| Howling II-Your Sister is a Werewolf (1985) Dir: Philippe Mora Cast: Christopher Lee, Sybil Danning, Reb Brown, Annie McEnroe, Marsha A. Hunt, Judd Omen Rated R, Run Time 87 minutes HBO Video (Currently Out of Print), Republic/Lumiere (Uncut version, currently Out of Print) |
| 1981's The Howling was a tremendous success with audiences when it was released. Its masterful combination of humor and special effects really won over audiences and helped make the film a box office success. Of course, due to the tremendous success of that film, a sequel was inevitable. At the time, the prospect of a follow up to one of the freshest genre films seemed like something worth getting excited about. Unfortunately, no one could've expected a sequel to turn out like this. If The Howling was a breath of fresh air, Howling II is the last gasp. Very sleazy, needlessly gory and mean spirited, poorly written and badly acted, this sequel is an embarassment to all involved. It's a sequel that should've killed the franchise long before a third film was to even be considered. With that said, Howling II is a personal favorite of mine, a film so ridiculous, so poorly done, it emerges as a charming piece of bad cinema, one that you absolutely can't help but love (in that twisted, good/bad way). |
| Attempting to pick up where the original film ends, police officer Ben White (Reb Brown Yor, The Hunter from the Future) becomes obsessed with discovering the truth behind his sister Karen's (Dee Wallace's character from the first film) murder. Ben comes in contact with Jenny (McEnroe), a young woman who once worked with his sister. At the funeral for Karen, both he and Jenny are approached by occult expert Stefan Crosscoe (Christopher Lee) who reveals to Ben that his sister is a werewolf. Reluctant Ben travels along with Stefan and Jenny to Transylvania (after the trio are attacked by werewolves in the cemetary while trying to bring Karen eternal peace) in an effort to stop the Queen of werewolves, Stirba (Danning, stealing the show with that voluptious body of hers). Once in dark country, the three are attacked by not only werewolves, but possessed dwarves (I'm not making this up). Jenny is captured and taken to Stirba's castle where Ben, Stefan and a group of crusaders attempt to get her back and eliminate Stirba once and for all bringing about the end of some 'werewolf reign' (I'm still not clear on exactly what the werewolves are reigning over). |
| From the description above, Howling II may sound like a true winner and a worthy sequel to the original and for the most part it is. While certainly not a worthy sequel, Howling II is a huge guilty pleasure. With ample helpings of sex (there's a werewolf threesome and an orgy), nudity (count how many times Sybil Danning tears her dress off in the closing credits) and gore (people's eyes explode from their skulls, others are impailed on fences), there aren't many dull moments. Unfortunately, most prints of this film found on video are excessively dark making many scenes very hard to make out (This film is ripe for DVD!). The murky photography fails to realize the film's full potential in utilizing the Transylvanian setting, most of it just looks bland whereas it could've given the movie a very spooky feel. Fans of nonsensical stories will also find much to relish here. The screenplay (oddly enough,co-written by Gary Brandner, who wrote a trilogy of Howling novels before they became a film franchise) is loaded with so many inconsistancies and lapses in logic (look for the scene in which three characters driving to town must stop the car for a moment, at which point one character gets out of the car and starts walking to town!) that it becomes a task unto itself to count them all! Helming this confusing mess of a film is Philippe Mora (who would go on to direct Howling III two years later, which is actually a much more solid, enjoyable film), who seemingly was so unsure of what to do with this thing that he attempted to cover its stench with ample bits of rock music (the same song is played at least three times at different parts of the film-courtesy of punk rock band Babel, their song 'Howling' will make you chuckle) and excessive amounts of exploitation in the gore department along with T&A. The actors in this thing seem to be embarassed, for Mora gets no real mileage out of any of them (although Danning is a sexy werewolf, her breasts along with her enticing costumes are worth the rental bucks alone) even if Lee brings some class to the proceedings, there's very little to remember about any of their performances. |
| Fans of the first film aren't necessarily going to like the sequel. Those that enjoy dumb, sleazy, trashy and violent films will surely find something to like about Howling II, for it's easily a little bit of all of the above. It's not a very good movie, but if you know what to expect, you may just be surprised how much this sucker winds up entertaining you! |
| BEST LINE, regarding the fate of one of the crusaders whom we are never really introduced to. "Where's Konstanun!?" "Konstanun's dead!" Well maybe you need to see it first. Oh Konstanun, we hardly knew ya! Howling III: The Marsupials followed two years later. |
| Matt's Rating: **** (out of 5) in that bad movie way. |
| Reviewed by Matt Serafini 1/22/02 |
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