The Howling (Special Edition) | 
 enlarge | Director: Joe Dante
Actors: Dee Wallace (ii), Patrick Macnee, Dennis Dugan, Christopher Stone, Belinda Balaski
Studio: MGM (Video & DVD)
Category: DVD
List Price: $14.98
Buy Used: $1.97
You Save: $13.01 (87%)
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Rating:  128 reviews
Sales Rank: 11821
Format: Anamorphic, Closed-captioned, Color, Dolby, Dvd-video, Full Screen, Special Edition, Subtitled, Widescreen, Ntsc
Languages: English (Original Language), English (Subtitled), Spanish (Subtitled), French (Subtitled)
Rating: R (Restricted)
Number Of Items: 1
Running Time: 91
Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1
Dimensions (in): 7.5 x 5.4 x 0.5
MPN: MGMD1004817D
ISBN: 0792857267
UPC: 027616888471
EAN: 9780792857266
ASIN: B00009OWI1
Theatrical Release Date: April 10, 1981
Release Date: August 26, 2003
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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Product Description
After a bizarre and near fatal encounter with a serial killer a newswoman is sent to a rehabilitation center whose inhabitants may not be what they seem. Studio: Tcfhe/mgm Release Date: 09/09/2008 Starring: Dee Wallace Run time: 91 minutes Rating: R
Amazon.com
A graduate of Roger Corman's school of low-budget ingenuity, Joe Dante gained enough momentum with 1978's Piranha to rise to the challenge of The Howling, and he brought along Piranha screenwriter John Sayles to cowrite this instant werewolf classic. Makeup wizard Rob Bottin was recruited to create what was then the wildest onscreen transformation ever seen. With Gary Brandner's novel The Howling as a starting point, Sayles and Dante conceived a werewolf colony on the California coast, posing as a self-help haven led by a seemingly benevolent doctor (Patrick Macnee), and populated by a variety of "patients," from sexy, leather-clad sirens (among them Elisabeth Brooks) to an old coot (John Carradine) who's quite literally long in the tooth. When a TV reporter (Dee Wallace) arrives at the colony to recover from a recent trauma, the resident lycanthropes prepare for a howlin' good time. Dante handles it all with equal measures of humor, sex, gore, and horror, pulling out all the stops when the ravenous Eddie (Dante favorite Robert Picardo, later known as the Doctor on Star Trek: Voyager) transforms into a towering, bloodthirsty werewolf. (Bottin's mentor Rick Baker would soon raise the makeup ante with An American Werewolf in London.) As usual, in-jokes abound, from characters named after werewolf-movie directors, amusing cameos (Corman, Sayles, Forrest J. Ackerman), and hammy inserts of wolfish cartoons and Allen Ginsberg's "Howl." It's best appreciated now as a quintessential example of early-'80s horror, with low-budget limitations evident throughout, but The Howling remains a giddy genre milestone. --Jeff Shannon
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| Customer Reviews: Read 123 more reviews...
An excellent start to a mostly excellent werewolf franchise! November 11, 2008
While growing up I've watched alot of fabulous movies comedies, action movies, and of course horror (the majority of which were way better than what's been coming out in the past 10 years!) And needless to say "The Howling is definitly one of those such enduring classics! What's clever about The Howling is the way by which it starts out fooling you into thinking it's a crime drama only to give you that false sense of security that the character Eddie Quist(Robert Picardo) is dead! To say nothing of him ending up actually being a werewolf! Very clever!! Who knew?! And just when Dee Wallace's beautiful news reporter character gets advice from her therapist(masterfully played by Patrick Macnee) to go to some kind of retreat or something she eventually learns that nothing and no one is as it/they seem(s) when she runs afoul with not only Eddie Quist but a whole culture of other werewolves as well! What in particularly makes this movie a masterpiece is its usage of fog,darkness,suspense, and needless to say some really awesome werewolf transformation effects the likes by which have barely been topped by anyone elses efforts!! To say the least this movie proves great nastalgia for me and reminds me of not only a superior GOLDEN AGE of movies but what was greatly possible effects and storytelling wise in the pre-digital age. I will say it is a shocker to think that actor Robert Picardo who is usually a comedic "goofball" could not only be an evil monster but also pull it off so seemlessly! I have fond memories of him as Coach Cutlip on the Wonder Years! I can't say that I could see that much about this movie that was funny however. I admit the little children musing over Dee Wallace's changing into a werewolf on the news to say nothing of her ending up looking like a female Wookiee always gives me a great guffaw though! All I'm saying is if you're a big 80's horror fan as well as a big werewolf movie fan than The Howling is a must see! PS if you love The Howling then also check out The Howling parts 2,3,5&6 and An American Werewolf in London,An American Werewolf in Paris, and Skin Walkers!
