a television newswoman is sent to a remote mountain resort whose residents may not be what they seem.
The key characters in The Howling are Karen White (Dee Wallace), Dr. George Waggner (Patrick Macnee), Chris (Dennis Dugan).
The Howling is rated R.
The Howling is a Horror film.
The Howling has an audience rating of 6.1 out of 10.
The Howling had a budget of $1M.
The Howling has made $18M at the box office.