Reviews: Howlers (2019) Movie Review
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Subgenres: Werewolves, Action
Our take on Howlers (2019) explores its plot, scares, and horror highlights to help fans decide if it deserves a place on their watchlist.
Howlers (2019), written and directed by Josh Ridgway, sets out to deliver a pulpy mashup of werewolves, bikers, and time-traveling gunslingers, and while it gets points for ambition and genre-blending enthusiasm, the final product howls more in confusion than in triumph. Campy by design but clunky in execution, Howlers struggles to find a consistent tone — torn between grindhouse homage and supernatural action flick.
Howlers (2019) – Werewolves, Leather Jackets, and Missed Potential
Plot, Themes, and Character Development
The film kicks off with a cursed cowboy named Colt (played by Chad Michael Collins) who returns from the dead in the modern day to hunt down a pack of werewolf bikers that he originally faced off against in the Old West. Armed with silver bullets and a no-nonsense attitude, Colt teams up with a local sheriff and a quirky cast of townsfolk to stop the lycanthropic biker gang before they tear through another generation.
On paper, it’s a fun, campy concept that mashes up genres in the vein of From Dusk Till Dawn or Near Dark. Thematically, Howlers lightly touches on ideas of legacy, vengeance, and redemption, but it never commits to any emotional or mythological depth. Characters are introduced with broad archetypes — the silent cowboy, the wise sheriff, the comic-relief deputy — and then left to drift through a series of set pieces without much development.
Colt, as the central figure, is all grit and no arc. He’s cool in a pulpy, straight-faced way, but never evolves or reveals much beyond his mission. The supporting characters mostly exist to be rescued, exposit lore, or provide comic banter — some of which lands, and some of which doesn’t.
Acting and Cinematography
Chad Michael Collins brings a decent screen presence to Colt — stoic, stone-faced, and mostly playing it straight in a film that veers into goofball territory. Unfortunately, the script doesn’t give him much to work with beyond one-liners and action poses. Sean Patrick Flanery appears briefly as a priest but is underutilized, and much of the supporting cast feels like they’re acting in different movies entirely — some going full camp, others trying to keep things grounded.
Cinematography-wise, Howlers is uneven. There are a few slick shots, especially in the neon-lit fight scenes, but overall the film looks flat and occasionally rushed. The action sequences are choppy, the editing is erratic, and the visual effects — especially the werewolf makeup — feel low-budget and inconsistent. Some werewolves look like Halloween store costumes, while others are hidden in shadows, likely due to budget constraints.
Directing Style, Strengths, and Weaknesses
Josh Ridgway clearly has affection for grindhouse cinema and supernatural pulp, and you can feel that in the bones of Howlers. The intent is to create a throwback to over-the-top ‘80s horror-action hybrids, complete with synthy music, excessive slow-mo, and stylized kills. The problem is, it doesn’t always land — the film wants to be fun, fast-paced, and knowingly dumb, but it often just feels disjointed and undercooked.
The tone bounces between serious action-horror and outright parody. Some scenes play it straight, while others dive into full-on absurdity. Without a consistent approach, the audience is left unsure whether to laugh, cringe, or take it seriously. The result is a film that’s never boring, but frequently baffling.
Strengths:
Original genre mashup that blends westerns, werewolves, and biker gangs
Chad Michael Collins plays a cool, stoic action lead
Some creative practical effects in werewolf battles
Fast pacing keeps things moving, even when plot lags
Campy grindhouse energy, especially for fans of B-movie aesthetics
Weaknesses:
Inconsistent tone that veers between parody and serious horror
Weak dialogue and underdeveloped characters
Low-budget effects and uneven creature design
Sloppy editing and visual flatness during key scenes
Missed opportunities to deepen mythology or emotional stakes
Final Verdict & Score: 5/10
Howlers is a low-budget, genre-bending oddity that aims high but lands somewhere in the middle. For fans of cheesy werewolf flicks, cult action horror, and tongue-in-cheek supernatural battles, it offers just enough entertainment to justify a one-time watch. But its lack of polish, tonal whiplash, and paper-thin characters will likely leave more serious horror fans wanting more. It’s a fun idea that needed more bite.
Sources Used to Shape This Review
Insights in this review are drawn from director interviews, fan commentary, production notes, and long-form breakdowns across genre-specific platforms. Content is written uniquely and reviewed for accuracy.
- Howlers Rating Scores
- Our Score: 5/10
- Overall Score: 4.48/10
- IMDB: 4.2/10
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