The Howling Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		3.5
Audio		4.5
Extras		4.0
Overall		3.5

The Howling Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov August 19, 2018

Joe Dante's "The Howling" (1981) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of StudioCanal. The bonus features on the disc include an audio commentary with writer Gary Brandner; video interview with producer Steven A. Lane; video interview with Mark GoldBlatt; and more. In English, with optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature. Region-B "locked".

Something is going on here

Karen (Dee Wallace, E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial), a prominent news reporter, gets severely traumatized after she encounters Eddie (Robert Picardo, Gremlins 2: The New Batch), a psychopathic murderer, in a sleazy porn shop. Her doctor suggests that she joins the Colony, his private sanatorium located deep into the countryside, where she could relax and regain her strength. Karen agrees and heads to the Colony together with her husband, Bill (Christopher Stone, The Joys of Jezebel).

Karen and Bill arrive at the Colony where they are immediately introduced to some very strange characters. One of them, Marsha (Elisabeth Brooks, The Forgotten One), a strikingly beautiful nymphomaniac, hits on Bill but he politely rejects her. Later on, on the way back to his cabin, he is attacked by a giant wolf.

Bill returns to Marsha and the two have sex under the moonlight. Before they part ways, Marsha gently bites Bill on the neck, which causes his body to react in a rather strange way. Bill is unsure why but likes the feeling a lot.

On the following morning, Karen phones her friend Terri (Belinda Balaski, Cannonball!), also a reporter, and begs her to come visit her at the Colony -- Karen needs Terri because there is definitely something serious going on with Bill, and because there are strange howls that she hears late at night that scare the hell out of her. Terri arrives at the Colony and immediately notices that the area looks a lot like a hand-drawn sketch she has seen at Eddie’s place. While speaking on the phone with her friend Chris (Dennis Dugan, The New Adventures of Pippi Longstocking) about her discovery, Terri is attacked and killed by a giant wolf. Chris, who already has a pretty good idea what is going on at the Colony, immediately buys a box of silver bullets for his rifle and jumps in his car. A couple of hours later all hell breaks loose.

Joe Dante’s The Howling was released in 1981, which was the same year John Landis' An American Werewolf in London arrived in theaters across America. Roger Ebert liked the latter but loathed the former. A lot of passionate horror fans had similar feelings.

The Howling has not aged well (aside from perhaps Sidney J. Furie's The Entity, though, not a lot of horror films that were made during the early 80s have). The script is notably weak -- and now it certainly shows more than ever before -- and the special effects no longer look special. Many of the once great one-liners also feel terribly amateurish.

Thankfully, the great enthusiasm with which The Howling was made is still easy to detect. The film has a unique rhythm, which is in fact quite similar to that of Dante’s Piranha, that makes a lot of the cliches, inconsistencies, and plot holes in it easy to tolerate. Its music score, perhaps one of the most bizarre collections of tunes used in a horror film, is also as effective as it was some nearly thirty years ago.

The acting, though far from stellar, compliments the enthusiasm mentioned earlier very well. Wallace and especially Stone, however, tend to overdramatize during already problematic scenes that have a tendency to stick out. From the supporting cast only Brooks is memorable with her sexual advances toward Stones.

*In 1981, The Howling won the Saturn Award for Best Horror Film granted annually by the Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy & Horror Films.

The Howling Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in its original aspect ratio of 1.85:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Joe Dante's The Howling arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of StudioCanal.

I expected a different type of technical presentation because this release was actually promoted as being sourced from a "new restoration". However, it appears that only some digital work was done to improve what was already available on a pre-existing master. To be perfectly clear, while there are indeed some minor enhancements that help the film have a slightly better organic appearance than the one that is present on the old French release that we reviewed back in 2010, the current master simply has plenty of limitations. The visuals can range from decent to good, but there is also plenty of footage where delineation could be a lot better (see screencapture #8). A lot of the same sharpening that was present on the previous release has been retained as well, though overall here the end result is marginally better. Colors are stable, but a fresh new remaster would deliver stronger primaries and better ranges of nuances. Image stability is very good.

The Howling Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There are two standard audio tracks on this Blu-ray release: English: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 and English: LPCM 2.0. Optional English SDH subtitles are provided for the main feature.

Some folks will probably be pleased that the 5.1 track is included because it does offer some improved dynamic movement, but I still think that 3.0 track is solid. It has very good depth and dynamic intensity does not disappoint. Some improvements in terms of balance are possible, but they would most likely be cosmetic. Either way, now you can choose between the 2.0 and 5.1 track.

The Howling Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Howling Eternal with Steven A. Lane - in this program, producer Steven A. Lane recalls his involvement with The Howling, from his 'discovery' of the novel to the hiring of Joe Dante and the actual production of the film. There are also interesting comments addressing the film's distribution rights outside of the United States. The program was produced by Shout Factory in association with Red Shirt Pictures. In English, not subtitled. (19 min).

• Cut to Shreds with Editor Mark GoldBlatt - in this program, Mark GoldBlatt explains how his love for movies inspired him to become a professional editor and discusses his work for Roger Corman's New World Pictures, his professional relationship with Joe Dante, and the blending of humor and horror in The Howling as well as its visual appearance. There are also interesting observations about the werewolf and the manner in which it was filmed. The program was produced by Shout Factory in association with Red Shirt Pictures. In English, not subtitled. (12 min).

• Interview with Co-writer Terence H. Winkless - in this program, co-writer Terence H. Winkless explains how he became the writer of The Howling and recalls his interactions with Joe Dante. He also has some interesting comments about the special effects, Roger Corman's short cameo, and the different names that were selected for different characters (all coming from other horror films). The program was produced by Cliff MacMillan for Shout Factory. In English, not subtitled. (13 min).

• Horror's Hallowed Grounds: A Look at the Film's Locations - in this program, Sean Clark from Horror's Hallowed Grounds visits various locations where key sequences from The Howling were shot. There are plenty of then-and-now visual comparisons. The program was written and created by Sean Clark. In English, not subtitled. (13 min).

• Interview with Stop-Motion Animator David Allen - in this program, David Allen discusses the initial concept for The Howling and the werewolf puppet he created, as well as some specific visual effects. In English, not subtitled. (9 min).

• Audio Commentary with Author Gary Brandner - in this audio commentary, writer Gary Brandner mentions some of the authors that influenced his decision to pursue a career in writing (Dashiell Hammett and Mickey Spillane) and well as some of the genre films that inspired him to work on The Howling. There are also interesting comments about the research work that was done (particularly about werewolves), some of the changes that were made, and the production of Howling II: Your Sister is a Werewolf.

The Howling Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

The strength of this British release of Joe Dante's The Howling comes from its good selection of bonus features, which were produced by Shout Factory/Scream Factory for the North American release of the film a few years ago. The technical presentation is decent, but I think that at this point the film needs a complete and proper makeover so that it looks as it should on Blu-ray. Hopefully, someone will remaster it soon and make its fans happy.