Wolfen (film)

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Wolfen
Original 1981 Film Poster
Directed by	Michael Wadleigh
Produced by	Rupert Hitzig
Written by	screenplay by David M. Eyre, Jr. & Michael Wadleigh based on the book by Whitley Strieber
Starring	Albert Finney Diane Venora Edward James Olmos Gregory Hines Tom Noonan Dick O'Neill
Music by	James Horner
Cinematography	Gerry Fisher
Distributed by	Orion Pictures
Release date(s)	July 24, 1981
Running time	115 min
Country	U.S.
Language	English
Allmovie profile
IMDb profile

Wolfen is the title of a 1981 horror film starring Albert Finney, Gregory Hines and Edward James Olmos based on Whitley Strieber's 1978 novel The Wolfen. It was directed by Michael Wadleigh and the screenplay was by David Eyre, Eric Roth (uncredited), and Wadleigh.

[edit] Synopsis

NYPD Detective Dewey Wilson (Finney) is assigned to solve a bizarre set of violent murders in which it appears the victims were killed by animals. In his investigation, Wilson learns of an Indian legend about wolf spirits, and that there may be predatory shapeshifters living in the vicinity.

[edit] Production and release

The film is known for its early use of an in-camera effect to portray the subjective POV of a werewolf. Similar to thermography, the technique was later adopted by other horror films such as the Predator series.

The setting for the transient home of the wolves was shot in the South Bronx (intersection of Louis Nine Blvd & Boston Road). The decrepit site of ruined buildings was no special effect. Urban decay in the Bronx in the early 80s was so widespread that it was the ideal production setting. Today, this community contains mostly suburban-style privately owned houses.

Selected premiere engagements of Wolfen were presented in Megasound, a high-impact surround sound system similar to Sensurround. Director Wadleigh was unsatisfied with the final cut of the movie, but so far no director's cut of the film is available.

[edit] External links

• Wolfen at the Internet Movie Database
• Wolfen at Allmovie

Whitley Strieber
Novels: The Wolfen (1978) | The Hunger (1981) | Black Magic (1982) | The Night Church (1983) | Warday (1984) | Wolf of Shadows (1985) | Nature's End (1986) | Cat Magic (1986) | Communion (1987) | Transformation (1988) | Majestic (1989) | Billy (1990) | The Wild (1991) | Unholy Fire (1992) | The Forbidden Zone (1993) | Breakthrough: The Next Step (1995) | The Secret School (1996) | Confirmation: The Hard Evidence of Aliens Among Us (1998) | The Coming Global Superstorm (2000) | The Key (2001) | The Last Vampire (2001) | The Path (2002) | Lilith's Dream: A Tale of the Vampire Life (2002) | The Day After Tomorrow (2004) | The Grays (2006) | 2012: The War for Souls (2007)
Films
Wolfen (1981) | The Hunger (1983) | Communion (1989) | The Day After Tomorrow (2004) | The Grays (2008) | 2012: The War for Souls (2010)