Two movies from 1981 changed the sub-genre of werewolf movie forever with their (at the time) state of the art make-up effects by showing the transformation on-screen and mostly in-camera for the first time. The first to arrive in theaters was Joe Dante’s The Howling, finally making its domestic UHD debut courtesy of Shout! Factory.
The Production: 4/5
After the success (of sorts) of Piranha, director Joe Dante officially graduated from Roger Corman’s New World Pictures with the release of The Howling in 1981 for Avco-Embassy Pictures. Based very loosely on Gary Bradner’s novel of the same name, the script went through various rewrites by Jack Conrad (the film’s original director) and Terrence H. Winkless, until Dante finally handed the writing chores over to Piranha scribe John Sayles. Sayles manages to turn the werewolf legend on its ear, making Eddie Quist (played by a very young and almost unrecognizable Robert Picardo) a serial killer who leaves smiley faces as his calling card, and satirizing self-help cults and repression therapy.
As the film opens, Eddie has taken a liking to television news reporter Karen White (Dee Wallace), agreeing to meet her in a film booth at a Hollywood adult book store. As he begins to transform, the police arrive, shooting and (they think) killing Eddie, leaving Karen in a state of PTSD, having little to no recollection of what happened in the adult book store, with the exception of some occasional nightmare flashbacks. This is all having an effect on Karen’s marriage to her husband, R. William “Bill” Neil (Christopher Stone), and self-help author and psychiatrist Dr. George Waggner (Patrick Macnee) recommends they spend some time at his retreat, The Colony. But things at The Colony are not all that they seem, and with help from her co-workers Terry and Chris (Belinda Balaski and Dennis Dugan), they discover the secret of The Colony at a great cost to themselves and loved ones.
Dante and Sayles make a wise choice disguising the film as a film noir about a serial killer for the first third, building and introducing the various characters of The Colony (which include John Carradine, Slim Pickens, Noble Willingham, Elizabeth Brooks, and A-1 Steak Sauce spokesperson James Murtaugh) and the mystery surrounding Eddie Quist. John Hora’s cinematography adds to the mood of the piece, as does Pino Donaggio’s eerie score, while editor Mark Goldblatt keeps the pacing brisk. The showstopper, of course, is the werewolf transformation sequence designed by Rob Bottin using bladders underneath latex prosthetics. The effects still hold up today, for the most part, but the film comes to a grinding halt until the transformation is complete. Many of Dante’s acting repertoire are used to great effect, including Kevin McCarthy as the station manager, Dick Miller as an occult bookstore owner and werewolf expert, and Kenneth Tobey as a beat cop. Dante also has a great deal of fun with movie and other references, including naming many characters after directors who made werewolf films and sneaking props related to wolves into the frame (Wolf Chili, Wolfman Jack, etc.). Dante’s follow-ups to The Howling would be Twilight Zone: The Movie (where he and George Miller wound up stealing the film from veterans John Landis and Steven Spielberg) and Gremlins.
Video: 5/5
3D Rating: NA
Last year, StudioCanal prepared a new 4K transfer under the supervision of director Joe Dante and was released on 4K disc in Europe. MGM holds the rights to The Howling here in the US, which they had licensed to Shout! Factory, who has now released this classic on 4K disc. This 2160p transfer with both Dolby Vision and HDR10 is a major improvement over Shout! Factory’s Blu-ray release from 2013, in terms of detail clarity, contrast, and color fidelity. Chapter two is a real eye-opener. The pan across the living room appears with more yellow rather than brown, but once the pan concludes and the focus is on Dee Wallace, the image is not as washed out as it appeared on the 2013 Blu-ray. That continues in the next scene where Eddie’s apartment has much more vivid colors and the highlights are much more under control. The disc’s use of Dolby Vision also ups the brightness levels just enough to make a noticeable difference over HDR10, yet black levels are deep and inky while allowing for strong shadow details. And for those who have not upgraded to 4K yet, the included Blu-ray has been sourced from this new 4K transfer, and it, too, is night and day from the 2013 release.
Audio: 4/5
Shout! Factory has included the same DTS-HD MA 5.1 and 2.0 stereo tracks from that earlier 2013 release, but new to this release, and the default track, is the original theatrical mono track, presented in DTS-HD MA 2.0. As I stated in my 2013 review of the 5.1 mix, dialogue is clear and intelligible, reproducing mostly from the center channel, with some use of the surrounds for a little more than just ambience. Not a great 5.1 mix, but not bad for a low budget film originally mixed in mono. My only real complaint is that the audio levels of the menu are much louder than the film itself, so much so that it is blaringly loud if your receiver is set at your normal volume level.
