I'll admit it: I like werewolves. Werewolf movies, however, are usually disappointments to me. On one tiny end of the spectrum is An American Werewolf in Paris which is more funny than scary and has John Landis directing which explains the funny and the scary. On the other end is most of The Howling series which ranges from the disturbing-and-not-in-a-good-way Howling I to the OMGWTFBBQLOLness of Howlings II and III which are only watchable if you think bad movies are sometimes funny.
However, in the Howling movies there is one film that hits sweet spots for me: Howling VI: The Freaks. Not only does it have a good guy werewolf as opposed to the usual evil werewolves or dumb balls of fur, it also features werewolves vs vampires! Actually, it's just one werewolf versus one very weird looking vampire but it's still entertaining. It's like Underworld but not quite as self-serious.
The acting is actually good and it's a shame that most of the actors have been little heard of it at all since the movie was made. The director hasn't really shown up either except to direct two other horror films in the later 90s, both of which I haven't seen. While many others make note of the fact that, at least compared to the rest of the Howling movies, this one is actually good, the film hasn't been recognized as a piece of quality filmmaking, even if it isn't good enough to break out of the B movie league.
Perhaps in future releases, Howling VI should just be called the Freaks. It has absolutely nothing to do with the rest of the series other than including werewolves so why anchor it to the other junkers? This movie is not great but it is surprisingly good and shows an awareness of its cinematic brethren beyond direct-to-video horror films.