[KING'S CORNER] Silver Bullet (1985)

Silver Bullet - King's Corner Review

Welcome to King's Corner. A recurring series of reviews based on the film and TV adaptations of Stephen King's novels and collections, reviewed and released in order of the original source material publishing date.

Director: Daniel Attias

Starring: Corey Haim, Gary Busey, Everett McGill, Megan Follows, Terry O'Quinn

Written by: Stephen King

Produced by: Martha De Laurentiis

Cinematography by: Armando Nanuzzi

Original Score by: Jay Chattaway

Synopsis:

In a small town, brutal killings start to plague the close-knit community. Marty Coslaw, a paraplegic boy, is convinced the murders are the doings of a werewolf.

Thoughts:

Throughout his work, Stephen King has written multiple stories about supernatural beings like vampires and ghosts but he has rarely written any stories that feature a werewolf. In fact, they've only appeared twice throughout his vast collection of writings. In 'It', Pennywise transforms into a werewolf to terrorise Richie Tozier after he watches the movie, 'I Was A Teenage Werewolf' and the only other time a lycanthrope makes an appearance is in his novelette, 'Cycle of the Werewolf'. It is the story of a werewolf who terrorises the residents of Tarker's Mill, Maine over the course of a year. The inception of how the cult story came into being is quite unusual. 

It began life in 1979 when a young publisher by the name of Christopher Zavisa approached Stephen King at the World Fantasy convention to ask him to write a series of vignettes for a calendar that was to be illustrated by Bernie Wrightson (who had already worked with King on the Creepshow comic book) to form a complete story by the end of the calendar year. King agreed to do the project but has admitted that he was drunk at the time of the agreement. With this monthly concept in mind, King started to think about the monthly lunar cycle which drew his attention directly to writing a story about a werewolf attack during the holiday tied to that particular month (even though he acknowledges that it defies the logic of lunar cycles). He relished the idea of setting up a different werewolf kill every month but found his 500 word limit per month to stifle his creativity. Eventually he defied this request writing a novelette instead but Zavisa was not upset as he saw the sales potential in another creature feature from King in the wake of the success of 'Salem's Lot'. 

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In 1983 a limited hardcover edition of the story was released (with a paperback reprint released two years later). During this era, adaptations of King's work were all the rage with producer Dino De Laurentiis leading the charge producing films like 'Firestarter' and 'The Dead Zone'. Even when the story was still in the process of being written, De Laurentiis sent 'Phantasm' director Don Coscarelli parts of the story and some of its artwork in the hope that he could craft a movie from it. His ideas were rejected by De Laurentiis so he asked King to write the script which he agreed to. Shortly after this, Dan Attias was hired to make his directorial debut under the new title, 'Silver Bullet'. 

The film opens with the credits playing over the image of a full moon with Jay Chattaway's gentle yet devilish score giving it the flavour of a typical Amblin produced film of the 80's. That all changes within a matter of minutes with the opening kill of drunken rail worker Arnie (played by James Gammon) who gets decapitated by a werewolf. It highlights the clashing anarchic tone that runs throughout the film as many scenes go from a near soap opera like family drama to a brutal werewolf kill. In establishing what can only be described as a tonal rollercoaster, you get an idea of what lies ahead and if you choose to go with it, then you're in for a lot of fun. 

The family drama of the film stems primarily from the relationship between siblings Marty and Jane Coslaw (Corey Haim and Megan Follows respectively). Despite being bound to a wheelchair, Marty yearns for more freedom and fun in his life (which is made abundantly clear through his use of his motorised wheelchair/motorcycle hybrid he calls the Silver Bullet). This clashes with his protective mother Nan (Robin Groves) who puts the sole responsibility of Marty onto his sister Jane which makes her resent him. To their mother Marty can do no wrong and that Jane is to blame for his rebellious streak. Even though he is a child, he can see how it is affecting her and he tries to make it up to her as much as possible. That is the best aspect of both actors' performances as you genuinely believe that they are siblings that love each other without ever feeling the need to say it. It leads to a few touching and somewhat schmaltzy moments that align perfectly with the Amblin feel of the film.

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Another member of their family who gives the film so much chaotic energy is their thrice divorced Uncle Red (Gary Busey). A man child with a love of whisky (who is also responsible for the creation of the titular vehicle Marty drives) Busey ad-libs his way through the role and in doing so adds a lot of humour to the drama that connects the serious and chaotic tones that are at will with each other throughout the film. The highlight of his role is his relationship with his nephew, Marty. He looks beyond his ailment and sees him as a child that yearns for adventure so he facilitates it in a not entirely responsible manner but one that makes sense for his character. 

One of the hallmarks of King's writing is his ability to establish a sense of place through his characters (both main and minor) and in writing the script too, this idea translates well into the film. You feel like you are in the town of Tarker's Mills, Maine where everyone knows everyone. You feel the impact of the attacks that occur as the Sheriff Joe Haller (Terry O'Quinn) struggles to find out who or what is responsible for the killings as a mob baying for blood led by perpetual shit stirrer Andy Fairton (Bill Smitrovich) questions his abilities. These scenes where the town discusses what to do are where King shines as a writer and it is where the serious tone of the film seeps in as he captures colloquialisms of small town America perfectly. 

One of the standout supporting characters is the local Reverend Lester Lowe (Everett McGill) who is introduced at a fundraiser at the town's spring fair. The scene is directed in a very matter of fact way but McGill's towering presence and striking features makes him stand out as he speaks with an arresting drawl. The whole time you get a feeling that something is off with him and whenever we get to his bonkers dream where he envisions the entire town transforming into werewolves at a funeral it spoils the mystery of the culprit before it is properly confirmed in the third act. Whenever the walls start closing in on the reverend McGill's performance grows more sinister and self righteous. There is an interesting idea at play that he only punishes those who are sinners or on the cusp of committing mortal sins but that is dropped very quickly after the first few kills making it feel more generic in its overall approach. 

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When 'Silver Bullet' was released in 1985, it was in the wake of two of the all time greatest werewolf films, 'An American Werewolf in London' and 'The Howling'. In each of these respective films you had the talents of Rick Baker and Rob Bottin designing the creature and creating iconic transformation sequences. Here, renowned makeup effects designer, Carlo Rambaldi had a lot to live up to when it came to the design of the creature, and whilst it does not live up to the brilliance of those efforts, it is not without its charms. It did nothing for producer De Laurentiis though who hated the design. He thought it looked too much like a bear. Although it was initially scrapped for this reason eventually they used Rambald's suit. In a similar fashion to Jaws they make the smart decision to shoot the creature sparingly and off glances with quick cuts that adds tension and terror to the attack sequences (especially the great sequence where the werewolf hunts its prey in the fog). When we eventually see the creature in full during the grand finale it does dispel the fear behind it but it is still an admirable piece of work. 

'Silver Bullet' is a very curious adaptation of King's work. For a story that began life as a calendar it is very much a film of its era in terms of when it was made. It feels like they took the template of a story like 'Salem's Lot' and amped up a few elements that make it feel more like a comic book to try and appeal to younger audiences. Despite being at odds with itself, its chaotic energy is what makes it an enjoyable watch making it understandable how it has developed a cult following for fans of King's work. 

Verdict: ⭐️⭐️⭐️

-Joseph McElroy