User reviews

Film adaptation of Stephen Kings' "novelette" "Cycle of the Werewolf", scripted by the author himself, gets some things right, and is fun enough, and appealing enough, no matter if it can't compare to werewolf classics like "The Wolf Man" (1941) and "An American Werewolf in London".

Likable Corey Haim is Marty Coslaw, a paraplegic who manages to learn the human identity of the monster stalking his peaceful small town during the summer and fall of 1976. With the eventual help of his sister Jane (Megan Follows) and colourful, wild man uncle Red (the perfectly cast Gary Busey), he hopes to end the nightmare.

The only feature directorial credit for TV veteran Daniel Attias (who was an assistant director on movies such as "One from the Heart" and "E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial"), it very nicely captures a small towns' ambiance during different seasons, and also has some fairly good suspense and atmosphere. There are some good touches here and there, especially when Jane learns who the werewolf is; during this scene her face is half in shadow and the effect is spooky. Fine music by Jay Chattaway helps, as well as more than a few laughs, largely supplied by the flamboyant Busey, who delivers some pretty priceless quips. (I could quote the best one here, but it would give away a crucial revelation.)

Both Haim and Follows are completely believable, and the supporting cast features a couple of familiar faces: Terry O'Quinn ('Lost', "The Stepfather" '87) as the ineffective local sheriff, Bill Smitrovich ('Life Goes On') as hostile loudmouth Andy Fairton, Robin Groves ("The Nesting") as Marty and Janes' mother, James Gammon ("The Cell", "Major League") as drunk and obligatory initial victim Arnie Westrum, legendary tough guy Lawrence Tierney ("Dillinger" '45) as bar owner Owen Knopfler, and William Newman ("Squirm", "Monkey Shines") as service station owner Virgil Cuts. Everett McGill is particularly fine as the Reverend.

Only the creature effects, overseen by Carlo Rambaldi, disappoint. Some transformation shots are good but the final incarnation of the werewolf just isn't that impressive, and doesn't inspire that much terror. One major set piece wherein just about everybody in a congregation metamorphoses IS rather amusing.

In any event, despite any flaws, "Silver Bullet" manages to entertain reasonably well, although it gets too syrupy by the end. Still worth seeing for werewolf cinema completists.

Seven out of 10.

Although there are many reasons why this film is a far cry from excellence, Silver Bullet is, at the very least, very entertaining. The film chronicles how a werewolf has been killing off various people in a small town. A young boy in a wheelchair discovers who the werewolf is, and then must prepare with his sister and crazy, dead-beat uncle to meet the wolfman when the moon is full on a Halloween evening. The film's plot really tests your suspension of disbelief, but the characters, the acting, and the direction are all done in a very likable style with a generous dose of humour. Corey Haim plays the youth very nicely, as he rides up and down the streets in a souped-up wheelchair(?). Gary Busey gives a fine performance as his uncle. The killings are fairly brutal, and the special effects are not too bad. The film is a lot of fun, and even though you will know who is the wolfman long before you should know....the film zips along with an energetic, entertaining pace.

Stephen King's Silver Bullet is one of the most charming werewolf flicks in the stable, one that combines adult orientated, gory horror with the fable-esque, childlike sensibility that seems to permeate King's work. It's also quite funny, thanks to the presence of a boisterous, rotund and quite young Gary Busey. Young Marty (Corey Haim) lives in a sleepy little town where not much of anything happens, until a rash of brutal murders occur in the area. Attributed to a serial killer by townsfolk, Marty has other ideas, specifically that a werewolf has taken up residence among them, and is snatching victims in the night. Taken seriously only by his sister (Megan Follows) and kindly Uncle Red (Busey) he bravely stalks suspect number one, who happens to be the creepy town priest (an intimidating Everett Mcgill). Things escalate into a series of gooey, effects driven set pieces that drip with wonderful 80's schlock and awe, as of course is the tradition with anything based on King's work. Other notables include Terry O Quinn, Bill Smitrovitch, Lawrence Tierney, King's own son Joe Wright, and late great character actor James Gammon in an opening sequence cameo. It's not all that scary, but more about the beloved tropes of such stories as these, the timeless monsters that inhabit them, as well the the intrepid young heroes whose lives growing up and finding themselves equally as important and high stakes as the horror elements.

