Customer Reviews

Silver Bullet [VHS]

5 star:		(75)
4 star:		(30)
3 star:		(10)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(6)

 

 

This is by no means a frightening movie. Instead, it is an entertaining adventure story in which the villain happens to be a werewolf and the hero is a kid with a severe handicap. He may not have the use of his legs but he does have bravery, a sister that takes him seriously and an uncle who is too much fun to be a really good role model.

When a town his plagued with sudden a violent murders tensions grow high and neighbors become suspicious of one another. At first no one takes the idea of a werewolf seriously but the bodies continue to pile up. Eventually a young boy confinded to a wheelchair sees the wolf firsthand an escapes on the zouped up wheelchair his uncle built for him. His sister knows that he is a royal pain in the backside but she also knows his character and believes him. She discovers the identity of the lycanthropist. Unfortunately, the wolf also learns theirs. The stage is set for a confrontation.

One of the things I like about this movie is that it depicts young people able to act well and make good decisions in spite of the attitude of the adults. It does not depict young people only as selfish idiots seeking only their own gratification. Here it is the youngsters that save the day with the help of an uncle with childing tendencies.

It's a fun movie, not at all serious, just fun.

You don't normally expect to find well-crafted characters in horror movies, which is why SILVER BULLET can catch a first-time viewer by surprise. There are suspenseful scenes aplenty, but it really is the characters and their relationships that make this movie stand out. Corey Haim is Marty, eleven years old and reliant on a motorized wheelchair to get around. Megan Follows is his fifteen year old sister Jane, jealous of the special attention her brother gets because of his disability. Their parents are Bob and Nan, and Nan's brother is played by Gary Busey. Uncle Red is the sort of relative that families are not proud of and would probably rather not associate with at all; it's unfortunate for Nan then that Red loves his nephew Marty so much.

Marty is just getting old enough to realise that Red isn't exactly an exemplary human being. Early in the film a friend of Marty's scares Jane with a snake, causing her to fall flat in a puddle of muddy water and ruin the outfit she's been showing off. It's the sort of prank that a brother would pull on a sister and then immediately regret it, and Marty's face shows the regret not only at that moment, but later at night when he gives Jane money to help make up for it even though it wasn't his fault. At that point she apologises for verbally wounding Marty in retaliation by telling him that Uncle Red, his idol, is a useless drunk.

Because Marty gets preferential treatment from everyone, Jane always feels like she gets no attention, and that carries over to some of the reviews on this site that mention she's a minor character. The importance of her character (especially as the emotional center of the film) is too easily overlooked. When Marty confesses his nighttime encounter with a werewolf to her, she believes him enough to help look for evidence the next day, and her experience leaves her utterly convinced that Marty's story is the truth. At that point the familial relationship between brother and sister (and eventually Uncle Red) begins to strengthen until it reaches its peak at the film's very end with a heartfelt and touching (and not at all saccharine) piece of narration. The movie is narrated by Tovah Feldshuh as a grown-up Jane, and it takes place in the summer of 1976 (just ignore those anachronistic Diet Coke cans in the garage). It's a combination of the beautifully-done narration, the unusually romantic score and the genuinely good acting and interaction between the leads (Haim, Everett McGill as the town's concerned Reverend Lowe, and especially Follows and Busey) that gives the movie an almost lyrical sweetness that not only is unexpected from a low-budget horror movie but also quite simply *works*.

This DVD edition is quite nice in the area of picture quality. Anamorphic widescreen at about 2.35:1, good contrast and sharpness, nothing distracting like severe edge enhancement or anything. A very pleasing image. Sound is good too... but the disc falls flat in the area of extras. Basically, there aren't ANY. One wishes they could have included the commentary that comes with the R2 edition (I believe). But this movie is good enough to still warrant a spot in your collection even without the extras.

In Stephen King's thrilling adaptation of his novelette "Cycle of the Werewolf", the peaceful town of Tarker's Mills is suddenly terrorized by a maniacal killer.

Corey Haim stars as Marty Coslaw, a wheelchair-bound eleven-year-old. Megan Follows stars as Jane Coslaw, Marty's fifteen-year-old sister, who serves as the narrator of the movie. Although Jane and Marty have their occasional brother-sister battles, they do genuinely care about each other, and this bond is shown throughout the movie. Gary Busey stars as Uncle Red, Jane and Marty's alcoholic but caring uncle. Finally, Everett McGill stars as Reverend Lowe, pastor of the local church.

