I as well had no idea about a extended version. So the 4 hour cut isn't available anywhere? I just rented this movie even though I've seen it probably 100 times easily
Loved your review, and I remember watching Wolfen for the first time on a new platform called HBO. Would really like to see your retrospective for the some of Streiber's other works, especially The Hunger.
Great video, thanks. I watched every other horror VHS when I was a kid except Wolfen and was very delighted to see if first as an adult. Your video helped me appreciate it even more.
I saw WOLFEN in nyc mid town back when it premiered, the theater amongst similar looking abandoned places that appeared in the film. But this film has a haunting echo with me to this day.
I came across your channel while looking for a current review of Wolfen. JoBlo did a Howling/American Werewolf In London lookback but failed to include Wolfen. I was 13 in 1981 and remember when all 3 movies came out. Whether or not, it's a werewolf movie and obviously its not, it still deserved a lookback for being a part of a wolf craze that year. Thank you again for your review. RIP Albert Finney and Gregory Hines. 🙏🙏
Great retrospective review George. I have not seen Wolfen before but it's now on my list to see because this just seems like a very unusual werewolf movie for sure. On a somewhat unrelated topic, but since you brought it up, I would love to hear what you thought of Communion, which I thought was one of the most bonkers movies I've ever seen. Keep up the good work & looking forward to what's coming up next!
Basically I found Communion amusing but it’s a very depressing film and rather unenjoyable to watch. I’m not a big Alien guy. I would rather- if they exist- they don’t arrive in my lifetime. But thank you for the kind words- it’s a good movie!
Excellent review. Thank you. Any director who delivers a four and one half hour cut has no idea how the movie business works, no matter how talented they are. That is simply not financially viable. Fine movie all the same even in the truncated version.
In the era of blu ray and directors cuts it’s not so crazy- but I agree. How does a guy like Wadleigh get into the position that he’s in, directing a studio movie- and not know that he can’t make a four hour werewolf movie 🤔
I loved this movie when released and appreciated its serious nature more than I did Dante’s and Landis’ more satirical and post-modern takes on werewolfdom. It also reminded me of one of my favorite films-Peter Weir’s The Last Wave-which probably helped my admiration. And Finney made so few films at the time, it was great to see him do a ‘70s cop film character in an original genre film.
Gritty, realistic horror story. Fantastic cast and adaptation. The Wolfen themselves could not/can not be properly brought to screen. The abandoned locations/the church were serendipitous. The book is a classic in its own right. And Horner's score was really tuned in to the vibe of the movie. Also, I'm not a fan of audio books, but Roddy McDowall's reading of the book is a whole other experience... and it's on UA-cam.
I didn't think too much of Wolfen the one time I saw it. At that time, I would've been part of the indifferent crowd, waiting for more action scenes with the wolves, and probably contributing to its financial failure by telling my friends not to see it. Thanks to your review, I watched it again and was very impressed, this time paying mind to the theme of man's detachment from nature and its deadly consequences. It was well done, not the pretentious distraction I'd previously thought. The atmosphere was really creepy, on par with the serious aspects of The Howling, but unlike it's werewolf film competitors at the time played it straight and serious the whole way through (and was the better for it). I'd now recommend it highly to horror fans.
As a kid I think the reason that this movie didn't stick with me like American Werewolf and Howling did was all the messaging. Just give me wolf monsters. I get it, man bad, pollution bad. Now show me the wolf monsters. Oh, they just wolfs? I remember liking the book better. Getting into the wolves heads and that way seeing how advanced they really were. That can't translate to the movie.
Great movie ,Albert Finely was often buzzed from drinking while being filmed.Tom Noonan,whom was the original "Tooth Fairy ",in the 1st entry in the Silence of the Lambs series. LOOKER was another great Finne movie ,although a few flaws exist,can't deny its originality.
