Silver Bullet (1985)

 

    Happy belated Halloween y'all! Hope the weekend was everything you hoped for it to be and much more. Real ones know Halloween is every day but it makes the actual holiday that much more special. Most were certainly partying over the weekend and my boyfriend and I did exactly that. After a day of recovery, Halloween was spent indoors after work, eating soup, and watching House of Usher for the first time. Chicago graced us with the perfect weather: foggy in the morning, slightly windy, not too cold, and dark. A day for the books!

    The film I'm about to review was not a part of the Halloween poll but a film whose review was supposed to be posted last week. So, yes, I am behind and I owe y'all the winner. I'll blame Halloween for this one. Moving forward: there will be no schedule as of now but the monthly polls will continue. Hope you all like surprises...

    Silver Bullet was consistently (and forcefully) recommended by my good friend Louie. He's also recommended another that I will review in the near future. I haven't watched many Stephen King adapations but the ones I have are unforgettable and terrifying. You can bet any King-based film will be worth your time. This is also my first werewolf film on this blog!

    Silver Bullet was released on October 11th, 1985 and directed by Dan Attias. As previously mentioned, it is an adaptation of Stephen King's Cycle of the Werewolf, which was written in 1983. It stars Gary Busey, Everett McGuill, and Corey Haim. The character of the werewolf in terms of design and presentation was constantly desputed that the film was almost cancelled, causing filming to be delayed. It took 2.5 months for the shooting to be finished as a result. The film runs for about 95 minutes.

    The small town of Tarker's Mill, a once quiet town, is suddenly ravaged by an unknown creature lurking in the night. Anyone who has tried to capture it has been found dead with no signs of who or what was behind it. Marty, a young boy in a wheelchair, sees it right before his own eyes one night. After successfully evading it, it falls into his hands to find out what it is with the help of his older sister Jane and Uncle Red.

    From the other Stephen King films, this one is ranked my least favorite but I do believe there is a lot to appreciate. The setting is incredibly fitting: a close-knit, small, Catholic suburb terrorized by a monster. The film is entirely comical but it's not distasteful. The attack scenes, while cheesy, are enjoyable and are heavy on 80s special effects and cinematography. Even so, the film reels it back to the story and successfully finds a way to make it creepy. One of the first things I noted while watching was a casual, free-flowing dialogue. After reading Garey Busey had a connection to his character and improvised most of his lines, it all made sense. Even though he read from the script, King and Attias believed his improvisation was better as it was more natural. Most of the characters had depth to them and each brought something unique to the table. The film is presented with a narrator, as well. While a sneaky touch, I felt it was more intrusive and unnecessary as it didn't add anything. What I thought about the most was the ending as it was built into a climax and met with an abrupt ending. The meat of the story fell towards the end making the ending a little disappointing. Otherwise, the score was fantastic from start to finish and the story itself was well-rounded. 

    Silver Bullet had plenty of potential but falls short in its conclusion and storytelling. Even so, it's the perfect horror film to watch as you prepare for Halloween as it's one you don't take seriously. You'll catch yourself laughing from time to time and it's a unique, redeeming quality of the film I later came to appreciate. Not all horror films are meant to be taken seriously after all. Compared to the other Stephen King films, it is not exactly terrifying but definitely unforgettable. If you're passionate about humor in horror, campy yet stunning 80s effects and visuals, relatable characters, and nothing serious, this film is for you. It is best enjoyed in the company of your friends and family.

My overall rating is 7.5/10 based on:

-Light humor

-The creature

-Setting

-Relatable characters

-Visuals

-Casual, genuine dialogue

-Themes of family and community

    Thank you for reading! I'm in the process of making some changes to this blog so bear with me as they come to fruition. The winning horror film will have its review posted very soon. In the meantime, feel free to recommend any films you'd like to read about. A few friends/readers have been vocal about a few recently and my list continues to grow.

    A big thank you to everyone who has supported me and this blog so far! 

Stay safe and make wise decisions!

-CL