THE HOWLING, 1981. Mendocino, then and now

A pictorial look at how the filming locations have changed over the last forty-six years. In virtually every case... they haven't.

The Howling has always been a bit of a cult classic for me. Joe Dante directed this horror back in 1980 - between May and June - and released the movie in 1981. One of two werewolf films to appear that year, the other being An American Werewolf in London. Dee Wallace starred in this one, alongside Christopher Stone, Patrick Macnee, Belinda Balaski, Dennis Duggan, Robert Picardo and many others.

After a frightening encounter with Los Angeles serial killer Eddie Quist (Robert Picardo), television news anchor Karen White (Dee Wallace) is suffering from PTSD and amnesia brought on by her attack. Her doctor (Patrick Macnee) sends her for therapy and recuperation at a small woodland commune that he runs named the Colony. Accompanied by her husband Bill (real-life husband Christopher Stone), she motors north to stay in this isolated retreat. The couple are later joined by their friend from the TV station, Terry Fisher (Belinda Balaski) who investigates the area prompted by Quist's drawings of bays and seascapes.

The Colony is described as being "up the coast" from LA, but is actually a good nine hours away, 528 miles north in northern California.

I visited Mendocino in June 2026. The small town is situated on the rugged Californian coast, 155 miles and three hours north of San Francisco. East of the town lies the vast expanse of lush forest - the Mendocino Woodlands State Park, in which you find three small collections of rustic wooden cabins. These 'camps' are rented out to private groups who wish to connect with nature. The production took over Camp 2, the most remote of these, in May 1980 to film the Howling.

In 2015 I needed a name for the central character in my novel Cat Flap. It had to be a name linked to a certain genre of horror, but it couldn't be anything too obvious or it would potentially become a 'spoiler'. I thought about Talbot, before coming up with the perfect name from one of my favourite films - Quist.

But back to the woodlands. After following several miles of dense forest trail, I managed to gain access to the silent and empty Camp 2. This is the cabin where Karen and Bill stay at the Colony. The exterior is only shot at night in the movie, in darkness and humid mist. They filmed both outside and inside the actual building with no studio work involved.

The cabin in 2026 showing the exterior steps.

Karen and Terry walk on the beach below the Colony.

In reality, Russian Gulch Bay. Most of the filming outside 'the Colony' took place at the nearby Russian Gulch State Park, just north of Mendocino town.

Further away gives a much grander perspective of Russian Gulch Bay and includes the amazing bridge carrying Highway 1. The bridge is never seen in the movie as it would quickly destroy the illusion of isolation.

Terry in Los Angeles finding Eddie Quist's drawing of an unknown bay.

Terry finding the actual bay near the Colony.

Keesbury Bay in 2026, just north of Mendocino, taken from the ledge viewpoint used in the movie at the end of a small lane named 500D, just off Shoreline Highway 1.

Yes, that's definitely the one.

Armed with this knowledge, poor old Terry heads back to the Colony and her grisly, furry destiny.

The same viewpoint. I'm pointing, just in case you're unsure where it is in the picture.

Karen, Bill and Terry having a picnic outside the Colony.

The picnic site in the Russian Gulch State Park, next to Keesbury Bay.

Pointing again to help out.

The picnic table used in the movie.

The forest cabin owned by the Quist family - serial killer Eddie, his odd brother T.C. and the delicious sister Marsha. To be fair, all three are pretty weird. Surrounded by dense trees, deer and bears, it stands deep in the woodlands on the edge of Camp 2. As with Karen and Bill's cabin nearby, all the scenes were shot both outside and inside.

Terry approaching the cabin in 1980.

The same gable end in 2026.

Terry walking quietly up the stone steps to the porch.

Me following her route in 2026 - rather furtively.

Investigating in 1980. The walls are covered in animal skins and skulls. The interior was covered in similar skins and dozens of Eddie's drawings and murder press cuttings. As I said, the family were a bit weird.

Investigating in 2026. Knocking on the same door, but the Quists don't appear to be home... thankfully.

The (prop) lean-to woodshed stood against the cabin side here, where Terry was attacked by T.C. and used the woodsman's axe to chop off his hand/paw.

Eddie Quist's brother T.C. watching Bill on the bridge leading over the stream to meet Marsha in the family's cabin.

All that remains of the bridge today. It fell into disrepair some years ago and was dismantled for safety.

To finish, Dee Wallace in 2022 with one of the actual werewolves from the movie, fully restored by Greg Nicotero on the right. It's safe to say the Howling had the tallest lycanthropes in cinema history.