The Howling Collection
Howling IV: The Original Nightmare
Now, no one's safe!
An author who was sent to the town Drakho, because of a nervous breakdown, gets wound up in a mystery revolving around demons and werewolves. She starts seeing ghosts and dismisses them as her own imagination, but when they turn out to be real she becomes suspicious of the odd town and of its past.
- Original title
- Howling IV: The Original Nightmare
- Language
- EN
- Country
- GB
- Budget
- —
- Revenue
- —
Wuchak
Aug 19, 2025 · via TMDB
**_Back to the original story, but with less polish and pizzazz_** A writer (Romy Windsor) from Southern Cal goes to the desert town of Drago to heal after a breakdown, which is hard to do when she gets caught up in a mystery about demons and werewolves. Michael T. Weiss plays her husband while Antony Hamilton plays her hunky friend from Los Angeles. Susanne Severeid appears as a fan of the author who becomes her assistant sleuth while Lamya Derval plays a shop owner with cat-like eyes. "Howling IV” (1988) is subtitled "The Original Nightmare" because it's more faithful to Gary Brandner's original novel in comparison to the 1981 film, which doesn't mean it's better. Surprisingly, it had almost twice the budget, but the crew was caught off guard by learning that they were shooting in South Africa as opposed to a neighboring county. The British producer had vanished and what he promised was not provided. It didn’t help that director John Hough clashed with scriptwriter Clive Turner because the latter was originally set to direct until the financiers pulled out and veteran Hough was brought in at the last minute. After Hough turned in his version, Turner went out and shot new scenes and edited the movie to his liking, which he constantly fought Hough over during principal shooting. The end result is a somewhat worthwhile sequel that's really a remake with a dubious ending reflecting hellish perdition. Nevertheless, it's superior to "Howling II" and "Howling III" in that it throws out Phillippe Mora's goofy camp and general eccentricities. I like the cast and the slow-build mystery with its full moon ambiance, which are reminiscent of the first movie. Windsor & Severeid make for an effective female team. Moreover, Weiss is one of the few actors who could get away with a mullet. While the bulk of the movie was shot in the sticks of South Africa, and you can tell, it's not too bad of a substitute for the desert wilderness of Southern Cal. Actually, it makes for an interesting change of pace for the barely-connected series of stand-alone werewolf flicks. I also like comparing the similarities to the first movie. For instance, Lamya Derval as Eleanor plays the role of Elisabeth Brooks’ Marsha Quist. Again, it’s the same basic story, but the changes in cast, location and story details somehow keep it from being the same-old, same-old. The first time I saw it I wasn’t even able to connect it to the original movie. I should add that Clive Turner would continue serious work with the franchise on 1989's "Howling V: The Rebirth" and 1995's "Howling: New Moon Rising." The film runs about 1 hour, 33 minutes. There are exterior shots of Los Angeles with the opening hotel scene done in Fresno. GRADE: B-
User reviews courtesy of TMDB.
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Romy Walthall
Marie Adams
Michael T. Weiss
Richard Adams
Antony Hamilton
Tom
Susanne Severeid
Janice
Lamya Derval
Eleanor
Norman Anstey
Sheriff
Greg Latter
John (as Gregg Latter)
Tullio Moneta
Villager #1
John Hough
Director
Donald Paul Pemrick
Casting
Avi Lerner
Executive Producer
Danny Lerner
Production Manager
Gary Brandner
Novel
Bad to the Jones
The Thing
Jaws
Invasion of the Body Snatchers
Carrie
Village of the Damned
Angel Heart
The Haunting
Ring
Day of the Dead
Blood Brothers
The Conjuring: Last Rites
Tales from the Crypt: Demon Knight
The Hound of the Baskervilles
Bad Moon
The Devil's Rejects
A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors
The Hunger
Silent Hill
The Exorcism of Emily Rose
V/H/S/Beyond
Annihilation
Wes Craven's New Nightmare
Van Helsing
Hellbound: Hellraiser II
Alien³
Resident Evil: Apocalypse
Resident Evil: Extinction
Hannibal Rising
Tokyo: The Last War
Land of the Dead
Knock at the Cabin
The Mothman Prophecies
X-Cross
The Midnight Meat Train
Carrie
Friday the 13th Part 2
Alien Resurrection
God Is a Bullet
Friday the 13th: The Final Chapter
Jaws 2
Hostel
Godzilla Raids Again
Red Riding Hood
Hostel: Part II
The Wolfman
Friday the 13th Part III
Indigenous
Audrey Rose
Piercing
Cabin Fever
When the Lights Went Out
Deadly Eyes
The Rage: Carrie 2
Hellraiser III: Hell on Earth
Blood and Chocolate
The Haunting
The Night Listener
Kafir: The Spirit Gate
Cannibal Ferox
The Spiral
It's Alive III: Island of the Alive
Fear Street: Prom Queen
Friday the 13th: A New Beginning
Maniac Cop 3: Badge of Silence
Dances with Werewolves
Aliens vs Predator: Requiem
Evil Bong 666
Butcher the Bakers
Jason X
Moon of the Wolf
Inoperable
Children of the Corn: Runaway
Exorcist II: The Heretic
Silent Night, Deadly Night Part 2
The Wicker Man
Johnny Gruesome
Raw 2 The Diary of Grete Müller
Carnivore: Werewolf of London
The Revenge of Robert
Dwellers
Forgive Me For Raping You
Werewolves of the Third Reich
The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon
Makeout Massacre
Things We Lost in the Fire
Solomon's Requiem
DVD 2
Lesbian Psycho
Dangerous Games to Play
Blades in the Darkness 2
Under Paris 2
Frogman Returns
Untitled
Succubus
Fear Street: 1978
Cheat
Fear Street: 1666
Werewolf by Night
Night of the Living Dead
Strange Darling
Fear Street: 1994
The Howling
The Curse of Buckout Road
The Hills Have Eyes
Halloween Kills
The Dogs
Saint Catherine
Nightbreed
The Boogeyman
I Am Not a Serial Killer
Vampires
The Exorcist III
A Knight's War
Books of Blood
Goodnight Mommy
Candy Land
Dark Light
House of 1000 Corpses
Halloween 4: The Return of Michael Myers
Wrong Turn 2: Dead End
God Is a Bullet
Freddy vs. Jason
Paranormal Activity: Next of Kin
Never Let Go
Halloween H20: 20 Years Later
Dark Harvest
Home Sweet Home: Rebirth
Night of the Hunted
The Deliverance
Salem's Lot
Daddy's Head
Play Dead
Wolfen
Southbound
Wolves
Scream Blacula Scream
When a Stranger Calls Back
The Wolfman
The Stakelander
The Town that Dreaded Sundown
Trick
The Legend of the 7 Golden Vampires
Werewolves
Dolly
Mar 11, 1988
VHS
