IMDb Rating
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3.3
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Howling VI: The Freaks is a 1991 British direct-to-video horror. It is the sixth installment in the Howling film series and follows Howling V: The Rebirth. The film was directed by Hope Perello with a screenplay written by Kevin Rock. Starring Brendan Hughes, Bruce Payne, Michele Matheson, Sean Gregory Sullivan, (a.k.a. Sean Sullivan) and Carol Lynley. It was produced by Allied Entertainment and Allied Vision and premiered in the direct-to-video market in the United States on June 13th, 1991. The film was released on VHS by International Video Entertainment in 1989. Artisan Home Entertainment and Timeless Media Group later released this film along with Howling V: The Rebirth as a double feature on DVD and as a triple feature with Howling IV: The Original Nightmare and Howling V: The Rebirth on DVD and Blu-ray.
Synopis[]
A drifter lands in a small town where he befriends the owner of a church and gets a job to repair the church. A few weeks later after the repairs are done, the drifter and the church owner's daughter visit a fair. The next day is the full moon and the drifter plans to leave town.
Plot[]
In the opening scene, a little girl runs through the woods being chased by a werewolf creature which corners her and eats her leaving behind nothing but the teddy bear she was holding.
A young man named Ian Richards (Brendan Hughes) is walking along a desert road holding a satchel and his sisters teddy bear. He finds himself in the town of Canton bluff where he gets a job fixing the church. Ian befriends the owner of the church Dewey (Jered Barclay), befriending his daughter Elizabeth (Michele Matheson) in the process. That night Ian and Elizabeth go to the fair and Ian wins her a teddy bear, similar to the one his sister owned before she was eaten. Soon they encounter R.B. Harker (Bruce Payne), owner of the local circus, and Winston.
The next day is the full moon and Ian transforms into a werewolf. Bellamey (Antonio Fargas) his assistant, spots the werewolf and informs Harker. Soon, Ian transforms back into a man and Harker captures him. Waking up in a cage after having a dream where he attacks Elizabeth, he learns from Harker that he tore Elizabeth limb from limb.
Meanwhile, Dewey and Elizabeth, who was never hurt to begin with, argue over if Ian is the devil's work. Sheriff Fuller (Gary Cervantes) attempts to free Ian, but Ian refuses. Fuller reveals that Elizabeth is alive and well. To protect her, he remains caged. Harker then adds Ian in his circus show as a dangerous werewolf with an uncontrolled urge for human blood along with his freaks Bellamey, Winston (Sean Gregory Sullivan) the alligator boy, Toones (Deep Roy) a midget card player with a third arm, and Toones's lover Carl/Carlotta (Christopher Morley). When he transforms in front of the crowds and is mocked by Harker, the crowd is surprised when he is able to control his cravings and still has part of his human mind.
Late at night, when Fuller attempts to handcuff and arrest Harker, he is revealed to be a werewolf/vampire hybrid monster and kills Fuller. His corpse is found the next morning and the townspeople believe it is Ian. Ian then escapes the cage and runs away with Elizabeth. At night, Ian later reveals to her that it was Harker who killed all his family and turned him into a werewolf. Ian then leaves Elizabeth to confront Harker.
Ian reaches Harker's RV and sees no one. As he walks out, he is surrounded by Harker and the townspeople with guns. Harker orders then to shoot, but they refuse, seeing just a man. Fed up, Harker transforms and the townspeople explode him with bullets, but none affect him. As the rest of them flee, Ian runs and Harker pursues him. Meanwhile, Elizabeth continues to look for him and is attacked by Toones. She shoots him and then Carl attacks her, who is shot with an arrow by Dewey.
Ian and Harker then fight, and though Harker overpowers him, with the help of Winston who helps him transform, gains the upper hand, until Harker mortally wounds Winston. Ian stabs Harker in the heart and using the sun, destroys Harker, all that's remaining is dust and his clothes. Ian is then shown walking Winston away as Dewey and Elizabeth look on.
