| Howling IV: The Original Nightmare (1988) Dir: John Hough Cast: Romy Windsor, Michael T. Weiss, Anthony Hamilton, Susane Severeid, Lamya Derval Rated R, Approx: 91 minutes IVE Home Video (currently out of print) |
| It's quite a shame actually that this thrid sequel to Joe Dante's classic werewolf outing The Howling couldn't have have turned out better. Unlike Dante's original film, this fourth installment in the lycanthropic series tries to stay a great deal closer to Gary Brandner's original novel (hence the title), unfortunately, it does so without much in the way of flare or excitement. It offers up one of those stories in which the audience knows exactly what's going on within the first ten minutes of the film whereas it takes our main character the majority of the picture to learn what we already know. Not to mention the fact that this sequel skimps on the werewolves until the climactic ten minutes of the film. Unlike the trashy but amusing Howling II, or the strangely captivating part III, part IV is just rather boring and devoid of interest to all those but the most undescriminating of viewers. |
| Marie (Windsor) is a bestselling novelist suffering from severe stress, when her doctor suggests that she get away from all of the hustle and bustle of her job and city life for a while, her and her boyfriend Richard (Weiss, of TV's Pretender) pack up and head to Drakho, California for a few weeks of rest. Drakho is a tiny, tiny town consisting of very few people (about 20 if the film indeed shows us the entire population) and one dark secret. When Marie meets Janice, an ex-nun investigating the bizarre fate of a fellow sister, the two discover exactly what's so secret about Drakho. Considering that you're watching a film called Howling IV, try and guess exactly what that is. |
| It's hard to completely dislike this film, but it's obviously just not trying very hard to entertain. In the hands of director John Hough (American Gothic), everything is played off in a very drab and uninspired manner. Potentially spooky moments which include the appearance of spirits whom try and warn Marie of the impending danger come off as clunky and extremely silly. Another problem is that Hough surprisingly holds back any werewolf action until about the 80 minute mark, rather focusing on the mystery (or lack thereof) at hand. The restraint of the werewolves is really detramental to this production, for the climax is pretty decent (including one really cool looking wolf creature), but there's just not enough of it. It seems that in such a mediocre film, one would've infused all the werewolf carnage possible in a 90 minute span of time to cover up that stench of mediocrity. To be fair, some of the creautres look excellent (there's a somewhat hokey yet still effective transformation) and there's a nifty 'melting man' sequence (courtesty of Steve Johnson's X.F.X. crew) for the gorehounds, but overall there's very little going on in here and even less to remember which is a shame because the potential was all there. |
| This kind of lackluster effort is probably less acceptable to an audience of today's standards, always expecting a film to deliver the goods in spades. While this film isn't amazing by any stretch, serious werewolf fans may still find aspects to enjoy and it's still a watchable movie if you're not expecting too much. There's a great (albeit dated) song performed by Moody Blues' member Justin Hayward called 'Something Evil, Something Dangerous', which opens and closes the film, and the staring actress is a rather pleasing sight to look at. Romy Windsor (credited these days as Romy Walthall-who has gone on to appear in films such as Face/Off) is an attractive lead (a little nudity tossed our way would've been nice, she's hot!) and is probably the only actor to come off as a professional here, her Marie is a somewhat sympathetic character and at the very least always believable. As far as the rest of the cast goes, they range from soap opera (Weiss) to flat out hilarious (check out the male camper and try not to laugh) and one can only assume that Hough wasn't pushing these folks very hard. |
| While sticking somewhat to the major events of Brandner's book, scripter Freddie Rowe's story lacks the necessary urgency. There's nothing binding our major character to Drakho by the end of the film and rather than haul ass out of town in an available vehicle, Marie would inexplicably risk her own life to put a stop to the creatures, there's even a point where the two surviors debate exactly what to do while a man transforms into a werewolf not two feet from them! I'm all for suspension of disbelief, but either Rowe's script wasn't trying at all or intelligence was scraped in favor of a more convenient wrap up by the hand of a producer. It's anybody's guess, but the filmed result is rather laughable. |
| The Howling franchise has become known as a bastard series in most circles. Sure for the most part, none of the films really connect with one another, but that hardly matters as long as there's enjoyment to be derived. I tend to strongly disagree with most critics who tend to dismiss all but the original piece as worthwhile. In my eyes, every film in the series is at least worth watching once (the 7th film, New Moon Rising, must be seen to be believed) and even though this one isn't going to frighten anybody, or make them forget any other werewolf film, there's a lot worse you could do. Save this one for a rainy evening if you plan on catching it, just don't expect too much. |
| Howling V: The Rebirth followed this in 1989 and is a much better film, although oddly enough, we don't get much of a werewolf at all in that one, it's well worth seeking out. |
| Matt's Rating: **1/2 (out of 5) |
| Reviewed by Matt Serafini 03/20/02 |
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