68
Metascore
11 reviews · Provided by Metacritic.com
- 88Slant MagazineEric HendersonSlant MagazineEric HendersonFrom the very first scene, The Howling plays around with the notion of vulnerability as a role-playing exercise, a pseudo-sex game.
- 88The Globe and Mail (Toronto)The Globe and Mail (Toronto)The ironic use of every seventies psychological cliche in an unapologetic, unabashed B-movie elevates The Howling to irresistible silliness. Written and directed by Joe Dante, who comes to us straight from the horror-movie forge of Roger Corman, The Howling pays enthusiastic scenic homage to B-movies while remaining faithful to the exploitation formula of the genre. [15 May 1981]
- 80Yes, Rick Baker won the Oscar a year down the line for his American Werewolf In London FX. And, yes, they are staggering. But it is Rob Bottin's work here (with inflatable air bags under a latex "skin" and a pioneering "hydraulic snout") that is — and ever shall be — the pinnacle of mutation effects. Amen.
- 80Chicago ReaderDave KehrChicago ReaderDave KehrThe film slides into its situation in a clever, fresh way, and the balance of wit and horror is well maintained throughout, though Sayles's decision to divide up the protagonist's chores among four main characters costs him something in the intensity of audience identification.
- 80Time OutTime OutSucceeds best as a witty, knowing commentary on the genre itself. References to lycanthropic lore, literature and cinema abound; gags are plentiful; and the whole thing casts a pleasingly skeptical glance at various social fashions and fads of the times.
- 75TV Guide MagazineTV Guide MagazineA must-see for horror fans, with more than one viewing recommended.
- 70Washington PostGary ArnoldWashington PostGary ArnoldDespite its excesses, "The Howling" has some tricks and jokes worth howling about. The sexual undercurrents in the werewolf myth have been made playfully explicit, especially in the sultry, voluptuous form of Elisabeth Brooks, cast as a nympho werewolf named Marsha. When she ambushes a victim in the woods, they change forms in the course of coupling strategically obscured by a blazing campfire in the foreground -- a deliberate howl of a sex scene. [13 March 1981, p.C1]
- 50Chicago Sun-TimesRoger EbertChicago Sun-TimesRoger EbertRidiculous -- yes. Comical at times -- yes. Silliest film seen in some time by the Animals Movies Critics' Team. BUT -- great special effects as men BECOME werewolves. WOMEN, too. Before your eyes. Done with -- says here -- HYDRAULICS! Sensational!
- 50The New York TimesVincent CanbyThe New York TimesVincent CanbyIt's also one of those movies that is itself so lethargic that one welcomes its so-called shock moments not because they are scary but because they indicate that not everyone behind the camera has been napping. You don't dread the possibility of something jumping out from behind the door. You long for it.