Director – Daniel Attias (True Blood, The Walking Dead)
Starring – Gary Busey (The Gingerdead Man, The Buddy Holly Story), Corey Haim (The Lost Boys, Big Wolf on Campus), and Megan Follows (The X-Files, Wynonna Earp)
Release Date – 1985
Rating – 3.5/5
Blu Release – 4/5
Tagline – “Part human. Part wolf. Total terror”
It’s not often that I get a werewolf flick in to review and it’s even more rarer to get one in that is such a classic. When I was in high school October was my Christmas. My birthday was in October and as a horror fan I always looked forward to the Halloween DVD displays at Wal-Mart, K-Mart, Rite Aid, and so on. I would make my rounds each week looking for the new releases.
It was during this time that I picked up a copy of Stephen King’s Cycle of the Werewolf and Silver Bullet at a Wal-Mart display. I read the short on the way home and immediately watched the movie. This is one of the few werewolf movies that I could rewatch and never tire of. It is, like most of my favorites, one of the many movies I never have time to revisit in recent years. A few months back Scream Factory released the film on blu and was kind enough to send it my way.
**Spoiler Alert**The film follows wheelchair bound Marty (Haim) and his sister Jane (Follows) who suspect that the local priest is a werewolf after Marty was attacked one night. He was able to save himself by firing a rocket in the eye of the beast. They convince their uncle Red (Busey) to help them. He is reluctant at first but when parts of Marty’s story adds up he agrees and soon finds himself face to face with an one eye’d werewolf. **Spoiler Alert**
Silver Bullet is one of the movies where people often criticize the look of the werewolf but refuse to look passed it and see the movie. Honesty, I don’t mind the look of the werewolf and it doesn’t take that much away from the film for me.
The acting in this one is solid but some stars shine brighter than others. The film centers, so to speak, around Marty who is portrayed by Corey Haim. Haim does a solid job but he does come across as underwhelming when sharing a scene with Busey and Follows. Gary Busey and Megan Follows deliver top notch performances. Their characters really makes the film as fun as it is and they give the film the best they have. The supporting cast is great as well but these two are front and center most of the film.
The story for this one is a Stephen King spin on the boy that cries wolf. A story like that could become repetitive and boring but King made it interesting. Attias adapts that story very well for the most part and makes the story interesting enough to keep you watching and not annoy you. Finally, the film has several deaths. Some are what you would expect with a werewolf flick along with a few more that makes great use of practical effects. The film is rather bloody and the kills are very memorable. Sadly, the werewolf costume is not the best. I’ve seen worst but it is lacking.
Overall, Silver Bullet may not be the most popular Stephen King adaptation or the most popular werewolf flicks but it still has it’s place in horror history. The blu is a great addition to any collection and Scream Factory did an amazing job with this release and the images on this release is fantastic. Check it out.
Special Features:
Commentaries
A Little Private Justice
Cutting to the Bone
The Wolf Within
Full Moon Fever
Still Gallery
Radio Spot
TV Spot
Theatrical Trailer