Special Features: 4.5/5
Shout! Factory ports over all of the special features from their 2013 release, with a few new featurettes (but with 2018 copyrights). The UHD disc only includes the commentary tracks, while the commentary and featurettes can be found on the Blu-ray.
Audio Commentary with Director Joe Dante and Actors Dee Wallace, Christopher Stone, and Robert Picardo: Perhaps one of my all-time favorite commentaries, this chat session was recorded in Joe Dante’s home for the 1995 New Line laserdisc release. The four joyfully reminisce about shooting the film in a brisk 28 days, working with many of the legendary actors, and other issues while making the film. However, I noticed that the track has been slightly edited, removing some insults thrown at fellow actor/director Dennis Dugan (he had just directed Problem Child when the session was recorded).
Audio Commentary with Author Gary Bradner and Blu-ray Producer Michael Felsher: Felsher more or less interviews Bradner on his writing career, taking time out occasionally to discuss the movie and how it differs from the original novel.
**NEW** A Look Back at “The Howling” with Actress Dee Wallace (1080p; 17:58): The interview was recorded back in 2018 (based on the copyright at the end). Dee Wallace speaks fondly about making the film, particularly the intelligent script by John Sayles, recommending her then-fiancé Christopher Stone to play her husband, working with Joe Dante, etc. Ms. Wallace tells some wonderful stories, as usual (having had the pleasure to interview her myself many years ago).
Howlings Eternal With Steven A. Lane (HD; 18:49): Executive Producer Steven Lane discusses his involvement (or lack thereof) with The Howling and its many sequels.
Cut To Shreds with Editor Mark Goldblatt (HD; 11:20): Goldblatt discusses his love of horror movies, working for both Roger Corman and Joe Dante, and his editing technique on the picture.
Horror’s Hallowed Grounds: A Look at the Film’s Locations (HD; 12:15): Sean Clark takes us on a tour of Hollywood and Mendocino to many of the film’s locations.
Making a Monster Movie: Inside The Howling (upscaled HD; 8:01): A vintage EPK featurette on the making of the film.
Unleashing the Beast – The Making of The Howling (SD; 48:33): An in-depth look at the making of the film, originally produced for the 2003 MGM Special Edition DVD.
Interview with Stop-Motion Animator David Allen (upscaled HD; 8:48): Another vintage interview, taken from, I believe, the New Line laserdisc release.
Interview with Co-Writer Terrence H. Winkless (HD; 12:32): Winkless discusses his involvement with the screenplay, and the changes made by John Sayles.
Deleted Scenes (upscaled HD; 11:29): Taken from the New Line laserdisc, this set of deleted scenes includes optional commentary by Joe Dante.
Outtakes (upscaled HD; 7:03): The film’s blooper reel, as it appeared on the New Line laserdisc.
**NEW** Trailers from Hell – Josh Olson on “The Howling” (1080p; 2:22): Director Josh Olson provides audio commentary on the trailer.
Theatrical Trailer (HD; 1:28): The film’s original red-band trailer.
Still Gallery (HD; 7:11): A collection of production and promotional stills.
Overall: 4.5/5
Shout! Factory comes through, yet again, with a stellar Ultra high-definition special edition of a film many thought would never appear on the format, by porting over all of the special features from the previous 2013 Blu-ray edition.
The Howling – Collector’s Edition 4K Ultra HD + Bl…
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Todd Erwin has been a reviewer at Home Theater Forum since 2008. His love of movies began as a young child, first showing Super 8 movies in his backyard during the summer to friends and neighbors at age 10. He also received his first movie camera that year, a hand-crank Wollensak 8mm with three fixed lenses. In 1980, he graduated to "talkies" with his award-winning short The Ape-Man, followed by the cult favorite The Adventures of Terrific Man two years later. Other films include Myth or Fact: The Talbert Terror and Warren's Revenge (which is currently being restored). In addition to movie reviews, Todd has written many articles for Home Theater Forum centering mostly on streaming as well as an occasional hardware review, is the host of his own video podcast Streaming News & Views on YouTube and is a frequent guest on the Home Theater United podcast.
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