A Howling in the Woods

I remember seeing this movie on TV in 1971 while in the 10th grade in high school and it was pretty good. [Most of the TV movies of that era were shown from 9:30 PM to 11:00 PM (EST) so they were only 1-hour-and-30-minutes in length, but this one was a full-two-hours!] I missed the ending because I had a paper route to deliver at 4:00 the next morning (actually, 2 of them) so I had to go to bed. Anyway, what I remember is: Barbara Eden inherits this old hotel when her uncle dies. Disheartened with her marriage, she goes to stay at the hotel with the idea of remodeling and then running it. Shortly after she arrives, the townspeople tell her to leave and at night, she hears a dog mournfully howling in the nearby woods. As she tries to solve the mystery of the howling dog, she was told that a six-year-old girl was found "accidentally drownded" in the nearby lake. [She was told this by the dead girl's six-year-old cousin Betsey (Lisa Gerritsen).] As Eden's character investigates the howling dog and the "accidental drowning," of the little girl, she become convinced that the two incidents are related.

It was about this point I had to go to bed so I could deliver the newspapers to my customers on my paper routes, so I don't know how the movie ends up. It would be really great if this movie were to be released on home video, so I could see the ending. I recently found a copy of the paperback novel on which this movie was based, so I know how the novel comes out, but I'd still like to see the movie so I can see how it comes out. (I suppose it is similar to the ending in the novel.) Anyway, I'm willing to pay whatever the price is for a VHS or DVD, so home video companies, here's your chance to make some more money off of me! How about it?

A year after the cancellation of "I Dream of Jeannie", Barbara Eden and Larry Hagman reteamed for this made-for-TV movie that was as different from their series as night and day! It seems Ms. Eden is coming back to the house she grew up in to the surprise of her stepmother (Vera Miles) and new stepbrother (John Rubinstein). There's also a little girl (Lisa Gerritsen) who mentions another one her age who drowned in a nearby river. Not to mention a howling dog constantly bellowing...There's more but I don't want to spoil anymore of what happens. I will, however, mention that Hagman plays Ms. Eden's husband who's trying to reconcile with her after she abruptly left. Also, future "Cagney & Lacey" star Tyne Daly also makes a pivotal appearance. The suspense builds with each new revelation which is to the credit of director Daniel Petrie. So on that note, I recommend A Howling in the Woods.

Back in the 1970s and 80s, Barbara Eden starred in about two dozen made for TV movies. In most of the ones I've seen, she played a lovely woman hunted or haunted by something or someone...and "A Howling in the Woods" is no different. While it's not nearly as good as her classic "The Stranger Within" (where she was impregnated by aliens!!), the mood of this 1971 film is quite nice...it's just a shame the script wasn't worked out better.

Eden plays Liza, a woman who's just left her husband* and has gone home to see her family who lives out in the country (it was filmed at lovely Lake Tahoe). However, despite being gone for years, she is not greeted as an old friend but with a strange coldness...and in a few cases, downright unfriendliness. In fact, throughout the film the only person that is really nice to you is the husband--who actually seems like a swell guy. Additionally, Liza's father is supposedly gone to Mexico...leaving Liza's step-mother behind. But this story makes little sense and Liza starts to wonder what the secret is that the town is hiding (it turns out to be two, actually) and what happened to her father.

Throughout all this, there is a great sense of foreboding--something these made for ABC films really did well. Sure, the song they kept repeating throughout the story (it's apparently by Bach) is great, but it was repeated too often--the only problem with the otherwise creepy mood. Otherwise, the viewer is kept on the edge of their seat watching and waiting and waiting.

Now this comes to the mysteries. They are NOT so good because in both cases there needs to be a very lengthy exposition by folks to ultimately explain them instead of letting the truth unfold more naturally. This is actually pretty sloppy...and disappointing. Still, the movie is a decent time-passer and a great excuse to see the lovely Barbara Eden in action once again. Worth seeing but certainly not a must-see.

*By the way, I loved seeing Larry Hagman cast as Eden's husband in the film- --and I kept expected Eden to call him 'master' or try to grant his every wish or hear the "I Dream of Jeannie" theme!

Starring I Dream of Jeannies titular Barbara Eden and Larry "JR" Hagman A Howling in the Woods isn't what I expected at all. It was a pick and mix movie so I didn't know what to expect but based on the title I assumed horror and likely werewolf.

Well it's not a horror and no wolves were or otherwise are to be found. Instead it's a thriller about a woman returning to small town America to see her father but being met with a very unpleasant welcome from a town with a dark secret.

It's a slow burner but that works to its favour, what doesn't sadly is the movies weak structure and instantly forgettable characters.

Does everything come together in the end? Yep. Is the revelation interesting? Absolutely. But the film itself is badly flawed and though watchable is something I feel could and maybe should have been considerably better.

The Good:

Some good ideas

The Bad:

Poorly structured

Things I Learnt From This Movie:

I am in no way saddened that I missed out on telegrams

Most of the made-for-TV movies of the early '70s were junk. "A Howling in the Woods" is the one glorious exception, and should have been released to theatres. Two eerie plots eventually converge in an expertly plotted thriller. Always underrated as an actress, Barbara Eden is superb as the lady-in-distress who indeed, while staying in a remote rural locale, is literally jolted by the nocturnal sounds of a "howling in the woods." This nifty, scarifying thriller is always two steps ahead of the viewer in it's deliciously intricate plot turns and twists. Expertly directed by Daniel Petrie. A forgotten jewel, long overdue for restoration and a cable-TV or theatrical release. Utterly terrifying, and Miss Eden, never more breathtakingly beautiful and vulnerable, is at her peak. Forget "I Dream of Jeannie". Instead check out and shiver through this spellbinding mystery-suspense-thriller classic!