Bala de plata

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.

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.

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.

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.

As I understand it, the main theme of "Silver Bullet" is the duality of man. The most obvious example is of course the werewolf. Other examples are the sheriff who cedes authority to the vigilante group (calling into question his role as a community leader). The movie also focuses on the issue of imperfection, whether physical (Marty's paraplegia) or moral (Red's irresponsible lifestyle).

Of course, it's hard to concentrate on any of that while watching the movie. The viewer just wants to see the lycanthrope do its stuff. I certainly enjoyed it.

Director Dan Attias more recently has directed several episodes of TV shows, among them "Six Feet Under", while Don Coscarelli (who was attached to direct early on), directed the cult flick "Bubba Ho-Tep".