History Main / HowlingToTheNight

!This trope is [[https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/posts.php?discussion=16850553580.36232600 under discussion]] in the Administrivia/TropeRepairShop.

->''"Listen to them--the children of the night. What music they make!"''
-->-- '''[[{{Dracula}} Count Dracula]],''' ''Literature/{{Dracula}}''

In many works, wolves are heard howling at dusk or at night. It is a case of NoisyNature. Also, it is often a case of [[CanineConfusion not doing the research]] or ArtisticLicenseBiology: wolves don't live in all settings, and they usually howl to communicate with each other, not to establish the mood or tell time. Often overlaps with CockADoodleDawn, which is when roosters crow at dawn.

This trope has two main types:

'''Type A:''' Wolf howls are heard to herald the coming of the night. The wolves that do the howling are rarely seen.

'''Type B:''' The howls are heard late at night, to reinforce a creepy setting or establish a fearful mood. Again, the wolves are rarely seen.

See also WolvesAlwaysHowlAtTheMoon and HowlOfSorrow. Related to CockADoodleDawn. Not to be confused with [[VideoGame/MetalGearSolidPortableOps Calling To The Night]].
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!Examples:

!!Type A: At Dusk Version:
!!!Anime and Manga
* When Ash's Rockruff evolves into the appropriately named Dusk Form Lycanroc in ''Anime/{{Pokemon}}'', it joins its other two forms (the Midday owned by Olivia, and Midnight owned by Gladion) in howling into sunset.

!!!Video Games:
* Occurs in three installments of ''Franchise/TheLegendOfZelda'' series, paired with CockADoodleDawn. Wolves howl whenever night falls.
** ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaOcarinaOfTime''
** ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaMajorasMask''
** ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaTwilightPrincess''
*** Also, when unlocking the howling stones, no matter what time you do the first minigame, you are transported to another area where it is AlwaysNight to do the second howling minigame.
* Happens in ''VideoGame/{{Okami}}''.
* ''VideoGame/WarcraftIII'' has a wolf howl at 18:00 to tell the player that night has fallen (and a rooster crowing to indicate daybreak).
* When you visit Garoh in ''VideoGame/GoldenSunTheLostAge'' for the first time (at night), mournful wolf howls are heard [[spoiler:(because it's a village of werewolves)]]. Sadly, the version of the BGM with howls is not part of the soundtrack.
** Though the version without the howls is a darned fine song in its own right.

!!Type B: Late at Night Version:
!!!Anime and Manga:
* Boma in ''Anime/HeatGuyJ'' does this before battle, when he [[OurWerewolvesAreDifferent changes into wolf-man form]].

!!!Film:
* ''Film/{{Dracula 1931}}'': "The children of the night! What beautiful music they make!"
* ''Film/LoveAtFirstBite'': "Children of the night! Shut up!"
* ''Film/YoungFrankenstein:'' "Werewolf? There wolf. There, castle".
* Spoofed in ''Film/AirplaneIITheSequel'' when a camera shot of the night sky with a wolf howl and ChirpingCrickets tracks down to reveal it's actually a base on the Moon.

!!!Literature:
* Holo from ''Literature/SpiceAndWolf'' does this on occasion, even when in human form.
* In ''Literature/AWolfInTheSoul'', [[OurWerewolvesAreDifferent Greg]] joins in howling late at night with the jackals who live in the forest just outside of Jerusalem.

!!!Music:
* Music/{{Ylvis}}'s "The Fox" parodies this with an {{Auto Tune}}d howl.
* Music/HowlinWolf: His singing voice was compared to howlin' wolves, thus earning him his stage name. His single "Moanin' At Moonlight" and the album cover from ''Music/MoaninInTheMoonlight'' also delve into this trope.
* Los Redondos' Capricho Magyar ends with a pack of wolves howling.

!!!Video Games:
* ''VideoGame/BanjoKazooie'' features howling wolves prominently in the background ambiance of various "spooky areas", most notably Mad Monster Mansion in the first game and Witchyworld's "horror zone" in the sequel.
* ''VideoGame/ConkersBadFurDay'' parodies the above ''"What beautiful music they make!"'' line.

