With a bibliography and cultural presence as large as Stephen King’s, it’s no surprise not all of the adaptations of his works get the fair treatment in the eyes of mainstream audiences.
The King of Horror’s rare foray into werewolf shenanigans Cycle of the Werewolf was adapted to the screen in Silver Bullet, with it also boasting a rarity for any King adaptation in he himself wrote the screenplay. The 1985 werewolf flick is the subject of discussion in horror circles again, with fans getting nostalgia for an oft-forgotten King story.
Similarly to Stand By Me, Silver Bullet isn’t based off a larger book but instead a novella. Directed by Dan Attias who later went on to direct several episodes of It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia, proving yet again the link between comedy and horror as different sides of the same coin.
As you’d expect, Gary Busey does an excellent job, and if you enjoy some baseball related antics you’ll thoroughly enjoy Silver Bullet.
Silver Bullet hasn’t managed to garner the same legacy as other werewolf movies of its era, but should be in the same discussions as American Werewolf in London and Ginger Snaps for the best of the subgenre.
Not all of it still holds up as well as your childhood memory would have you think, with the werewolf looking a tad dated, bordering on ridiculous. Whether or not this film would now be seen as a comedy is probably dependant on how goofy you feel the werewolf design is.
Silver Bullet is currently available to rent from Amazon Prime Video.
