The Howling II: Your Sister is a Werewolf

[Graveyard Walk]

*****Spoilers*****

Title: Howling II: Your Sister is a Werewolf
Starring: Christopher Lee, Sybil Danning, Reb Brown, Annie McEnroe
Director: Philippe Mora
Year: 1986







Just recently picked up the MgM DvD of Howling 2: Your Sister is a Werewolf (also known as Werewolf bitch) and watched it tonight. I hadn't seen this in probably 15 years, and had remembered it being a hell of a lot worse. I actually find it pretty enjoyable now, in that guilty pleasure disgraceful sequel type way. Director, Philippe Mora (whom also directed Howling III: The Marsupials) definitely lacks the charm Joe Dante brought to the first film, but I think he had some decent ideas.

I had completely forgotten that this picks up where the first left off, with a tie-in story of Karen's (Dee Wallace in the original, played by Hana Ludvikova in this film... briefly) brother, Ben (Reb Brown). After Karen's funeral, Ben and Jenny (Annie McEnroe) meet up with Stefan (Lee), a paranormal investigator whom insists his sister was... you guessed it, a werewolf! One thing leads to another, and the three travel the globe together all the way to Transylvania to find Stirba (Sybil Danning), basically queen of the lycanthropes; and of course kill her to stop the evil in the center of where it resides.

I guess Christopher Lee considers this a major embarassment in his career. As much as I love many of his movies, I have to say this isn't his worst. Embarassed or not, I still think he gives a great performance as Stefan, a paranormal investigator who's more than well educated in the studies of lycanthropy. He has that Van Helsing appeal (usually a character foe of Lee's in many of his previous films), in an all black suit and leather gloves, armed with a large silver knife and a titanium stake (due to evolution, some werewolves have to be pierced through the heart with this weapon; as they are impervious to silver), ready to rid the world of all werewolves.

Sybil Danning is really just eye candy here. Nothing really complex about her character at all. She hardly has any dialogue at all, matter of fact. In all honesty, she perhaps should've remained topless for the whole film, because the outfit she sticks herself in looks horribly like a Flash Gordon outfit gone Goth. However, a blessing does occur (as if the werewolf threesome she participates in and the lycan-orgy she conducts isn't enough) once the end credits role and the shot of her ripping off her top is replayed.... at least twenty times... on cue with the drumbeat of an 80's Bauhaus meets Devo wanna-be band doing a Howling theme song, no less! It's really too much.

Steve Johnson took a hand in some of the FX, and the lot of it isn't bad; although none of the werewolf transformations here come even close to rivaling Eddie's fantastic transformation sequence in the first film. Actually as a whole, the werewolves here look more like Planet of the Apes rejects and pissed off Sasquatches. Nevertheless, they look cool, and many a scene of them running through the Transylvania woods in the night is highly entertaining. Especially in the showdown, where there is a large pack of the bastards being fought off by Lee and Ben and their newly formed group of wolf hunters.

Some pretty nasty deaths here and there. Nothing over the top disgusting, but a few scenes worthy of notice. I liked a scene from the first half of the movie, when some 80's punkers are lured from a nightclub to a wharehouse of werewolfery. Some nasty bits in that sequence. Most memorable death would have to be that of a dwarf, whom has his eyes explode out of his skull (this is another scene that is replayed in the end credits; though not twenty times like Dannings assets). Said dwarf later comes back wearing a Mardi Gras looking mask, and it's probably the eeriest moment in the movie.

I also enjoyed the sacrificial scene in which Stirba turns from an old hagged out prune of a woman into an S&M style seductress (which Danning is more than appropriate for the role) by sucking the life out of a victim tied to an alter. Quite a bit of nudity in this film, furry and not so furry.

I was kind of put off by a scene that was remade from the first film, in which Karen turns into a werewolf during her newscast. When she turned originally, the makeup was vastly different. Normally, I wouldn't be turned off by something like this, but it's a harsh change; like if a female wookie woke up one day to find out that she really resembled Lon Chaney Jr. in the classic Wolf Man.

Ultimately, I didn't find this as bad as I had remembered or once claimed it was. It's not necessarily a good film, but I find it extremely watchable on a no brainer entertainment level. Though, I do admit it's a very sad follow-up that lacks everything I loved about Dante's film. I was actually just expecting it to be a hell of a lot worse; but I see myself watching this a few more times in the near future.

[spacemonkey]

Ive never had the heart to rent this flick, I dont know, I kind of always had this feeling like it was going to suck so bad, kind of like all the other Howling sequels!

But I think Im going to rent this one, just because Lee is in it.

Nice job with the recent reviews!

[Graveyard Walk]

Originally posted by spacemonkey
Ive never had the heart to rent this flick, I dont know, I kind of always had this feeling like it was going to suck so bad, kind of like all the other Howling sequels!

But I think Im going to rent this one, just because Lee is in it.

Nice job with the recent reviews!

Thank you.

It's worth renting, I think. It's a guilty pleasure, and I think Lee did a better job than he gives himself credit for.

[Graveyard Walk]

Yeah, I think Marsupials is largely worse, straying even further from the story, I guess attempting to start on a fresh slate. Eeep!

***Edit*** Hmm, don't kow how my post appeared before yours.

[countchocula]

Good comedy, bad horror film. How a series can downshift so quickly is beyond me. Still, The Marsupials is worse. Philippe Mora did helm a couple of worthy genre outings in Communion and The Beast Within. He's no master of horror, though.

[countchocula]

It's just a glitch. It happens from time to time.

[ERIN_LoJ]

Horrid, horrid, horrid movie. It's hard to look at Lee and see him act so much better in other flicks. I can't help but laugh when the ending credits come around and we get to see Sybil Danning rip over her shirt...again, again, and again. Cheesy as hell movie with basically 0 redeeming qualities.