So far, interesting results lol! It's better to think of these movies more or less as Werewolf anthologies isolated into their own as opposed to a continuing narrative. Save for 1 and 2, but only in the very loosest of sense. They're telling completely different stories.
The Howling is a very solid early Joe Dante movie. Great effects. Well executed movie. Best movie in the series.
Howling II is classic so bad it's good cinema. This movie very much doesn't deserve Christopher Lee, lol! It's B-Movie schlock and highly entertaining.
Howling III is one of the weirdest movies I ever watched. It was directed by same guy as II, but he got upgraded to writer and producer on III, and it's one of the most insane movies I have ever seen. So much happens. The last like....30 mins go off the rails, and it started without rails.
Howling IV is more or less a second try at adapting the book again, but it is more like when Stephen King would do his own version of his book like The Shining. Technically maybe more accurate, but also cheaper, worse acted, and boring.
Howling V is fun. It's a classic people trapped in a castle during a blizzard movie, but 1 of them is a werewolf, and for a straight to video movie, it's rather good.
The first 3 were theatrical releases and then DTV thereafter. I think V is likely my peak of this DTV era I will watch. I would be surprised IF VI and beyond are half as good.
Always saw these in the video store as a kid, but never watched them. Just decided it was time lol