Howl

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.

I will be the first to admit, I usually shy away from any werewolf horror movie. They're usually just too unrealistic looking due to poor special effects and makeup, and the plots usually blow... Happy to say not the case with this one! Not only does the werewolf in this film come across as realistic, the setting of being stranded in the dark, foggy English countryside adds a major creep factor, the acting is far above average compared to most horror films, in the plot is actually good. As far as horror movies go, this is right up there with some of my favorite creature features and an overall good movie. A steady 'A' grade here from me. This one is good enough to at least give a shot. Definitely not a waste of time (unlike a great many horror movies unfortunately) by any means!

Greetins from Lithuania.

"Howl" (2015) is a very effective were werewolf movie. It's bloody, simple story yet effectively told. Sure, story is very simple but who cares if it works, and this movie gave exactly what i wanted from it - a pretty good and scary werewolf movie.

Overall, while writing does not shine in this movie and there are some pretty bad lines, "Howl" is one effective and creepy monster horror movie. Seeing very low 5.2 score at IMDb i expected a trashy movie, but this one surprised me. As there aren't many new movies to say the least about these creatures, this one does it's job, just don't expect much and you will be surprised of how cool this flick is. Recommended for those who loves this genre.

Read the title of this horror and you know already what it's about anyway. Nothing like a good werewolf movie from time to time. Although there's still a certain shortage of decent films when it comes to this genre. The last (for me personally) successful werewolf movie that I watched, was "Wer". On the other hand you'll see some abominably bad attempts like "Wolves" and "Night Wolf". "Howl", a movie from the UK, may not be as good as "An American Werewolf in London", but still managed to surprise me. And although it's a low-budget film, you can say that the look of the creatures terrorizing the passengers of the stranded train was successful. Probably the used anatomy will ensure a bit of protest by the followers of the genre, because it seemed like a mix of a wolf and the creature from "Splice." But that first attack with a bloody close-up took my breath away. Brilliant makeup and special effects. They looked at least less ridiculous than the furry creatures of "Late Phases" (a movie in which the acting impressed) with their ears decorated with tassels.

The progress of "Howl" is well considered and balanced. First a comprehensive introduction of all the characters. The middle section with the threatening situation they find themselves in. Followed by the final confrontation with the necessary victims and a predictable turn. Don't be surprised when some of the individuals make some stupid decisions again. However, the end might be a little surprising. Unfortunately, the look of the night creatures, when you can admire them in full regalia, isn't so convincing or frightening. To be honest they looked like individuals who returned from some kind of masked ball. But believe me, the first confrontation was bloody and ruthless. Sheer aggression focused on the terrible creature that struck in a deadly and gruesome way shortly before.

Not only the suspense and tension was a positive element in this film. The performances were enjoyable. A collection of colorful characters displaying that typical reserved British attitude. It surprised me they weren't having a tea break while being attacked by those animals. First, there's Joe (Ed Speleers), an undervalued train guard, whose life is an accumulation of setbacks and adversities. He is despised by colleagues and passengers see him as an incapable figure. His colleague Ellen (Holly Weston) ignores his romantic moves. Kate (Shauna Macdonald) hated Joe the first instance after she had to pay for a new ticket. Adrian (Elliot Cowan) is a cocky guy who in the end just tries to save his own neck. Nina (Rosie Day) is a spoiled brat. And then there's this elderly couple, who won't hide their outrage about the delay, a nerd-like young boy (Amit Shah), an engineer in the making (Sam Gittins) and an obese, lazy football player (Calvin Dean). The introduction sometimes is comical and highly recognizable.

Not only the werewolves provide for the eerie atmosphere. But also the location where the train gets stuck with its dark woods and the typical English fog banks, create a creepy mood. The origin of the creatures isn't explained in detail. Only the older man is aware of other mythical stories about broken down trains and passengers disappearing or being found in a pitiful state. But otherwise, you can only guess where these fast-paced, immensely strong and bloodthirsty creatures come from. Despite being a typical B-movie and the fact that I thought Paul Hyett's film "The seasoning house" was slightly better, this film is worthwhile to give it a try. It's not a top film with werewolves as subject, but it certainly is a movie that can compete with the better ones in this genre.

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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...).