In the small town of Tarkers Mills, a "maniac" is on the loose, targeting young and old, tearing people literally to pieces. Young Marty (Corey Haim), who is in a wheelchair, inadvertently discovers the identity of the person who can transform into a werewolf, and has to do what he can to protect himself and his family, including his sister, Jane (Megan Follows) and fairly obnoxious Uncle Red (Gary Busey of The Firm). With this premise there's no reason why Silver Bullet shouldn't have emerged as an edge-of-your-seat terrifying suspense film and mystery, but there's way too much of the comparatively boring kid and his family, minimizing the tension despite a couple of exciting and scary sequences. Stephen King's screenplay, based on his book "Cycle of the Werewolf," features characters that often act stupidly, as well as moments of sheer illogic. Busey's irritating presence is no help, although there are good performances in the film: Haim is notable as the kid; Everett McGill makes a mild impression as the town's minister; Terry O'Quinn [Black Widow] is fine as the sheriff; but Kent Broadhurst really scores as the father of a murdered boy -- his reaction when he finds his son's body (the pieces of which which are not shown) is very powerfully played. Lawrence Tierney [Bodyguard] has a small role as a bartender who meets a grim end. Carlo Rambaldi's creature FX are mostly first-rate.
Verdict: So-so werewolf movie with some good scenes and interesting elements. **1/2.
This is one I missed as a teenager, though it is right up my alley. I have a lot of respect for Corey Haim as a young actor...he basically steals one of my favorite films, The Lost Boys, from the rest of the cast, and in this I can imagine he is also winning. So sad that he never fulfilled his promise later on. Will definitely look for this, as I love Stephen King adaptations...even the bad ones!
ReplyDeleteHave a great weekend, Bill!
-Chris
You, too, Chris! Thanks for your comments, as always. Yes, Corey Haim was one of a long line of young actors who couldn't overcome their drug problems. I don't know how popular "Silver Bullet" was, as usually with Stephen King you get half a dozen sequels or more, which didn't happen with this one.
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