13 Facts You PROBABLY Didn't Know About 'SILVER BULLET' (1985)

38 years ago, we were introduced to a film that, for many, is the best werewolf film ever made. Now, that’s not to say other Werewolf flicks aren’t barking up the right tree when it comes to our hairy friends, we just mean that Stephen King’s ‘SILVER BULLET’ is still leader of the pack in our hearts and today marks the films anniversary of release so why not bring out a few factoids that many PROBABLY don’t know.

The tagline alone for this film is epic.

“IT STARTED IN MAY IN A SMALL TOWN.

AND EVERY MONTH AFTER THAT

WHENEVER THE MOON WAS FULL…

IT CAME BACK.

In a small town, brutal killings start to plague the close knit community. Marty Coslaw (Corey Haim), a paraplegic boy, is convinced the murders are the doings of a werewolf.

That’s the basic jist of the flick but boy does it have some amazing scenes that will stick in your memory like a hunk of meat after a BBQ. We’re going to assume, and hope, that you’ve seen SILVER BULLET at least once or twice before reading this but if we know our MacabreDaily readers, you’ve probably seen this movie 100 times or more.

Now, without further blah blah blah, here are

13 Facts You PROBABLY Didn’t Know About ‘SILVER BULLET.’

The Town Where The Film Takes Place Has Some Familiar Neighbors.

Tarker's Mills, where the film takes place, is a fictional town within the Stephen King universe. It borders locations of other King's works also adapted to film, such as Chester's Mill (Under the Dome (2013), Derry (It (1990), Castle Rock (Needful Things (1993), Cujo (1983) and Pet Sematary (1989), among others.

When Filming Began, There Was NO Werewolf.

Yep, when principal photography began in 1984, there wasn’t even a werewolf suit created yet. It was built on the fly towards the end of production and scenes where it was needed were done as re-shoots.

Not Everyone Was A Fan Of The Look Of The Werewolf.

Producer Dino De Laurentiis was very unhappy with the werewolf used in the film. He was disappointed in both the way it looked and the way the costumed actor moved. This proved to be a bit of an insult to the actor wearing the suit as he was an accomplished modern dancer and was hired specifically for his movement skills.

Corey Haim Had Company While Filming In A Young Jake Busey

Corey Haim became friends with Gary Buseys son Jake Busey. Many years later Jake stated: "Corey Haim was in the film and we were the same age, Corey was six months younger than I was. So me being there as a visitor and Corey being there as an employee and the lead kid, we really became friends. We spent a lot of time together, we did a lot of fishing off the piers of Rascoe Beach in North Carolina. We had a really good time. It was before he was a celebrity, before anyone knew who he was. It was kind of one of his first movies, so he hadn't been tainted by the machine yet. We really did hit it off well, and I remember watching him work and thinking we're skateboarding together, we're fishing together, we're on the beaches of North Carolina. We're doing whatever, whatever thirteen year-olds do. Yet, I was on the sidelines watching him and my dad acting, and I remember thinking, "I could do this, I could totally be doing this. That looks really fun. In fact, this is frustrating that I don't get to do it."

Corey Haim, Garey Busey, and Megan Follows on the set of Silver Bullet (1985)

Silver Bullet Was The Director’s First And Last Film

This was the first and only film directed by Daniel Attias. For the rest of the 1980s to today he mostly directed TV episodes for some famous shows and hasn't made another theatrical film.

If You Pay Attention, The Film Pays Homage To An Infamous Werewolf Legend.

Marty and Jane's giving of their silver medallion and cross to their uncle to get them made into a silver bullet is a subtle reference to the story of the Beast of Gévaudan, probably the most famous werewolf story in history and the origin of the silver bullet myth. In the story a werewolf rampaged through the French countryside for three years in or near a town called Gévaudan. According to the story, after the beast killed the wife and child of a local hunter by the name of Jean Chastel, he had his cross, a family heirloom, made into a silver bullet and made the local priest bless it three times. Because of its popularity, this story has found its way into many works of fiction regarding werewolves.

The Timeline From The Source Material Plays Out Far Longer Than The Movie.

In "Cycle of the Werewolf", the story on which this film is based, the events take place over the course of a year. A murder was committed by the werewolf once a month. In the film, the murders occurred over the course of several months, from spring to autumn.

There Is A Clear Reference To Another Stephen King Story In The Film.

Brady's father mentions the cemetery Harmony Hill. This is another tie-in to other Stephen King adaptations, particularly Salem's Lot (1979).

The Werewolf Got Robbed Of His Lines

Early drafts of the film's script, including the press book release, stated that the werewolf speaks. In the film itself, the werewolf does not speak at any time.

The Film Does Its Best To Fix Continuity Errors And Myths Regarding Werewolves.

When Red (Garey Busey) questions the culprit's supposed lycanthropy by pointing out that there wasn't a full moon when Marty was attacked, Marty and Jane posit that while the stories say that the werewolves turn during the full moon, this werewolf may perhaps turn whenever he likes. The werewolf also targets a very specific woman in her own home and breaks in to murder her there, which is uncharacteristic of most werewolves who in both mythology and other works of modern fiction keep to themselves for the most part and only attack those who enter into their territory.

The Film Followed And Was Preceded By A Whole Pack Of WEREWOLF movies that made up the 1980s.

This movie was released during an early to mid 1980s cycle of werewolf movies. The other movies being Wolfen (1981), The Howling (1981), An American Werewolf in London (1981), Full Moon High (1981), The Company of Wolves (1984), Howling II: ... Your Sister Is a Werewolf (1985), Teen Wolf Too (1987), and Howling III (1987).

Werewolves Attended Church In This Flick And It Was Glorius

The werewolf dream sequence utilized a total of seventy extras that were divided up into four groups with various levels of make-up and costume. These ranged from approximately ten principal actors used for close-ups and action shots, having the most refined looks, while the remainders were just made to appear menacing and fill up the rest of the church to give it a full house appearance. There were even cardboard cut outs of people to fill up the back rows of the church.

We Almost Had Candy Instead Of Busey

Yes, you read that right, John Candy was originally set to be Uncle Red in the film but due to scheduling conflicts, Garey Busey took the role instead.

We must admit, Silver Bullet is our favorite werewolf flick of the 80s. yes even beating out THE HOWLING (which we love too.) It has so much heart and even comedic timing that it truly makes you care for its characters and the story they tell. We hope these 13 facts will help you appreciate the film a bit more. Now go and watch SILVER BULLET and be careful when your local priest comes to church with an eye patch on…just saying.

Just for fun, here is the films original trailer for you to check out below.

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