The "Eddie Quist" werewolf transformation is the best and scariest one of its kind in any movie from any era. It's incredible that thirty years later it still amazes. I remember seeing this movie when I was a teenager and I recall how great I thought it was at that time. Sitting down and really watching it again giving it my full attention, it really holds up. And why am I not surprised? It's a Rob Bottin creation. He'd do "The Thing" just one year after this. The fully transformed werewolf here tops even those in "An American Werewolf in London".

The story itself is a little corny to start but Dee Wallace is at her best. She's tough but still vulnerable and cute and you can't help but pull for her. She is really up against it once she enters the 'Colony' camp, but she holds her own. The ending doesn't work well because the mood changes from dead serious to funny, but the rest of "The Howling" has such quirky characters and such an overwhelming sense of impending doom it's not too hard to accept its odd wrap up.

Back to the "Eddie" werewolf transformation...I was watching it by myself in the dark late at night and it frightened me. In mid-transformation, Eddie looks insane, his mouth stretched into a demonic grin with bugged out, practically spinning eyeballs. I've seen this look from a creation in a Joe Dante movie before, in his "It's A Good Life" segment of "Twilight Zone: The Movie". It's unnerving for me to watch in that movie but in "The Howling" it's downright scary. I'm sure it had something to do with the mood I set for myself while watching, but the effects in this scene are amazing and there are some accompanying sound effects and music that really tweak the nerves.

There are pretty good performances throughout with the members of the 'Colony' almost completely over-the top. It's good to see Patrick Macnee, Kevin McCarthy, and John Carradine with relatively substantial roles too.

"The Howling" is an underrated treat with a good story, smart characters, and really impressive special effects.