About the same year that "An American Werewolf in London" and "The Howling" blew us all away with their depictions of modern-day lycanthropes, Warner Bros. released this less-than-successful big budget fear flick about wolf spirits on the prowl in modern-day New York City.
Finney is a crusty homicide detective investigating the savage murder of a tycoon, his coke-snorting woman and a driver/bodyguard. The bodies look like they were ripped apart by wolves! His investigation leads to one of NYC's worst ghettos, where it appears the wolves live.Gregory Hines is great as a coroner.
A good "serious" horror film, "Wolfen" is based on a novel by Whitley Streiber. The highlight of the picture is the cinematography, which is often filmed from the wolves' perspective. It's not as fun as "American Werewolf" or "The Howling," but if you're interested in American Indian mythology and like your horror serious and professionally made, this pic's for you.
Wadleigh's only other movie at the time of this writing, by the way, was "Woodstock."
