In our first of the season's Halloween themed articles, and to mark the 21st anniversary of its theatrical debut on October 11, 1985, Sci-Fi Guys horror correspondent Frog Boy reviews the movie adaptation of Stephen King's Cycle Of The Werewolf.  Click the pic to see how much scarier Gary Busey is than other kinds of monsters. Boo!

Here's what some dude on IMDB has to say about it: Wheelchair-bound teenager Marty Coslaw (Cory Haim), his sister, and his alcoholic Uncle Red (Gary Busey), discover a werewolf who has terrorized the small New England town of Tarker Mills for years. When a drunken railroad engineer looses his head, the town thinks he just fell asleep on the tracks, until more murders begin to happen, each one more gruesome than the last.  Soon the townsfolk believe its a maniac killer on the loose, and intend to hunt the man down.  Marty Coslaw, a young wheelchair bound boy, believes that the killer is no man at all, but a werewolf… "Silver Bullet" is an adaptation of Stephen King's short story. The story is gripping and surprisingly atmospheric and there are some gory deaths. The acting is fine and the action is never dull.

Horror movies are notorious for featuring ridiculous looking severed heads, but this one's actually pretty good.  What a nice way to start the movie.

psy·cho·path (SIGH-kho-path): a mentally ill or unstable individual, especially one having a sociopathic antisocial personality disorder manifested in aggressive, perverted, criminal, or amoral behavior without empathy or remorse; a psychopathic person.

I have always been a fan of Stephen King’s books but I am always a bit leery when one of his books is made into a movie. I have to say that, in my opinion, Silver Bullet was handled extremely well. The film itself is quite enjoyable and has always been one of my favorite werewolf movies. 

What happens in Gary Busey's bedroom stays in Gary Busey's bedroom. 

I am continually looking for gripping horror movies, but again and again I am disappointed – the newer movies are neither scary nor sensible. I think that this film allows your imagination to run free, but it’s not so overblown with gore and violence that is makes you think "enough, already."  The first time I saw this movie I wasn't really scared, just enthralled. 

Let me say this: for those who think CGI is the greatest invention since the flux capacitor, you may be a bit bored with this movie.  There are no transformations that involve a normal man turning into an enormous muscle-bound hellhound, and no one jumping across a three-mile-wide canyon in slow motion. You may have picked up on the fact that I am not a huge fan of CGI – I think it is overdone in many movies, where as there are some older movie effects that I think are still very solid.

Gary Busey is not the villain in this movie, this guy is. What a wasted opportunity… 

Overall, if you haven't seen this one – give it a try.  I don’t think you will be disappointed. By the way, even though he's not the villain, Gary Busey is in this movie, and he is just fun to watch because he is so damn crazy.  Even though I have seen this movie about 40 times — and that's actually a fairly accurate number — I always expect “Uncle Red” to turn a big cartwheel and kick the werewolf in the tooth (yes, I mean just one tooth – Gary Busey is just that accurate with his craziness). Gary Busey has my attention at all times.

Uncle Red builds his beloved nephew the most bad-assed wheelchair the world has ever known from old motorcycle parts, human baby skin, and the blood of a thousand angry devils.  Why?  Cause he's Gary Busey, and he's fuckin' CRAZY.

Peace,

Frog Boy

PS – Not enough Busey for ya?  Keep scrolling to check out the Gary Gallery!

Gary Busey with a hot, big-titted blonde model.  In the background is Chief Engineer Miles O'Brien. In a tuxedo. To the Chief's right, I'm pretty sure that's Bono.  I must be fucking DRUNK.

Gary Busey, 1976.  This is the most effective anti-drug poster I have ever seen.  "This is your wardrobe on cocaine… Any questions?"

Not all of Dr. Frankenstein's creations were equally successful…

PROOF THAT GARY BUSEY IS THE BEST ACTOR IN THE WORLD: He can project painful and insurmountable worry felt by a man who has been so often crushed under the weight of his own failures and disappointments that he sees no hope left in life…

… and he can portray the look of a skilled marksman, keenly peeing into the distance at his target, a man of deep intelligence and loyalty who is for the first time beginning to question the validity and righteousness of the orders he has sworn to obey…

…BOTH AT THE SAME TIME!! Yes, each side of Gary Busey's face can act completely independently of the other. Bravo, Mr. Busey! Bravo!

Gary Busey and Danny Glover share the silver screen's first interracial same-sex kiss in 1990's steamy, erotic thriller Predator 2.

Frog Boy's newest tats.

Backstage at The Late Show with David Letterman. This photo was taken seconds before Gary Busey took large and vicious bite out of Paul Shaffer's head.

PETA fundraiser, Christmas 1992.

Say goodbye to the short-cuts and bobs, girls, and say hello to the new Hollywood hair hotness: The Busey!

Nothing I say can do this picture justice…

Fucking. Nuts.

This episode of the Gary Gallery brought to you by Smith & Wesson, Pablo Escobar, the makers of Prozac, and the support of viewers like you.