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The Howling

Play trailer Poster for The Howling R Released Apr 3, 1981 1h 31m Horror Play Trailer Watchlist
Watchlist Tomatometer Popcornmeter
75% Tomatometer 44 Reviews 60% Popcornmeter 25,000+ Ratings
In Los Angeles, television journalist Karen White (Dee Wallace) is traumatized in the course of aiding the police in their arrest of a serial murderer. Her doctor recommends that she attend an isolated psychiatric retreat led by Dr. George Waggner (Patrick Macnee). But while Karen is undergoing therapy, her colleague Chris (Dennis Dugan), investigates the bizarre circumstances surrounding her shock. When his work leads him to suspect the supernatural, he begins to fear for Karen's life.
The Howling

What to Know

Critics Consensus

The Howling packs enough laughs into its lycanthropic carnage to distinguish it from other werewolf entries, with impressive visual effects adding some bite.

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Critics Reviews

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Nick Schager Lessons of Darkness A perverse, satirical contribution to the oft-maligned werewolf genre. Rated: B Nov 6, 2005 Full Review Roger Ebert Chicago Sun-Times Ridiculous -- yes. Comical at times -- yes. Rated: 2/4 Oct 23, 2004 Full Review Paul Lê Bloody Disgusting Joe Dante’s ‘81 rendering is so distinct from its basis that it’s practically a different beast. Rated: 3/5 Apr 10, 2025 Full Review Kristy Strouse Wonderfully Weird and Horrifying Well performed, with convincing effects for its time, The Howling isn’t the best werewolf feature, but it’s required viewing for any fan. Oct 26, 2022 Full Review Tony Crawley Starburst Rob Bottin's Howling man-to-werewolf sequence is like nothing you've ever seen before. It's amazing! Jul 27, 2022 Full Review Eddie Harrison film-authority.com ...still shocks and amuses in equal parts... Rated: 4/5 Oct 27, 2021 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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steve Absolute CLASSIC werewolf flick!!! Worth the watch for old school nostalgia 80s horror. Rated 5 out of 5 stars 04/28/25 Full Review Diet Dr. Paul . This is the GOAT when it comes to werewolf movies… hands down! Joe Dante, Dee Wallace and an insane performance from Robert Picardo! And it still has the second best practical werewolf transformation of all time, just behind American Werewolf in London but it’s very, very close! Simply amazing and an absolute classic! Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars 07/13/25 Full Review Stephen C Meant to scare me in 1 hour and 31 minutes!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Rated 5 out of 5 stars 07/04/25 Full Review Bronn B The movie isn’t as good as American werewolf in London, and it isn’t as scary, but it does have good visual effects that were probably groundbreaking for the time. I actually read the book before seeing the movie and the plot of the book is straightforward with good character development. The movie has a convoluted and nonsensical plot, relying on contrived coincidences to keep moving forward. It’s low budget and it feels like it- what’s funny is the book had a simpler plot that would have been much easier to film. The ending in the news studio is contrived but is a good commentary on modern society where everyone thinks it was special effects for ratings. Unless you want to see it, I’d pass. Rated 2 out of 5 stars 06/18/25 Full Review Eric P The movie has definitely aged, but overall it's one of the better werewolf movies. It's got a very solid cast, of veteran actors. The story is good, not great. The movie can be considered a little corny. But if you're a fan of the werewolf genre, pros outweigh the cons. Very good special effects for the time! The Howling franchise was terrible after this 1st installment, so if you've seen a sequel, don't judge this movie by the follow ups. It's a fun movie overall, I hope you enjoy it! Rated 4 out of 5 stars 06/08/25 Full Review Nick O Almost 45 years later and The Howling and An American Werewolf In London are still neck and neck for best werewolf flick. Great story and brutal self awareness make it a crucial horror staple. Rated 5 out of 5 stars 05/28/25 Full Review Read all reviews
The Howling

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Cast & Crew

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Joe Dante

Director

Dee Wallace

Karen White

Patrick Macnee

Dr. George Waggner

Dennis Dugan

Chris

Christopher Stone

R. William (Bill) Neill

Belinda Balaski

Terry Fisher

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The Howling

The Howling (1981) The Howling (1981) View more photos

Movie Info

Synopsis In Los Angeles, television journalist Karen White (Dee Wallace) is traumatized in the course of aiding the police in their arrest of a serial murderer. Her doctor recommends that she attend an isolated psychiatric retreat led by Dr. George Waggner (Patrick Macnee). But while Karen is undergoing therapy, her colleague Chris (Dennis Dugan), investigates the bizarre circumstances surrounding her shock. When his work leads him to suspect the supernatural, he begins to fear for Karen's life.
Director
Joe Dante
Producer
Daniel H. Blatt, Jack Conrad, Michael Finnell, Steven A. Lane
Screenwriter
Gary Brandner, John Sayles, Terence H. Winkless
Distributor
AVCO Embassy Pictures, MGM/UA Home Entertainment Inc., Image Entertainment Inc., Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Distributing Corp.
Production Co
AVCO Embassy Pictures
Rating
R
Genre
Horror
Original Language
English
Release Date (Theaters)
Apr 3, 1981, Original
Release Date (Streaming)
May 3, 2017
Runtime
1h 31m