Cast[]
| Actor | Role |
|---|---|
| Brendan Hughes | Ian |
| Michele Matheson | Elizabeth |
| Sean Gregory Sullivan | Winston |
| Antonio Fargas | Bellamy |
| Carol Lynley | Miss Eddington |
| Jered Barclay | Dewey |
| Bruce Martyn Payne | R.B. Harker |
| Carlos Cervantes | Sheriff Fuller |
| Christopher Morley | Carl/Carlotta |
| Deep Roy | Toones |
| Randy Pelish | Pruitt |
| Ben Kronen | Hank |
| John A. Neris | Earl Bartlett |
| Al White | Carny worker |
| Jeremy West | Lester |
| William Marquez | Towny #1 |
| Gerry Black | Towny #2 |
| Terri Hoyos | Towny #3 |
| Elen Bertagnolli | Midget #1 |
| Joe Gieb | Midget #2 |
| Steven M. Lane | Carny freak |
| Elisabeth ShTemplate:E | Mary Lou |
| Jennifer Trinkner | Woman |
| Vincent Fazzari | Carny worker |
| Robert Reynolds | Carny barker |
| Jack Stevens | Sword swallower |
| Kathleen Perryman | Snake charmer |
| James E. Webb | Uglyman |
| Loarn Michels | Fire eater |
| Sandra Strong | Ms. Electra |
| Michelle Welch | Bearded mermaid |
| Courtney Pakiz | Contortionist |
| Sheila Lane | No Middle Myrtle |
Reception[]
The reception for this film was initially somewhat mediocre at best, but it has improved over time. The Freaks is near-unanimously regarded as one of the best "Howling" sequels, with praise singled out for its characters, makeup and premise. WhatCulture ranked the film at number 3 on its list of the best "Howling" films: "It is so bizarre, but the flawless make-up and the resultant vampire-wolf battle make it work". Screen Rant ranked the film at number 4 on its list of the best "Howling" films: "The vampire design ... is actually pretty cool, and Passenger 57 actor Bruce Payne makes for a good villain".[4] Leonard Maltin wrote in his book 2015 Movie & Video Guide that Howling VI is "intelligently written, especially for this series, but pretentious with vague Ray Bradburyesque undertones". The DVD & Video Guide 2004 noted that "special effects that leave a lot to be desired diminish this really strange entry in the long-running werewolf series".[6] The film critic Wheeler Winston Dixon stated that the film "presents an interesting series of premises and was a neatly original entry in the long running series". He also stated that Payne gave a "delicious" performance as Harker and that, in his vampiric state, he looked "somewhat like Max Schreck in Murnau's Nosferatu, but in his humanoid state he exudes nothing but charm".
Kim Newman said that the film perked up the saga by pitting a nice-guy werewolf (Brendan Hughes) against a "nasty vampire" (Bruce Payne). Frederick Clarke described Payne as an "elegant and suave" vampire and also noted the Nosferatu allusions. John Ferguson stated that "Hope Perello's take on the familiar tale, in which a sort of good werewolf battles against an even more hideous band of freaks, actually holds up better than most". Andrew Pragasm wrote that "by far the strongest of The Howling sequels, film number six takes the time to explore its quirky characters and deepen relationships before getting down to the werewolf versus vampire stuff". Felix Vasquez opined that the film sought to "channel Tod Browning’s Freaks mixed with a tacked on werewolf vs. vampire battle, than actually trying to delve in to the werewolf mythos like the former movies". In Vasquez's view: "In the end, it's just a middling gimmicky sequel, with Bruce Payne giving a charismatic turn as a villain, making up for the forgettable turn by the entire cast, including Brendan Hughes". Seth Miller said that "this sequel has probably some of the most likable characters in the series, as has as some decent make-up effects work, particularly on Harker in vampire form, as well as a character named Winston (Sean Gregory Sullivan), a sympathetic man held against his will in the circus and displayed as the Alligator Boy due to a rare skin decease". Lawrence Cohn described the film as a tasteless but effective shocker.
Sequels[]
Co-Writer Clive Turner appears in the film as a tow truck driver. Turner also worked on the subsequent Howling V: The Rebirth and wrote and directed the seventh film in the Howling series, Howling: New Moon Rising.
Music[]
I'll Be Seeing You Music by Sammy Fain and lyrics by Irving Kahal Publisher Francis Day & Hunter Ltd./Redwood Music Ltd. Heaven Is in Your Eyes Written by Vincent Fazzari Performed by Vincent Mi Chiamano Mimi Music by Giacomo Puccini (as Puccini),lyrics by Luigi Illica and Giuseppe Giacosa Performed by Anna Miranda
Publisher Southern Music Publishing
Videos[]
"To Be Added"
External links[]
"To Be Added"
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This page uses content from Wikipedia. The original article was at Howling VI: The Freaks. The list of authors can be seen in the page history. As with Horror Film Wiki, the text of Wikipedia is available under the GNU Free Documentation License. |