Honest to God was like who is that weird naked wolf man and I googled and hello ? what ? it’s captain oh my captain! Adama

letterboxd.com/julianblair/list/hooptober-7/

Hooptober 7.0 - Canis Lupus in the House

This idiosyncratic mystery starts with a bravura kill scene...which raises so many questions, some of which may not fully be answered by the story's end. Oh, its a very good film, but I found myself wondering if I had just seen a straight up horror... or a phantasmagoria, a story that mixes imagination with reality. Either way, it was an impressive movie.. but I will honor the mystery storyline by avoiding spoilers.

The casting of Albert Finney was offbeat. Finney is certainly not a fellow that you would expect to find working for the NYPD. Still, it works, and Finney is fine. The cinematography is innovative and features perhaps the first use of the thermography effect that Predator (1987) is known for.

The creatures are well done, and I'm wondering how they got those shots. Wolfen compliments the werewolf-lycanthrope genre of movies with a truly unique take. Recommended!

Daily Horror Scavenger Hunt 8 – February 2019

5. Today in 1906, John Carradine was born in Greenwich Village, New York. We're going to watch a movie set in New York.

Wait... did PREDATOR steal the visuals and sound effects from this one!?

As if one of those clever subversive Larry Cohen scripts got the Tourneur treatment that Cohen himself just could not conjure. Less a werewolf film than a haunting piece of ecological horror that makes remarkable use of its urban setting. Olmos and Hines are just great as well. Too bad Wadleigh did not get another shot at fiction filmmaking.

This interesting but not quite great urban werewolf chiller utilises the lycanthropy myth as a metaphor for pissed off Native Americans striking back at the so-called civilisation that has crushed them.

Director Michael Wadleigh makes effective use of New York City's early-1980s urban decay (notably a South Bronx housing estate undergoing demolition) to generate atmosphere and deepen the film's thoughtful tone. However, the numerous wolf attack sequences are less successful. There's an overuse of thermogram-style POV shots (a device that was subsequently employed to better effect in Predator) plus glimpses of severed body parts flying around in slow motion.

Albert Finney is also weirdly miscast as a scruffy New York cop.

The sad thing is nothing is as memorable or as scary as Edward James Olmos’ massive 80s pubic bush.

One of the best and most offensive of the 80s Wolf revival.  If the footage of shooting wolves doesn’t bum you out you still have some racist and absolutely fictional portrayals of Native Americans, the guy from Robocop 2 saying crazy f’d up shit about wolves AND Native Americans and Edward James Olmos bare junk to ruin your day.   All that aside, 4 stars only because of how unnerving Albert Finney’s hair is.

So that’s where James Horner tried some ideas for his Aliens score...

Such a wonderful, atmospheric, intelligent horror thriller filled with social commentary, naturalistic performances and some great, gritty cinematography.

This checks all the boxes. A grimy urban detective movie that is also a horror flick. Superb cast, innovative directing and beautifully shot. How had I never heard about this movie before!?

What a surprising movie. This is not your grandma's werewolf movie. Wolfen is a moody police procedural with hints of Jaws, and a large helping of urban decay porn.

Embarrassment of casting riches in this one. Finney, Noonan, Venora, Hines, Olmos, and that guy who played the commissioner in TMNT. Hoowee.

I don't understand how Albert Finney is so natural at being a human sack of shit. I mean this in the best way possible. He just excels at it. Incredible to watch.

Why is this this the director's only movie besides shooting he woodstock doc? I hope it's because he felt like he nailed it with Wolfen and had nothing else to say. Hopefully the answer isn't tragic.

Not really a werewolf film in the traditional sense, but a really well made and atmospheric piece of cinema, with a world class leading performance by Albert Finney and a great supporting cast featuring, among others, Gregory Hines, Tom Noonan and Edward James Olmos. 

Director Michael Wadleigh does an excellent job in the locations and capturing the atmosphere of urban decay. Scenes of tension and horror are handled masterfully. A most excellent film!

Nothing to write home about besides the fact that the whole "spiritual Indian" thing is just embarrassing.

This film had promise, but ultimately felt too long and a little over-complicated for me. I loved the NYC setting, especially all of the outdoor scenes, as well as the unique way the wolfen POV was represented, so the visuals didn't disappoint. I did have a hard time 100% following the origin of the creatures, possibly because the film felt too long, especially for a creature feature/horror flick. Not the worst watch, but I definitely came away wishing I'd gotten more out of it.

homie gets his head bit clean off, great movie

Wolfen ist ein Horrorfilm, der eher noch in den 70ern als in den 80ern verankert ist. So sind Inszenierung und Spannungsaufbau eher klassisch, denn modern. Das hat Vorteile, wie Nachteile. Der Film profitiert vor allem von seinem Cast, den Storyelementen über Native Americans und der grundlegenden Story. Man sollte nur eben keinen besonders actionreichen oder gruseligen Film erwarten, eher einen Thriller mit Horrorelementen. Interessant, aber für mich beim ersten Mal noch nicht restlos überzeugend.
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Wolfen is a horror film that is still anchored in the 70s rather than the 80s. Thus, the staging and suspense buildup are more classic than modern. This has advantages as well as disadvantages. The film benefits from its cast, the story elements about Native Americans and the basic story. You just shouldn't expect a particularly action-packed or scary film, rather a thriller with horror elements. Interesting, but not completely convincing for me the first time.

It’s just wolves! Nothing to see here. Please go back and watch American Werewolf in London. Rinse, repeat.