Nerds That Geek Movie Review: ‘The Howling’ (2017)

Written by Scott Edwards

Some people have the need to be seen and heard and while that might be for them, others just like to blend into the crowd. While there is nothing wrong with wanting to become famous in one way or another, you need to remember what really needs to go into it. While there is plenty of internet fame these days, and getting hits is all that matters, you need to bring some sort of new content to the arena. As it seems that everything has been done in one way or another, the point is to make people want to hear from you over everyone else and while you could be delivering the same message as others, making it your own and connecting with the fans is really what matters most.

Driving her roommate Jason to pick up his girlfriend Kirsty, Sophia is getting very annoyed with him sticking his phone in her face. As it seems that Jason has never seen a crazy cat video before, she needs to keep her eyes on the road. But there is no way in stopping Jason from searching the web, as there seems to be all kinds of things flying around including a story about Doctor Rathbone who is a local legend. Hearing the name Rathbone again, Sophia watches a little show on the deranged doctor who never seemed to age over the 150 years that he supposedly lived to. Sparking something inside of her, Sophia and Jason decide that it is time to become internet famous and try to find the doctor in the woods for the world to see.

With all of the stories surrounding Doctor Rathbone, it has been said in recent history that he and his monsters are back again and the woods where he has been spotted are not that far from their flat. Packing up and convincing Kirsty to come along, the group makes their way into the woods. As day turns into night, Jason and Kirsty take care of each other when they notice that Sophia has gone missing. Searching the surrounding woods to find that the car has gone missing, Sophia is located, but she is not the only thing that Jason has spotted. 

Arriving on the doorstep of an old building, the group is invited in and finds that they are in the reaches of something unimaginable, meeting the one and only Doctor Rathbone. As the good doctor only speaks through his assistant, the group is invited to spend the night as a storm is coming in. While Jason and Sophia are beside themselves, Kirsty is not so sure that this is the best idea. With no cell phone signal, much less any WiFi, the group is cut off from the world at least for the night, but that is not all as Kirsty finds that there is something truly strange happing within the elder’s walls. Seeing the good doctor dancing with his aged bride, she becomes the first victim of the Rathbone monsters who are not only real but looking to help fulfill the doctor’s quest in finding a way to become immortal.

I am still not sure how much I liked this movie, while the overall story was solid, there were some spots where I was not sure what in the heck was going on. I liked the group overall and how Jason seemed to turn into a different person when entering the old building, but Kirsty really stole most of the movie when trying to flee for her life. Sophia was great, as she seemed to be the only one with a steady head on her shoulders, and when she became disillusioned with the doctor, she knew it was time to leave well before her number was called. Rathbone was great as well, as you are introduced to a mad genius who will stop at nothing to keep his love alive for an eternity. With some creepy monsters, the promise of becoming internet famous, a mad doctor, a dying bride, no WiFi, and the need to live forever, this movie really had a Frankenstein feel to it, and I think that this is a good thing, since, well, there were some monsters running around. Stay Scared.

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