Entertaining as a bizarre Aussie comedy-horror

The third instalment in the incredulously long Howling series (eight films and counting), 1987's Howling III: The Marsupials sees the return of Australian filmmaker Philippe Mora as director and co-screenwriter, cooking up a uniquely goofy genre romp set in the wilds of Australia. As a sequel to Joe Dante's The Howling, it is easy to understand the disdain towards Howling III, as this is a standalone entry that does not feel like an organic continuation of the original classic and is not connected to its predecessor. However, the film is an entertaining success if taken as a bizarre, completely off-the-nails '80s Ozploitation comedy-horror, as flawed as it definitely is.

In Australia, a clan of marsupial werewolves live in isolation and relative peace in a rural bush town, led by Thylo (Max Fairchild). Werewolf Jerboa (the gorgeous Imogen Annesley) escapes her tribe, fleeing to the streets of Sydney where she meets an American named Donny (Leigh Biolos), who is working on a low-budget horror film and wants to recruit the runaway for a role in the production. Jerboa and Donny rapidly fall in love, but Jerboa's true animalistic nature is soon revealed to the world. Meanwhile, Australian anthropologist Beckmeyer (Barry Otto) is determined to uncover the truth behind the continent's long-standing werewolf secrets, joining scientist Professor Sharp (Ralph Cotterill) in his investigations.

On paper, Howling III is based on Gary Brandner's novel The Howling III: Echoes, but the film actually bears no resemblance to its literary source. Storytelling is inconsistent throughout, as Mora throws a lot at the wall to see what sticks - most bizarrely, the film establishes that a camera crew is following The President of the United States (Michael Pate), but the distinction between the purported "found footage" and the film footage does not exist, and no additional references to a camera crew are uttered after the five-minute mark. For some reason, too, the American government is heavily involved in Australian affairs, and Jerboa ostensibly does not hold any grudges against Thylo in the third act even though he sexually abused her (which is why she left the tribe in the first place). However, the mythology behind Howling III is sufficiently fascinating, connecting the Aussie lycanthropes to the extinct Tasmanian Tiger, and the film actually has a message about tolerance and peace, reminding us that werewolves are people, too.

There are fun ideas throughout Howling III, including a transformation sequence during a ballet as well as a scene in which Jerboa gives birth in marsupial fashion. One poor extra is even thrown off a building, set to the tune of the A.J. Brown song "All Fall Down." Nevertheless, Mora's vision is held back by a noticeable lack of funds; the prosthetic effects are cheap and phoney, a military raid on the werewolf pack involves merely a dozen soldiers, and a short scene at the Oscars was obviously filmed in a tiny room. There is a certain charm to this cheapness, though your mileage will vary depending on your tolerance for this type of cinema. As a horror movie, Howling III noticeably lacks bite as well, and even though a couple of attack sequences are well-edited, Mora strangely keeps things PG-13, shying away from the type of overzealous gore (and cheap nudity) that we come to expect from campy horror. Furthermore, rather than closing with a big finish, Howling III instead fizzles out with a minor showdown followed by a peculiar extended prologue, solidifying this as a cult curiosity as opposed to a genuine genre classic.

At the very least, Howling III: The Marsupials never takes itself too seriously; for crying out loud, one of the characters even asks "Wanna put a shrimp on the barbie?" The performers all understand what type of movie this is, and play the material accordingly without winking at the camera. Frank Thring (Ben-Hur, Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome) is especially amusing as an eccentric film director. In a sea of werewolf flicks and Howling sequels, Howling III stands out because it proudly wears its heritage on its sleeve; the more Australian it gets, the more fun it is to watch. It's not a strong endeavour, but it's a fun enough waste of 94 minutes.