The Howling (DVD, 2003, Special Edition)

Well, it's been 30 years since Joe Dante's "The Howling" first mystified audiences with it's spectacular effects and unique brand of dark comedy. Now, it's here on Special Edition DVD.

An overview of the film: A news reporter named Karen White (Played by Dee Wallace) is referred to a special rehabilitation camp after a near death experience involving a serial killer who simply goes by "Eddie". There, she finds this down-to-earth colony is not what it would seem.

Onto the DVD itself. There's no immediate problems with the video restoration. It certainly compliments the color palates that Dante targeted for his scenes, so it comes through nicely. The audio is pretty good, too. Granted, the actual film was released in 1981, so it's only fair to judge it based on the time.

One of the more interesting things about this special edition DVD, though, is that rather than having 2 separate discs, the bonus disc with extra features is actually on the other side of the disc. There's one side for the feature and another completely for the extras. So it definitely takes up less space, which is great.

The feature commentary is a lot of fun, as well. It features director Dante and a couple other of the actual film makers and cast members.

We're also treated to a "Making Of" series of featurettes called "Unleashing the Beast: Making 'The Howling'". The parts can be watched separately or all at once.

Overall, I'd call this a great release for any big time horror buff with it's lovely restorations, extras and just the landmark of a film itself.

Anyone who knows Joe Dante, should realize all of his films have a certain "tounge-in-cheek" quality.....real horror fans will get the joke and have fun with this movie. In an age where Hollywood seems to be on a major re-make trend..(I've counted 23 films in just the last 2 1/2 years...not counting back the last 10!)..do yourself a favor and watch one of the originals. The effects may seem dated to some, considering the CGI all over the place, but it does still work. Good, campy, spooky fun.... I hadn't seen this film in almost 18 years...until I was in the midst of updating my DVD collection and rediscovered it. I was 15 when this film hit the theaters, and back at that time, this movie freaked alot of people out. The story itself, the atmosphere, and the setting all works for me even today. The most talked about scene has always been "Eddie's transformation". I still think it works. Rob Bottin was a young upstart in Hollywood at the time, and had something to prove....which he did spetacularly.

I first saw this movie on tv and loved it, bought it on vhs and wanted to
tranfer it to dvd due to the fact i love all the Howling films and have seen
them all. But i could not pass up the right price when it was up for sale
The movie is creeepy and eerie but the special affects make it rememorable
for ever. You want to watch the other films in this series, but you must
diffiently be a horror fan to enjoy all the things that go on in this film
If someone asked me about a good-horror film i would recommend this one with
no after-thoughts at all. Do watch it, but sit back and be ready to be
scared out of your mind...especially at the end....great acting/good script
and is in my top 10 of movies to keep in my library............

A good film if you enjoy seeing someone transform from a human into a werewolf! Great special affects in this film, and also great to add to your horror collection. Buy it!

Dee Wallace and more star in Joe Dante's 1981
horror film based on a book. A newswoman starts
feeling different after meeting a killer who's really
a werewolf. This is a great werewolf film and
Rob Bottin did a terrific job with the make-up
effects. This special edition has good picture
and sound plus neat extras. I recommend this.