The Howling (Special Edition)

The Howling (Special Edition)
by Joe Dante

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DVD Reviews of The Howling (Special Edition)

DVD Review: A Wolf in Werewolf clothing...
Summary: 4 Stars

Dee Wallace Stone plays Karen White a TV newscaster on to the most sensational story of her career; a serial killer (played by the marvelous Robert Picardo) who uses smiley faces as his trademark and has been terrorizing the city wants to meet with her to give her his side of the story. He feels that there's a special connection between them. He selects a porno shop in the seediest part of town. Whey they meet up face to face, he tells her that he has a special gift for her. He then begins to turn into a Werewolf. Her husband Bill (the late and under appreciated character actor Christopher Stone) is alarmed when the station loses contact with her through the wire they have her wearing. The police and her husband arrive in the nick of time to save her from Eddie the serial killer. Traumatized, Karen takes a sabbatical and, at the recommendation of someone else, visits a colony run by a TV psychologist guru George Waggner (the droll Patrick MacNee). She's blocked much of what happened with Eddie and continues to have emotional problems due to her encounter.Waggner suggests that he join her at the Colony where he works with patients in a group setting. She agrees as long as her husband will come along.

When she arrives there she notices that everyone is more than a few bricks shy of a full load. She also hears strange howling in the night. With the help of her producer (well played by Dennis Dugan) she begins to piece together what the Colony is really all about (helping Werewolves control their urges) and why she is there.

The DVD is a huge improvement on the original video release and Laserdisc. The print used is nearly pristine and the DVD has few if any analog artifacts and minimal compression artifacts. Presented in its original aspect ratio of 1:85.1 (and a pan and scan version on the same disc) MGM has given The Howling the deluxe treatment. Warner Brothers Entertainment could take a few lessons from MGM on repackaging their cult classics. I noticed only a minimal amount of edge enhancement and was very impressed with the sharp image and skin tones. Dante comments in the Unleashing the Beast documentary about the use of color in the film. There's a comic book quality to the use of primary colors but the film never looks cheap or shoddy. Despite the fact that it was made on a low budget, the film looks impressive and belies its origin as a genre B Movie.

The sound is almost as impressive. Enhanced with Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround audio, the score by Italian composer Pino Donaggio not only sounds impressive but literally jumps right out at you during certain sequences. While there is a bit of compression that makes some of the quieter dialog sequences difficult to hear and the film can't quite take full advantage of the 5.1 mix, the sound still remains impressive and captures your attention almost as much as the improved images.

It would have been very easy to repackage this Special Edition with just the vintage documentary. MGM chose instead to present a multipart documentary (which can be viewed in segments or all together). Dante, Sayles, Wallace-Stone, Picardo, actress Belinda Balaski and Dante regular Dick Miller reminisce about the making of the film and its groundbreaking visual style. Although many of the participants are no longer around (Christopher Stone died in 1995 as did animator David Allen) and some of the key participants chose to be interview (Both make up artist Rick Bottin and actor Dennis Dugan are MIA), the documentary gives a complete view of the film from its difficult origins to the final day of shooting done just before prints were to be struck. Like MGM's reissue of The Fog, The Howling gets all the extras it deserves.

There's also an Easter Egg on the main menu. Look for Eddie the killer's trademark and click on it for an interview with Dante regular Dick Miller. Miller recounts how he first ended up working for Roger Corman and discusses the character he's best known for overseas (and whose name crops up in many Dante movies) from the film Bucket of Blood.

The original featurette is included, as are the publicity materials, a photo gallery and outtakes. Additionally, the audio commentary by Dante, Wallace-Stone, Christopher Stone and Picardo that made its debut on the Laserdisc is lifted intact and included here. It provides an extra dimension. The use of the older audio commentary track also allows the late Christopher Stone to make some wry observations about the making and marketing of the film.

This isn't a special edition in name only. MGM has gathered the best of the old and added new material to make this the ultimate edition of The Howling. The picture is stunning and the retrospective documentary provides insight into the making of the film as well as rare behind the scene footage previously not seen. MGM has managed to produce DVDs that range from fair (The Outer Limits) to outstanding (The Fog) over the years. The Howling continues to maintain the high standard we've come to expect from most of their product.

Description of The Howling (Special Edition)