Friday Flashback: Silver Bullet (1985) : Full Moons and Private Justice

In honor of the blue moon tonight, I deemed it appropriate to reminisce about what else than a werewolf film.  Based on the Stephen King novella Cycle of the Werewolf, Silver Bullet is a classic 80's werewolf flick that sometimes seems more like a coming of age movie than a horror film.

 Not exactly frightening, it's still a fun ride and does have several recognizable actors in it.  Starring The Lost Boys alum Corey Haim (back in the day, before he was part of the dynamic duo of Corey (Haim) & Corey (Feldman), Megan Follows (Anne of Green Gables), Everett McGill (Twin Peaks, The People Under the Stairs), Terry O'Quinn (LOST, The Stepfather), and the ever-popular Gary Busey (does he really need an introduction?). 

Haim stars as Marty, a pre-teen paraplegic who has a souped-up wheelchair and a penchant for pulling pranks on his older sister.  Said sister is Jane, who narrates the film (as an adult thinking back) and is expected by her parents to help Marty at every turn. 

They live in the small community of Tarker's Mills, where something strange is afoot (literally).  A series of grisly murders has put a pall over the town, causing a curfew to be set in place and folks to hide in their homes after dark.  Local authorities, headed up by O'Quinn as Sheriff Haller, are at a loss, unable to explain why it appears like a monster is picking through the town for its evening meals.

When Marty's friend Brady is killed, a group of townsfolk decide to go all vigilante and take off into the woods to look for whomever or whatever is gruesomely murdering people left and right.
As the audience, we are well aware that the culprit is a werewolf.  If we couldn't have figured it out, the ominous music that plays every time the wolf is circling its prey gives it away. 
When several of the justice league are taken down by the wolf,  Reverend Lowe (McGill)  takes it upon himself to try to get the town to stop taking matters into their own hands. He begins to have disturbing dreams about the savage deaths of community members.

Marty's Uncle Red shows up at the height of the murders, pissing off his sister by acting like the drunken fool he apparently is.  But Marty adores Red, and the feeling is obviously mutual, with Red presenting Marty with a brand new set of wheels.  A cross between a wheelchair and motorcycle, the two dub the gift 'Silver Bullet', and though Marty is told to be careful and not go anywhere alone due to the gravity of the town situation, Marty doesn't listen too well and goes off on his own with the Silver Bullet.

While setting off fireworks near a local covered bridge in the dead of night, Marty is startled by the werewolf, who has shown up uninvited for a midnight snack.  But Marty is able to shoot a firework rocket into the wolf's eye, maiming it.  As Marty speeds away on his bike, it's obvious that we are soon going to know just who the werewolf is - with an injury to the eye he or she will be easy to pick out.

Which is exactly what happens.  As Marty tries to convince Jane and Uncle Red that there is a werewolf in town, we are privy to his identity - which lends a whole new aspect to the movie.  And when the trio discover who the werewolf is, things again shift and it's all about ending the wolf's wrath. 

Silver Bullet is no Dog Soldiers.  Nor is it An American Werewolf in London.  It's not Ginger Snaps or The Lost Boys - and it's not even The Howling.  But it is a fairly decent film with above average acting and some supremely cheesy moments that many fans of the 80's have a sentimental love for.

There does seem to be an unusual amount of graphic violence at times, and more blood than the film really deserves.  Silver Bullet should have absolutely been rated PG, as it just doesn't have the chops to be an R-rated horror film. But with Stephen King penning the screenplay it's my feeling that he amped up the gore and made sure it wouldn't be "just another kid's scary movie".
At this point in time, it seems fairly campy, but that's part of the fun of it.  While I used to think the werewolf special effects were really good, I realize now that they are relatively mediocre. But they are actually not too bad for practical effects for the time, and the plot has a bit of mystery that keeps it interesting till the end.  (But I have to say, for a really cool werewolf, you need to look to The Howling, four years Silver Bullet's junior)

There's A Hair In My Mouth! Or, Why Vampires Make Better Boyfriends

With True Blood season 5 underway,  it’s been vampires 24/7 at my humble abode – which it generally is anyway but that’s beside the point. So I’ve come up with fourteen reasons vampires would make better boyfriends/husbands than werewolves…

Now of course in my head, the vampires are much more True Blood than Nosferatu, so do keep that in mind, folks.

