The Howling (1981)

An L.A. news anchor (Dee Wallace, E.T.) is attacked by a serial killer. He is shot by the police but she is so traumatized by the incident that she loses her memory of the actual attack. Her therapist (Patrick MacNee) suggests she go to his retreat in Northern California for treatment. But it's there at the retreat, that the horror not only continues but intensifies. Based on the novel by Gary Brandner and directed by Joe Dante (GREMLINS). While the film is an affectionate homage to old Universal werewolf movies, Dante's film balances humor and horror. Film buffs will be amused by the in jokes (MacNee's character is named George Waggner, the director of 1941's THE WOLF MAN) and non film geeks should find enough gore to satisfy their bloodthirsty appetites. Dante is able to create a genuine sense of horror even without the special effects and the finale is both poignant and slightly humorous. The supporting cast includes Kevin McCarthy, John Carradine, Slim Pickens, Kenneth Tobey, Christopher Stone, Dennis Dugan, Belinda Balaski, Elisabeth Brooks and John Sayles (the film's screenwriter) as a morgue attendant.