28 - The Howling (1981)

I love Werewolf movies, especially in October.  There's just something about this time of year that howls things about full moons, releasing the beast within, and eating rare-cooked hamburgers.  I try to watch at least one new Werewolf movie every October, but if I can't watch something new, there are always the old favorites!

The Howling (1981) is about a TV newscaster who is hunting a story, and finds a little more than she bargained for.  Karen White is tracking down a killer named Eddie, who no one can seem to catch, and damned if her crack journalistic skill doesn't help her find him.  Also, he kinds of calls her and tells her where he is.  Which, is fine for her, because she wants this story, but...  I'm pretty sure Eddie intends for Karen White to be his next victim.  Something really bad happens, but the cops catch up to Eddie just in the nick of time.  Karen is traumatized by her experience, and a helpful Psychiatrist recommends she spend some time up at "The Colony," a retreat for people with depression and emotional trauma.  Karen heads to the Colony with her husband, but everything isn't quite as it appears...

If you guessed "Everyone at the colony is secretly a werewolf," come up and collect your prize.  I'm not sure what your prize is, but it's hairy and full of teeth.  So.  Probably a chihuahua.

The Howling stars Dee Wallace (also famous as the mom from Cujo) as Karen White, Patrick Macnee (from the 60's TV series Avengers, of course) as the helpful Psychiatrist.  Christopher Stone (who was Dee Wallace's husband in real life, and also played her husband in Cujo) plays Karen's husband.  Kevin McCarthy (Invasion of the body snatchers), John Carradine (the Owl from Secret of NIMH), Slim Pickens (Taggart from Blazing Saddles) and Noble Willingham (he really played some great villains, like the bad guy in The Last Boy Scout) also make appearances, and Robert Picardo (Yes, the Doctor from Voyager!) plays Eddie!  :-D  Yeah, I geek out about this movie all the time.  So many major stars, and most of them are dead now.  Acting is good and entertaining, and the Rick-Baker-Special-effects are excellent.  I have seen this movie lots, it is a classic werewolf flick, and very rewatchable.  I caught this movie on Turner Classic Movies, and it gets pretty popular around this time of year, so catch it next year if you can.

In other news, there's a rare Blue Moon on October 31st, Halloween, this year.  As everyone knows, full moon are popular with Werewolves, which is why I mention it right after reviewing the Howling.  Blue Moons are just a second full moon in a single month, which happens occasionally, but it's probably pretty rare for it to happen on Halloween.  According to the internet, the last one was in 1944, and the next one won't happen til 2039.  I'm starting to think years with Blue Moons on Halloween are just bad years.  Granted, I don't have a lot to go on, but in 1944, it was probably the worst part of World War II.  This year, well, it's 2020, and you guys know what kinda awful crap's been going down this year.  Tell you what, if I am still around in 2039 (I'll only be 69), and that year sucks too, the idea that blue moons on October 31st are a sign of bad years, I'm going to decide it is definitely a working theory and go from there.  :-D  Back tomorrow with another review!