08-22-2015, 02:33 AM
Let me begin by saying I'm probably too forgiving when it comes to cheese in my horror viewing. I got into the genre through horror-comedy, I'm a lover of Full Moon pictures, and as Bo will tell you, I even enjoy shit like Seed of Chucky. That's why if you enjoy a more serious, unnerving film, just like me on a normal day, you may want to take what I say next with a grain of salt:
To a series as legendary for its lack of entertainment value as The Howling, it's not a terribly bad start! Just like with the first Amityville sequels, the second Howling installment still retains a little "life" rather than being a dispirited imitator. What's more, it often seems more intentionally tongue-in-cheek than truly as incompetent as critics believe. From old woman turned sexpot with a werewolf's power of... energy draining, to the midget werewolf pawn disguised as a little girl, to blatantly overacting all around, this movie sweetly reeks of intentional cheese with few serious scares to be found.
Is it hard to believe? Many horror sequels went the same route around the same ten-year-stretch. Not all were made equal of course, as even people who know the intent of all four films will usually choose Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2 and Evil Dead 2 over Texas Chainsaw Massacre 4 and Leprechaun 4. I won't deny that Howling 2 is incompetent, as seen in the times it appears to be attempting to be serious - the flashback of Karen White has The Howling's initial protagonist turning into a more dangerous looking werewolf than in the original film, yet comes off looking sillier due to the makeup job looking relatively incomplete; likewise, the final confrontation between Christopher Lee's stoic hunter and lead "werewolf bitch" Stirba, contains special FX that would have looked cut rate a decade earlier. The fact that they use the same (admittedly catchy) song over and over can be seen as either fun or tedious in effect, but either way, it's pretty cheap.
However, for all the flaws, Howling 2 is never slow and never un-entertaining. I give it a recommend, but a very light only-if-you're-in-a-certain-mood recommend, with a 4/10. As most people call Howling 2 one of the worst in its franchise, I'm starting to get a little hope back for Bo and my upcoming Howling-marathon!
To a series as legendary for its lack of entertainment value as The Howling, it's not a terribly bad start! Just like with the first Amityville sequels, the second Howling installment still retains a little "life" rather than being a dispirited imitator. What's more, it often seems more intentionally tongue-in-cheek than truly as incompetent as critics believe. From old woman turned sexpot with a werewolf's power of... energy draining, to the midget werewolf pawn disguised as a little girl, to blatantly overacting all around, this movie sweetly reeks of intentional cheese with few serious scares to be found.
Is it hard to believe? Many horror sequels went the same route around the same ten-year-stretch. Not all were made equal of course, as even people who know the intent of all four films will usually choose Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2 and Evil Dead 2 over Texas Chainsaw Massacre 4 and Leprechaun 4. I won't deny that Howling 2 is incompetent, as seen in the times it appears to be attempting to be serious - the flashback of Karen White has The Howling's initial protagonist turning into a more dangerous looking werewolf than in the original film, yet comes off looking sillier due to the makeup job looking relatively incomplete; likewise, the final confrontation between Christopher Lee's stoic hunter and lead "werewolf bitch" Stirba, contains special FX that would have looked cut rate a decade earlier. The fact that they use the same (admittedly catchy) song over and over can be seen as either fun or tedious in effect, but either way, it's pretty cheap.
However, for all the flaws, Howling 2 is never slow and never un-entertaining. I give it a recommend, but a very light only-if-you're-in-a-certain-mood recommend, with a 4/10. As most people call Howling 2 one of the worst in its franchise, I'm starting to get a little hope back for Bo and my upcoming Howling-marathon!