Howlers (2019) User Reviews

Um...

[LoremIpsum321 · 4/10 · 18 May 2019]

The summary sounds good, suggesting a good time with a silly but fun movie.

Yeah, well, um...

The "story" is pretty stupid and includes a couple of total what the heck-moments, without any thrills or comedy, except for the occasional unintentional moronic dialogues or bonkers plot additions. In terms of dramaturgy it can only be called a mess.

Blood is there, not really gore though, the action scenes feel rather cheap, and the werewolfs look a bit weird. Not sure what they spend the estimated $6,400,000 on.

The acting is OK by some of the cast, not so much by others, most likely due to the script I imagine. Some things can't be pulled off with what's been given.

Somehow, although I stand by the points I made, there was something that elevates Howlers in its total slightly above its sums, maybe because of the absurd plot.

Yet, probably only worth a watch for die hard fans of werewolf-"horror" or "gunslinger" stuff.

Not an overly enjoyable foray in the werewolf genre...

[paul_haakonsen · 4/10 · 18 May 2019]

I hadn't even heard of "Howlers" (aka "High Moon") prior to coming across it by random luck here in 2019. I picked it up and saw it being a werewolf movie, so naturally I had to watch it.

Well, the movie was sort of interesting, but at the same time it was frightfully cheesy and campy. I mean, a band of werewolves were killed sometime in the 1800s and then come back in 2018 along with the gunslinger whom killed them. Yeah, that was essentially the core of the movie, and it was a rather thin soup.

The movie was watchable for sure, but it wasn't an overly enjoyable movie. Not even by a long shot. I managed to endure it to the end, though I was starting to lose interest in the movie along the halfway point.

The werewolves in this movie were laughable to look at. It was nothing more than your generic biker gang members with added facial hair, contact lenses, prosthetic teeth and latex added to the faces. They didn't even remotely look anything like a werewolf or a lycanthrope of any kind.

The acting in "Howlers" was actually okay, taking into consideration the nature of the movie and the limitations of the storyline and script inflicted upon the actors and actresses.

Having sat through the entire movie, I can honestly say that this is not a movie that I will ever be returning to watch a second time.

It's lowwwww budget

[bobbydarko · 3/10 · 18 May 2019]

Ok so the storyline is really good and the leads are pretty good but the special effects are terrible, don't be fooled it's a fun watch a fun story but it needed a bigger budget to bring it to life, It ain't no underworld

Ssssssssssssssssquooze me?

[haroot_azarian · 1/10 · 21 May 2019]

I am still laughing at this stupid waste of time disaster abomination. The movie, the plot, the actors, the "special makeup", oh and the non-stop background music were all in all huge failures. I mean the lead werewolf looked like Kris Kristopherson just come out of a coal mine! and the annoying background music, and the terrible acting should all win a prize.... to Gitmo! LOL

Reminds Me of The 1970's B-Movies, It's Worth A Watch

[collectorofsorts · 3/10 · 19 May 2019]

First, I have to say that I'm shocked this film had a $6.4 Million Dollar budget. It looks like it was made by film students. It's full of poor acting and cheap props or wrong props, like the local biker gang riding show bikes instead of hogs. The werewolf masks were actually cheap masks instead of movie grade prosthetics. The hunters short handled double bladed fighting axes were very obviously plastic. But, if you're an older guy, like me, who remembers the 1970's cheesy B-Movies, you'll get a kick out of it. It is what is and I enjoyed it. I'm giving it a 3-Star rating because they could have done a lot better with a $6+ Mil. Budget.

I like campy...this isn't it

[veryprivateswag · 1/10 · 19 May 2019]

Terrible movie.

I like campy etc but this is so bad you can see right in the first scenes they are wearing dollar store Halloween masks one guy lifts his head too much in one fight and the flap of the mask under is head lifts up...

Not the Worst I've seen

[mangoamante · 4/10 · 3 October 2020]

Make no mistake, this is a B flick, and it's not good. But it's not the worst I've seen either. The acting is almost passable. The script, effects, etc aren't the worst I've seen. There are some funny moments. They make decent use of some horror tropes and cliches in a few places.

Not that bad...

[mippin · 5/10 · 21 June 2019]

Seems most reviewers these days think every movie has to have a billion dollar budget to be watchable. I found this to be a fairly decent movie. The werewolves were a bit different than usual and make up could have been a little better. A couple of actors were a little wooden. I liked the plot it was different. I personally didn't care for the ending but it was a very watchable movie.

