THE GBHBL Definitive Ranking of The Howling Film Series
Beginning in 1981 with the iconic Joe Dante’s directed original and ending in 2011 with the Joe Nimziki directed reboot, The Howling is a werewolf franchise that has had more lows than highs. Based on The Howling book series by Gary Brandner, the film franchise has spat out eight films in total to extremely mixed results. Not only delivering some of the worst werewolf horrors ever but delivering some of the worst horror films in general.
It’s an absolute mess of a franchise, barely connected, and we’ve watched them all. Although the better word to use there might be suffered. We’ve suffered through them, but it allows us to now offer up our definitive ranking of the franchise. All eight films, ranked from worst to best based on our original review scores. As always, should two films have scored the same, the order will be determined by which we’d rather see again.
I think we all know what is number one here, right?
8. Howling: New Moon Rising (1995)
Our Score: 1/10
Directed, produced, and written by Clive Turner, the seventh film in The Howling film series, Howling: New Moon Rising is a special kind of bad. One that almost reaches ‘so bad, it’s good’ territory, and one that ends up being memorable, but for all the wrong reasons.
A comedy horror and not a funny one at that. Filled with braindead humour, fart jokes, and a constant state of awkwardness, you will find yourself watching the movie through your fingers, all because of second-hand embarrassment.
Read the full review here.
7. Howling III: The Marsupials (1987)
Our Score: 3/10
Frustrating nonsense all the way through, with zero engaging features least of all a cast who are as awkward as the story and their dialogue is. It feels like the goal here was to be as off-putting as possible, while trying to find new ways to insult the audience in an attempt to be different. It does succeed though. It’s incredibly off-putting from a story, sound, and visual perspective.
Read the full review here.
6. Howling IV: The Original Nightmare (1988)
Our Score: 5/10
In a way, this is a reboot of the franchise, but it’s probably best seen as just another standalone entry. Most are, with the only connective feature being the title. Knowing that, it’s more watchable, but it still comes down to the same thing, which is how ordinary it is. An unexciting story, underdeveloped characters, average acting, predictable turns, a lack of humour, and some really notable technical issues around sound, notably the ADR.
When it’s all said and done, the summation of Howling IV: The Original Nightmare is that it exists. It is another entry in the franchise, and that’s about it.
Read the full review here.
5. The Howling: Reborn (2011)
Our Score: 5/10
After seven films, and sixteen years after the previous entry (Howling: New Moon Rising), the Howling franchise returned and it’s a reboot.
The Howling: Reborn is a bad film, but not as bad as expected. Simply put, the bar for this franchise is at such a low point that nothing could be worse than what we’ve seen so far. Even though there are plenty of moments where this film sinks to the bottom. Thankfully, there are also plenty of moments where it rises too. Not to the top, it’s not a patch on the best of this franchise, but more passable.
Read the full review here.
4. Howling II: Your Sister Is a Werewolf (1985)
Our Score: 5/10
Howling II: Your Sister Is a Werewolf is almost a ‘so bad it’s good’ film. It certainly manages to be entertaining, but for all the wrong reasons. It’s an absolute mess of a film that embodies its release period but equally feels like nothing else released at that time. Yet, the nonsense of the story and its poor characters, the awkward acting and overt-sexualisation of many moments, the failure of horror and comedy, it all comes together in such disastrous style, it’s hard to not get invested.
Read the full review here.
3. Howling V: The Rebirth (1990)
Our Score: 6.5/10
Howling V: The Rebirth, a werewolf film with almost no werewolf action in it. Yet, it still manages to be a thoroughly entertaining watch with a great gothic location, watchable characters with some ‘unique’ acting, and a surprisingly compelling ‘whodunnit’ story. Yes, Howling V: The Rebirth is one of the better entries in the series, provided you can overlook the lack of werewolfery.
Read the full review here.
2. Howling VI: The Freaks (1991)
Our Score: 7/10
bad film done well. Thoroughly entertaining, and with a surprising amount of heart within some of its subplots. Sure, there’s plenty that doesn’t work, but more does than expected. It has got one of the most coherent stories of the franchise to date, some of the coolest visuals (thanks to the freakshow), and delivers a villain that actually feels like a villain, and not just a dog in heat.
Read the full review here.
1. The Howling (1981)
Our Score: 8.5/10
A cult classic and often considered one of the best ‘werewolf’ related horrors ever made, The Howling is a film that stands the test of time. Not just because of its unique take on the werewolf, but because of its smart story-telling, strong acting, and satirical comedic edge. It is a great example of many talents coming together, believing in what they were creating, and working hard to make it remarkable.
It’s not just a great werewolf film; it’s a great film overall. Its flaws, which are few, are more than passable in the face of such an exciting experience.
Read the full review here.
