Howling II: Stirba Werewolf Bitch

'Even a man, who is pure in heart and says his prayers by night, may become a wolf when the wolfbane blooms and the autumn moon is bright'

It was scriptwriter Curt Siodmak, with these iconic words, who created the gloom-riddled mythology and mysticism of the werewolf movie. The nitty-gritty laws of lycanthropy were now set in stone with George Waggner's B-movie classic The Wolf Man (1941). The disease of transforming into a werewolf could affect even the moralist of men. Nobody was safe from the curse. Not even Lawrence Stewart Talbot could fight the urge of transforming from man to beast when the moon was full.


For the last seventy-years, werewolves have had a special place in the horror genre. From Werewolf of London (1935), Frankenstein Meets the Wolf Man (1943), Hammer Horror's The Curse of the Werewolf (1961) to The Beast Must Die (1974), The Company of Wolves (1984) and Cursed (2005). Even some of the greatest actors of our generation have appeared as werewolves. From Michael J Fox in Teen Wolf (1985), Jack Nicolson in Wolf (1994) and even Benicio Del Toro in the long awaited The Wolfman (2010).

Even though the vampire populates a trendy myth in our modern culture, werewolves have also invaded our cinematic imaginations. One only has to look at Twilight: New Moon (2009) and Underworld: Rise of the Lycans (2009) to realise werewolves have come back from the dead. In terms of 'classic werewolf movies' that have achieved cult success, you can count them on one hairy bloodstained paw: An American Werewolf in London (1981), The Howling (1981), Silver Bullet (1985), Ginger Snaps (2000) and Dog Soldiers (2002).

Joe Dante's The Howling hit a nerve with audiences. With its self-referential vibe, state-of-the-art make-up effects by Rob Bottin, its tongue-in-cheek sensibility and its energetic and satirical edge, it cemented itself as a masterpiece of terror. It is a colourful, charismatic example of 1980s horror. It spawned six sequels, each of which offered something new to the series. The Howling II: Stirba - Werewolf Bitch (1985) is an undiluted werewolf sleaze-fest. Howling III: The Marsupials (1987) is a bizarre example of ozplotation cinema. Howling IV: The Original Nightmare (1988) is a pathetic attempt at reinvigorating the series. Howling V: The Rebirth (1989) contains genuine jump-out-of-your-seat terror. Howling VI: The Freaks (1991) is a Ray Bradbury inspired masterpiece. Howling: New Moon Rising (1995) is just plain awful.

Optimum Entertainment will be releasing the DVD of Howling II: Stirba Werewolf Bitch on the 18th January 2010. When the howling starts, the terror begins!


While Karen White was reporting the news, a silver bullet pierced her flesh. It is now her funeral. The shroud of mystery that surrounds her death perplexes her brother Ben - Is it possible that she REALLY transformed into a werewolf? It must have been some sort of special effect...


Reporter Jenny Templeton knows the truth. Her fears are confirmed when she talks to Occult Investigator and Werewolf Hunter Stefan Crosscoe. He tells them that the forces of darkness did possess Karen. Ben thinks its bullshit ('why don't you just get the hell out of here?'). When Stefan invites Ben and Jenny to his home and shows them a videotape of Karen's death, Ben cannot ignore the facts of his hairy lycanthropic sister. Stefan informs him that Karen's soul cannot rest until a titanium stake pierces her heart.


Still not convinced, Ben visits the graveyard with Jenny. They see Stefan as he attempts to defend Karen's corpse from the 'malevolence of the beast'. However, before the process is complete werewolves invade the crypt and cause havoc. Gunshots invade the burial chamber. One of the werewolves is shot. It tells Stefan that the Queen of the Werewolves, Stirba is hiding out in the 'dark country'.


Stefan, Ben and Jenny travel to Transylvania to avenge Karen's death and to end Stirba's reign of terror. However, they are not the only ones who have arrived. Mariana, one of Striba's evil minions rejoins her werewolf clan to take part in an ancient ritual to strengthen Stirba's power. Now Stirba's soul is reborn, nothing can stop her. Even the villagers are under her control. They have joined the forces of evil and are celebrating the Festival of the Full Moon.