Tarker's Mills is a peaceful town until a string of brutal and unsolved murders begin to take place. At first, the townsfolk think a madman is on the loose. Sheriff Joe Haller (Terry O'Quinn) is facing the wrath of the townspeople for his lack of urgency in solving the murders. Unfortunately, Marty's best friend Brady Kincaid (Joe Wright) is one of the victims. After Brady's murder, the townspeople decide they have had enough of the sheriff's lack of success in finding the killer, so they try their own brand of vigilante justice. Unfortunately, this ends in disaster.

After Brady's funeral, Marty begins to have suspicions about the killer. He raises the possibility of a werewolf as being responsible to uncle Red, who justs laughs it off as totally crazy. However, Marty is undeterred in his belief. After the rash of murders, the town's carnival is cancelled. Uncle Red gives Marty some fireworks as a gift, but tells him he must use them near his house. Of course, an eleven-year-old boy with a new souped-up wheelchair isn't likely to follow directions from adults, so he heads off to a remote bridge to enjoy his fireworks. Upon reaching the bridge, he hears rustles and movement in the surrounding woods. In an instant, Marty comes face-to-face with a huge werewolf; just as he suspected. He uses his last rocket to shoot at the werewolf, and it hits the wolf directly in the eye. Marty manages to high-tail it out of there before the werewolf can regroup.

Upon reaching home, he tells his story to Jane, who is somewhat skeptical, but this time she believes her brother. She is assigned to pick up cans and bottles for a church fund-raiser, and while she's out, she decides to look for someone who has a hurt eye. You'll never guess who she discovers wearing an eyepatch. Will the werewolf succeed in catching Marty, or will he and Jane outsmart the wolf?

This is a very good movie. Stephen King wrote an excellent screenplay, and veteran director Dino De Laurentis does a fine job in bringing King's story to life. Corey Haim and Megan Follows do fine jobs as Marty and Jane, but Gary Busey's performance as Uncle Red is the highlight of the movie.

I give this film my highest recommendation. The acting is good, and the story is well-developed. Horror fans (namely Stephen King fans) will surely enjoy this great werewolf film. Watch out for the full moon.

While this movie has few of the bone chilling moments of "An American Werewolf in London" or "The Howling," it still has moments where it is fascinating and at least a couple of places where the tension rises. Helping along the way are Gary Busey as Marty Coslaw's (Corey Haim) Uncle Red, Megan Follows as Marty's sister Jane, and Everett McGill as creepy Reverend Lowe.

There are murders happening in and around town, and Marty is convinced it is the work of a werewolf, with whom he has a close encounter; a really close encounter. At first no one believes Marty, as you would expect, but then Jane is convinced. Finally Uncle Red is sort of convinced. The tension builds until the night that Jane and Marty's parents are away from home and Uncle Red stays with Marty, Jane, and a single silver bullet.

While there are other werewolf movies with a higher scare factor, this one remains one of my favorites. I will watch this movie sooner than many others just because it is familiar and the characters are generally likable. It is like a cartoon in many ways, but these same qualities make it an easy to watch movie. There are a few intense moments to spike up the movie, including the encounter between Marty and the werewolf on an isolated walking bridge at night in the country, another encounter between a group of citizens out to hunt the murderer, and encounters between the werewolf in his human form and Jane and Marty.

This movie is a must have for Stephen King fans as well as those who have a penchant for people who change into furry creatures.

SILVER BULLET is just pure fun, one of those horror movies that relies on atmospheric tension and frightening monsters. The werewolf is pretty scary in this adaptation of Stephen King's novella, CYCLE OF THE WEREWOLF. 80s teen star Corey Haim is just fine as a wheelchair-bound young boy who discovers there's a werewolf in their midst---the townsfolk think the murders are the work of a psycho killer, but Corey and his sister Megan Follows convince Uncle Red (a cool Gary Busey) and they set off to find the identity of the werewolf. Everett McGill is fine as the creepy minister, and the whole movie works because it doesn't take itself too seriously and it recognizes that. Truly one of the better treatments of a King work.

This is the story of a small town that becomes the home of a vicious werewolf. People are violently killed and no one can figure out by whom.

A young boy confined to a wheelchair is the central character. Every month his uncle (Gary Busse) comes growling into town. He is a wild sort who likes to get drunk. But his influence is enough to spark the imagination necessary to for the boy to suspect the killings are done by a werewolf.

Meanwhile, the town is up in arms about the killings and feel the local law enforcement is not doing enough. Vigilantism is at hand.

