Howling 6 [DVD]

This isn't quite as bad as Howling IV but it gives it a good run for it's money. I just hated it. From the hick town to the redneck sheriff. The girl with the oversexed labido and squeaky voice and actors all over or under doing their roles.The special effect which some people think are superb for it's day are dreadful and dull. If you look at 1933 King Kong the special effects were better than this.Honestly I can't criticise this film enough it truly is pitiful.

I have always been a great fan of the awful sequel film, which in a number of occasions can better the original as they can be so much more fun, made on a much smaller budget and throw up acting has-beens who presumable are just in them for the money.this film is a classic on all counts and has possibly been watched by more people than the original and four previous sequels as it hit the bargain bins from day one. It totally satisfies as it does not pretend to be anything other than it is so the ultra creepy performance by Bruce Payne is a bonus as is Antonio Fargas biting off the head of a live chicken! And what other film can boast Penguin Girl and Alligator Boy among the freakish cast and look out for a dynamic performance from a real cat threatened by our hero after transforming into a very dodgy looking pantomime werewolf. Just sit back and enjoy!!

Possibly the worst film in this series of truly terrible films. After the second one the only thing that links any of these movies is werewolves, Thats it

Very good

Good

At the current time of writing, this movie can be purchased from Amazon for a mere 71 english pence. That's not even a pound. My lunch cost more than this film and to be fair, after what I ate today - I'd much prefer another go around with this much maligned shocker...Arriving rather late in the day and thankfully for it within a safe enough distance from the superior original - this 1988 sequel from director Hope ('PuppetMaster' producer) Perello has a lot going for it and delivers a fine story, acted by a decent cast. Which, y'know for this series - is a nice change of pace. The story has likeable but solemn drifter Ian (a great lead turn by Brendan Hughes) arriving in the town of Canton Bluff - a backward, desert landscape that harbors nice wholesome folk, who still seem to think its the 1950s. When he takes a job making repairs at a local church, he strikes up a romance with the owner's daughter Elizabeth (again, an engaging Michele Matheson) which puts a dampener on his nocturnal activities as we learn Ian isn't just your usual drifter: He's actually a werewolf... and he's in Canton Bluff looking for revenge. To complicate matters further, a carnival arrives - led by the mysterious Harker (a superb Bruce Payne) who take an interest in Ian which ultimately leads to a battle royale of fur, fangs and... er... fury, with the fate of the town hanging in their claw-y balance...This is a great little movie: Both compelling and evocative with a real sense of mood and atmosphere (highlighted by Perello's noir-ish direction, Edward Pei's hazily lit cinematography and Kevin Rock's cool concept), the movie paces itself more like a western than a horror flick and benefits greatly. The characters are well defined and the beautifully rendered creature effects by Todd Masters and Steve Johnson give the enterprise a smart, retro vibe combined with a smart 1980s sensibility: Sean Sullivan's 'Winston, the alligator boy' is a unique creation and the actors performance adds to the overall effect, rather than hide behind it.Prism's UK DVD release is cheap as chips when it comes to the purchase price, but also lazy. Not the best transfer in the world (almost a minor step up from VHS) with spotty audio and no extra features to speak of. I do hope someone out there one day releases this movie with the respect it deserves (Prism's cover illustrates a still from 'Howling III' - at least use the correct movie!) and a better transfer. All in all, recommended for the price Amazon are asking for it (as its easily the best of the sequels by a wide margin) but don't go expecting a stellar presentation. This Howling rocks and sucks all at the same time. Three for the movie and one for the DVD release.

The Howling (1981) remains to me one of the finest Werewolf movies ever made, though looking a bit tired these days, there still remains a wrought terror there, the effects work impressive even in this age of amazing effects advancements. What is actually surprising is that it would spawn a whole raft of sequels, becoming a cash cow franchise that not only failed to grasp the essence of writer Gary Brander's prose, but also in how the stories were schizophrenic in relation to the Werewolf formula.Part VI: The Freaks is not a great movie, but it has a grand idea at its core, shifting the story arc into the mysterious realm of circus freaks, thus making this very much of interest for anyone with a kink for carnival/fairground/circus horror films. It's this backdrop, and the all round eerie atmospherics wrung out by director Hope Perello and cinematographer Edward Pei, that keeps this sequel above average.Plot basically finds a drifter known only as Ian (Brendan Hughes) wandering into the town of Canton Bluff and in spite of some hostility from the sheriff of the town, manages to find some lodgings with troubled pastor Dewey (Jered Barclay) and his daughter Elizabeth (Michele Matheson). All seems rosy until the arrival of a travelling show called Harker's World of Wonders. Fronted by the mysterious R.B. Harker (Bruce Payne), it's a veritable showcase for the misfits, the freaks and the runts. But much like Harker has a dark secret, so too does Ian, and when revealed, the town of Canton Bluff will never be the same.Unfortunately the main promotional poster for the film gives the game away, so it's no spoiler to say that it's all building towards a monster face-off, with the character name of Harker a not very subtle clue as well. In between there is the standard relationship building narrative, with Ian battling his demons as he comes to adore both Elizabeth and Dewey, while the tours around the "show" are suitably creepy. Payne is giving good pompous aristocratic entertainment, while seeing Antonio Fargas and Carol Lynley in this gives novelty value whilst serving to remind that actors do sometimes have to work for food!It's dressed up nicely and never insulting, and in context to the budget available it deserves a gentle golf clap type of grudging appreciation. Even if it's hardly a must see for Werewolf lovers. 6/10