31 Days of Halloween: Revisit Stephen King’s Silver Bullet for its 32nd anniversary!
By Patti Pauley
We’re continuing 1428 Elm’s 31 Days of Halloween by celebrating an underrated Halloween horror classic on its 32nd movie anniversary- Stephen King’s Silver Bullet!
Oh man, 32 years? I’m too old to be playing Hardy Boys meets Reverend Werewolf…
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Yes boils and ghouls, 32 years ago on this very day Stephen King’s brilliant novella “Cycle of the Werewolf” beautifully illustrated by the late, great Bernie Wrightson came alive on the big screen and gave us to even this day, one of the greatest goddamn national treasures in the horror movie genre. From the glorious one-liners by Uncle Red (Gary Busey) to the poetic and chilling narratives from ALL characters in the film, Silver Bullet still holds up as one of the best, and if I may be so bold, it’s the most wonderful werewolf flick of all time.
*Spoilers contained ahead!
That’s a bold fuckin’ statement, I know. However, I’m willing to bet my entire coveted subscription to Popular Mechanics that someone else reading this feels the same. The story of eleven-year-old Marty (Corey Haim) who is confined to a wheelchair seems to be the only who realizes that things aren’t quite as kosher as they once were in his quiet town of Tarker’s Mills is a joyride from beginning to end in a who-dunnit gorefest.
Strange animalistic murders begin to plague the once peaceful area, and although little Marty has a few suspicions, it isn’t until the violent death of his best friend that he begins to really wonder- what if it’s some kind of monster? Of course, he confides this revelation with his dear Uncle and he pretty much laughs it off, like any sane adult. That is until his nephew’s theory proves to be true.
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The man, the myth, the Busey.
Say what you will about the Busey, but his character of Red, Marty’s three-time divorced, slightly drunk half the time Uncle, is truly memorable in this film as not only a bit of comic relief with some fantastic one-liners but also serves as a secondary hero in the film in the most unconventional of ways. He’s drawn out as some sort of drunken loser by Marty and Jane’s mother, but Marty holds him high in regard as they clearly have a special bond between them. Marty sees strength in him, confides in him, and although it took a little persuading and some physical evidence from an accident with Marty’s wheelchair appropriately named the Silver Bullet, Red finally comes on board with Marty and Jane after persuading her as well, that maybe, JUST MAYBE, there really is a monster walking among them. Oh, and if anything else is worth noting here, Busey wrestles the goddamn werewolf. I’ll say that again…
GARY BUSEY WRESTLES A WEREWOLF. Fantastic.
Image via Life Between Frames
Why Jane… You’re trembling…
Oh, Janey. Let’s get real. For about a three-quarters of the film Marty’s older and seemingly jealous sister is an insufferable little bitch. She constantly yells at her brother, calls him shitty names, and is all around just unpleasant. Of course, all brothers and sisters fight, however, it’s clear she envies the attention her younger sibling receives on account of his limited motor skills.
She does redeem herself later in the movie once she also realizes Marty isn’t making shit up when it comes to the monster who walks among them in Tarker’s Mills. As a matter of fact, in a seriously creepy scene, she’s cornered by the werewolf in human form while collecting bottles for charity- and humoring her brother by looking for a one-eyed citizen as the night before Marty had his own run-in with the beast and blasted him in the eye-socket with a bottle rocket.
Fun little fact: The older Jane narrating the movie is voiced by actress Tovah Feldshuh who portrays The Walking Dead‘s once leader of Alexandria, Deanna Monroe.
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By killing her, I saved her life eternally…
We find out about halfway in that the local beloved Reverand Lester Lowe (Everett McGill) carries the curse of the werewolf. We never find out the hows and whys concerning his burden, however, I think sometimes the unknown works best and it certainly does here. The mysterious background of Reverend Werewolf makes him that much scarier, and when Lowe is in human form, he’s just as chilling. Esspessialy, in particular, his monologue inside the enclosed bridge where he corners Marty in an attempt to keep his murderous, beastly secret. By the way guys, that werewolf costume gets a shit rep. It really isn’t THAT bad. I’ll just leave my opinion at that.
By the way guys, that werewolf costume gets a shit rep. It really isn’t THAT bad. Stop comparing it to American Werewolf in London, two totally different vibes here. I’ll just leave my opinion at that.
Let’s hunt up a little private justice…
Private justice. It’s not just a beautifully chilling monologue from Herb, but a theme that carries along throughout the entire movie. No one, not even the local authorities seem to have the first clue on what exactly to do, or where to even look for clues. And when the sheriff gets close, its lights out for that guy courtesy of the peacemaker. Marty and Jane are the only people who know the truth and the pair recruit a hesitant Uncle Red to take it upon themselves by making the good Reverand a gift- a silver bullet.
Full of thrilling visuals and poetic narratives- and yes “Rebel airplane” is goddamn poetry, Stephen King’s Silver Bullet is a truly underrated Halloween horror gem that we should all celebrate today on its 32nd anniversary.
Next: Rick and Morty become horror icon enamel pins
For more 31 Days of Halloween fun, check out our previous entry here highlighting The Man with the Screaming Brain! Be sure to come back tomorrow for another healthy helping of horror movie delights as we inch our way closer to Halloween!