tavm Continuing to review werewolf movies in chronological order, we're now at 1985 with Stephen King's Silver Bullet. King adapted from his own novella "Cycle of the Werewolf" filling it with a nice small town atmosphere and plenty of interesting characters. Corey Haim plays a handicapped kid named Marty who functions in a motorized wheelchair. Megan Follows is his teen sister, Jane. Gary Busey is their alcoholic Uncle Red who Marty idolizes because of his carefree attitude. I'll stop there and just say the killings are graphic the first two times, then one-because it's of a minor-isn't shown, and several more happen under a fog so you don't see too much of what happens there. There's also some intentionally funny lines that I liked such as when a woman asks her husband "Are you going to make lemonade in your pants?" Can't believe I didn't get to watch this until a little more than 30 years after it was first released! So on that note, I highly recommend Silver Bullet.

Michael_Elliott Silver Bullet (1985) *** 1/2 (out of 4)Some vicious murders hit a small town and a young boy (Corey Haim) begins to feel that it's something not human. After getting attacked by the creature, Marty then realizes that the killer is in fact a werewolf. He tells his sister (Megan Follows) and uncle (Gary Busey) but neither will believe him until they see evidence themselves.Stephen King wrote the screenplay for this, which was an adaptation of his novella Cyle of the Werewolf. This film wasn't a hit when it was released and most critics and fans ripped it apart but I've honestly never understood this. While the film isn't as technically well-made as AN AMERICAN WEREWOLF IN LONDON, it at least works as a very good "B" picture that has a nice story, some great performances and overall it's just a very good werewolf film.The movie works on a number of levels but I think a lot of credit has to go to the cast. Watching this film as a kid I couldn't help but get caught up in wanting to be the young boy in the film played by Haim. Having his character be a cripple added so much to the picture because you feel sorry for him but it also puts the character in a disadvantage when it comes to battling a werewolf. Haim is extremely good in the part but it's Busey that steals the film as the drunken uncle who thankfully loves his nephew enough to go along with a story that he doesn't believe. Follows is also very good and we get some nice support from Terry O'Quinn, Joe Wright and even Lawrence Tierney in a small role.The werewolf attacks are actually handled quite well by director Daniel Attias who really milks them for all that their worth. We see the victim, we see the werewolf and we slowly build up to the attack sequence. There are some very good sequences here including one dealing with some hunters in the fog and another that has Marty coming under attack in the woods. The werewolf looks good for the most part and the transformation scenes are nice. There's even some good violence thrown in, although there's no question that the movie goes for more suspense than gore. SILVER BULLET really doesn't get the credit it deserves but to me it works perfectly as a nice little "B" movie. You don't expect too much out of it but it really delivers a fun time and it's a nice little throwback to the horror films of the 1950s where small towns come under attack by a monster and there are kids who no one will believe.

bsmith5552 "Silver Bullet" is an adaptation of a novella by horror meister Stephen King. King also wrote the screenplay for this film. And, it's a werewolf movie to boot.In the sleepy little town of Tarker's Mills where nothing ever happens, grisly murders begin to take place. First a railway worker is literally loses his head. Next a distraught but pregnant young girl Tammy Sturmfuller (Heather Simmons) is brutally murdered. Thirdly a young boy Brady Kincaid (Joe Wright) becomes the next victim. Brady was the playmate of Marty Coslow (Corey Haim) with whom teased Marty's sister Jane (Megan Follows) only hours before.The townspeople become alarmed. They believe the murderer to be some sort of madman however. Marty has reason to believe that the murderer is a werewolf. The townspeople form under Andy Fairton (Bill Smitrovich) and the dead boy's father Herb (Kent Broadhurst), a group that goes out into the night in search of the killer. They find him. Three of the searchers are murdered in the fog. Reverend Lowe (Everett McGill) and Sheriff Haller (Terry O'Quinn) try to calm the folks down.Marty, who is crippled and rides a souped up wheelchair built by his carefree uncle Red (Gary Busey) continues to believe in the werewolf theory. One night while setting off fireworks in an isolated spot, Marty is attacked by the werewolf but manages to put out his eye with a rocket (if you can believe it). Jane now convinced of the existence of the werewolf, searches for a man with an eye patch while collecting bottles for a bottle drive run by the local church. She finds him and.................................The identity of the werewolf is not hard to pick out even though his identity is revealed half way through the film. The real terror comes when he stalks young Marty. There is a fitting climax to the proceedings complete with a silver bullet.Lot's of blood and gore including a decapitation however, the actual murders are not seen, only the aftermaths. Still, its a scary movie.You have to wonder how the werewolf was initially infected, given that the murders suddenly materialize in the quiet little town without warning.

The Original Spice Girl In my obsession with werewolves, I'm quite sure I've seen all werewolf movies out there (except for some of the most obscure low- budget ones, I suppose), and I have yet to find a better one than Silver Bullet.Although some parts of it are a bit dated today, the effects are still far better than the CGI we see in more contemporary werewolf movies. The werewolf in Silver Bullet does not grow into a muscular super-monster, but remains unnervingly human under the wolf-like exterior (seen particularly through the many close ups of its eyes), and that goes for the personality as well. There is depth to the character, rather than him being just a bad guy who turns into a wolf.Although it does not scare me sleepless as it did when I was a kid, some scenes are still incredibly frightening. Oh, and Gary Busey is just as insane as needed for the part!