How many The Howling movies are there?

In 1981, The Howling clawed its way into cinemas. The Joe Dante-directed horror movie, about a news reporter who finds herself stuck amongst a community of werewolves, was loosely based on a book of the same name by Gary Phil Brander.

Upon release, The Howling proved successful at the box-office. As a result, it spawned a long-running series of Howling sequels.

But how many Howling movies are there? Answer: Probably more than you might think.

Want to know all about The Howling movies series, including which movies you didn’t even know existed? Then read on for all the gory details.

—

The Howling movies

The Howling (1981)

As noted above, the Howling movie series began in 1981 with the werewolf horror movie, The Howling. In this movie, a television news reporter is sent to a mountain resort to recover from a traumatic event, only to discover the residents may not be what they seem. (91 mins)

Howling II: Your Sister is a Werewolf (1985)

Four years after the release of The Howling, Howling II: Your Sister is a Werewolf made its debut. In this instalment, a group of people band together to stop a werewolf queen from attempting to conquer the world. (91 mins)

Howling III: The Marsupials (1987)

In Howling III: The Marsupials, werewolves have evolved making them deadlier. While soldiers hunt them down, a team of scientists attempt to study this new evolved form. (98 mins)

Howling IV: The Original Nightmare (1988)

In Howling IV: The Original Nightmare, an author moves to a small town after suffering from a mental breakdown. However, it’s not long before she is tormented by werewolves. (94 mins)

Howling V: The Rebirth (1989)

The fifth Howling movie arrived in 1989 under the title, Howling V: The Rebirth. In this movie, a group of strangers visit an ancient castle and bring along a werewolf. (96 mins)

Howling VI: The Freaks (1991)

In Howling VI: The Freaks, a carnival owner traps a young werewolf with plans to include it in his inhuman exhibits. (100 mins)

Howling: New Moon Rising (1995)

Movie No. 6, Howling: New Moon Rising focuses on a small, desert-town community in southern California, where werewolf-like slayings occur following the arrival of a mysterious motorcyclist. (90 mins)

The Howling: Reborn (2011)

In movie No. 7, The Howling: Reborn, a teenager discovers he is a werewolf, and must battle a deadly pack when they threaten him and his new girlfriend. (88 mins)

__

The Howling movies in order

To date, there are eight movies in The Howling movie series. The Howling movies are as follows:

• The Howling (1981)
• Howling II: Your Sister is a Werewolf (1985)
• Howling III: The Marsupials (1987)
• Howling IV: The Original Nightmare (1988)
• Howling V: The Rebirth (1989)
• Howling VI: The Freaks (1991)
• Howling: New Moon Rising (1995)
• The Howling: Reborn (2011)

The first seven entries in The Howling movie collection, i.e. The Howling through to New Moon Rising, are considered to be part of the same series, however they are essentially standalone tales. The eighth movie, The Howling: Reborn, is considered a reboot of the series.

If you are a fan of the movies, you may also wish to know The Howling movie series is loosely based on the 1977 novel The Howling, written by Gary Phil Brandner. In his lifetime, Brandner wrote three Howling books.

Brandner’s books are as follows:

• The Howling (1977)
• The Howling II (1979)
• The Howling III: Echoes (1985)

—

Who are the cast of The Howling movies and are the films the work of the same director?

Notable cast members in The Howling series include Patrick Macnee, Dee Wallace, Christopher Lee, Reb Brown, Robert Picardo, Barry Otto, Michael T. Weiss, Philip Davis, Bruce Payne, Antonio Fargas, and Deep Roy.

In terms of directors, The Howling movies are the work of the following:

• Joe Dante directed The Howling
• Philippe Mora directed Howling II and III
• John Hough directed Howling IV
• Neal Sundstrom directed Howling V
• Hope Perello directed Howling VI
• Clive Turner directed Howling: New Moon Rising
• Joe Nimziki directed The Howling: Reborn

—

And finally, which is the best entry in the Howling movie series?

According to IMDb, The Howling films are rated as follows:

• The Howling (1981) – 6.5/10
• Howling II: Your Sister is a Werewolf (1985) – 3.8/10
• Howling III: The Marsupials (1987) – 3.5/10
• Howling IV: The Original Nightmare (1988) – 3.4/10
• Howling V: The Rebirth (1989) – 4.4/10
• Howling VI: The Freaks (1991) – 4.2/10
• Howling: New Moon Rising (1995) – 1.8/10
• The Howling: Reborn (2011) – 4.0/10

__

Editor/Writer/Werewolf

Alex Wiggan

—

Thank you for stopping by It’s A Stampede! to read this post on The Howling movie series. Should you wish to claw your way through more blood curdling posts, please check out the recommended reads below.