There's A Good Bad Moon On The Rise... Kung-Fu Cowboys & Biker Werewolves... YEAH!

[P3n-E-W1s3 · 6/10 · 22 September 2019]

Okay, I'll start by saying that this is not a horror film. If you're looking to be scared then this tale is not for you.

What this movie is more a dark western fantasy, set in present times, based around supernatural creatures; lycanthropes - werewolves. And, it's not that bad.

The story is way out there, quite a few miles past the twilight zone... It's a story of one man's revenge against the men-come-creatures who killed his beloved. The trouble is evil never dies and once the creatures draw breath into their lungs so does our good cowboy hero. As we progress through the story we learn more about the good-guy in black. Such as he was trained in the martial arts by a long-dead Asian Warlord who had pledged to defeat these demons. How much cooler could you get than when the werewolves dispatch a biker gang and take their leathers and rides. What more could you ask from a story - an undead ghost trained, martial arts cowboy killing lycanthrope bikers from hell.

If the budget had been bigger then this could have been a truly awesome B-movie. Luckily, writer and director, Josh Ridgeway infuses his film with as much imagination as he did within his story. There are some nice camera angles and pans that add to the strength of the film. He's even adept at using lighting to create an atmosphere. I believe that if he wanted his audience afraid he could have put the scare into them.

Though Ridgeway shoots his action scenes with skill and minimises the shaky-camera effect to good effect the fights are too slow. On the whole, they are well choreographed, they just need to be a tad faster to make them exciting.

The acting is also above par. Tom Zembrod as the Alpha Werewolf Willie Price is perfect. He has such a good repartee, especially when he's chanting and bating Colt, our kung-fu cowboy, that it keeps you smiling and watching. Matthew Tompkins as the Sheriff is gruff, strong, and ideally cast. I've liked Sean Patrick Flanery since I first watched him in Powder. However, in this film, he's not at his best. He seems to be lacking an "oomph" that his character requires. He gets the sleaziness across flawlessly but it feels like something is missing. The rest of the cast range from good to decent.

The special effects aren't brilliant but they do work. The worst, by far, is the rubber mask werewolf. The Willie Price werewolf is layered up and looks quite good - it's passable. But this only adds to the nastiness of ol' rubber-face. Good thing he's only around a few times. You can forgive and forget.

I would gladly recommend this Dark Western Fantasy to all. It's entertaining, humourous, and has its fair share of action. It's a bonus that the acting and the story are greater than the usual fodder of this type. A nice waste of an hour and a half. I'll even watch this flick again... Enjoy.

Feel free to check out my Obsidian Dreams list-come-chart to see where this places in my fantasy films.

Oh... My... Goodness

[nickwim-983-59227 · 3/10 · 21 May 2019]

Now i like Ray Harryhausen films using old-hat stop motion animation so whilst films don't need ultra brilliant digital effects and retro has its place, there is a fine line between retro and pants. This movie has effects that are pants, so much so that the film is ruined. Werewolf masks looking like budget store Halloween dress up have no place in 2018 and frankly made what was otherwise an OK film a painful experience to watch. OK action scenes, OK but contrived plot, OK cast. Its all serviceable but those wolf effects... Man what on earth was the director thinking allowing that nonsense on screen. Sorry to all those involved with the movie but it was embarrassing to look at those cheap masks and impossible to enjoy the film.

Entertaining Movie!

[rphilla · 10/10 · 14 April 2020]

I think most people reviewing this movie are not just watching, the movie for enjoyment, but want to just pick apart the movie like they are paid critics. If the movie is watched strictly for entertainment it is a quite enjoyable movie.

I need to learn how to ride a truck

[nogodnomasters · 6/10 · 5 July 2019]

"High Moon" not to be confused with "Full Moon High" starts off in 1861 as a werewolf western and quickly moves to the present. Colt (Chad Michael Collins) is the Van Helsing of werewolves taught by an inter-dimensional Ming Dynasty Chinese master. They really didn't have to add this. He kills werewolves William Price and his gang in the first scene. A flood causes all the graves to wash up and everyone to resurrect. Colt attempts to convince modern-day folks he is from the past and werewolves are coming for the residents of Temple Wells. To add to the drama, the sheriff's wife is having an affair with the despicable mayor.

The film has Colt, the main character be interesting and utilized the time differences to make some mild humor. For some reason, I was not turned off by the silliness of the plot in a film not designed to be a spoof.

Guide: F-word. No sex or nudity.