Yeah, Wadleigh was a New Ager. Hollywood has always been big on environmental and the Spiritualism aspect of the New Age. Wolfen is a film that incapsulates both elements. sharmanism runs through this film like blood runs through the vains of a wolf. Understanding the underbelly of films, and looking at the context in which they establish a story with these processes in action are what film analysis is all about.
Can’t totally endorse that take- American Werewolf is maybe my favorite horror movie of all time. Saw it at like, 12 and it changed my life. I’ve got a real fondness for it.
@@FilmJournal Of course, i totally get that why people love American Werewolf so much and i love it too. Its just, probably because of my love for the '68-'78 era with all the paranoia, disillusionment and all the Neo-Noirness of it. Because "Wolfen" really contains all of those. A movie that truly belongs to the '70s.
American Werewolf is absolutely the best of the 3 lycanthropy films of that year for me, but this is certainly an interesting experiment. I think I might place Wolfen over The Howling (love Joe Dante, but that's overrated). Wadleigh should have tried again as he had a great eye.
@@FilmJournal would prefer it to be an original, exclusive piece for us if you're still interested, George, feel free to message me on FB if you have suggestions.
1981 was indeed an awesome year for werewolf flicks! An American Werewolf in London, The Howling, and Wolfen (almost) formed a trifecta of horror flicks that remain unmatched to this very day. I kinda always thought that Wolfen was the weakest of the three though, a slow burn that exploited the "less is more" plot device applied to storytelling and was also a bit preachy here and there, combining ecological plight with the misfortune of Native Americans in a way that took me out of the story. I wanted to like this movie, but the preachiness sucked me right out of it. When speaking of 1981 and the year of great Werewolf flicks, this one is always a mere footnote due to that element.
I loved the Wolfen when it came out and saw it in the theatre which is the proper place to view it. However, I was never aware of the eventual fate of the author (or the director). Seeing where Strieber went, I can only say, you can't make this s**t up. Reality is far stranger than fiction. Especially, since Strieber has turned out to be oddly prescient (or well informed).
For the last time, Wolfen is not about werewolves, at least not in the traditional sense, where humans transform into wolves. There are none of those werewolves in this film. A genetic mutation of wolves, with almost human-like intelligence, that has existed for thousands of years, that has adapted to the New World. They aren't werewolves in relation to humans. They are the creatures that inspired the legends . They are Wolfen. Great book, too.
Wolfen was probably too dark and downbeat too intelligent even for audiences compared to the other two werewolf movies the same year that were much more knockabout and fun.
I've read the novel twice and it is sooo much better than the movie. Which is par for the course. The whole native American / evil real estate developer slant was pretty lazy (and NOWHERE in the novel) as the Wolfen are NOT wolves. They are an offshoot that are hyper intelligent, have paws that are closer to hands with opposable thumbs and have skulls with shortened snouts that look vaguely humanoid. There is one pack in the novel but it is told that there are MANY packs in the run down parts of the city that feed on the neglected, the homeless, etc. And about 1/3 of the novel is from the Wolfen's point of view. And it has an ending that is altogether unsettling that leaves a lot open. It's a great read and I fully recommend it. The movie is mediocre and the whole "nature over civilization / native Americans know more than we do / big bad real estate mogul trope is sooo lazy but for the time, I don't think the audience would accept the actual plot in the book. Oh well, but Finny and Olmos are great as always. Granted back in the 80's with the limited visual effects available, there was no way to accurately portray the Wolfen as described in the book so I think a remake with a competent director would be fantastic.
@@FilmJournal Oh definitely. I've read the book twice now. Would love to see a movie adaptation to do it justice. The change of perspectives was a very cool choice on the authors part.
Wadleigh being kicked out of the mainstream movies is a good example of how capitalism does not encourage innovation or new ideas...if they dont fit into a narrow range of things and make profit.
An abundance of new ideas in media and entertainment is not exactly what you’d get under socialism either. You’re at the whim of whoever has the millions of dollars it takes to make the movie be that the state or the studio. Besides raising your own 20 million to make a unique film- what other solution is there to this problem?
