Plot: What’s it about?
Karen White (Dee Wallace-Stone) is a television news reporter who had a run in with a serial killer, but survived the horrific ordeal. As you can imagine, her mind is shaken and she is in a fragile condition, so she takes some time off to recover. It seems her home is not the right place for her at this time, so she ventures to the Colony, an isolated little subdivision that will let her regroup, away from all the hustle & bustle. This is supposed to be a safe haven for White, but the neighbors seem very strange, almost dangerous at times. But she tries to ignore her assumptions and just relax, although that isn’t an easy task in these parts. She hears unusual sounds from the nearby wooded area, like screams, shrieks, and even intense howls. After some time, she decides enough is enough and wanders out into the forest, but little does she know what horror awaits her. What lurks in those woods and is it somehow connected to the previous trauma in Karen’s life? Can she survive this ordeal also, or is doomed to perish inside this so called safe haven?
This film has spawned six sequels, but none have come close to the original, which is a fun, very cool picture. It is hard to find good werewolf movies these days, so The Howling has a special place in my collection, to be sure. I love the transformation effects here, as they look very cool, even if not up to today’s visual standards. In addition to those cool transformation scenes, some other nice gore sequences are seen here, which add to the entertainment value, of course. I wouldn’t say The Howling is a scary movie, but it has some good moments and cheap scares, which keep things interesting. In the end, this is a more than solid werewolf movie and if you’re a horror fans, I’d say give this a look. I have a suspicion that a special edition is due out at some point, but the wait is unknown, so I think this disc is worth the low asking price. The movie is cool, the transfer is decent, and you can always sell this one when the time comes to upgrade. As such, I recommend this release to all those interested, unless you want to wait it out for the special edition, but who knows how long that could take.
The career of director Joe Dante is sprinkled with horror/comedy pictures, so he seems like a natural choice to helm The Howling. Although this movie leans more toward horror than humor, Dante is able to keep it all in tune and never overuse the elements, which is very important. A little too much humor and the film’s themes would have changed, but that’s not the case here, as Dante adds just enough of the needed ingredients. He is also able to pull some solid performances from his cast, even though some of them were first timers or newcomers, which is impressive direction. His name might not be a household one, but Dante has directed some very popular pictures, let’s hope he returns to the horror genre soon. Other films directed by Dante include Matinee, Hollywood Boulevard, Small Soldiers, Piranha, The ‘burbs, and Gremlins. The cast here includes Dee Wallace-Stone (Popcorn, Critters), Patrick Macnee (Waxwork, This Is Spinal Tap), Slim Pickens (Stagecoach, Dr. Strangelove), and Dennis Dugan (Night Call Nurses, Can’t Buy Me Love).
Video: How does it look?
The Howling is presented in a 1.85:1 anamorphic widescreen transfer. It is clear that the source materials could use some work, but this transfer is still more than acceptable. I found it to be a welcome improvement over the laserdisc, with a much cleaner picture. The print shows more grain than I would like, but not much in terms of marks or debris, which is good news. The image suffers a little due to the grain, but looks more than solid in the end, I think. The colors look a little faded and dated, while contrast is on the mark, so it might not be perfect, but this is the best The Howling has looked on home video. I do hope we see a new transfer on the special edition release, perhaps one with a cleaner print and less grain, then we’d have a definitive edition.
Audio: How does it sound?
The included mono track is more than solid, but it is mono, so let’s not expect miracles, ok? The music and sound effects are as well presented as mono allows, which means a little restrained at times, though nothing too serious. I do think a surround track would enhance a few scenes, so maybe we’ll see one included on the film’s next release. The track here is clean and pretty effective however, so I don’t think fans will be disappointed at all. The vocals remain crisp and always at a proper volume balance, which leaves me little to complain about. This disc also includes subtitles in Spanish and French.
Supplements: What are the extras?
This is where the disc loses points, as a special laserdisc was released, but this disc only has the film’s theatrical trailer. As such, I can only assume a new special edition will arrive at some point, which is good news (getting the extras on DVD) and bad news (having to purchase the title again).