Eventually the boy manages to convince his sister that someone is a werewolf. He tells her how to find it and she does. Then they must figure out who to put a stop to it.

The film is full of the wonderful imagery associated with King's better films (Christine, Carrie, Needful Things, Stand By Me, etc.) and has real surprises. I have seen the movie more than once and enjoyed it all times. Knowing who the werewolf was did not ruin it.

If you like werewolf films, this is one of the better ones out there. You might also want to check out Dog Soldiers if you like this one.

if you haven't seen this movie i don't think you should rent it i think you should buy it. it's really that good. strange deaths are occuring right and left in a small rural town. a young crippled boy suspects the town preacher of being a werewolf when the death of his friend brings about even stranger happenings. his uncle (played by gary busey) is in disbelief of the young boys accusations but will soon find out the truth behind the matter. this movie is and will always be my most favorite werewolf movie of all time. it's got suspense, mystery, and murder. great combinations for a classic horror movie. another great aspect of this movie is that it's been made in the golden age of stephen king based movies. no stupiid cheese in this film like the langoliers or rose red. this will actually scare you. this movie and an american werewolf in london will run neck and neck but you'll soon see that silver bullet will be the victor.

Tarver's Mills is a quiet little town like most other quiet little towns. Then, one night, the homicides begin. The hometown police are perplexed and the citizens grow ever more frightened. Young, crippled Marty Coslaw (Corey Haim) and his resentful sister Jane (Megan Follows) come to suspect that a werewolf is loose in their midst, committing these acts of murder. They enlist the aid of their drunken, initially skeptic Uncle Red (Gary Busey) and soon, all three find themselves in the deadliest of peril as they attempt to thwart the ravening creature of the night.

This movie is based on Stephen King's novella "Cycle of the Werewolf" and Stephen himself writes the screenplay. Silver Bullet is a very nice, little spookfilm and should be watched on a dark, rainy evening. Characterization is what drives this unassuming horror picture. The performance of the cast raises Silver Bullet above the other, more derivative lycanthropic shockers. Sadly, Corey Haim is an example of an actor who peaked way too early. It's indicative of his gone-to-seed movie career that his best films are Silver Bullet and The Lost Boys, both pictures taking place before Haim was seventeen. As the focus of Silver Bullet, Haim is sincere and real in his depiction of wheelchaired Marty Coslaw. Megan Follows is simply perfect as Jane, Marty's put-upon sister. Haim and Follows embody the typical quarrelsome sibling relationship of most families (Marty plays pranks on Jane; Jane calls Marty "Booger"). But when the chips are down, they stick together. Throw their Uncle Red into that family dynamic, also. Uncle Red as winningly played by Gary Busey is the go-to adult, who is often inebriated but has enough childlike sensibilities in him to relate well to the Coslaw kids. Everett McGill, however, is exceedingly creepy as the town reverend.

The movie is simple, straightforward and doesn't try to fool anyone. The storytelling is really well done; the film takes great pains to fill in character backgrounds and then scarily ups the ante during the tension-filled scenes. The special effects are modest but effective. The werewolf isn't cheesy-looking at all; it is, instead, suitably fearsome and gory. The werewolf transformation at the end is pretty cool, even now. The narrative voice-over (an older Jane) adds emotional gravitas to the little film. So, c'mon, give this one a try. Just make sure you turn out the lights.

"Carrie" is arguably the only other King story that adapted well to the silver screen. Too often a screen play from a Stephen King book is either entirely made-up and works nothing like the original story or crams in too many partial details that can't be explained in 90 minutes (if they ever could).

"Silver Bullet" is a very simple story that only centers around four main characters (including the werewolf). It's only about a boy trying to get help from his family to kill a werewolf. If a werewolf actually existed, that scenario is as close to reality as any other. No time is wasted on exploring the poor tortured soul of the werewolf that's typical of these stories. There are no scenes of stupid-citizen-who-has-all-the-evidence-but-doesn't-believe-it-and-becomes-victim-number-5. Well, not really.

Yes, this probably is the best reason to see Corey Haim act. Megan Follows is very good as the older sister just before she did "Anne of Green Gables". Gary Busey is entirely believable as the uncle who tries to relate to the kids more as a big brother. I think we all know a relative of ours or someone else's that plays that role. The werewolf costume looks like a costume, but then the artificial shark in "Jaws" wasn't very good either.

Like "the Fog" and "Tremors", this is a good horror film that hasn't gotten the positive attention is deserves.