As Ben and Jenny arrive at the village, Stefan, along with a werewolf hunter priest, devise a plan to restore order. They are to attack The House of Stirba and destroy her legion of werewolves. However, not all goes to plan. Stirba and her werewolves find Jenny. With the blood of the sacred lamb, they offer her as a sacrifice.


Along with the werewolf hunter priest, Stefan and Ben attempt to rescue Jenny. To protect themselves from the ultimate force of darkness they have a dagger forged from titanium, a chalice that held the sacred blood of Christ, wax from the sacred candles, holy water and a rifle. As the battle ensues and Ben kills a few werewolves, he has a moment of false hope: 'I told ya we'd get these fuzzballs!' However, Stirba conjures the army of darkness. There is no hope. Stefan attempts to stop her. It is a battle of good vs. evil, brother vs. sister - who will succeed?


One unanswered question still pounds at Ben's heart: 'which way is the fastest way to the airport?'


Howling II: Stirba - Werewolf Bitch has something special - a light-hearted BadTaste™ vibe. Director Phillipe Mora has injected his visuals with an electric and playful tone that not even Ed Wood could duplicate. With such classic delights as Mad Dog Morgan (1976), The Beast Within (1982), The Return of Captain Invincible (1983), Howling III (1987), Communion (1989) and Precious Find (1996) you can see that Mora is a director who likes to poke fun at himself, his audience and everything (and everyone) that appears on screen. If audiences don't appreciate this BadTaste™ masterpiece then more fool them. If you look at the first Howling by Joe Dante, it does exactly the same thing. It balances itself on a tightrope between creepy and ironic. This is a difficult feat for a filmmaker. To mix comedy and horror you need talent. Self-referential horror like this is what makes the horror genre so special (think John Landis, Larry Cohen, Walter Hill and George Romero).


The dialogue is dire. If you want to hear such awful exchanges, like 'I'm not sticking a stake into my dead sister!' and 'You see that dwarf staring at us? Should we follow him?' then you are in for a treat. Reb Brown who plays Ben is magnificent. His dialogue is so god-dam awful and his mannerisms so god-dam awkward you can't help but to think he walked onto the wrong god-dam movie. As he roams through the deserted cemetery with Jenny during the dead of night, Jenny notices an unbolted gate, looks at it and intones 'who did that?' Ben picks up the broken lock with a forceful expression and says, 'I dunno'. This is awkward BadTaste™ cinema at its best.


It's a shame that people remember Howling II for all the wrong reasons: the exploding dwarf, the werewolf orgy, Christopher Lee in sunglasses, the lesbian undertones and Sybil Danning's boobs (which are a subject unto themselves). We need to give Phillipe Mora more credit than this. Even though he gives us a cheeky nudge-nudge wink-wink final credit sequence, in which we get to see the repeated shot of Sybil Danning's boobs seventeen times, highbrow critics don't seem to understand, he's in on the joke. He's having a laugh at our expense.


Besides the tongue-in-cheek humour, freaky visuals, dreadful dialogue, weak acting and bizarre editing techniques (the list could go on) the film has one of the catchiest cheese-induced theme songs in the history of cinema. Check out the clip on YouTube:-



It might seem dull when repeated throughout the entire movie (about eighty times) but it adds to the 'it's so bad its good' spirit. Like the music in The Lost Boys (1987), it becomes part of the film - the joy, the horror and the excitement. 


The Howling sequels have acquired a bad reputation over the years and that reputation has tarnished this masterpiece. Because the films have been piled together in a sort of collective judgement it's difficult to appreciate Howling II on its own merits. The judgement that has fallen upon Howling II seems unfair, just because Howling IV and Howling VII are crap, it should not imply that the rest are crap (Howling VI is entertaining as they get). You see other horror series like Nightmare on Elm Street, Phantasm, Halloween, Hellraiser and Friday 13th judged with the same amount of criticism. It doesn't make sense. Just because a couple are bad, it doesn't mean they all should be tarnished by the same substandard brush.

There's just one thing that will cement the tone of this review: BOOBS, BOOBS and more BOOBS!


Disk: This release cries out for a commentary track by director Phillipe Mora.

Verdict: Howling II: Stirba - Werewolf Bitch is not as bad as everyone makes out. If your jammed up your own rectum you'll hate this movie. If you like a laugh, you'll enjoy this Holy Grail of BadTaste™. Plus, you can't criticise The Count cause he'll crunch into your collar!