Every Saturday night The Tomb of Terror opens, unleashing reviews of the obscure and the classic in horror cinema.
Last week, in my review of The Howling, I noted that 1981 has been unofficially labeled “the year of the werewolf” by horror fans. During the summer months of that year, we saw the release of arguably the two greatest werewolf films ever made: The Howling and An American Werewolf in London. But there was another werewolf film released that year that isn’t as well remembered as those 80s classics. Coming out in between those celebrated releases was Michael Wadleigh’s Wolfen. One look at the behind-the-scenes talent of the film indicates that something different is afoot with this particular werewolf tale. It’s the only narrative feature from the director of celebrated documentary Woodstock, and is based on a novel by self-confessed alien abductee Whitley Strieber (Communion). Inspired by last week’s rewatch of The Howling, I decided to finally watch Wolfen and complete my viewing of the 1981 werewolf trifecta.