Now that's gotta hurt!

1} Sure, either a vampire or a werewolf could kill you. But my thought is that I’d rather die with a couple holes in my neck and drained of blood than being ripped apart and eaten alive à la An American Werewolf in London. While vampires do have fairly scary fangs, werewolves have massive choppers that will rip you a new one within seconds. Not a fan.

 2} That whole full moon thing would get really annoying. I mean, what if the two of you were enjoying a nice family (evening) wedding -or god forbid funeral – and the urge comes a callin’ and he suddenly starts sprouting huge teeth and loads of hair. Bit harder to explain than “why does your boyfriend always look so pale?”

...and he dances, too.

3} Much cheaper date. Let’s say you’re paying for dinner. Vamps sit and watch you eat, fake-sipping that glass of wine, while a werewolf eats you out of house and home, ordering two of everything on the menu and looking like a wild refugee who hasn’t eaten in three days in the process. I hope to hell you’ve brought your Visa card.

4} Okay, the howling aspect. While I don’t mind a guy being vocal during sex, I’m thinking the baying at the moon with a deranged look in his eyes might be a bit distracting. But maybe that's just me...

5} Clothing. I’m a big fan of black. Not a big fan of torn clothes and no shoes – hard to keep your wardrobe in tact when you’re changing actual form. Give me an emo, enigmatic guy over a disheveled, other-side-of-the-tracks look anytime.

6} Dare I say the sunlight thing wouldn’t make a bit of difference to me. First off, I’m very much a night person, so the ‘up all night’ thing could be right up my alley. Besides, I’m a fairly independent person, and not having a man smothering me all day would be fantastic – leaves me time to myself. Lounge the day away undisturbed, catch a few winks, then spend quality time with the fanged wonder all night.

7} Supposedly, when a vampire bites you it can be utterly erotic if he allows it to be. Sounds good, right? When a werewolf bites you, it freakin’ hurts! That dude could rip off your arm, or worse! Plus the fact that he could be carrying rabies. So not cool. Vampires don’t spread disease. They’re dead, remember?

8} In my world, vampires don’t sparkle. Nor do they mope and whine. Then again, neither do werewolves. But they do tend to show those alpha personalities a bit too often. I hate when someone is always telling me what to do or feels they need to be in charge like Hitler. I’m independent, remember?

9} And I don’t like the “pack” thing. I’m an introverted loner myself, and finding someone like that is of the utmost importance. I’m not social, and prefer spending quiet evenings at home to partying till the dogs (literally) come home with a bunch of equally as annoying barkers. Hence, I choose vampires. Again.

“Waiter, there’s a hair in my soup…”

10} Werewolves don’t have very good control over their emotions, let alone their bodies. They’re always pulling an Incredible Hulk vs. Cujo when things get lunar. Vamps, on the other hand, are nothing but controlled emotions and mind control. Sounds good to me. At least if someone is telling me what to do, I won’t know any better cause I’ll be under the thrall.

11} The bat thing. If we are to believe vampires are able to turn into a bat – or a wolf, or whatever else legend has us thinking – that really wouldn’t bother me because I actually like bats – I know, one of the few. But those little suckers (pun intended) kill tons of mosquitoes every hour and I hate those itch-inducing leeches.

Now THAT'S what I'm talking about...

12} Wealth.  Vampires almost always have more dough than werewolves. They have centuries to make money, save money, squirrel it away in some mysterious castle for eternity...
Just think of the money they could make on the stock market these days!
Werewolves generally don't have two nickels to rub together. Why else would they be running around naked all the time, stealing old women's coats in the park when they wake up in a cage at the zoo? Bah!  That crap about money can't buy you love... so not true.

13} Immortality.  Werewolves are much more likely to get maimed, stabbed, shot, etc.  For some reason, vampires seem more stealthy. And besides, it's a well known fact that vamps live forever (provided they don't meet the sharp end of a stick) and weres can only go so long...a few hundred years at best.

 14} And lastly, can I just say I think vampires are sexier than werewolves? I just cannot get past the overgrown dog thing. Beastiality just ain’t my thing. All that damn hair!

I do, however, have one or two things to say about werewolves. 

ONE

...And TWO