The Howling [Blu-ray]

Pretty near complete in its Blu-Ray packaging, this re-issue of Joe Dante's 1981 gem THE HOWLING features a nice transfer of the original film negative and a whopping horde of extras that will have fans giving their howls of thanks every time there's a full moon. THE HOWLING is a creepy film, but there's practically as much comedy and cinema buff in-jokes as there are moments of fright, but Rob Bottin's transformation effects in this picture are just about unequaled in terms of their quality (what baffles me is that 1981 had three great werewolf pictures in cinemas, and today there are none to speak of; oh well, the good old days). I imagine that the Eddie Quist transformation scene was pretty shocking for viewers in 1981, and really the effects work here remains pretty imaginative today. While scary in concept, THE HOWLING is constantly messing with your head, throwing in a parade of jokes and quasi-humorous references to other movies, and even featuring cameos (Roger Corman, Mick Garris, co-writer John Sayles, and Dick Miller spring to mind) that make you go "Oh!" in the middle of the picture. Of course, there is the sexy and visually arresting Elisabeth Brooks to capture your eyes here, as well as some interesting werewolf characters (like Slim Pickens!) to make you gasp every now and then. While a fun movie, THE HOWLING lacks a great deal of action that might have made it even more intense, but what survived the cutting room floor is pretty good. While the movie has become a staple of the genre for horror fans, its real contributions have to do with the effects on display and the unusual concepts found in the movie itself, and how Dante cleverly reworks the genre for a new (and more tolerant) generation. While I personally didn't find the picture all that offensive (there is a high-concept werewolf sex scene that is fairly explicit but not overly shocking, and apparently this is the one scene that author Gary Brandner enjoyed from the movie), there are moments that will definitely make fans of the original 1941 WOLF MAN wince. But compared to other werewolf-themed films, this one goes a long way towards redeeming itself by not taking its efforts too seriously, and by providing some pretty freaky moments overall. And the ending is, well, a scorcher!While some of the extra content included on Scream Factory's new release can be found elsewhere, the company has yet again gone above and beyond the call of duty in presenting us fans with some really nice extra content. Chief amongst these new offerings is an exemplary interview with effects creator David W. Allen (I want one of those werewolf figurines!) in which he explains why his work for Dante was not used in the movie (with the exception of about two seconds worth of footage that comes near the end) and how he went about designing his own werewolf creatures under contract for the picture (best of all is the cut footage in which we get a glimpse of Allen's unused work). But the extra that caused me to spring for this new release was the audio commentary with author Gary Brandner, moderated by DVD producer and filmmaker Michael Felscher. While the old 2-disc DVD set put out under the MGM banner had some strong extra materials, it did not include any information about the source novel (other than the producers saying that they had decided to throw the back out and start over with a fresh script!) and this was a dramatic oversight in my opinion. While it is true that books belong to a completely different world than that of the movies, the story's source is important for understanding where the initial ideas themselves hail from. And the commentary track on this Blu-Ray is a whopper of an item if you ask me. The only thing that could have improved it would have been a video interview with Brandner, but the audio itself is great--probably even people who may not care about the writing of books (or movies) will find it an enjoyable listen. Brander is fairly open when talking to Felscher (he claims that he was on a "skyrocket to mediocrity" after the original Holwing novel was published, hilarious) and he offers some insights about what it is like to work for the "Hollywood people" and to have his novels translated onto film. He also mentions that his novel "had a better story" than the Landis-concocted mesh that was used as the basis for AN AMERICAN WEREWOLF IN LONDON, and I agree with him on this point. Brandner's source material does in fact make the picture a bit stronger than it would have been without a more solid story to build its script upon. Brandner's own opinion about director Joe Dante is not so flattering, but he does say that the man made a good movie and it did undoubtedly put Brandner on the map (so to speak) as well. I have not read the original Brandner novel yet, but it is clear from the get-go that Dante's movie is less an adaptation than a completely original take on the werewolf mythos. This extra is, in my opinion, a collector's item. I also have to mention that the making-of documentary material here is equally great, explaining the complete making of the original picture and even covering (briefly) the making of the many sequels that are still going on to this very day. I also would be remiss if I do not offer my opinion that Dee Wallace Stone was magnificent in this movie, paving the way for herself as a future scream queen in horror cinema (following up this performance with another strong turn in Lewis Teague's CUJO). But overall I also have to say that the entire cast seemed to be having a good time with this movie, and viewers in turn will also have a good time watching them.Scream Factory's presentation of THE HOWLING on Blu-Ray should become a standard-setter for future releases. The original artwork and the newly commissioned artwork included in this package is fantastic, and the wealth of extras doesn't hurt either. The TLC given to the picture and sound transfer is also quite nice. If you want to know why a lot of us love the work that Scream Factory is doing, simply pick up a copy of this release. It pretty much speaks for itself. A+ (for the whole package)

