6.4 | / 10 |
Users | 2.5 | |
Reviewer | 3.0 | |
Overall | 3.0 |
Ticket collector Joe is overseeing the last train out of London on a dark and stormy night when suddenly the train screeches to a halt in a forest after hitting something on the tracks. When the investigating driver fails to return, Joe is left to protect the passengers.
Starring: Ed Speleers, Holly Weston, Elliot Cowan, Amit Shah, Sean PertweeHorror | 100% |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 2.40:1
Original aspect ratio: 2.39:1
English: Dolby TrueHD 5.1
English: Dolby Digital 2.0 (192 kbps)
English SDH, Spanish
25GB Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Region A (C untested)
Movie | 3.0 | |
Video | 4.0 | |
Audio | 4.0 | |
Extras | 2.0 | |
Overall | 3.0 |
A fierce, fanged foe facing off against random people trapped in cramped quarters always has the potential for fun, bloody cinema. Director Paul Hyett's Howl is one such film. It features several train travelers forced to face their fears when they come face-to-face with flesh-hungry werewolves. Hyett, who comes from a makeup effects background, handles the material competently and in a straightforward manner. The movie is neither special nor memorable, but it does its thing with enough muted, raw enthusiasm for the genre and technical expertise on both sides of the camera to maintain interest throughout. It's a movie that's not without its flaws but it gels well enough to make for a decent Horror getaway.
Heroes.
Howl's 1080p transfer looks fine, but it comes severely limited by the movie's bleak constraints. The picture favors a heavy blue/gray color scheme that dominates clothes and backgrounds. Reds dot the landscape -- a red necktie, a red train company logo on a company blazer -- but colors are muted and hardly flavorful. When the train lights go dim the sense of overwhelming bleakness only intensifies, and even splatters of red blood or a red emergency phone are severely restricted. Details are fine, though the film's darker and colder overlay doesn't allow much room for razor-sharp textures. General facial and clothing details present well enough; the gooey, muscular werewolves are nicely defined; and various accents around the train are adequately sharp. Black levels are sufficiently deep and flesh tones as cool as the movie's surrounding colors. Hazy exteriors are prone to serious banding, but noise, macroblocking, and other maladies are in short supply.
Howl screeches, bangs, gashes, and, yes, howls on Blu-ray via Alchemy's impressively active and robust Dolby TrueHD 5.1 lossless soundtrack. The track isn't perfect -- intercom announcements are flat, stale, and immobile and light rattly train movement (while it's still in motion in the film's first act) doesn't really bounce the listener around the car -- but it's rock-solid where it counts. Music is adequately robust, deep, and spacious. Driving rain saturates the listening area, though raw clarity could stand a boost above the somewhat muddled details. The train's squealing brakes, that metal-on-metal piercing grind, and the sudden, deeply rattling stop penetrate the stage with all sorts of impressive sonic goodness. Howls and growls and several examples of chaos inside and outside the train frighteningly immerse the listener in the violent madness. Basic dialogue flows clearly and efficiently from the center, with excellent articulation and faultless prioritization.
Howl contains a handful of featurettes which paint a satisfyingly thorough picture of the production.
Howl doesn't do much to distinguish itself from the pack, but it's a perfectly serviceable Horror/Survival film that, beyond paper-thin characters and a paint-by-numbers approach, makes for a fun little grisly diversion, highlighted by some great werewolf makeup work. Alchemy's Blu-ray release delivers solid video and active lossless audio. Supplements include bite-sized looks at various aspect of the production. Worth a look.
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