Still cant believe this has not been turned into a series, sure would be interesting and fun
Can we make a petition in order for Orion to release the four- hour cut?
Wouldn’t that be awesome. It’s got to be in a basement somewhere
@@FilmJournal Was watching Wolfen for the hundredth time about 10 minutes ago and... yes. The four-hour cut came to mind. I want it so much... 😢
This is one of my all time favorite movies. I had no idea there was a four hour cut.
I as well had no idea about a extended version. So the 4 hour cut isn't available anywhere? I just rented this movie even though I've seen it probably 100 times easily
Wolfe eating Biden
I’ve always liked this movie, good acting, great photography and the score by James Horner is fantastic!
Loved your review, and I remember watching Wolfen for the first time on a new platform called HBO. Would really like to see your retrospective for the some of Streiber's other works, especially The Hunger.
I’ve been thinking about it- I’ve got the 1st editions of Wolfen and The Hunger, the later is a pretty good movie to imo
I would love to see the 4 and half hour version
Absolute Greatest Film all Times.
Great video, thanks. I watched every other horror VHS when I was a kid except Wolfen and was very delighted to see if first as an adult. Your video helped me appreciate it even more.
I saw WOLFEN in nyc mid town back when it premiered, the theater amongst similar looking abandoned places that appeared in the film. But this film has a haunting echo with me to this day.
Just subscribed to you! I have seen the movie many times and read the book at least a couple of times! Great job here!!!
Thank you very much! Appreciate the support!
I came across your channel while looking for a current review of Wolfen. JoBlo did a Howling/American Werewolf In London lookback but failed to include Wolfen. I was 13 in 1981 and remember when all 3 movies came out. Whether or not, it's a werewolf movie and obviously its not, it still deserved a lookback for being a part of a wolf craze that year. Thank you again for your review. RIP Albert Finney and Gregory Hines. 🙏🙏
Really appreciate your kind comment and I’m glad you enjoyed it :)
😊❤one of my😊 favourites❤
Great retrospective review George. I have not seen Wolfen before but it's now on my list to see because this just seems like a very unusual werewolf movie for sure. On a somewhat unrelated topic, but since you brought it up, I would love to hear what you thought of Communion, which I thought was one of the most bonkers movies I've ever seen. Keep up the good work & looking forward to what's coming up next!
Basically I found Communion amusing but it’s a very depressing film and rather unenjoyable to watch. I’m not a big Alien guy. I would rather- if they exist- they don’t arrive in my lifetime. But thank you for the kind words- it’s a good movie!
First time i was seeing TOM WAITS snging in a bar szene
"" .... fast wimmen - slow horses ... "
That was it !!
This wasn’t a movie it was a forecast
😊past😊future😊 present😊bon appetit 😊
Brilliant review
Appreciate that!
Quel film magnifique. Wow. Moi qui adore les loups. Je pense que c'est une juste logique. Un juste retour des situations...❣❤🐺🐺🐺
Predator took a lot from this film. 4 hours.. Amazing. One of my top 10. Ever. From any era. Its eerie as hell. The soundtrack is outstanding.
Excellent review. Thank you. Any director who delivers a four and one half hour cut has no idea how the movie business works, no matter how talented they are. That is simply not financially viable. Fine movie all the same even in the truncated version.
In the era of blu ray and directors cuts it’s not so crazy- but I agree. How does a guy like Wadleigh get into the position that he’s in, directing a studio movie- and not know that he can’t make a four hour werewolf movie 🤔
I loved this movie when released and appreciated its serious nature more than I did Dante’s and Landis’ more satirical and post-modern takes on werewolfdom. It also reminded me of one of my favorite films-Peter Weir’s The Last Wave-which probably helped my admiration. And Finney made so few films at the time, it was great to see him do a ‘70s cop film character in an original genre film.
