Wolfen

1981 "They can hear a cloud pass overhead, the rhythm of your blood. They can track you by yesterday's shadow. They can tear the scream from your throat."
6.3| 1h55m| R| en| More Info
Released: 24 July 1981 Released
Producted By: Orion Pictures
Country: United States of America
Budget: 0
Revenue: 0
Official Website:
Info

A New York City cop and an expert criminologist trying to solve a series of grisly deaths in which the victims have seemingly been maimed by feral animals discover a sinister connection between the crimes and an old legend.

Genre

Horror, Thriller

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Director

Michael Wadleigh

Production Companies

Orion Pictures

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Wolfen Audience Reviews

Lightdeossk Captivating movie !
Catangro After playing with our expectations, this turns out to be a very different sort of film.
Bluebell Alcock Ok... Let's be honest. It cannot be the best movie but is quite enjoyable. The movie has the potential to develop a great plot for future movies
Kaydan Christian A terrific literary drama and character piece that shows how the process of creating art can be seen differently by those doing it and those looking at it from the outside.
tavm I first saw a lot of this movie when it was shown on HBO in 1982 when I was a young teen. As such, some of the dialogue went over my head as I was more interested in seeing the wolf killings and the thermographic POV shots from those creatures than the story itself. Now that I just watched it again online, it starts in measured tones much of the time before the first kills and doesn't reach a crescendo until the end. Albert Finney is fine as the alcoholic cop. I also liked Diane Venora as the shrink he teams up with and Gregory Hines as the one who helps analyze the unusual hairs on the victims. Also, Edward James Olmos as one of the American Indians-or Native Americans-Finney talks to about the "wolfen". So on that note, I highly recommend Wolfen.
ihatespike After years of reading and watching all the werewolf stuff I can get my hands on, I finally got around to reading and then watching Wolfen, and I was blown away by the gorgeous, chilling cinematography. You may take me at my word that I have seldom seen a film that was able to build the tension of what you don't see, and reward you when you finally do see it: I have never seen real wolves used so well, or shot so beautifully. As in the book, the Wolfen are both terrifying and yet somehow noble, and you respect the antagonism between them and the human characters (played very well by Albert Finney and co.), and while the ending is somewhat anticlimactic as opposed to its book counterpart, I was still quite pleased with the film as a whole. The introduction of the Native American element into the movie's version of the story made sense and was enjoyable (though E.J. Olmos's nudity was a little much), and I should also mention that the shots of New York were atmospheric and gorgeous as well, and when combined with the werewolf element, make a truly one-of-a-kind horror film. A must for werewolf fans, though they're not werewolves in the strictest sense, but a creatures as unique as their film: The Wolfen.
avidnewbie Wolfen is absolutely a classic of the horror genre. Released in succession after the likes of Altered States, The Howling and An American Werewolf in London it actually provides more tension than the rest because it doesn't overdo the creature effects. The Howling is probably the most famous of the three films yet after purchasing and watching the blu-ray I realized something 33 years later... It's just not scary. The transformations are graphic but feel too long and drawn out now. As an adult I find that werewolves just are no longer scary. Neither is Dracula. At least American Werewolf was funny and had a charismatic lead. Where Wolfen exceeds it's genre roots is in it's attention to plot details and character development. Albert Finney is believable as a burned out cop and Gregory Hines is a treat as his co- star/sidekick the coroner. There are scenes in this film that work on a suspense level that few others can muster and the abandoned tenements provide a creepy location for their two man reconnaissance. As far as 80's horror goes this is essential viewing.
siderite This movie was recommended to me as one of the few good "wolf" films and I have to agree with the guy that it is a pretty smart movie. Now, it isn't perfect and I am sure that none of the people involved in it thought it was a masterpiece, but some bits of the film are pure genius.For example the first murder scene. It is a killing done through the eyes of the predators. They move silently and stealthily, they use the terrain and work as a pack. When one of them is seen by the guy with a gun, it is on purpose, so that another can tear the armed hand from him. It is not terror by special effects, but by the realization that if you are hunted like this, you have no chance of escape, no matter how armed or smart you are.The film goes on like this, alternating the weird 80s scenes with the smart filming and scripting. When all is said and done, most of the people in the film were extremely good actors and the direction was spot on.Bottom line: not a standard horror movie in any way. Actually, it barely has elements of horror, but it is a good thriller. It is NOT about werewolves. The "monsters" are not shown till the end, where they are not as monstrous as one might have thought. The end was pretty lame, but it tried to make some sort of ecological point; it was missed completely. I guess this film could be done in a sort of modern manner, but the premise would have to be altered a bit. The spirit of the movie (pun intended), though, should remain the same. Oh, and the young Indian guy is admiral Adama; I didn't recognize him.