Howling V: The Rebirth is a 1989 direct-to-video horror film directed by Neal Sundstrom from the screenplay by Freddie Rowe and Clive Turner, and filmed in Budapest, Hungary. Starring Phil Davis, Victoria Catlin, Elizabeth She, Ben Cole, and William Shockley. The Rebirth is the fifth entry in the series of seven stand-alone films with loose continuity.
International Video Entertainment released it to video in 1989 and released on DVD as a double feature with Howling VI: The Freaks in 2003 by Artisan Home Entertainment and in 2007 by Timeless Media Group.
Plot[]
In Budapest, 1489, a family living in a castle is slaughtered by a couple who then commit suicide. However, as the man lies dying, he discovers a baby survived the ordeal.
In 1989, a group of people is invited by a mysterious Count to the same castle's reopening. The group consists of Gail Cameron, Marylou Summers, Jonathan Hammet, David Price, the Professor, and Catherine. Other than them, the castle is attended by personnel Peter and Susan. During lunch time, Hammet relates to Marylou Summers the story of the region which, 1,000 years before, was being terrorized by packs of wolves, supposedly being controlled by Satan himself, disguised as a man at day and as a wolf at night. According to the Professor, the castle was constructed around that time, and then inexplicably abandoned. Following some noises, the Professor stumble upon a dungeon, just when something breaks its chains. He is then trapped inside, and eventually attacked and killed.
The following morning, the Count explains to them the story of how the powerful family in charge of the castle was killed. He then expresses discomfort after the Professor is mentioned, and abruptly leaves. He returns afterwards, to explain the Professor's disappearance. That night, Gail expresses to Ray her belief something is amiss and there is someone else in the castle. Unbelieving, Ray searches and eventually finds a secret passage, from which he witness Gail being attacked by a werewolf. He then finds an exit, alongside the Professor's body, but is then ambushed and killed on the snow. David's camera is sabotaged by Peter. The Count searches for Cameron and Ray and, alongside Jack and David, finds the secret passage and a maze of tunnels. Everyone decides to organize a search party. Jonathan and Marylin discover someone tricked them into getting lost, and Jonathan is killed, Peter is harmed, and Marylou and Anna witnesses the werewolf attacking them.
Richard and Anna discover all of them lack a family, and begin to suspect they were lured there. David and Catherine find most of the bodies. Convinced the Count is the killer, they go to alert the others, however they find Jonathan already dead. Pressured, the Count reveals all of them are descendants from the family who owned the castle, and thus is a werewolf, which only can be destroyed by another relative. He used the others as a bait. He is then locked in the dungeon, alongside Peter and Susan. David and Catherine decide to kill them, against Anna's wishes, so she releases them, getting herself locked by them. She is supposed to be safe; however, she is killed by the werewolf when she is approached by its human form.
David discovers Ray's body, whilst Catherine finds Anna's, before being herself killed. Peter accidentally kills Susan before being killed by Marylou. Going outside, they find the Count, who, after advising Marylou that David is possessed and will transform into the werewolf when the moon appears, fights David over the gun. The gun is retrieved by Marylou and used to kill the Count, and afterwards, she and David embrace, with David telling Marylou that there is no werewolf. However, Marylou turned heel as the moon appears, smiling wickedly and revealing herself as the werewolf.