The Howling is a 1981 horror film about werewolves. After a near fatal encounter with a serial killer, a TV newswoman is sent to a country resort whose residents are werewolves.
- Directed by Joe Dante. Screenplay written by John Sayles and Terence H. Winkless, based on the novel The Howling by Gary Brandner.
Imagine your worst fear a reality.
Dr. George Waggner
- [first lines] Repression. Repression if the father of neurosis, of self-hatred. Now, stress results when we fight against our impulses. We've all heard people talk about animal magnetism, the natural man, the noble savage, as if we'd lost something valuable in our long evolution into civilized human beings. Now there's a good reason for this.
- Thank God! [drops to the ground]
Walter Paisley
- [on how to kill werewolves] Silver bullets or fire, that's the only way to get rid of the damn things. They're worse than cockroaches.
- [about his occult bookstore] The Manson people used to hang out here and shoplift!
Eddie Quist
- Don't you know anything?
- [proceeds to pull the bullet from his fractured skull out of the hole it left his head] You said on the phone that you wanted to get to know me. Well, here I am, Karen. Look at me. I wanna give you a piece of my mind. I trusted you, Karen. You can trust me now.
- I'm gonna light up your whole body.
Others
- Erle Kenton: You can't tame what's meant to be wild, doc. It just ain't natural.
- Fred Francis: [on the phone after Karen freezes during a newscast] Who knows? Maybe she's pregnant. Listen, get in touch with that Fujiama, Fujimoto, or whatever the hell her name is and get her ready for the 11:00 report.
Dialogue
- Eddie Quist: Hello, bright boy.
- Chris Dugan: Eddie?
- Eddie Quist: You know me, and I don't know you. Now why is that?
- Chris Dugan: Where is she?
- Eddie Quist: Why? Is she your girlfriend?
- Chris Dugan: Just answer the question. Where's Terry?
- Eddie Quist: Just down the ritual center, down the path. That's where Wagner sends us to, uh, unwind. He's so repressed.
- Chris Dugan: What did you do to her?
- Eddie Quist: Why tell you, when I can show you. [points to tape recorder; sounds of growling and screaming] She's got a sexy voice. I like a woman with a sexy voice. I, uh...listen to this part here. [sound of Terry screaming]
- Chris Dugan: You're crazy!
- Eddie Quist: Oh, I'm much more than that, bright boy. I'm much more. [hands Chris his rifle] Here. Take it. For all the good it'll do you. Call it a gift. Come on. [pats his chest] Come on, bright boy. Lay one on me. Don't you know anything?
- Chris Dugan: I've got silver bullets in here. [points his rifle]
- Jerry Warren: Silver bullets my ass! Get up, T.C.!
- Bill Neill: I'm looking for my wife.
- Marsha Quist: Why?
- T.C. Quist: See what your friend did to me?! Is that nice?!
- Karen White: There was howling just a minute ago.
- Bill Neill: It was probably somebody's stray dog.
- Karen White: Not like any dog I've ever heard. It sounded like a wolf.
- Bill Neill: Honey, you're from Los Angeles. The wildest thing you've ever heard is Wolfman Jack. This is the country. There are no wolves here.
- Chris Dugan: [looks in what was Eddie Quist's morgue locker] He's not here!
- Morgue attendant: He was here this morning!
- Terry Fisher: [notices the damage on the inside of the locker door] Look at the door!
- Chris Dugan: You think somebody took him?
- Morgue attendant: Well, he didn't just get up and walk away!
- Chris Dugan: You're crazy!
- Eddie Quist: Oh, I'm much more than that!
- Jerry Warren: It was a mistake to bring her to the Colony.
- Erle Kenton: We should have stuck with the old ways. Raising cattle for our feed. Where's the life in that?
- Charlie Barton: Humans are our cattle.
- Erle Kenton: Humans are our prey. We should feed on them, like we've always done. Screw all this "channel your energies" crap.
- Dr. Wagner: But the danger of exposure! We need this shelter to plan! To catch up with society! Times have changed and we haven't! Not enough.
- Marsha Quist: Shut up, Doc! You wouldn't listen to me! None of you! We can fit in, you said. We can live with them! You make me sick.
- Dr. Wagner: Marsha!
- Marsha Quist: Oh, you're through, Doc! She's ours now...for the taking.
- [last lines]
- Man at bar: Hey, Ernie? Put that pepper steak on for me, would ya? And a hamburger for the lady.
- Ernie: How do ya want that?
- Man at bar: How do you want it, honey?
- Marsha Quist: Rare. [smiles]
Major cast
| Actor | Role |
| Dee Wallace Stone |
Karen White |
| Patrick Macnee |
Dr. George Waggner |
| Dennis Dugan |
Chris Dugan |
| Belinda Balaski |
Terry Fisher |
| Christopher Stone |
R. William Neill |
| Kevin McCarthy |
Fred Francis |
| John Carradine |
Erle Kenton |
| Slim Pickens |
Sam Newfield |
| Robert Picardo |
Eddie Quist |
| Dick Miller |
Walter Paisley |
| Elisabeth Brooks |
Marsha Quist |
