Plot: What’s it about?
Will Kidman (Landon Liboiron) is a high school student whose mother recently died, father has basically shut down, and his school crush is unrequited. He wants to be able to let the beautiful girl of his dreams (Lindsey Shaw) know about his feelings, but is shy and can’t gather up enough courage. But when a mysterious woman (Ivana Milicevic) arrives and offers him some unexpected news, perhaps his courage will increase. She lets him know that he is no ordinary high school chap, but instead he is part of a powerful werewolf lineage. As his lupine urges begin to take hold, he finds himself torn between his destiny as a werewolf and the life he had before. His family and the girl he loves, or a primal existence of raw power and aggression, that is the decision that young Will must face. Will he choose to give in to his inherent nature and turn savage, or will he battle his own fate and the other werewolves, to preserve the life he once disdained?
The 80s horror movie reboots continue, as we now have The Howling Reborn. While I don’t like the reboot trend, the Howling franchise isn’t exactly hollowed ground, so I hoped for the best. After, Lindsey Shaw is smokin’ hot and perhaps the werewolf effects would be decent enough. The film is more inspired by Twilight and Supernatural than The Howling, content to just share the same monster with a popular series like the former. None of the wit and sharp humor from the original The Howling is here, even in tiny doses. No, The Howling Reborn just wants us to gaze at good looking young people in love, and ignore the dim writing and lack of actual horror elements. I want to see emo teens as the victims in my horror movies, not the heroes, so The Howling Reborn fails to resonate with your dyed in the wool horror fan. I had an open mind going into this one, but sadly The Howling Reborn is one film that should have been aborted.
Video: How does it look?
The Howling Reborn is presented in 1.78:1 widescreen. This is not a great visual effort, as the image appears rather flat and banding is a frequent concern. Most of the time the film looks passable, but for such a recent movie, it should look much better. I found detail to be okay, but never as refined as I expected. The colors look good and contrast seems even however, so the transfer does have some positives.
Audio: How does it sound?
The DTS HD 5.1 soundtrack is rock solid, with a little kick than I anticipated. The surrounds don’t sound off non-stop, but there is some good presence here. A few scenes could have used more subtle presence to heighten the tension, but the mix is still above average. The music comes through well and vocals are clear, so no real complaints to lodge. This disc also includes English and Spanish subtitles.
Supplements: What are the extras?
Audio comments from the director and Lindsey Shaw are present and while not as candid as I hoped, the director does seem to know he goofed up. You can also check out a storyboard gallery, as well as a promotional featurette.
