Anyone who’s read Stephen King will immediately recognize his influence in every character and every scene. But whereas director Frank Darabont was able to elevate King’s material to something transcendental in both The Shawshank Redemption and The Green Mile (and to a lesser extent in The Mist), director Daniel Attias (who only directed this one film) keeps all of King’s lovable, trashy characters largely as is.
And that’s not a bad thing by the way. There’s definitely something to be said for this kind of straight adaptation with King written all over it. It helps that an amazingly young Corey Haim exudes charm and charisma and a constantly drunk Gary Busey (who also did all his own stunts in this film) adds craziness to everything. Also look for a great turn by David Lynch-favorite, Everett McGill.
Considered by some to be nostalgically the best werewolf film ever made. While I’m not going that far, it is a ton of fun and if you love Stephen King’s style, this is one of his best adaptations.