This is a superior Stephen King terror , including the classic horror elements of intrigue , along with gore and grisly killing at the claws of a werewolf . It started in May in a small town Tarker's Mills , it was a place that was very peaceful , where nothing extraordinary ever happened until one night when murders began and every month after that whenever the moon is full , there a railroad worker (James Gammon) meets his gruesome demise at the attacks of a werewolf . As a werewolf terrorizes a small city where lives Marty Coslaw, (Corey Haim) - a paralytic boy , parents (Robin Groves , Leon Russom) his uncle (Gary Busey) and his sister (Megan Fellows) - the narrator of the tale . Our folks take a long time to figure out cues upon werewolf .

This werewolf movie contains chills , thrills, action , suspense and results to be pretty entertaining . From the opening scene to ending terror and intrigue is continued . ¨Silver bullet¨ has everything , ever spooky scene you've ever seen , every horror movie cliché that's ever been overspoken , adding the novelty about a wheel-cheer bounded protagonist . Enjoyable and sympathetic relationship between two brothers nicely played by Corey Haim , as a young handicapped boy, and Megan Fellows as attractive girl as well as the narrator of the story . Special mention to Uncle Red gloriously performed by that underrated actor called Gary Busey as a grumpy but likable person . According director Daniel Attias, Gary Busey ad libbed a great deal, for instance when Uncle Red is in the gun shop , as Attias checked with Stephen King, who said OK for these ad libs to be included . Exciting and eerie final confrontation between our heroes and the hairy werewolf .

This film was rightly based on King's ¨The cycle of werewolf¨ . Stephen King movies adaptations are converting as prolific as his novelettes , from ¨Creepshow¨ along with ¨Cats's eye¨, ¨Silver bullet¨, ¨Maximum overdrive¨ unique directed by King and various TV take on as ¨Rose red¨ , ¨The storm of the century¨ , ¨The stand¨ , ¨Golden years¨ and ¨Langoliers¨ have been numerous his adaptations . The motion picture was well financed by Italian producer Dino De Laurentiis , but he was very unhappy with the werewolf used in the film . The film was compellingly directed by Daniel Attias , though Don Coscarelli was scheduled to direct but left over creative differences with Dino De Laurentiis. Filming lasted in October 1984 and finished slightly before Christmas of the same year . This was Daniel Attias's first and only feature film he directed For the rest of the 1980s to today he mostly directed TV episodes for some famous shows (such as Ray Donovan , The Americans , Crossbones , The Killing , Resurrection , True Blood) and hasn't made another theatrical film. Rating : 6,5/10 . Well worth watching for terror cinema fans and Stephen King buffs . It's an edge-of-your seat winner .

Werewolfs and Stephen King; sounds like a combination that can't miss! While "Silver Bullet" does have it's moments it's still a few yards shy of being a bona-fide genre favorite.

The opening is magnificent; here's where the film's narration actually works. A grotesque opening sequence sets the tone perfectly and we're into one of those typical Stephen King small towns where great horror lies just beneath the picture pretty surface of the idyllic small town.

Well, everybody knows the story here; a werewolf is terrorizing the town.

While Corey Haim was a likable performer in his younger years, the decision to rest the film on the shoulders of two kids does diminish the film's scary potential. The set-pieces here are pretty good though, with that scene on the bridge with Haim lighting fireworks on the bridge; I remember that scene from when I was a kid.

"Silver Bullet", while displaying striking individual scenes gets somewhat bogged down when focusing on the kids here, giving them silly dialogue and rather campy scenes. Plus that narration gets very corny and irritating after the initial scene.

Gary Busey, always a likable actor, gives a one-note performance here as Haim's well meaning, but rather child-like alcoholic, uncle. That said, quality actors on board here with Everett McGill stealing the show as the town priest.

But all in all, "Silver Bullet" is a classic in the werewolf genre. I still prefer, say "The Howling" to this one, but I remembered it scared me silly when I was a kid and that fog bound search midway through is still atmospheric and somewhat scary. It's a no-brainer for horror buffs.

