In Budapest, Hungary, a long closed and forgotten castle is now being re-opened 500 years after a mysterious incident left its prior occupants massacred. The enigmatic Count (Phillip Davis) plays host to an eclectic group of guests for a party which they are forced to stay at due to the remote location and onset of a blizzard and one by one the guests are slaughtered by a strange beast and discover their invitations may not have been random.
While Howling IV was panned by audiences, critics, and even the producers and crew, the film was successful enough that producer Steven Lane was able to justify another installment. Made as an international co-production as a cost saving measure to utilize the affordable locations of Eastern Europe. Utilizing a more gothic atmosphere and a whodunit style narrative intended to de-emphasize effects sequences, Howling V uses these limitations to its advantage. While Howling V never gets as entertainingly bonkers as II and III, it's a solid enough whodunit that engages in spite of technical and acting limitations.
If you're familiar with the setup of your traditional limited location murder mystery, Howling V covers many of those beats by producing a distinct lineup of characters and a solid location in the old castle that's a character in and of itself. Howling V has much loftier ambitions than a direct-to-video werewolf film really needs and with a little more budget and polish you could hypothetically see this setup as something a major studio could do but given this is from the director of Space Mutiny it strives for being serviceable if slightly disposable entertainment which it is. As a murder mystery it's pretty engaging and fun although the hit-and-miss acting coupled with a very frugal approach does sometimes make the film feel less like a classic gothic murder mystery and more akin to a spoof like Clue or Murder by Death played straight with no jokes (arguably making it as if not more humorous).
I can't really defend Howling V too heavily on its own merits (though it has more than it really needed, especially in comparison to its predecessor), but if you're looking for fun if very straightforward werewolf trash Howling V has you covered.
While Howling IV was panned by audiences, critics, and even the producers and crew, the film was successful enough that producer Steven Lane was able to justify another installment. Made as an international co-production as a cost saving measure to utilize the affordable locations of Eastern Europe. Utilizing a more gothic atmosphere and a whodunit style narrative intended to de-emphasize effects sequences, Howling V uses these limitations to its advantage. While Howling V never gets as entertainingly bonkers as II and III, it's a solid enough whodunit that engages in spite of technical and acting limitations.
If you're familiar with the setup of your traditional limited location murder mystery, Howling V covers many of those beats by producing a distinct lineup of characters and a solid location in the old castle that's a character in and of itself. Howling V has much loftier ambitions than a direct-to-video werewolf film really needs and with a little more budget and polish you could hypothetically see this setup as something a major studio could do but given this is from the director of Space Mutiny it strives for being serviceable if slightly disposable entertainment which it is. As a murder mystery it's pretty engaging and fun although the hit-and-miss acting coupled with a very frugal approach does sometimes make the film feel less like a classic gothic murder mystery and more akin to a spoof like Clue or Murder by Death played straight with no jokes (arguably making it as if not more humorous).
I can't really defend Howling V too heavily on its own merits (though it has more than it really needed, especially in comparison to its predecessor), but if you're looking for fun if very straightforward werewolf trash Howling V has you covered.