Gritty, realistic horror story. Fantastic cast and adaptation. The Wolfen themselves could not/can not be properly brought to screen. The abandoned locations/the church were serendipitous. The book is a classic in its own right. And Horner's score was really tuned in to the vibe of the movie. Also, I'm not a fan of audio books, but Roddy McDowall's reading of the book is a whole other experience... and it's on UA-cam.
I didn't think too much of Wolfen the one time I saw it. At that time, I would've been part of the indifferent crowd, waiting for more action scenes with the wolves, and probably contributing to its financial failure by telling my friends not to see it. Thanks to your review, I watched it again and was very impressed, this time paying mind to the theme of man's detachment from nature and its deadly consequences. It was well done, not the pretentious distraction I'd previously thought. The atmosphere was really creepy, on par with the serious aspects of The Howling, but unlike it's werewolf film competitors at the time played it straight and serious the whole way through (and was the better for it). I'd now recommend it highly to horror fans.
I rented this movie today and I loved it.
Great video. (PS, it's Diane Venora, not Verona).
My bad- thanks for watching!
As a kid I think the reason that this movie didn't stick with me like American Werewolf and Howling did was all the messaging. Just give me wolf monsters. I get it, man bad, pollution bad. Now show me the wolf monsters. Oh, they just wolfs? I remember liking the book better. Getting into the wolves heads and that way seeing how advanced they really were. That can't translate to the movie.
The inner monologue of the wolf is the best part of the book and one that doesn’t translate to the screen- agreed
I did appreciate them having wolf pov shots, but they indeed cannot compete with the wolf chapters from the book
Great movie ,Albert Finely was often buzzed from drinking while being filmed.Tom Noonan,whom was the original "Tooth Fairy ",in the 1st entry in the Silence of the Lambs series.
LOOKER was another great Finne movie ,although a few flaws exist,can't deny its originality.
Yeah, Wadleigh was a New Ager. Hollywood has always been big on environmental and the Spiritualism aspect of the New Age. Wolfen is a film that incapsulates both elements. sharmanism runs through this film like blood runs through the vains of a wolf. Understanding the underbelly of films, and looking at the context in which they establish a story with these processes in action are what film analysis is all about.
Haven't seen Dante's "The Howling" yet but if i compare this to "An American Werewolf in London" i think "Wolfen" is the superior one.
Can’t totally endorse that take- American Werewolf is maybe my favorite horror movie of all time. Saw it at like, 12 and it changed my life. I’ve got a real fondness for it.
@@FilmJournal Of course, i totally get that why people love American Werewolf so much and i love it too. Its just, probably because of my love for the '68-'78 era with all the paranoia, disillusionment and all the Neo-Noirness of it. Because "Wolfen" really contains all of those.
A movie that truly belongs to the '70s.
All three are top notch.
I loved wolfen
Me too favorite favorite horror of the 80s
American Werewolf is absolutely the best of the 3 lycanthropy films of that year for me, but this is certainly an interesting experiment. I think I might place Wolfen over The Howling (love Joe Dante, but that's overrated). Wadleigh should have tried again as he had a great eye.
Absolutely! Hey- if you guys still want to post this, let me know and I’ll send over the video.
@@FilmJournal would prefer it to be an original, exclusive piece for us if you're still interested, George, feel free to message me on FB if you have suggestions.
i respectfully disagree.
@@jackprescott9652 cool.
Nice critique.👍
Subscribed .
Thanks so much!
What song was on the jukebox in the bar.its a country song.?
Good movie.
Watched this movie today for the first time. I thought it was a werewolf movie. Boy was I wrong. Great movie though. Really enjoyed it.
Glad to hear it and thanks for watching my review!
What a cast.....even sgt al powell from diehard. Edward James Olmos running naked on the beach was whacked
Haha it's great and under appreciated!