I first saw this movie when I was ten years old, my uncle, a horror fanatic, showed this to me and my brother and it scared the living soul out of me.

Ten years later it still remains as one of my favorite horror films of all time and I consider it one of the best of King's work.

When a small town is being ravaged by horrible mutilations, townsfolks begin to think it may be a monster doing the killings. A small crippled boy comes in contact with the werewolf and confides in his older sister and uncle and they all set out on a search for the monster. What they discover will be shocking.

The film is very well directed and relies a lot on tension and atmosphere and solely on the acting which is performed well by Corey Haim, Megan Follows and Garey Busey who is immensely likable and memorable as the uncle.

The film itself as a horror movie is excellent with a lot of sheer tension and some great horror scenes in which we never see the werewolf until the end. That's an aspect that makes this film truly horrifying and the murders are gruesome and never pulls its punches. The mysterious identity of the werewolf is shocking and it leaves us on pins and needles until the exciting end of the film.

I highly suggest this among horror fans and think it's worth a look.

***half out of **** stars.

SILVER BULLET is a slight werewolf story adapted from the Stephen King novella. The tale is a simple one and there's a lack of story complexity that means this feels slightly stretched for its running time. It's a far cry from the quality of SALEM'S LOT which had enough material to fill out a TV miniseries, although saying that, it's not without its merits.

The presence of Corey Haim as the protagonist brings this in line with other '80s kid-centric efforts like THE LOST BOYS and THE MONSTER SQUAD. I thought his character's disability made him into a really interesting lead, flawed and yet powerful because of his disability. The whodunit aspect of the narrative is the worst part of the film because it's so obvious from the outset, but thankfully there are reasons to watch other than the storyline.

One of these is Gary Busey in a great, cast-against-type role as Haim's drunk uncle. Busey brings his usual energy and humour to the part and is undoubtedly the most enjoyable thing here. The supporting cast features some engaging faces from the era, including Terry O'Quinn (THE STEPFATHER) as the town sheriff and Everett McGill (UNDER SIEGE 2: DARK TERRITORY) as the local reverend. Megan Follows contributes a realistic turn as Haim's sister and was best known for her recurring role as ANNE OF GREEN GABLES.

SILVER BULLET benefits from some well-directed set-pieces, in particularly a lengthy wheelchair chase scene which sounds silly but actually turns out to be very tense. The special effects aren't as good as in other werewolf movies from the era (most notably AN American WEREWOLF IN London), although some of the Carlos Rombaldi transformation effects are pretty cool. Overall I would class SILVER BULLET as good fun, if not great entertainment.

Silver Bullet is my favorite of Steven King's horror adaptations (yes, I do like this better than The Shining) . King even penned the screenplay himself (from his short story 'The Cycle of the Werewolf'), but since he was also responsible for the awful Maximum Overdrive, that's no solid proof of quality. But it a damn cool movie.

What makes it so different and unique is that it's horror movie told from a child's perspective (though I admit that the retrospective narration seems out of place) and has a brother/sister dynamic that's quite cute and makes you really care for the characters.

Corey Haim plays Marty Coslaw, a young boy who is confined to a wheelchair for reasons unknown. His older sister Jane is forced to take care of him and throws tantrums whenever the mum and dad take Marty's side (which is always). But the chair doesn't stop Marty from being mischievous. Especially when his manic, reckless Uncle Red (a fat Gary Busey-absolutely brilliant, as always) builds him a motorized wheelchair/bike called the Silver Bullet.

There is killer in their small town who strikes every month when the moon is full. The townsfolk gradually become more and more weary as autumn rolls on and Marty takes a personal offence when his best friend is murdered, his best girl is run out of town and a fireworks display is cancelled. Then he witnesses what the killer really is. But who is going to believe a kid's story of a werewolf? Despite the red-herrings, it's easy to figure out who it is before the main revelation. But it's still a fun mystery.

