Silver Bullet

 

 

Silver Bullet

1985

Director- Dan Attias

Cast- Corey Haim, Megan Follows, Gary Busey, Everett McGill, Terry O'Quinn, Bill Smitrovich, Lawrence Tierney

            There are basically two kinds of werewolf movies. In the first kind, the werewolf is the protagonist, usually a schmuck, that has to deal with being cursed with lycanthropy. Universal’s Wolfman and American Werewolf in London are the best examples of this. In the second kind, the werewolf is the antagonist. Its identity is usually hidden until the protagonist can discover it. The Howling is the best example of that kind. Silver Bullet falls squarely into that second category.

            A werewolf is terrorizing a small town in 1970s rural America. The protagonists in this film are Marty (played by a young Corey Haim) and his older sister Jane (Megan Follows). Marty, a paraplegic, and Jane have a rocky brother / sister relationship. Their family drama is complicated by the presence of their loving, but immature and maybe alcoholic, uncle (played wonderfully by Gary Busey).

       

    

      Marty is the first person to encounter the werewolf and live. He and Jane must then discover its identity and deal with it. On the off chance that you haven’t seen this film, I won’t say who it is, as discovering the werewolf’s identity is part of the fun. There is a cast of colorful characters played by some top notch actors. Terry O’Quinn (Lost, The Stepfather) is the town’s sheriff.  Lawrence Tierney (Reservoir Dogs) is the gruff bar keep. Everett McGill (Dune, People Under the Stairs) is the town’s very intense minister.

 

           

     This is one of the best werewolf movies ever made. Unfortunately for its legacy it came out in the same decade as American Werewolf and London and The Howling (2 of the three best werewolf movies ever made) so it’s often overshadowed and forgotten when people think of great 80s horror or great werewolf movies.

            The film is quite charming. Its shot matter of factlly with very little of the suspenseful style that we associate with horror. It almost has a made for TV feel to it. The werewolf looks good, not as good as The Howling mind you, but still good. One of the things that I like about this movie is how atypical this werewolf acts compared to what we’re used to. Rather than a mindless beast, it lurks in shadows, scales trellises, and uses a baseball bat to bash people’s heads with (how cool is that?).

        

    

     This film’s virtues are more evident when you compare it to another 80s classic, The Lost Boys. Other than the fact that they both starred Corey Haim, they couldn’t be more different. In the Lost Boys, everyone is cool. The vampires obviously are cool, but the protagonists are also cool. In Silver Bullet, neither of the protagonists seem very hip. They also lack any real power (as befits a non-adult) and are in desperate need of grown-up help. The fact that Marty can’t walk underscores the perilousness of their situation. Silver Bullet also portrays a much more realistic world than The Lost Boys. The kids are navigating a world where the adults are fighting, there is alcoholism, grief, unwanted pregnancy, divorce, etc. But that’s not to say that this movie is a heavy punch in the gut because it’s not. It’s still a fun horror film, only it takes place in a much more recognizable world than The Lost Boys.

  

            The film just turned 35 years old and it has aged very well. This is due to a decent looking werewolf that relied on good old fashioned practical effects, a clever script and outstanding acting from its two young stars.

Fun fact- The film is VERY loosely based on Stephen King’s novella, Cycle of the Werewolf. Now this is one of the few times that you can say the movie is better than the book. The book is still worth finding though, but not for King’s story. The book was beautifully illustrated by legendary horror artist Bernie Wrightson.