Howl

Okay, I've seen some miserable horror movies in recent times. I've seen horrors that have made a great fresh start the descended into awful, others that after 5 minutes I've released a deep sigh and pressed the off button.

This is not one of those movies. For that I am thankful.

It's not one of the greatest movies but its not horrible like so many recent horrors.

I enjoyed it a little. at the end I did not groan out loud. Acting was okay, storyline okay. I enjoy English horrors more than their American counterpart as the emphasis is more on suspense and storyline than special effects and action.

Seems an odd way to put a positive review, but that's really how it is with horror.

Watchable, not terrible.

I would say that more or less everything in this movie were mediocre: The script, acting, special effects and more or less everything else. On top of that a couple of things annoyed me, as when the people in the movie tried to block a pair of sliding doors with a wrench through the door handles! Not only once, but TWICE!! How on earth did anyone during the making of this movie think that this could in any way lock sliding doors, and how is it that NO ONE pointed this out during the making/editing of the movie??

For me the transformation into werewolves in this movie did not fit into the timeline of previously established mythology. And since when did canines have eyes that glows in the dark like cat eyes??? Deviations from "facts" like this irritates me a little bit. At least as long as the deviations are not justified and explained.

But in the end the movie was OK to watch. And in spite of everything, I developed a sympathy for most of the characters in the movie, and timed passed reasonably quick (and considering the relative short time this movie lasts, it would have been really bad if it had felt long...).

Decided to watch it because of the theme, because I'm a fan of horror movies and because of the rating, 5.5 is high for a horror movie. It left me satisfied, it's scary and the tension truly escalates.

The group of passengers is quite diverse, all with their personalities and ways of reacting, which makes the emotion grow due to the decisions they make or not. Theyx want to know what is going on and they are afraid and frustated.

The creatures themselves do look terrific. They're very violent beasts and the last place anyone wants to be with these monsters is trapped on a train. The monster in the first part is the most terrifying, it scared me a lot.

Howl has a little bit of everything. Gore, some humor, tension and monsters you won't forget. The music is very good adapted, and very important in horror movies as well.

I recommend it!. It keeps you on the edge of your seat from beginning to end.

A down on his luck train ticket inspector gets more than he bargained for when his train breaks down and creatures that lurk in the surrounding forest lay siege to diverse group of passengers.

Director Paul Hyett keeps the suspense moving at consistent British rail pace. Echoing Severance, an unlikely band of people have to come together to survive, Hyett handles the blood and gore particularly well with excitedly executed guts and intermittent beasties set ups. The practical special effects are fantastic and out shine the visual CGI shots. The creature design is a mix of Dog Soldiers and mid transformation of the Howling's werewolves and comes off quite creepy when remaining hidden in the dim light. The station and forest setting give the film some weight and Paul E. Francis' music adds impact to the train attack segments.

Writers Mark Huckerby and Nick Ostler offer an appealing idea with the stranded train passengers trapped in the middle of where surrounded by werewolf-like creatures. A minor quibble is that at times Howl is a little choppy and uneven and the character are arguably not as polished as they could be. Lead actor Ed Speleers (channeling Max Beesley) is effective enough as he tries to step up to the mark and control the desperate situation as the characters are picked off one by one.

There's a welcomed extended cameo from Sean Pertwee as the train driver Tony. Sam Gittins (a dead ringer of Taron Egerton) is notable as any everyday student who tries to fix the train. The Descent's Shauna Macdonald also appears as Kate and Elliot Cowan (Alexander) puts in a good performance as unscrupulous Adrian.

Against public expectation and trope, refreshingly it omits the quips of Dog soldiers, WolfCop and American Werewolf in London to name a few. And while it isn't quiet as tense or serious to match the Howling, Late Phases or The Descent somber tone it has feet of its own thanks it's original atmospheric train setting, creature design and gore. The creepy old lady makeup stands out as particularly memorable and eerie.

With a modest budget in a sea of werewolf TV shows, DTV and sub-par sub genre films this stands out as one of the better additions.

Howl had all the right ingredients, a train cutting through a dark and rain swept night, a monster lurking in the woods and a group of unsuspecting travelers. So why is this film so ordinary?

Howl fails for so many reasons but chief amongst these, for me, is a throughly unlikable cast of characters. The trains occupants are a cynical, selfish, rude, nasty bunch. As a result, its hard to empathize with the plight of the travelers, which in turn robs this film of any sense of tension and suspense, as you quickly stop caring what happens to them.

In most other respects, Howl is clichéd fare but, to a degree, that's forgivable. Pretty much any horror scenario you care to name has, to one degree or other, been done before. Howl is no exception. Howls sets are good, the mood reminiscent of an older generation of horror films, and the monster effects convincing. The acting is reasonable too, its a shame so little care went into the overall characterization.

I rate Howl a five out of ten. Its not dreadful but its hardly a masterpiece either.