Behind the Scenes on The Howling

I’ve always told anyone who will listen that my affection for The Howling (1981) is unending. Directed by the cinematic wizard himself Joe Dante (Hollywood Boulevard, Gremlins, The ‘Burbs) from a script by indie legend John Sayles (Lianna, Eight Men Out, Lone Star), after radically altering a first draft by Terrence H. Winkless, The Howling is the ultimate werewolf movie for me, along with being simply one of my most beloved films of all time, across all genres. I watch it almost annually, usually during Halloween season in October. It’s a perfect storm of horror, from dialogue to special effects, acting to directing, everything gels to make what I would consider a perfect creature feature.

Genre legends like Dee Wallace, Christopher Stone, Dick Miller, Elisabeth Brooks, Robert Picardo, and Belinda Balaski hit all the right tonal notes to convey the delightfully skewed black humor of Sayles and Dante. Special effect guru Rob Bottin—who took over from his mentor, the great Rick Baker, after Baker left to work on 1981’s other seminal werewolf film, An American Werewolf in London—turned in some revolutionary practical effects, including a show-stopping transformation scene that, along with Baker’s similarly stunning transformation scene in AAWIL, was unlike anything seen on film before.

The following behind-the-scenes photos showcase Bottin and crew working with the actors (both real and constructed) to create The Howling’s stunning visual effects. These shots are from the archive of make-up and visual effects artist Danny Wagner, and Wagner’s original source, Jeff Barkley. You can view more of them here.

First, though, a quick note on Belinda Balaski, featured in the shot above getting some nasty woods applied by Bottin. Dante regular Balaski played Terry Fisher, the plucky and brave friend of Dee Wallace’s Los Angeles television news anchor Karen White. Terry is, by far, one of my favorite horror movie supporting characters, thanks in great part to Balaski’s fantastic performance. I once gushed about Belinda/ Terry over at The After Movie Diner, in fact. I’m Facebook friends with Belinda, who is an amazing artist and shares her paintings there regularly. She once messaged me heart emojis after she saw a Howling post of mine, so I screwed up the courage to message her back and thank her for all the joy her performance has brought me over the decades. She replied enthusiastically, and thanked me sincerely. I’m still over the moon about that one.

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The Starfire Lounge’s Gal Friday, the lovely and dedicated Yvette, is responsible for dusting off this buried treasure post, as she continues her excavation of the drafts archive.

Yvette: Oh monsieur, Ze Howling is ze pinnacle of clever, smart horror! Zis masterful collaboration between Monsieur Sayles and Monsieur Dante is chock full of delightful cinematic references to classic horror. Ze film brings me such exquisite jouissance every time I watch! One of ze greatest horror films of all time. Zere, I said it!

Also, monsieur, in my London days I once dated a man I was convinced was a werewolf. Ze full moon always turned him into an animal between ze sheets.