It may be a new decade, but the era of remakes is a strong as ever. Andy Muschietti has confirmed that he’s bringing a remake of the 1981 cult-classic werewolf film The Howling to Netflix.
The IT and IT: Chapter 2 filmmaker will helm a new take on Joe Dante’s loose adaptation of Gary Bradner’s 1977 novel of the same name. In the original film, TV journalist Karen White (Dee Wallace) finds herself stalked by a serial killer. With her help, police are able to stop the murderer, but the events leave Karen traumatized. She’s sent to an isolated psychiatric retreat run by Dr. George Waggner (Patrick Macnee) — but her coworker Chris (Dennis Dugan) suspects the resort may harbor dangerously supernatural secrets.
There’s been no direct confirmation from Muschietti or Netflix on details surrounding the remake, but it’s one the director’s been hinting at since last year. During WB’s ScareDiego in July, when asked about what horror film the Argentine filmmaker would pick to remake, he chose The Howling.
(Read: The Top 25 Horror Films of the 2010s)
Before he gets to his dream remake, however, he’ll shoot the long-gestating Flash movie for Warner Bros./DC. Films. During the same panel discussion in which he revealed the Howling news, he also confirmed Flash will present a “different version of” the classic Flashpoint storyline from the comics.
The original Howling also led to several sequels, including Howling II: Your Sister Is a Werewolf, Howling III, Howling IV: The Original Nightmare, Howling V: The Rebirth, Howling VI: The Freaks, Howling: New Moon Rising, and The Howling: Reborn. There’s no word if any elements of those will make their way into Muschietti’s upcoming remake.
The choice to bring back The Howling makes sense for Netflix. The streaming platform has had a bit of supernatural success with other hits like Stranger Things, and the more recent premiere of the series The Witcher.
While we await more news on Netflix’s The Howling, revisit the 1981 trailer below.
