Howl is a British film released in 2015. Essentially a chamber play, it follows only a few characters.
Often overlooked by fans of the genre, it is nevertheless a nice little movie about werewolves!
A night train to hell
To give a quick summary, passengers on a night train are stranded on the tracks following a supposed collision with a deer. A mundane delay turns into a night of horror.
The cast includes Shauna Macdonald from The Descent and Edward Speleers from Outlander and You, so we’re on solid ground, even if some of the other actors aren’t quite up to par.
Why “Howl” stands out in a crowded genre
Let’s be honest, this is a low-budget film with stereotypical British characters who have very distinct and clichéd personalities, so it’s hit or miss for the audience. The reviews are very mixed, and it rarely exceeds a passing grade.
So why mention it here? Well, simply because werewolf movies are too rare or often too poorly made!
I’m not talking about vampire movies that include werewolves, such as the Underworld or the many Dracula universes, but movies with werewolves as the sole antagonists.
Howl fits into this category. It will never reach the heights of An American Werewolf in London, which is unfortunately its direct rival when it comes to this theme in England, but it can still be proud of its status. For a B movie, it doesn’t do too poorly.
The pace is good, and the toxic and uncomfortable reactions represent a semi-realistic aspect of humanity. People who are often a little too selfish and stupid.
If you imagine yourself on a train stormed by werewolves on the SNCF, you’ll get a pretty good idea of what it’s like. There will be assholes. Many of them.
The average white dude being a sexist asshole is far too close to reality. I wanted to punch him so badly.
Kudos to the actor.
Human vs. beast : analyzing the monster
A big bonus point is that it manages to introduce the characters, incorporate the danger, and wrap it all up in under 1 hour and 35 minutes. Okay, so even if some of the characters clearly have unnecessary discussions and make stupid decisions, we as the audience also need our quota of fake blood and red shirts…
It’s a werewolf movie. It’d be way less fun without any victims.
Visually, the monster is a decent mix between a human and a wolf, which doesn’t shock me given the budget.
I particularly like the mix of personalities. The brutality you might expect from a hungry wolf, and the manipulation and mental torture attributed to humans.
When the teenager finally gets cell service and wants to call for help, for example, that’s when it breaks the window to kill her, showing that he could have entered the train car all along, but prefers to play with its prey. Similarly, when it rips off the roof to reach its victim in the toilet, it could have entered whenever it wanted and chose his moment. The fact that it still wears a wedding ring also has an impact, as does the explanation that this already happened on another train about 50 years ago…
Keep them moonbound !
This raises several questions, particularly about the number of werewolves in the surrounding woods, especially considering the speed of the transformation. Do the authorities know ? More than likely right ?
Let’s not kid ourselves here, it’s not a masterpiece. It doesn’t rock the boat and doesn’t shift the rules but if, like me, you tend to like the little bloody furry creatures, you’ll still have a good time.
I do admit that I’m still pissed off at the ending though.
Mutation or not, seeing werewolves in daylight is unnatural.
Keep them moonbound, or I’ll bite.
My rating: 3/5 bats
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