Howling III: The Marsupials (1987)

"What I need is a werewolf holding a smoking gun." - Prof. Beckmeyer

A strange race of werewolves have appeared in Australia.
Starring: Imogen Annesley, Barry Otto, Lee Biolos, Max Fairchild, Ralph Cotterill

Link to IMDB

Another Howling sequel that has no connection to the previous movies, but I heard great things about it and luckily it's an Australian movie so it fits with this month's theme.

Beckmeyer

Tales of the werewolf creature have existed in every culture around the globe, and Professor Harry Beckmeyer has made it his life's work to investigate their validity. He's currently working for the U.S. government to research any werewolf sightings, and now the info has him heading to Australia to find solid evidence on a new type of werewolf that has been spotted.

Next we meet a young woman named Jerboa as she runs away from her hillbilly family in the country to seek a better life in Sydney. Her family was abusive and, more importantly, they're all werewolves! She soon meets Donny and he coincidentally offers her a job on the werewolf movie he's making. These two begin to fall in love, and Donny isn't even upset when he learns that Jerboa's a werewolf. Trouble's brewing though because her sisters, disguised as nuns, are searching the city for her.

Donny: "Are you a werewolf?"
Jerboa: "Yes, but I don't want to be."

Donny and Jerboa

When Jerboa is hospitalized after almost transforming, Prof. Beckmeyer is able to study her, but this also allows the nuns to kidnap her back to their homestead where she soon gives birth to a cute little... thing. The wolves here seem to be more like were-kangaroos, because Jerboa's got a pouch for her baby to live in.
Yes, this is all pretty wacky!
Donny follows his love out to the country, and Beckmeyer follows him to get more information. The professor seems to honestly want to help the marsupial-werewolf family, but the government soldiers are intervening and they want all these mutant freaks destroyed.

This movie is madness! Definitely in the comedy-horror genre, it's chock full of absurdity and insanity. The main threads of the plot would be the love between Jerboa and Donny, and Beckmeyer's decision to help the were-people, and there's actually some unexpected poignancy to where these stories go. Unfortunately, there's also a bizarre subplot about the Russian and U.S. government vying for control of the werewolves or something, which often gets in the way of the fun.

The special effects are pretty good, while remaining cartoonish enough to fit alongside all the crazy things you'll see here; a werewolf ballerina, a chest bursting monster, werewolf skeletons, and of course the unforgettable birthing scene.
The plot is a convoluted mess at times, but it has a lot of fun creating a satire on 80's culture and also a parody of what a werewolf movie can be when the rules are ignored.
Howling 3 intentionally commits to being as weird as possible, and that's something I always admire.


Be sure not to miss:
- Jerboa's little baby thing is actually a real mouse in a rubber costume.
- Best line delivery ever: "No way. I'm just going to die."
- "It Came from Uranus" looks like a great movie.
- Flow backwards.

Internet review:
"If you dig B grade schlock, then dive on into the madness that is Howling III." - marcoblackeye

Should I watch it?
It's too bonkers to miss.

Where can I find it?
Here on YouTube.

The Howling 3 gets...