Introduction

The full moon has risen once again, and with it comes a sequel that dares to sharpen the claws of a genre long thought dormant. Howl 2: The Return of the Werewolf (2025) strides into theaters with a ferocity that is both thrilling and unsettling. Directed by David Bruckner, the film attempts to expand on the mythos introduced a decade earlier in Howl (2015), turning the once-contained horror of a train ride into a sprawling, forested nightmare. As a film critic who has seen countless monster movies come and go, I found this sequel a bold, if imperfect, howl into the night.

The Story

At its core, Howl 2 is about survival against an ancient terror. The story follows a group of strangers thrust together in the wilderness when the curse of the werewolf resurfaces under a merciless full moon. Gone is the intimacy of the train setting from the first film; here, the expanse of the woods creates a broader canvas, yet also risks diluting the intensity of claustrophobic dread. Where the original trapped its characters in a steel coffin on rails, this sequel scatters them in a labyrinth of trees, shadows, and primal fear.

The Performances

Chris Pratt delivers a performance that leans heavier on grit than charm, portraying a man stripped of bravado and forced into raw desperation. Millie Bobby Brown, on the other hand, grounds the film with a mixture of vulnerability and fierce resilience. Together, they embody the uneasy partnership of two souls caught in the jaws of something beyond human comprehension. Their chemistry is not the spark of romance but the spark of survival, and it works in the film’s favor.

Direction and Atmosphere

David Bruckner, no stranger to horror, crafts an environment thick with dread. His work in The Ritual and The Night House hinted at a filmmaker obsessed with unseen terrors lurking just beyond the firelight. Here, he amplifies that obsession. The woods in Howl 2 feel alive—each rustle of leaves, each howl in the distance a reminder that the monsters are not just outside, but perhaps within us. The use of silence is as terrifying as the eventual eruptions of violence.

Strengths and Weaknesses

• Strengths: The atmosphere is immersive, the performances committed, and the pacing often relentless. The werewolf design itself is a triumph—feral, terrifying, and mercifully free of the overdone CGI sheen that plagues modern horror.
• Weaknesses: The narrative occasionally falters under its ambition. Expanding the setting dilutes some of the tension, and certain supporting characters feel underdeveloped, existing only to serve as fodder for the beast.

Final Verdict

Howl 2: The Return of the Werewolf may not capture the tight, suffocating brilliance of its predecessor, but it does succeed in evolving the legend. It is a sequel that respects the original while daring to grow fangs of its own. This is not merely a film about a monster—it is about the fragility of human connection when death prowls in the darkness. For fans of horror that respects atmosphere as much as bloodshed, this sequel is worth the hunt.

Rating

3.5 out of 5 stars — A flawed but ferocious return, and a reminder that sometimes, the oldest monsters are the ones worth fearing most.