Based on a novella written by author Stephen King titled Cycle of the Werewolf, Silver Bullet (1985) falls into the area of being very good, while not on the same level of other movies based on King stories like The Shining (1980) or Christine (1983), but certainly not dwelling in the depths of cruddiness like Maximum Overdrive (1986), which, by the way was the only film King ever directed, which says a lot based on how many of his stories have been adapted to the big and little screens. I remember when Maximum Overdrive came out, and King made such a big deal about his directing it, saying something along the lines of if you want something done right, you have to do it yourself...boy did that film flop. Anyway, thankfully Silver Bullet wasn't directed by King, but was put into the more capable hands of a man named Dan Attias, who later went on to work almost exclusively directing television episodes for such shows like SledgeHammer, Jake and the Fatman, Melrose Place, Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman and so on...the film lists a pretty impressive cast with Gary Busey (prior to his 1988 near-fatal motorcycle accident where he suffered massive head injuries), Corey Haim before he became really annoying (that period began shortly after the film The Lost Boys (1987) and has yet to end), perennial screen meany Everett McGill, and a young Megan Follows, who I most remember as Anne from the Anne of Green Gables series. Also appearing in minor roles are Terry O'Quinn, probably most memorable as the psychotic killer step dad from the Stepfather films, and veteran actor Lawrence Tierney, who many would remember best as the gruff, curmudgeonly old man Joe Cabot from Quentin Tarantino's breakout film Reservoir Dogs (1992).

As the film begins, we're presented with an older female narrative voice speaking of past events, specifically a particularly horrific series of events over the period of a summer long since past. As the voice speaks, we are transported back to the unspecified time, and witness a fairly brutal decapitation of a lone rail yard worker, which, apparently was just the precursor to horror yet to come. Soon afterwards we meet Marty Coslow (I thought it was Coleslaw, until I saw the credits), played by Haim. A prior, unmentioned accident has caused the loss of use of Marty's legs, confining him to a wheelchair, but he seems to have adapted well, especially with the diesel powered wheelchair his Uncle Red (Busey) built for him. Marty has a older sister named Jane (Follows), who is also the narrator at the beginning of the film, and they seem to have a very normal pre-teen sibling relationship where Marty plays pranks on Jane, and Jane gets frustrated with him because she believes their parents let him get away with much due to his condition. Despite Marty's condition, the relationship mirrors most any sibling relation consisting of varying degrees of love and hate. We also meet Uncle Red, a boozy, affable fellow who shares a special relationship with his nephew Marty, and also with Jane to some degree, based on the obvious indications that, while he is an adult, he still maintains a childlike quality of an adult who never grew up. He's the uncle you wish you had, the one to get you into R-rated movies, cover for you if you skipped school, buy you fireworks, etc.

Anyway, as the summer wears on, so do the murders. The nature of the killings is obviously well beyond anything local law enforcement is accustom to (think Sheriff Taylor and Deputy Barney Fife in Mayberry, only without the humor), and the townspeople begin to get very agitated at the inability of the sheriff to find the killer. Based on the viciousness of the murders and the title of the film, we know it's probably a werewolf, but within the context of the film and the story, something like that is just too fantastic...that is, until Marty has a run in with the supernatural creature. Barely escaping, whom can he tell? His sister? He does, to which she doesn't initially completely believe him, until she comes across proof herself. Really, the only one they can turn to is Uncle Red, who thinks they're crazy, but is willing to go along if only to help placate his upset nephew and niece, and also, maybe because he still retains a bit of the ability to see the world through the eyes of a child, all the wondrous and horrific elements adults may not notice, as they're too consumed with the reality of life. So a member of the town is a werewolf? Possibly...you will probably figure it out well before the identity is revealed, and there is a certain amount of predictability inherent in the story, but neither of these elements seem to spoil the film any. The effects within the film may not win anyone any awards, but they are adequate and even pretty good at some points, but since the story doesn't solely rely on this aspect, I had very little problems with it. It's the characters in the story that enthralled me, and their very realistic and seemingly sincere relationships that sells this movie more than anything else for me. I truly liked them, and found them wholly interesting, thus I was concerned and even scared for them, when danger presented itself. I enjoyed all the characters here, but I thought Busey was particularly good, playing a role that probably fit his personality very well. The movie has a lot of heart, while avoiding the mushiness that so often accompanies it. Kind of strange to talk of such these with regards to a horror movie, but there you go.

If you're a fan of special features, you'll be disappointed because there is really any, except maybe if you count English subtitles. The wide screen anamorphic print looks good, although the audio seemed a bit soft at times.

Cookieman108