Silver Bullet - The forgotten eighties werewolf movie

Werewolf movies in the eighties were primarily defined by ‘The Howling’ and ‘An American Werewolf in London.’ However, if you don’t mind the ‘pre-computer generated’ special effects in a werewolf movie, ‘Silver Bullet’ is at least the decade’s third place effort.

It’s adapted from one of Stephen King’s many books and, as I haven’t read it, I can’t say how faithful the film is. Although, it’s a decent enough ‘who-dun-it,’ as a werewolf stalks a small American town and you don’t know who it is until at least three quarters the way through the movie.

One thing you may not like is that the main character is a kid and kids always seem to have a hard time shouldering an entire horror movie (normally because you know they won’t get killed under any circumstances!). Luckily, he’s got Gary Busey to look after him and the two of them play off each other well. The other main character is the boy’s fifteen year old sister, who occasionally does the voiceover from some distant point in the future. This whole voiceover is pretty redundant and should really have been left out.

But, all in all, it’s a decent enough entry into yesteryear’s werewolf/horror annals.

6/10 May just keep you awake if Freddy Krueger was haunting your nights