I remember waaaay back in my high school days when we all loaded up to go see this movie in the theater. We were all scared out of our pants, and completely amazed at the special effects. I mean, we sat there and actually watched these people turn into werewolves right in front of the camera....it was AWESOME!! This was way before computer animation, so we had never seen anything quite like this before. Over the years, I've purchased this movie at least twice, with the last update being several years ago. I had feared that it might never get its turn on Blu-ray, that is until I saw a few months back that Shout Factory was going to be releasing it. Up to that point, the only other title I had in my collection from Shout was Phantasm 2, and I was totally satisfied with what they did to make it a special edition.Here's one thing that Shout has continued to do on almost every title I've since purchased from them. They will create new cover artwork for the film, which I love. But just in case you're not a fan of the new artwork, they also provide the original movie poster artwork on the flip side of the cover insert. There are some titles where I like the newly commissioned artwork, but then there are titles like The Howling where I just don't think you can ever outdo the original work with the claws ripping through and you see the lady's mouth screaming through one of the tears in the fabric. What I love about that artwork is it is not clear if she is being attacked by a werewolf, or if she is actually becoming one. I'm so glad that Shout continues to honor the work done by the original artists, thereby giving me the option to decide which cover I go with.Now let's get to the movie itself. It had been a few years since I've watched this film, so some of the frights still worked for me. I turned the lights off and the sound up as the iconic scratch marks rip across the screen, which as the camera pans out you realize spells The Howling. When the screen suddenly explodes, that got my adrenaline going, and now I was ready for the ride. The picture on this is just absolutely beautiful. I really have never seen such a clear print of this film. The colors are really rich and vibrant, and the blacks have a good solid look to them. If the picture doesn't blow you away, then the sound certainly will. They have done a great job with the surround effects. One of the things I had forgotten about this film was the music. The way the organ is used really brings you back to the glory days of the Universal monster films, but then the orchestral score is woven so beautifully which helps create a really creepy atmosphere. Listen for yourself, and I think you'll agree.The one thing I was afraid of seeing this in high definition was that it might make the special effects look a little less than pleasant. That is not the case at all. This still stands as a groundbreaking film in the use of special effects, and I think they hold up very well to some of the CGI crap I've seen. The only scene where it really stood out to me was the one where the man and woman turn into werewolves in the midst of there loving by the fire. The animation is much more apparent in HD, but it's not a big enough distraction to ruin the whole thing. It is amazing how they managed to pull off the effects with what they had to work with back then.One of the things I really like about Shout is the fact that many times they will produce some new special features for these new releases. But never fear, because the other features from the DVD are also included, some of which have had a visual upgrade since their original release. The new features are really cool, and give us some fresh insight to the behind-the-scenes goings on during the making of The Howling.Bottom Line: If you like a good old-fashioned horror film, then you owe it to yourself to get this movie. If you already own the DVD version from a few years back, forget it. The new sound and video upgrades are well worth a double-dip. Not to mention some new special features.

Por fin gracias a esta materialización podemos apreciar realmente el sublime trabajo en la creación de los hombres lobo de esta película.

Muy buena edición pero sin subtitulos al español

Be careful. This wont play on Australian blu ray despite being purchased from Amazon Australia

MAgnifica edición y contenidos. Excelente imagen y sonido restaurados, un clásico que se reevalúa por encima del género y exponentes actuales

Super película de culto con excelente presentación, un clásico de terror