The Howling Rankings And Opinions

Confession: the The Howling franchise is the kind of horror series that feels like it was built by three different people, over four different decades, using one shared toolbox and a single, haunted VHS tape. And honestly? That chaos is part of the charm.

This guide ranks the The Howling movies (best to worst) and explains why each entry lands where it doeswhether it’s genuinely great werewolf horror, a fascinating misfire, or the cinematic equivalent of opening your fridge at 2 a.m. and finding… beans. Again.

Why “The Howling” Still Matters in Werewolf Horror

The original The Howling (1981) didn’t just show a werewolfit made you feel the transformation. It leaned into practical effects, uneasy atmosphere, and a sly sense of humor that keeps the movie from taking itself too seriously while still taking the horror seriously enough to bite.

That tonal balancing actcreepy, funny, tense, absurdis basically the franchise’s DNA. The sequels, meanwhile, are what happens when that DNA gets put in the microwave, then frozen, then mailed to a different continent, then thawed on a budget of four dollars and a dream. Some fans love that. Some fans run away howling. Both reactions are valid.

How This Ranking Works

To keep the list fair (and prevent the loudest werewolf from winning by volume), every movie gets judged by the same criteria:

• Wolf Factor: Are the werewolves scary, memorable, or at least interesting?
• Story Bite: Does the plot move, or does it just wander around growling?
• Tone Control: Comedy-horror is an art. Chaos-horror is… a lifestyle choice.
• Rewatchability: Would you revisit this on purpose?
• “What Did I Just Watch?” Value: Some movies earn points for being delightfully unhinged.

The Howling Movies Ranked

1) The Howling (1981) Best Overall

This is the one that keeps the franchise in polite company. Set up like a paranoid thriller before it morphs into full creature-feature madness, the film follows a TV journalist who’s rattled after a traumatic encounter and retreats to a secluded “therapy” community… where the vibes are off, the neighbors are odd, and the local wildlife has strong opinions about personal boundaries.

What makes it stand out is how confidently it mixes dread and dark humor. The movie winks at classic monster cinema without turning into a spoof, and the practical effects remain the main eventtransformations that look painful, uncanny, and physically real in a way that computer graphics often struggle to replicate.

Best for: fans of classic ‘80s horror, practical effects, and movies that can make you laugh and tense up in the same scene.

2) Howling V: The Rebirth (1989) Best “Unexpectedly Solid” Sequel

If you told someone, “It’s a werewolf whodunit in a castle,” they’d probably say, “That sounds amazing.” And then they’d immediately add, “Please don’t mess this up.”

Howling V is one of the rare sequels that tries something different: less nonstop monster mayhem, more atmosphere and suspicion. A group arrives at a remote castle for a reopening, secrets bubble up, and the body count suggests that one of them might not be entirely… human. It’s moody, contained, and surprisingly watchable.

Best for: viewers who like “ten strangers trapped in one location” mysteries, plus a side of lycanthropy.

3) Howling II: Your Sister Is a Werewolf (1985) Best So-Bad-It’s-Entertaining Entry

This sequel swings wildly in a different direction: more camp, more oddball energy, more “What is happening and why is it happening like this?” It involves a werewolf cult, a vampire-werewolf queen figure (because sure), and a tone that treats subtlety like it personally owes it money.

It’s infamous for over-the-top choices, but it also has a weird party-movie appeal. You don’t watch it expecting elegance; you watch it because you and your friends want to yell at the screen and then laugh when the movie yells back.

Best for: late-night viewing with snacks, friends, and a willingness to embrace cinematic chaos.

4) Howling III: The Marsupials (1987) Best “Weird But Creative” Sequel

Only this franchise would ask, “What if werewolves… but Australian… and also biology class?”

Howling III leans into comedy-horror and takes a bizarre evolutionary detour, imagining werewolves with marsupial traits. It’s goofy, ambitious, and absolutely not for everyone. But if your taste in horror includes words like “odd,” “experimental,” and “I can’t believe they did that,” it’s worth a look.

Best for: viewers who enjoy horror that veers into cult-movie territory without asking permission.

5) Howling IV: The Original Nightmare (1988) Best “Closest to a Straightforward Story” Follow-Up

This one aims for a more traditional werewolf narrative and a less jokey vibe. Depending on your mood, that can feel refreshingor it can feel like someone removed the franchise’s signature wink and forgot to replace it with enough electricity.

It’s not a disaster, and some fans appreciate the attempt to steer back toward a more classic horror setup. But compared to the 1981 film’s personality, it can feel like a cover band playing the hits with a slightly different instrument and a slightly lower budget.

Best for: fans who prefer their werewolf movies more direct and less meta.

6) Howling VI: The Freaks (1991) Best “Curiosity Watch”

Howling VI is the point where the franchise starts to feel like it’s running on fumes, vibes, and whatever locations were available that week. There are still moments of atmosphere and the occasional “Hey, that’s a neat idea,” but it doesn’t consistently deliver on suspense or standout creature work.

Best for: completionists and people who treat sequels like Pokémon (“I must collect them all”).

7) The Howling: Reborn (2011) Best “Different Audience, Different Era” Attempt

This later entry goes for a more modern, teen-focused horror approach, which means it feels like it’s borrowing energy from the trends of its time rather than extending the personality of the original film.

It’s not unwatchable, but it’s not the franchise’s strongest identity match either. If you’re coming here for Joe Dante-style irony, you’ll probably miss it. If you’re curious how the concept gets repackaged decades later, it’s an interesting comparison.

Best for: viewers who want a newer take and don’t mind a shift in tone and style.

