More Werewolves!

I wrote on Sunday about watching four "Howling" movies in a row. They started out strong, as I believe I said, but ended on a very weak note with the fourth film. I expressed resolve to finish the series, and I still have that resolve, but after watching the next two in the series last night, I have little hope that they will improve much. Maybe it's an insane endeavor, but I guess that's just who my friends and I are.

The fourth film had been something of a new start, as it returned to the plot of the first novel and the first film in the series. It allegedly was a more faithful take. The fifth film did not follow up on that. Instead, a mysterious count has invited a group of strangers to visit his castle, which had been shuttered for centuries. It develops that they are all descendants of a werewolf baby, and he means to kill the one of them who carries the trait. I think I have that right. What's important is that there's almost no werewolf action and even less lighting.

The sixth film also has no ties to the previous films, although an actress from the previous film plays an identically named character. She couldn't be the same character, so it's rather baffling. In any case, the story concerns a drifter who wanders into a small town and insinuates himself into the lives of the local preacher and his daughter. A creepy carnival comes to town, and the story ultimately comes down to the drifter- a werewolf- locking horns with the operator of the carnival- a vampire- who wants the werewolf in his freak show. It's a very ambitious plan.

There are two more films in the series. I have the seventh on VHS, and we shall be screening that tomorrow. God willing, we'll still feel motivated to complete the saga with a viewing of the eighth (and currently final) entry in the series. In all probability, these two films will not be more than watchable, but hope springs eternal. The fifth and sixth were distinct improvements over the fourth, although I maintain that I would sooner watch the fourth than its successors. In any case, if there is anything more of interest to say on the matter, I will say it.