Filmed with the little-used JDC-Scope process, Silver Bullet has brilliant cinematography by Armando Nannuzzi and a wonderful score by Jay Chattaway. There's not much horror to it, but I don't think it was ever the intention to dwell on the violence. Even though I would call this film suitable for kids (despite the 18/R-rating) it's still way better than the PG-13 junk we get these days.

The film is also notable for Everett McGill (so evil as the baddie in Under Siege 2), an under-rated and under-used actor in a typically eccentric role as a charismatic Reverend. Doesn't he look like a cross between Christopher Reeve and David Hasselhoff?

A perfect Halloween movie or any night with the curtains drawn and lights off.

A werewolf terrorizes the small city where paralyzed Marty Coslaw (Corey Haim) lives with his uncle (Gary Busey) and his sister (Megan Follows), the narrator of the story.

This film is a great example of 1980s horror with a touch of humor to it. Maybe the producer did not like the werewolf costume, but I think it fits the tone of the movie just fine and has actually held up well. I would much rather watch this film than a classic like "The Howling" (with all due respect to Joe Dante).

My biggest issue with this film (perhaps my only issue) is the narration from the sister. Why is that even included? If you remove the few moments she talks, it would not detract from the movie at all -- she offers nothing in the way of explanation or plot. And it really makes no logical sense if you think about it: why would she know what the priest dreams? But, oh well.

Terry O'Quinn has a small role, but it is still great to see him. Before he got (more) famous as John Locke on "Lost", the horror fans knew him as the Stepfather. So any time he makes a horror appearance, it is a welcome treat. Gary Busey is also great, being his typical crazy self. They say he became crazy after his motorcycle accident, but it really seems to have been present before that.

A quick shout-out to the "bear trap joke". Not sure which film did this first, but it is always nice to see.

Last, but not least, we must salute Daniel Attias. This was Attias' directing debut before going on to be successful in television work. He did an amazing job and I am impressed. Apparently Don Coscarelli was going to be the director before things fell through. While Coscarelli is certainly a legend in the horror world, I am not sure if he could have made the film any better... it is in many ways now a classic.

Based on the Stephen King novel "Cycle Of The Werewolf" film deals with a mysterious werewolf who is terrorizing a small-town, and the efforts of a paralyzed boy(played by Corey Haim) his sister(Meghan Fellows) & Uncle Red(Gary Busey) to combat it, and convince the disbelieving townsfolk about the threat is real...and closer than they think.

Misfired film contains an unconvincing werewolf, and poor writing(some of the dialogue is awful) Veers uncomfortably into comedy as well, and the identity of the werewolf is obvious the moment the person appears on screen. Eccentric performance by Gary Busey is amusing to a point, but film otherwise is ineffectual and silly.

I was about to turn off the TV as opening titles rolled for Silver Bullet and I saw the "Cycle of the Werewolf" reference, as I really don't care much for fantasy monsters at all. This being a Stephen King, though, I thought I'd give it a look. I'm glad I did.

The difference between this and the standard, cookie-cutter, grade-B monster/werewolf/e-mail-spammer horror flick could be a tutorial for playwrights, screenwriters and cinematographers. Instead of the tired horror-flick plot - monster terrorizes small town after killing some folks (usually with heavy-handed special-effects gore, repeated frequently throughout); populace panics and does a lot of stupid things; standard-issue hero arrives; standard-issue sexy young heroine falls in love with him and the movie ends with the standard-issue hero dispatching the monster moments before monster is about to make standard-issue heroine his/her/its next victim - this one deftly draws on strong theatrical principles and creativity to make the viewing real entertainment.

The young protagonist, who could be a paraplegic edition of ELL-LEE-YUHHT from E.T., his mid-teenage sister, which character, as an adult, opens the story with off-camera narrative (by Tovah Feldshuh), and an equally-charming third kid, who happens to be the boy's uncle and is chronologically but in no other respect an adult, endearingly played by Gary Busey, are developed skilfully as characters in their own right, entirely apart from the werewolf theme. By making us know and care about them, as well as the lesser characters, King creates a warm and personal relationship between them and the audience, something rarely achieved in standard horror/suspense fare. Busey is just right as the uncle who finds responsibility to be rather an impediment to enjoying life.

