Howl

Kids, let me give you a lesson, that might be one of the most important lessons of your life.

There is a rule in the horror society, that you have to see An American Werewolf In London. Why do you have to see this film ? Because you have to, simple as that. It is just as classic as Zlatan, even one of the most beloved horror comedies of all time. Director John Landis made a film that was both very brutal, but really well made, and special effects like we have never seen before during this time of the 80´s. The Howling is also of course a cult film, that lives on still today. Werewolves have made a big impact in the horror world, and we do have some really good films to prove that. Of course, we also have some bad examples, avoid the sequels to The Howling, especially Howling 3, what were they thinking ? There are so many different versions of werevolves, but to be honest, i prefer the classic ones, who only go out at night, and dies out of silver bullets. Lately, we have been seeing some werewolf films coming out, and there are actually 2 that i still recommend. Late Phases and Blood Moon, 2 films that both have a nice touch on this genre, in very different styles. I suggest you watch them both. We have to mention the british action horror Dog Soldiers, one of the best werewolf films from the early millenium. In fact, this film is nowdays seen a bit of a cult film, and that makes me pleased. Nice to see that people appreciate great B movies. I think that werewolves is one of the most classic monsters of cinema moments, starting as early as in 1935 with the motion picture Werewolf Of London, and classics like The Wolf Man, Frankenstein Meets The Wolf Man and The Curse Of The Werewolf. These films may be old, but make a very important impact on film history. To see these iconic creatures still be with us today in new films, means a lot. So i try to keep my eyes open for new upcoming films, in the werewolf genre. One of he films i was hearing positive reactions on, was the british independent horror film Howl. I really did not know much about it, except that we would have werewolves, or a werewolf in this film. Since i usually enjoy british horror films more than american horror, i just had to check this one out. Is the film Howl a nice treat for werewolf fans, or have we seen it all before, and much better than this ?

Joe ( Ed Speelers ), a train ticket seller, is forced to work an extra shift. But at least he won´t be alone. His work collegue Ellen ( Holly Weston ) needs the extra money. As the train take off, everything seems to be a normal night shift. Later that night, the train suddenly stops, right outside in he countryside. The train conductor goes out to check what happened, and just simply dissapear. The people on board the train want answers, but Joe have no idea what is going on. He inform the travelers that he needs to make sure everyone is safe, but no one want to listen to Joe. As the night goes on, more strange events take place, and it seems that the nightmare have just begun.

Once again, Great Britain delivers.

There is no doubt that Howl is the perfect film for a sunday family meal, next to the sunday steak. You have the classic concept of werewolves, thrown into a train, and some nice gore special effects included.  But that´s not all, Howl is actually almost a different version of the classic horror film Horror Express, with Peter Cushing and Christopher Lee. There are of course many differences, but you can recognize the influences. You can also see influences from other classic films, but i will let you see for yourselves, if you notice what i mean. If you are hoping for a lot of jump scares, and the typical found footage genre, this is not what you could ask for. Howl is more of a traditional horror film, and there are plenty of characters here, stuck around this train  Lead actor Ed Speelers might be remembered most, for the movie adaptation of Eragon. As you might remember, the movie flopped at the box office, and there were no sequels made. He also did a role in the action drama A Lonely Place To Die, a much better film than Eragon. In Howl, he does pretty good. Not a unique actor in any way, but he manage to deliver his character performance. One of the actors i would like to talk about, is actually Shauna Macdonald, who you might remember from the Descent films. She is without a doubt the best actor in Howl, and her performance will guaranteed please you. The plot may be simple, and the budget is limited, but Howl manage to make this classic concept work. I suppose you could say that it is mostly thanks to the acting, and we also are lucky to have some nice practical effects. The werewolf costume does not look bad at all, so there we have something more to be pleased about. Director Paul Hyett is mostly known for his special effect design work, and he have worked on many films, like Mr. Nice, Centurion, Red Riding 1974, Red Riding 1980, Red Riding 1983, and many more. His directorial debut film The Seasoning House was actually surprisingly good. It may not have screened in many countries, but it is a film worth seeing. Howl is more of a traditional werewolf film, that use many classic elements. But i still enjoy myself, simply because this is fun tribute to classics. I would have liked some unexpected turns, or something different to suddenly twist the plot around. But i can´t complain, Howl delivers, and i know that horror fans will be pleased. One thing is clear though, next time i am going by train, i am bringing silver bullets and a silver cross, those werewolves always want to party.

Rating: DDD