1981 was indeed an awesome year for werewolf flicks! An American Werewolf in London, The Howling, and Wolfen (almost) formed a trifecta of horror flicks that remain unmatched to this very day. I kinda always thought that Wolfen was the weakest of the three though, a slow burn that exploited the "less is more" plot device applied to storytelling and was also a bit preachy here and there, combining ecological plight with the misfortune of Native Americans in a way that took me out of the story. I wanted to like this movie, but the preachiness sucked me right out of it. When speaking of 1981 and the year of great Werewolf flicks, this one is always a mere footnote due to that element.
I thought there were three in 1981. Wolfen, The Howling and American Werewolf in London.
Yeah, this is the third
i really think a remake/reboot wouldn’t be a bad idea…
Who would you cast in the Albert Finney role?
Too many whiny cry babies today.
I saw it at the theater on its first debut, I could've sworn that Tom Waits was in it. But he's not in any of the later DVD renditions.....go figure
He would have been great in it!
I loved the Wolfen when it came out and saw it in the theatre which is the proper place to view it. However, I was never aware of the eventual fate of the author (or the director). Seeing where Strieber went, I can only say, you can't make this s**t up. Reality is far stranger than fiction. Especially, since Strieber has turned out to be oddly prescient (or well informed).
Cool
For the last time, Wolfen is not about werewolves, at least not in the traditional sense, where humans transform into wolves. There are none of those werewolves in this film. A genetic mutation of wolves, with almost human-like intelligence, that has existed for thousands of years, that has adapted to the New World. They aren't werewolves in relation to humans. They are the creatures that inspired the legends . They are Wolfen. Great book, too.
That was a great film.
Wolfen was probably too dark and downbeat too intelligent even for audiences compared to the other two werewolf movies the same year that were much more knockabout and fun.
Yeah, it's a rather brooding film.
Carl Winslow's first movie
I've read the novel twice and it is sooo much better than the movie. Which is par for the course. The whole native American / evil real estate developer slant was pretty lazy (and NOWHERE in the novel) as the Wolfen are NOT wolves. They are an offshoot that are hyper intelligent, have paws that are closer to hands with opposable thumbs and have skulls with shortened snouts that look vaguely humanoid. There is one pack in the novel but it is told that there are MANY packs in the run down parts of the city that feed on the neglected, the homeless, etc. And about 1/3 of the novel is from the Wolfen's point of view. And it has an ending that is altogether unsettling that leaves a lot open. It's a great read and I fully recommend it. The movie is mediocre and the whole "nature over civilization / native Americans know more than we do / big bad real estate mogul trope is sooo lazy but for the time, I don't think the audience would accept the actual plot in the book. Oh well, but Finny and Olmos are great as always. Granted back in the 80's with the limited visual effects available, there was no way to accurately portray the Wolfen as described in the book so I think a remake with a competent director would be fantastic.
Kind of cool in the book when they have the chapters from the Wolves perspective. I enjoyed it!
@@FilmJournal Oh definitely. I've read the book twice now. Would love to see a movie adaptation to do it justice. The change of perspectives was a very cool choice on the authors part.
Dogman = wolfen
There’s just not enough story in the existing film to justify a 4hr version.
Yeah I can’t imagine what that would even be. Probably super boring.
1:04 Trump and Melania.
Trump is alive and about to be president again so...
It would have been Ivana in ‘81. Wolfen v Wolf of Wall Street.
Wadleigh being kicked out of the mainstream movies is a good example of how capitalism does not encourage innovation or new ideas...if they dont fit into a narrow range of things and make profit.
An abundance of new ideas in media and entertainment is not exactly what you’d get under socialism either. You’re at the whim of whoever has the millions of dollars it takes to make the movie be that the state or the studio. Besides raising your own 20 million to make a unique film- what other solution is there to this problem?
The Wolfen ate Donald Trump! Good boys!!
Oh Gawd.
My pleasure
Omg you're a Biden supporter? Christ I wouldn't go admitting that in public lol