Injecting just the right touch of comedy where you'd least expect it and making it work - to avoid spoiling, I'll just say something about the woods at night and a bunch of people who don't belong there - a few red herrings to keep you guessing, and one broad clue to the identity of the werewolf that the sharp-eyed and -eared might catch but is otherwise not at all tipping a hand, all combine to hold the interest and attention of the viewer. The knitting-together of various threads - the significance of the monster's attack on the suicidal woman, for one - creates a certain intricacy that typical monster-flick shows rarely have.

Some blood and gore is unavoidable in a story like this; but again, it's handled with skill and delicacy instead of blunt force. The attack scenes are crafted to use the viewer's imagination much more than the special-effects department to create the impression. Watch carefully and you'll notice that the illusion is created by alternating very brief flashes of action streaking by the lens, almost too fast to discern, with establishing shots of the victim's accumulating injuries, with the audio gluing it all together. A few frames of the monster's snout or eyes moving past, a claw (or later on, a club or baseball bat) streaking by, but not not visibly headed for any particular target, horrified looks and increasing amounts of blood from the victim who may get tossed across the room or otherwise propelled violently but you never see the propelling directly, and your imagination does the rest.

It's not the masterpiece of the ages; but it's a film to enjoy once, and then, if you're into the theatrical arts at all, see again - for study.

Silver Bullet is a real guilty pleasure. Although the film is actually too badly made for words, look at the werewolf's suit or how certain bloodied faces come into view. It's cheesy and campy and at the same time Silver Bullet is still one of the best werewolf movies to date. That definitely has to do with the writing of grandmaster Stephen King, but also a lot with the atmosphere that the film exudes. The pure 80's style, but certainly also the wonderful soundtrack of the film contribute to this. Gary Busey is a hero anyway and plays the role of uncle Red here and does it very well. In addition to Busey, we see Corey Haim as his little crippled nephew Marty. Great movie that maybe deserves a good remake.

"Stephen King's Silver Bullet" was the first movie that I saw with my favorite actor, Gary Busey. He plays an unforgettable role as Uncle Red, the loving, drunken uncle! The suspense builds up when you try to figure out who the werewolf actually is. I'm not gonna spoil it for anybody who hasn't seen this great movie. Everybody likes to talk bad about this film, even though some parts are ridiculous, the acting keeps this 80's horror flick going on the right track. I would recommend this movie to any Stephen King fan, which Silver Bullet is kind of unique, unlike some of King's other movies. Good special effects by Carlo Rambaldi, (E.T., King Kong, Alien) If you can find this movie, I would suggest that you rent it, and see what I'm talking about!

'Silver Bullet' is not just one of my favorite 80s horror films, but one of my all-time favorite horrors, and among my favorite werewolf films, as it turns out. It is also one of my favorite Stephen King films, as it is not as weird as most of his other films.

The suspense is well crafted thanks to the protagonist, Marty, being paralyzed. Marty is very well portrayed by Corey Haim. Gary Busey is also awesome as Uncle Red, who is such a likable character. The acting in general is very good. Kent Broadhurst has a small supporting role as Herb, but he is excellent as a grieving father.

The film is cleverly named 'Silver Bullet', which is the name of Marty's wheelchair. But we also know it takes a silver bullet to kill a werewolf. I also enjoyed the film being set in a small town, where everyone knows everyone. Once the killings start, the town is on high alert and everyone is afraid. The film then becomes a 'who done it' mystery.

'Silver Bullet' truly is an amazing film. There really never is a dull moment. It offers great suspense, action, drama, and some very funny moments, too. The film is also really creepy at times. While the werewolf effects might not look so realistic by today's standards, I'm certain it must have been frightening back in 1985. I absolutely love this film!

The movie starts with hallmark-type music and voice-over narration. It was not the narration of the 1950s sci-fi movie but more of the narration of a hallmark sisterly love.

We finally got into the movie. You can tell that it is a Stephen King movie because of the excessive potty mouth presentations. This can be overlooked if they would hurry up and get into the biting parts and so they do. As far as the movies are concerned this is the standard formula "anyone can be the biter until they turn up as the bitee and that we know they are not the biter but there are fewer potential bitees left.

