Story:  Will isn’t a popular kid, but he’s got a huge crush on cool Eliana.  Hey, wouldn’t it be great if he, y’know, had some sort of special power?  Something like that could also come in handy when his long-lost crazypants mom tries to get him to join her pack and end the human race.  Just sayin’.

Scares: Few and far between; mostly it’s just the usual “What’s Happening To My Body?” stuff you see in werewolf movies.  And high school sex ed videos.

Splat factor:  Meh. As with the rest of the FX, all gore is shot with a dark filter, and at top speed. Probably best, as the werewolves are strictly rubber-suit wonders with shaggy Great God Pan pants. And tails. Tails, y’all.

Closing scene “shocker”?:  Not really.  More of a during-&-post credits “reveal” that echoes the final scene of the original The Howling.  Which I now really want to re-watch so I can remember how to do this sort of storyline right.

Remake, Sequel or OG (Original Ghoul)?: Though this isn’t part 742 of the Howling series (it’s part 8) it sure feels like it.

Trick or Treat?: Like a box of booze-filled chocolates, if you’re going to do this, you’d better get a buzz early on. Or you could just hop right to the end of the film.  You won’t have missed anything.  As with most direct-to-video releases, it’s got a slew of unknowns with a few sorta-know-’em actors tossed in because they need to make the rent.  Lindsey Shaw from Pretty Little Liars gets top billing here, and by the looks of this film she’s the only one who ever took acting lessons.

Sadly cheesy and dull as dirt in the first half, yet even with the overacting by Momma Wolf , The Howling Reborn slowly turns into a meta/tongue in cheek salute to cheesieness with a fun ending – including a during-credits montage & a post-credits bit.  That makes this a decent film to watch while you check your phone apps. Just stop your surfing during the final 20 minutes and enjoy.

Score:      out of 5 pumpkins. (Bonus half-pumpkin for the “No actual werewolves were harmed in the making of this motion picture.” bit at the credits.)