Howling V: The Rebirth

 



Director - Neal Sundstrom (Dead Easy, Space Mutiny)
Starring - Phil Davis (Alien 3, Sherlock), Victoria Catlin (Ghoulies, Twin Peaks), and Elizabeth She (Howling VI: The Freaks, Howling: New Moon Rising)
Release Date - 1989
Genre - Horror
Tagline - "The beast returns!"
Format - DVD (Personal Collection) (Screener)

Rating (out of 5):

 

     Horror franchises are rarely consistent through every film.  The Evil Dead trilogy is always fun and almost all of Romero's Dead films are worth every horror fan's time but there is other franchises that start with a bang but quickly turn sour.  Series like Return of the Living Dead, Phantasm, Leprechaun, and The Howling are just several series that start out great but soon start releasing films that are poor quality just to cash in on the fan base.  A week or so ago I was sent The Howling Collection DVD box set from Umbrella Entertainment.  The set includes Howling III, IV, V, and VI.  I had seen the first three prior to receiving this set.  I actually own all these all ready on DVD and blu but I had never got around to watching them until now.  After watching Howling IV and V I can safely say this is a franchise that suffered as the series progressed. 

     The film begins 500 years ago when a family massacre happens inside an old castle in Budapest.  The castle was closed up and not opened again until now when a bus of strangers is asked to come spend the night there.  There is nothing that connects them all together except they have a peculiar birthmark on their arm.  As the night progresses they find themselves dwindling in numbers until the final few remaining learn that they were brought together by an ancient order that believes one with the mark is actually a werewolf and this is their only shot to kill it.  This creates paranoia among the group and the real werewolf is able to get the upper hand. 

     I'm reaching new territory with this set.  I didn't know what to expect but after forcing myself through the painful Howling IV I knew it could only get better with Howling V and for the most part it did.  The acting in this one is leagues above Howling IV.  The characters are extremely clichéd but the cast worked with what they were given which makes the scenes tolerable.  The story for this one mixes the werewolves with the murder mystery format.  It could have worked except we never get werewolf action.  The carnage takes place off camera and the werewolf is barely a character throughout the film.  Most werewolf fans will be disappointed by this.  With that being said, I loved the introduction to the ancient organization that hunts werewolves.  I hope this is something explored in later installments because it could be something extremely entertaining.  Finally, this one has some solid practical effects but they are just after moments.  We don't get to see the kills actually happen and the werewolf is barely visible in the film.  Overall, Howling V: The Rebirth is a little better watch than Howling IV but still has it's own fair share of problems.  It still deserves a watch but don't expect to be revisiting it anytime soon.