Ahooooo! What a Flop!

[grahammwiles · 1/10 · 19 May 2019]

There is absolutely nothing good about this film. Who ever rated this 10 out 10 must please get their head read by a professional! From the acting to the dialogue to the filming and the scripting and let me not even get started on the masks the werewolves were wearing - it's all one massive stuff up. Not worth even glimpsing for a second.

Boring and stupid!

Another werewolf cheapie

[Leofwine_draca · 4/10 · 9 December 2020]

I saw this on Prime under the title HIGH MOON. It's a low budget indie flick with a budget a bit bigger than some, but not big enough to make this a good movie. The plot is quite interesting and involves a werewolf gang in the Wild West who end up getting entombed and released to wreak havoc in the present day; the good news is that a hero gunslinger is also unearthed to fight them. Shades of the Hong Kong flick THE ICEMAN COMETH here, but not nearly as good. The werewolf masks look like Halloween wear although they throw in some gore to liven it up a bit. It doesn't work very well.

Not quite comedy, not quite horror ...

[parry_na · 5/10 · 19 February 2021]

'High Moon', or 'Howlers' as it is sometimes known, is a horror/comedy involving a band of werewolves and a gunfighter from the Old West who has returned from the grave to hunt them. The result is slightly less interesting than this premise might have you believe. Whilst the idea of a biker gang of wolf men living on the outskirts of respectable civilisation is a good one, the low budget and some wooden performances don't do it a lot of favours.

It's not quite a comedy, not quite a horror but it would be wrong of me to suggest that it isn't quite good fun in places and there are worse ways of spending 90 minutes of your time. My score is 5 out of 10.

Absolutely atrocious. Not a single redeeming quality in this movie.

[coltsw-10803 · 1/10 · 14 May 2020]

The story is silly, the writing is awful, the dialogue is mundane, the characters are all dull cliches, the acting is pathetic (without exception!), the camera work is nonexistent (just out it on a tripod and let it run), the "action" scenes are laughable, I've seen better stunts on a grade school playground and the "special effects" were limited to several gallons of karo syrup with red food coloring and a few cheap Halloween masks for the so-called werewolves.

Overall this is just an awful waste of time. I didn't even get the impression they made this in a tongue-in-cheek attempt to make us laugh. It seemed like they we're taking this seriously. And that's what makes it all so pathetic.

Even worse then I thought it would be.

[berg-74532 · 3/10 · 30 April 2020]

Garbage start to finish. Since time travel does not exist at this point so what people out of the past would act like when introduced to them but the way the werewolf's acted when seeing the magic that is a motorcycle is definitely not how people would act. I realize after the stunning success of sharknado we have been drowning in craptacular abominations and mashups that come from the fever dreams of the ghost of Ed Wood. One decent movie has come from this nonsense Abraham Lincoln versus Zombies. Two things from this movie are interesting, one if they make a movie about Brett Favre the sheriff looks a lot like him so thats something and strangely another former NFL QB had found another career as Ken Stabler wasn't bad as the coroner which is a neat trick as he died several years ago. The only reason to watch this would be for you to see if I was right. The closest comparison to what you see in this movie is a short lived 15 min cartoon calls Axe Cop I watched Axe Cop and absolutely hated it and while talking to somebody about it is was told the entire story of Axe Cop and I immediately went back to watch it and it was awesome. The story behind that show is a mid 20s cartoonist and his (I think) 6 year old nephew made the cartoon and this little guy came up with the characters, the story and all the dialogue while his uncle did the cartoon itself if you can check it out. Why do I bring that up, well everything that the little guy came up with is far more believable than this garbage and that includes monsters on the moon and a cop truck capable of interstellar travel while also being a time machine. That is how stupid this is.

Stupid fun...

[theroscoevine · 4/10 · 1 May 2020]

I was having quite a good time watching this SILLY movie. I was actually reminded of The Dead Don't Die on account of many of the characters being dorky small town cops and other people, plus the presence of an otherworldly character who knows all about the enemy, but shockingly I enjoyed this one more. That's possibly because I really thought The Dead Don't Die was going to be cool, thanks to Jim Jarmusch having directed Dead Man, an excellent black and white western/comedy starring Johnny Depp, but it really wasn't, while I fully expected this one to be trash, and it is! Just do what I did, which was kick back with my wife and giggle at the silly, corny, SO cheap werewolf action. This is NOT a good movie, have fun with it!

