In 1981, two werewolf movies were released to critical and public acclaim. One of these was An American Werewolf In London, a pitch-black horror comedy directed by John Landis. The other was The Howling, an enjoyably silly horror flick that paid homage to (but that was far superior to) the many B-movie werewolf flicks that have populated the genre.
Both movies are recommended to any werewolf fan but the same can’t be said of The Howling sequels that rank among some of the worst horror movies of all time. After the theatrical release of the first movie in the franchise, the rest went straight to DVD and did little to satisfy any devotee of the Dante original.
To date, there have been 8 movies in The Howling franchise, as well as three novels (the first of which was the inspiration for the first movie). Andy Muschietti, the director of Mama, the IT adaptations, and The Flash, was once in talks to direct a remake of The Howling for Netflix. There have been no updates on that one for a while but if that movie ever does get released, we will include it within this article.
In this article, we list all of The Howling movies that have been released so far. Have you seen them all? Let us know in the comments section below.
The Howling
US Release Date: April 10, 1981
Worldwide Box Office: $17.9 million
Director: Joe Dante
Metascore: 68
Main Cast:
Dee Wallace (Karen White), Patrick Macnee (Dr. George Waggner), Dennis Dugan (Chris), Christopher Stone (Bill Neill), John Carradine (Erle Kenton)
Synopsis (from IMDB):
After a bizarre and near-deadly encounter with a serial killer, a television newswoman is sent to a remote mountain resort whose residents may not be what they seem.
Hair-Raising Quote:
Karen White: A secret society exists, and is living among all of us. They are neither people nor animals, but something in-between.
Howling II: Your Sister Is a Werewolf
US Release Date: July 4, 1986
Worldwide Box Office: N/A
Director: Philippe Mora
Metascore: N/A
Main Cast:
Christopher Lee (Stefan), Annie McEnroe (Jenny), Reb Brown (Ben), Sybil Danning (Stirba), Marsha A. Hunt (Mariana)
Synopsis (from IMDB):
A man discovers that his sister was a werewolf, and helps an investigator track down a gang of the monsters through the United States and Eastern Europe.
Hair-Raising Quote:
Stefan Crosscoe: For it is written: the inhabitants of the Earth have been made drunk with her blood. And I saw her sent upon a hairy beast and she held forth a golden chalice full of the filthiness of fornications. And upon her forehead was written: “Behold I am the great mother of harlots and all abominations of the Earth.”
Howling III: The Marsupials
US Release Date: November 13, 1987
Worldwide Box Office: N/A
Director: Phillipe Mora
Metascore: N/A
Main Cast:
Barry Otto (Harry Beckmeyer), Max Fairchild (Thylo), Imogen Annesley (Jerboa), Dagmar Bláhová (Olga Gorki)
Synopsis (from IMDB):
A female werewolf runs away from her family, and falls in love with a man who works in the movie business, while a sociologist who studies these creatures is looking for proof of their existence.
Hair-Raising Quote:
Agent: Werewolves loose in the Soviet Union. I’m not telling them! Call Beckmeyer in Los Angeles and get his opinion. He’s damn good on unexplained phenomenon. He knows how to deal with the White House and this weird s**t.
Howling IV: The Original Nightmare
US Release Date: December 8, 1988
Worldwide Box Office: N/A
Directors: John Hough, Clive Turner
Metascore: N/A
Main Cast:
Romy Walthall (Marie), Michael T. Weiss (Richard), Antony Hamilton (Tom), Susanne Severeid
Synopsis (from IMDB):
A successful author moves to a small town after suffering a mental breakdown and is tormented by demons and werewolves.
Hair-Raising Quote:
Marie Adams: I know this is going to sound crazy. Maybe it is, but, I saw her here. And the expression on her face… was like… something horrible was happening right here in my living room. Like, I don’t know what.
Howling V: The Rebirth
US Release Date: February 22, 1990
Worldwide Box Office: N/A
Director: Neil Sundstrom
Metascore: N/A
Main Cast:
Phil Davis (The Count), Victoria Catlin (Dr. Catherine Peake), William Shockley (Richard), Ben Cole (David), Elizabeth Shé (Marylou Summers)
Synopsis (from IMDB):
A group of strangers visit an ancient Hungarian castle and bring along a werewolf.
Hair-Raising Quote:
Marylou Summers: The Devil was a werewolf… Wow, that’s incredible!
Howling VI: The Freaks
US Release Date: June 13, 1991
Worldwide Box Office: N/A
Director: Hope Perello
Metascore: N/A
Main Cast:
Brendan Hughes (Ian), Michele Matheson (Elizabeth), Sean Sullivan (Winston), Antonio Fargas (Bellamey), Bruce Payne (R.B. Harker)
Synopsis (from IMDB):
A villainous carnival owner traps a young werewolf to include in his growing menagerie of inhuman exhibits.
Hair-Raising Quote:
R.B Harker: You’re the worst kind of freak, one who tries to control it.
The Howling: New Moon Rising
US Release Date: October 24, 1995
Worldwide Box Office: N/A
Directors: Clive Turner, Roger Nall
Metascore: N/A
Main Cast:
John Ramsden (Detective), Ernest Kester (Ernie), Clive Turner (Ted), John Huff (Father John), Elizabeth Shé (Mary Lou)
Synopsis (from IMDB):
A number of brutal, werewolf-like slayings begin occurring in a small California town after the arrival of an unfamiliar motorcyclist.
Hair-Raising Quote:
Eveanne: Oh, we thank you so much for this beautiful benefit. Thank all of our neighbors and our friends and Ted, we’re sorry. I was looking at Pappy with that tail on his hat and I thought about a song that I wrote just for him and the cleaning lady.
The Howling: Reborn
US Release Date: October 18, 2011
Worldwide Box Office: N/A
Director: Joe Nimziki
Metascore: N/A
Main Cast:
Landon Liboiron (Will Kidman), Lindsey Shaw (Eliana Wynter), Ivana Milicevic (Kathryn), Jesse Rath (Sachin), Niels Schneider (Roland)
Synopsis (from IMDB):
A teenage outcast discovers he is a werewolf, and must battle a pack of the brutal creatures when they threaten him and his new girlfriend.
Hair-Raising Quote:
Apologies, we couldn’t find any quotes for this movie. If you have seen it, let us know and we’ll add one in.
Let us know your favourite movie in the Howling franchise in the comments section below.