IT CHAPTER TWO Director Confesses He’d Love to Remake The Howling

Throughout the history of horror cinema, the notion of remaking a successful storyline is regularly implemented, whether it be iconic characters like Dracula or the Mummy regularly being revived for the big screen or films like The Fly or The House on Haunted Hill being reimagined, the genre has a way of repeating itself. As Andy Muschietii proved with his take on Stephen King’s IT, which previously earned a miniseries adaptation in 1990, shedding new light on a familiar narrative can be more successful than its predecessors. During a recent event at San Diego Comic-Con, Muschietti revealed that, were he to reinvent any other familiar horror film, he’d be interested in developing a new take on The Howling.

ComicBook.com was on hand at the ScareDiego event featuring the cast and crew of IT CHAPTER TWO, who fielded questions from fans. When the question was posed to Muschietti about a horror project he’d like to remake, he specified The Howling, noting that it was a film that more contemporary genre audiences might not be as familiar with. Star Bill Hader then lent his support to the notion, noting that it would be “rad.”

Much like IT, the 1981 The Howling was also an adaptation of the novel of the same name. In the film, a news anchor is stalked by a serial killer and, after participating in an operation where she serves as bait for the murderer, copes with the psychological trauma by heading to a remote commune. While there, she learns the hard way that the community is populated by werewolves.

The Howling is one of three notable werewolf films to debut in 1981, the others being An American Werewolf in London and Wolfen. All three featured groundbreaking special effects with its depictions of werewolves and a human’s transformation into the beasts, with The Howling setting the standard thanks to it being the first to hit theaters that year.

The film’s special effects were created by Rob Bottin, who earned his big break thanks to special effects legend Rick Baker. The Howling was Bottin’s first solo project, while Baker was responsible for the effects in An American Werewolf in London. Bottin’s accomplishments on the film scored him the job of crafting the special effects for John Carpenter’s The Thing, which was an adaptation of the novella Who Goes There? and had previously earned the 1951 adaptation The Thing from Another World.

IT CHAPTER TWO lands in theaters on September 6th.

Would you like to see Muschietti’s take on The Howling? Let us know in the comments below or hit up @TheWolfman on Twitter to talk all things horror and Star Wars!