!!!Western Animation:
* In ''WesternAnimation/RockosModernLife'', the [[SpeciesSurname Wolfe]] family do this on their rooftop. To emphasize that they consider Heffer to be a part of their family (despite not actually being a wolf), Heffer joins them (only instead of howling, he says "MOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!")

* Holo from ''LightNovel/SpiceAndWolf'' does this on occasion, even when in human form.

In many works, wolves are heard howling at dusk or at night. It is a case of NoisyNature. Also, it is often a case of not doing the research or ArtisticLicenseBiology: wolves don't live in all settings, and they usually howl to communicate with each other, not to establish the mood or tell time. Often overlaps with CockADoodleDawn, which is when roosters crow at dawn.

* ''VideoGame/WarcraftIII'' has a wolf howl to tell the player that night has fallen (and a rooster crowing to indicate daybreak).

* ''VideoGame/WarcraftIII'': A wolf howls whenever the game clock strikes 18:00.

* Spoofed in ''Film/FlyingHigh2'' when a camera shot of the night sky with a wolf howl and ChirpingCrickets tracks down to reveal it's actually a base on the Moon.

!!!Anime / Manga:

* When you visit Garoh in ''VideoGame/GoldenSunTheLostAge'' for the first time (at night), mournful wolf howls are heard [[spoiler:(because it's a village of werewolves)]]. Sadly, [[SugarWiki/AwesomeMusic the version of the BGM with howls]] is not part of the soundtrack.
** Though the version without the howls is [[SugarWiki/AwesomeMusic a darned fine song in its own right.]]

* In ''WesternAnimation/RockosModernLife'', the [[SpeciesSurname Wolfe]] family do this on their rooftop. To emphasize that [[SugarWiki/HeartwarmingMoments they consider Heffer to be a part of their family (despite not actually being a wolf)]], Heffer joins them (only instead of howling, he says "MOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!")

In many works, wolves are heard howling at dusk or at night. It is a case of NoisyNature. Also, it is often a case of not doing the research or ArtisticLicense: wolves don't live in all settings, and they usually howl to communicate with each other, not to establish the mood or tell time. Often overlaps with CockADoodleDawn, which is when roosters crow at dawn.

* When you visit Garoh in ''VideoGame/GoldenSunTheLostAge'' for the first time (at night), mournful wolf howls are heard [[spoiler:(because it's a village of werewolves)]]. Sadly, [[CrowningMusicOfAwesome the version of the BGM with howls]] is not part of the soundtrack.
** Though the version without the howls is [[CrowningMusicOfAwesome a darned fine song in its own right.]]

* In ''WesternAnimation/RockosModernLife'', the [[SpeciesSurname Wolfe]] family do this on their rooftop. To emphasize that [[CrowningMomentOfHeartwarming they consider Heffer to be a part of their family (despite not actually being a wolf)]], Heffer joins them (only instead of howling, he says "MOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!")

-->--'''[[{{Dracula}} Count Dracula]],''' ''Literature/{{Dracula}}''

* In ''Disney/{{Zootopia}}'', Judy actually exploits the howling instinct of a pack of timber wolf security guards to distract them while she and Nick sneak into an AbandonedHospital.

* When you visit Garoh in ''VideoGame/GoldenSun 2'' for the first time (at night), mournful wolf howls are heard [[spoiler:(because it's a village of werewolves)]]. Sadly, [[CrowningMusicOfAwesome the version of the BGM with howls]] is not part of the soundtrack.

* Holo from ''SpiceAndWolf'' does this on occasion, even when in human form.

* Occurs in three installments of ''Franchise/TheLegendOfZelda'' series. Wolves howl whenever night falls.

* Occurs in three installments of the ''Zelda'' series. Wolves howl whenever night falls.

*** Also, when unlocking the howling stones, no matter what time you do the first minigame, you are transported to another area where it is always night to do the second howling minigame.

See also WolvesAlwaysHowlAtTheMoon and HowlOfSorrow. Related to CockADoodleDawn.