8) Howling: New Moon Rising (1995) Worst Overall

This is the entry that often gets described with the kind of honesty usually reserved for group chats: it reuses footage, veers into strange comedic bits, and doesn’t deliver the werewolf thrills most people came for. It feels stitched together from leftoverssometimes literallyso it’s tough to recommend unless you’re doing a full franchise marathon and have committed to the bit.

Best for: the bravest completionists, or anyone who believes true horror is “runtime management.”

Quick Watch Guide: Where Should You Start?

• If you want the best movie: start with The Howling (1981).
• If you want campy chaos: add Howling II.
• If you want a fun sequel surprise: try Howling V after the original.
• If you want the “weird museum tour” experience: sample Howling III and IV.

Common Opinions (and Why People Disagree So Much)

Opinion #1: “The original is the only essential one.”

This is the dominant view because the 1981 film has the strongest craft, tone, and legacy. Everything else is optional seasoning.

Opinion #2: “The sequels are the point.”

For cult-horror fans, messy sequels are a feature, not a bug. They turn a single strong movie into an entire ecosystem of strange ideas, questionable choices, and the occasional unexpected gem.

Opinion #3: “Howling V is underrated.”

It gets love because it commits to a different structure (mystery/ensemble) and uses atmosphere as its weapon rather than trying to outdo the original’s effects.

FAQs: The Howling Movies

Is “The Howling” better than other classic werewolf movies?

It depends on what you want. If you love practical effects, satire, and a “modern mythology” vibe, it’s a top-tier choice. If you prefer a more tragic or purely scary approach, you might rank other classics higher. The good news: werewolves don’t judge. Much.

Do you have to watch the Howling movies in order?

Not really. Most entries are loosely connected at best, and several feel like standalone experiments wearing the franchise name like a Halloween costume.

Which Howling sequel is the best?

For many viewers, Howling V is the strongest overall sequel, while Howling II is the “most fun” if you enjoy camp.

Final Thoughts: My Take on The Howling Rankings

The The Howling franchise is a perfect example of why horror fans are both blessed and cursed: you get a genuinely great originaland then you get an entire ladder of sequels ranging from “surprisingly decent” to “this feels like a dare.”

If you only watch one, watch the 1981 film and enjoy one of the era’s most distinctive werewolf horror experiences. If you want the full roller coaster, pace yourself, grab snacks, and remember: ranking movies is supposed to be fun. The moment it stops being fun, the werewolves win.

Experience-Based Add-On: What Watching “The Howling” Feels Like (500+ Words)

Because “rankings and opinions” don’t really come alive until you picture how people actually watch these movies, here’s the experience side of the franchisethe viewing patterns, the reactions, and the oddly specific moments that tend to stick with audiences.

Experience #1: The Original Is a Crowd-Pleaser in a Weird Way.
Put on The Howling (1981) with a mixed groupserious horror fans, casual viewers, and one friend who “doesn’t like scary movies”and something interesting happens: people start laughing, then they get tense, then they laugh again, and then (during the effects-heavy moments) everyone leans forward like they’re watching a magic trick. The practical transformations have a tactile, “how did they do that?” quality that sparks conversation in real time. Even viewers who don’t love gore or monster movies often respect the craftsmanship, because it doesn’t look like a computer generated it during someone’s lunch break.

Experience #2: The Franchise Works Best as a “Choose Your Own Chaos” Marathon.
A full franchise marathon is… ambitious. The smarter move is a curated night that matches your mood:

• Prestige-ish night: The Howling + Howling V (great contrast: classic vs. moody mystery).
• Camp night: The Howling + Howling II (the whiplash is part of the entertainment).
• “We support strange art” night: Howling III (expect bafflement, then laughter, then debate).

People tend to enjoy the series more when they stop expecting consistency and start treating it like a mixtape of werewolf ideassome brilliant, some odd, some absolutely not approved by any responsible adult.

Experience #3: Ranking the Sequels Is Basically a Personality Test.
The person who ranks Howling II near the top usually values “vibes, energy, and memorable nonsense.” The person who champions Howling V tends to value structure and atmosphere. The person who defends Howling IV often just wants a cleaner story. And the person who says, “Actually, I like New Moon Rising,” is either:

a) a completionist with battle scars, or

b) the chaotic friend who picks the restaurant by spinning a wheel and calling it “destiny.”

Experience #4: The Best Way to Watch Is With “Expectation Management Snacks.”
This sounds like a joke, but it’s practical advice. If you go into the later sequels expecting another 1981-level classic, you’ll be disappointed. If you go in expecting a low-budget creature feature with occasional accidental comedy, you’ll have a much better time. Pair the viewing with snacks that match the tone:

• Original film: something classic and comforting.
• Howling II: “party snacks” that can survive yelling at the screen.
• Howling V: something atmospherictea, hot chocolate, or anything that says “gothic castle energy.”

The snack strategy works because it turns the night into an event, not a test of endurance.

Experience #5: The Franchise Leaves You With Great Conversations.
Even when a sequel isn’t “good,” it can still be usefulas a conversation starter about what makes horror work. Practical effects vs. digital. Humor vs. dread. Mythology vs. mystery. Budget limitations vs. creative solutions. The Howling is the anchor that makes those discussions interesting, because you can always point back and say, “Okay, but remember how the first one pulled off that mood?”

In other words: the franchise is less like a straight line and more like a forest trail. The first part is beautifully maintained, the middle has some questionable forks, and the last stretch occasionally feels like you’re hiking because you told someone you would. But if you like werewolf horror, it’s a journey with a lot of personalitysharp teeth included.