History Literature / TheHowling1977

* WorkingClassWerewolves: Many of the werewolves of Drago work ordinary, low-earning jobs: [[spoiler:Marcia and the Jolivets run shops, Anton Gadak is the unofficial sheriff and so probably doesn't get paid for his work, while Volkmann is the local GP who operates out of his house]]. The town itself is a bit rundown and visibly poor with several closed businesses, there isn't even a post office and it doesn't get a lot of outside visitors. It's implied the werewolves are generally content to keep it this way, as it allows them to retain a lower profile and avoid unwanted attention from outsiders.

* RidiculouslyAverageGuy: Roy Beatty is mentioned as being a pretty normal 29 year old middle-class man, who had an uneventful upbringing in California, never moved out of his home state, did well at school and college, has a stable job, a nice house in the suburbs and is planning to start a family with his wife of one year. He's completely thrown for a loop when Karyn is violently raped; it never occurred to him that he might be affected by such a crime and it's implied that because he's never experienced anything like it, [[DeconstructedTrope he doesn't know how to deal with it or properly help Karyn cope]]. Roy thinks that if he and Karyn try hard enough to forget about the rape, everything can just go back the way it was two months ago and he's increasingly frustrated that things don't turn out like this. He's wilfully oblivious that there's something abnormal about Drago and is highly susceptible to Marcia's charms, remarking that she's like no one he's ever met, which only draws him to her more strongly.

** Played straight in the novel's climax. [[spoiler:After realising how much danger she's in, Karyn calls Chris and begs him to pick her up from Drago, also urging him to bring a gun and silver bullets. When she's attacked by a werewolf at her house, Karyn takes Roy's truck and tries to flee in it, though as she doesn't know how to drive she ends up crashing the car and has to run for help. Upon learning everyone in Drago is a werewolf, she ends up back the house and does her best to [[ProtectThisHouse barricade herself inside, armed with a shotgun]], buying time for Chris to arrive. She helps him hold off the werewolves with a flaming torch and silver bullets until they can make it to his car and manages to shoot Marcia in the head when she attacks her]].

-->'''Roy:''' I do love you, Marcia.//
'''Marcia:''' No. You admire me. You want me. You may even need me. But you do not love me. [...] Not yet. You do not love me yet. But you will, my Roy, you will.

** Oriole Jovilet initially seems to be a friendly, maternal woman and one of the few residents of Drago Karyn warms to, if not a bit of a nosy chatterbox. [[spoiler:When Karyn goes to her for help after being attacked by a werewolf, Oriole pretends she's going to help before transforming into a wolf herself, grinning the whole time, revealing she's just as murderous as the rest of the town and willing to kill Karyn to keep their secret]].

* WorkingClassWerewolves: Many of the werewolves of Drago work ordinary, low-earning jobs: [[spoiler:Marcia and the Jovilets run shops, Anton Gadak is the unofficial sheriff and so probably doesn't get paid for his work, while Volkmann is the local GP who operates out of his house]]. The town itself is a bit rundown and visibly poor with several closed businesses, there isn't even a post office and it doesn't get a lot of outside visitors. It's implied the werewolves are generally content to keep it this way, as it allows them to retain a lower profile and avoid unwanted attention from outsiders.

''The Howling'' is a 1977 horror novel written by Gary Brandner. It follows the tale of Karyn Beatty, a young woman whose idyllic life is shattered when she is attacked and raped in her own home. Two months on, Karyn continues to struggle with trauma over the attack, prompting her husband Roy to suggest they temporarily move away from the suburbs of Los Angeles to the Californian countryside.

* WorkingClassWerewolves: Many of the werewolves of Drago work ordinary, low-earning jobs: [[spoiler:Marcia and the Jovilets run shops, Anton Gadak is the unofficial sheriff and so probably doesn't get paid for his work, while Volkmann in the local GP who operates out of his house]]. The town itself is a bit rundown and visibly poor with several closed businesses, there isn't even a post office and it doesn't get a lot of outside visitors. It's implied the werewolves are generally content to keep it this way, as it allows them to retain a lower profile and avoid unwanted attention from outsiders.

* ShotgunsAreJustBetter: Zig-zagged. Roy gets Karyn a shotgun and teaches her how to fire it to make her feel more secure in the house. Karyn shoots what looks to be a wolf with the shotgun, but it doesn't cause nearly as much damage as one would expect. Karyn later learns that ordinary bullets don't do much against werewolves, so the shotgun isn't much use to her. She still keeps it close because it's the only weapon she has. [[spoiler:When Chris comes to save Karyn, he brings a handgun that's a much smaller calibre; it's not as powerful as the shotgun, but it's much more lethal to the werewolves because it's loaded with ''silver'' bullets]].

** {{Subverted|trope}} when Max rapes Karyn; she makes a valiant effort to fight him off, hitting, kicking and scratching him, but he overpowers her easily and she can't fight anymore after he slugs her in the stomach, cracking one of her ribs.

** It's mentioned early on that Karyn never learnt to drive; she's originally from Manhattan so she never needed to (a lot of New Yorkers don't own cars and rarely drive because it's easier to walk, get a cab or take the subway). Roy - who has lived in California his whole life - states she should take some lessons in case "something happens" and there's no one to drive her. The "something" turns out to be [[spoiler:Karyn realising Drago is inhabited by werewolves who want her dead; she's unable to flee by car (she'd never make it on foot) and Roy - now a werewolf himself - refuses to take her. She has to call Chris for help and buy time until he can rescue her; she also ends up crashing Roy's truck when she tries to escape from a werewolf]].
** Inez mentions she used to be a Carmelite nun years ago, but quit because it ultimately wasn't for her. She also has no husband or children, and lives a relatively solitary life in a small, quiet town. It's later revealed she was forced to leave the convent because she's a lesbian (or possibly bisexual) and was caught in bed with a novice nun.
** Karyn's first inkling that there's something not right about Drago is when she notices deep, shoulder-high scratches in her living room door, which she thinks look an awful lot like claw marks.

** Marcia is possessive of Roy from almost the moment they meet and realises they have a mutual attraction, never mind that he’s already married; she all but ignores his wife unless Karyn addresses her directly and when Roy tells Marcia he has to leave Drago for Karyn’s sake, a look of rage briefly passes over her face before she composes herself. [[spoiler:She turns Roy into a werewolf specifically so he will stay with her, rather than go away with Karyn. In the climax, Marcia joins the other werewolves’ attack on the Beatty house and personally tries to kill Karyn, who not only recognises her but instinctively knows [[MurderTheHypotenuse she wants her dead because of Roy]]]].