Cowboys and Werewolves

[JoeB131 · 6/10 · 12 April 2020]

So the plot is that a werewolf hunter in the Old West kills the last six werewolves,before being killed by a mystic figure. 160 later, they are all resurrected in the modern era in a modern Texas town with an extra dose of melodrama. The Hunter teams up with the local sheriff, while the werewolves take over a biker gang and immediately learn how to ride motorcycles.

Some nice action pieces, a lot of fun as a movie.

ARGH... For lack of a good script

[kirachloe · 4/10 · 5 May 2023]

OK, my rating does NOT reflect all aspects of the movie. The acting was GREAT. Wow, I am impressed. And the technical stuff was petty dang good, like lighting, sound, and scenes. This is a move WELL worth watching. Do not miss it.

THAT SAID, the script was no better then any other small budget film I have ever seen. DANG IT, you had the making of a 6 of 7 ranking, maybe even an 8, maybe even a repeater for an off-night TV movie, but the director and producer decided to go with writing of a novice-level script.

How many times does it have to be said .. the script is not only EVERYTHING, but also one of the cheaper ways to make something go from good to great. Spending more time on the script, paying a writer or two for an extra month, is SOOOO much cheaper than paying a set-full of actors as you are trying to fix a good idea later.

HIGH MOON the Movie AKA Howlers is an Awesome Flick!

[sara_boyle · 10/10 · 15 May 2019]

I've waited a long time to see this movie and I wasn't disappointed. Definitely a retro horror feel with some great acting and fantastic dialogue - funny lines with laugh out loud moments. If you want to see a gunslinger from the old west get some much deserved revenge on biker werewolves... this is your movie!

Gotta know what to expect...

[jgkelley-48797 · 6/10 · 24 May 2020]

To a point anyways. Don't come in the xpecting huge unreal special effects when u know damn well if someone is gonna put 10s of millions into a film it's gonna be plastered everywhere and their stars are gonna promote non-stop pre-release.

So understanding that this is gonna be a B movie I actually enjoyed it. Why only a 6 then, we'll because I try to scale my reviews and I've just seen better B movies but by no means is a 6 bad, it's just average to a little above. It reminded Me of a typical movie you'd see on chiller or sci-fy.

Not that plot has anything similarities but I'd put movie on par with yellow brick road, roadkill, lake dead, the graves, population 436 or 431 or something close. Not the same plot like I said but if you enjoyed those I feel like This is something you could watch and enjoy.

Obv could be better but that's why it's a 6, cuz it obv could be a helluva a lot worst and I've seen movies that have been. Hate peeps who try to pick movies apart at every level like they would be kubrick, Polansky, hitchkock or de Palma begind the camera. Or they think they the next Ebert. If someone really wanted they could pick any movie apart or come up wit ways to improve it because a person knows what they like: A person customizing something for themselves is nothing, try customizing it for millions of finicky people.



Great horror movies are so very hard to find. And horror and it's cousins are by far my fav genre. I don't care if it's a slasher, more sci-fy, haunting ones, or monster movies, I can do em all. If your not really big into monster movies why bother when their are millions of other movies out there. But if you give every movie a fair shake, u can do a lot worst.

Brilliant, funny and camp old western style

[janmills-25576 · 10/10 · 18 May 2019]

If you want a laugh with camp humour, blood, gore, western action in new age style this movie is definitely for you. Fantastic action, great script and amazing actors. This movie has it all: werewolves, the handsome gunslinger, beautiful headstrong window, muscle car mayhem, great fight scenes and a sleezy criminal mayor. Chad Collins perfectly cast along side Chelsea Edmanson, Sean Patrick Flannery and Mathew Tompkins all who bring this movie to life. One I will (and have) watch this one again.

The perfect movie to watch with your girlfriend...

[leh-843-872070 · 10/10 · 1 May 2023]

...when you have no intention to watch the movie.

It is basically about a Chinese warrior from another dimension that teaches Aikido and Jiujitsu to a Civil War cowboy who wants to kill werewolves. Somehow, the cowboy and the werewolves come back to life in present time and, from there on, the fun is non-stoppable. Ridiculous dialogues, laughable make-up, horrible casting, nonsensical screenwriting, this film has every ingredient to make you laugh your guts out.

The music track is the most amazing part of this masterpiece of trashy filmmaking: absolutely no second of music matches the scene it is being played over. They simply managed to get it wrong every single time. One needs talent to do such feat!

How not give it 10 stars? It reached the peaks of perfect imperfection. Kudos for everyone involved!