Quartile rating: 6.5/10 · 1 rating
The small city of Tarker's Mills is startled by a series of sadistic murders. The population fears the work of a maniac, but sightings of a mysterious, hairy creature soon spread. People lock themselves up at night, but there's one boy who's still outside…
Silver Bullet is a Stephen King adaptation that delivers a reasonably engaging small-town werewolf tale with a likable protagonist in wheelchair-bound Marty, but it never transcends its genre limitations. The plot hits familiar beats and the mystery is telegraphed fairly early. Acting is uneven — Gary Busey brings energy but Corey Haim is serviceable at best, and much of the supporting cast feels perfunctory. Cinematography is workmanlike horror-of-the-era stuff, competent but unremarkable. The film's novelty is limited as it follows the werewolf formula closely, though the disabled-kid-hero angle adds a modest wrinkle. The ending provides a reasonably satisfying confrontation but lacks the punch to elevate the material.