This movie does try to get down on the kid's level. And it uses all the standard gimmicks such as the kids can tell that that is a werewolf, but the parents do not believe them. Then it becomes a little more tongue-in-cheek. They even toss in a little slapstick.

The question is, will the culprit(s) getaway or face "the silver bullet?"

One of the advantages of being based on a Stephen King novella "Cycle of the Werewolf" is that Stephen King always keeps the spooky doings close to the realm of possibility. He also has a fascination with cars.

We began this movie with Hallmark type music. Now ending credits with elevator music "Joyride" by Rob B. Mathes (whoever he is)

SILVER BULLET is just pure fun, one of those horror movies that relies on atmospheric tension and frightening monsters. The werewolf is pretty scary in this adaptation of Stephen King's novella, CYCLE OF THE WEREWOLF. 80s teen star Corey Haim is just fine as a wheelchair-bound young boy who discovers there's a werewolf in their midst---the townsfolk think the murders are the work of a psycho killer, but Corey and his sister Megan Follows convince Uncle Red (a cool Gary Busey) and they set off to find the identity of the werewolf. Everett McGill is fine as the creepy minister, and the whole movie works because it doesn't take itself too seriously and it recognizes that. Truly one of the better treatments of a King work.

I have to admit, when it comes to Stephen King, I'm usually left a little disappointed - however, Silver Bullet is everything you could want from an 80's werewolf movie, plus some kitschy charm. (A motorized wheelchair nick-named Silver Bullet? Driven by Corey Haim's endearingly cheeky protagonist? C'mon, it's impossible to resist cracking a smile.) As a final note, I must say I was impressed by the film's practical effects. Sure, there are some moments of cheese, but for the most part, the movie remains balanced - scary, but not too scary, predictable, but not entirely too predictable. All in all, definitely worth a Saturday night watch, especially with some friends.

I remember the first time I saw it over a couple of years ago, I wasn't much of a fan and just re-watching it sadly it's still the case. Some moments do work, but there's plenty that don't which I mainly lay blame on the unfocused screenplay (a jilted mix of horror and glazed sentiment), and ramshackle execution. So I guess I find myself in the minority that can't seem to enjoy it, and just have fun for what it is even with lambasted faults.

I wanted so much to like it the second time around, and hey I found the performances of Gary Busey (especially so with his energy), Everett McGill and Terry O'Quinn quite riveting. On the other hand Corey Haim (who I guess he forgets about his handicap) in the lead role just didn't work for me… while his relationship with Megan Follows' character is sincere, but so overwrought. The rest of the performances by the cast are immensely average, and Lawrence Tierney (who seemed to pop up in minor roles in the decade) is wasted.

Stephen King adapts his own novel 'Cycle of the Werewolf', but the screenplay wants to be a patchily trite melodrama with flimsy horror overtones. Although when it's not centering on the werewolf angle, it mops along. The tacky script doesn't help either, as I found myself snickering. The theme feels poorly dissected and lacking. It's vague. No real details are chucked it. Though what's not so is just who is the werewolf… there are clues, but it seems pretty obvious anyway.

So being a werewolf, how were the special effects. Pretty cheap… overdone and unimaginative. However the most striking use of the FX came from a very well done dream sequence involving plentiful transformations. As for the main werewolf suit, it wasn't bad but it definitely had no imposing traits. Actually some sequences were kind of laughable. The character in normal form felt more sinister than when they traditionally transformed into the beast.

Director Daniel Attias' goes for grisly and graphic inclusions, which do lack a build up of terrorizing tension. The over-the-top climax is the only time where some suspense is pulled out, before finishing on a sudden whimper. A spotty atmosphere is created honing a bleak air, which is not well served by the cheesy, overbearingly forceful score. There was one death that stayed with me, which we don't actually see but you do feel the impending doom in the lead up and aftermath. The attacks early on are scattered, but feel calculated and do give you a clue to who it might be.

Watchable, but disappointingly weak and hokey low-budget werewolf feature.