Story:  People are getting ripped apart in NYC. What’s going on? And what’s that strange howling?  Be careful upsetting the balance of things, kiddies. You never know what you may piss off.

Scares:  It gives good creep, and they wisely keep the Big Bad under wraps ’til the end.  Still, for full effect watch this one with the lights out.

Splat factor:  Lots of blood tossed around in the opening scene. Seriously, it flies through the air. Things tone down a bit after that, but not by much.  “I got a hand in a baggie.”  Yes, yes you do.  And it’s awesome.

Closing scene “shocker”?: Nope.  This one gets ya with the chills, not an end gimmick.

Remake, Sequel or OG (Original Ghoul)?: Based on “The Wolfen” by Whitley Strieber (now out of print, sadly).  This movie is it’s first and only time on film.

Trick or Treat?:  A little bit of everything, like a Halloween party goodie bag of goodness.  Albert Finney rockin a hep sweatband!  Gregory Hines rockin’ a cool dangle earring! Edward James Olmos rockin’…nothing!  (Hey, if you’ve always wanted to see Adama in the buff look no further.)  Groovy WOV (wolf-of-view) shots with a color negative filter!  And did I mention body parts a-flyin’?  Toss in positive messages about American Indians, and a word or three about how we’re fucking up the world with all this development (a rare message in the Greed Is Good 80s), and you’ve got a fun time.  Are the minority characters stereotypes? Yeah sorta, but the post-70s kind, when they were played as cooler-than-thou. I had a moment of silence when I saw the Twin Towers on screen — I’m still affected, I won’t lie — but outside of that jarring moment, it’s pure wolfy goodness.  I keep thinking about Cat People when I see this movie; that’s another one that keeps monsters down low while keeping the chills up high.  Think of Wolfen anytime you want a monster movie that is less about the were and more about the wolf.

Score: out of 5 pumpkins.