 A Classic Werewolf Movie.. Still Great Today! October 21, 2008
I wish my mom had not let me watch this as a kid. It freaked me out like the original Salems Lot did. Watching "The Howling" today reminds me of how there have been no quality werewolf films in years. The old-school effects and makeup in this film are magnificent and still creepy today. I let some twenty-somethings at work borrow this and they all liked it. The werewolf in Van Helsing is ruined by awful CGI and pales in comparison to the werewolves in "The Howling". Highly-recommended! Also, there is a classic-old-school B*SH shot! Weed wacker recommended.LOL!
Very good when compared to several others October 15, 2008
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
In a joint operation to apprehend a serial killer. Newcaster Karen White(Dee Wallace) volunteers to help the police by posing as bait. After a horrible encounter with the killer that left Karen traumatized. She was advised by her pyschiatrist to seek treatment in a place called "The Colony". There she could hope to overcome her problem through group therapy.
The Howling is a movie that I enjoyed more when I was younger. The special effects during the transformations are amazing, I'll give it that. And the make up for one werewolf during an injury was pretty gross. I found the story to be interesting and pretty well executed but not flawless. The main character's shock after her very first wolf encounter is very believable. I mean, who sees something like that everyday? But her acting was off and miserable compared to the rest of the cast.
The slow development does work in the movies favor but the lack of more werewolf attacks took away from my enjoyment. Also I did find some of the werewolves to be cheesy and not very intimidating. If it wasn't for the events leading up to the end. And the ending itself, I really wouldn't like this movie too much. Also the fact that its creepy and atmospheric adds to it's quality. But I don't ever remember finding this scary though.
My final rating is a 3.5 overall. Although I find this to be above average. To me, it in no way compares with "An Amercian Werewolf In London". A werewolf movie that I still consider to be the greatest werewolf movie of all time. If you dig this, then you should definitely give that a shot.
Fun film with fantastic extras October 13, 2008
5 out of 5 found this review helpful
The Howling
In an attempt to get back into the Halloween spirit, I decided to watch "one of the best werewolf movies ever made" according to the Los Angeles. The Howling is a classic 80s horror film that took werewolf action to a new level. The modern era might look down on this movie due to its out-dated special effects. However, there is a great time to be had with The Howling.
Karen White, a TV newscaster, is on the edge of catching a serial killer named Eddie. She is told to meet Eddie at a local adult shop. She arrives at the shop and enters a theater booth. In the booth, she is assaulted by Eddie. Karen narrowly escapes due to the police arriving just in time. Eddie is shot and assumed dead. Karen is traumatized by the event and has breakdowns just thinking of what happened in the booth. Her doctor suggests taking time off at a secluded retreat known as "The Colony." "The Colony" is not what it appears to be though. Many hairy secrets are hidden underneath the anomalous characters living in "The Colony."
I doubt I am going to spoil the story for anyone when I say that Werewolves are the huge secret. Karen Shaub, a fellow reviewer, asked me not to use the word cheesy in my reviews anymore, so I will try to use other words to describe these furry beasts. The Werewolves epitomize the archetypal 80s style monster. Clearly, you cannot expect Underworld type visuals from this 80s classic. The Werewolves are frequently men in imaginative Werewolf costumes. The transformations, while detailed, lasted far too long and came off as ridiculous. The Werewolves might have been good for their time, but are nothing compared to some of today's CG marvels.
The acting in this movie is decent. Sometimes you will deal with overacting or under acting. At one point, Karen's best friend is killed. Karen sits in sorrow for less than a second and continues what she is doing. Music works to perfection. Suspense is created with the sound track. Even those who are not usually afraid of 80s horror will find themselves jumping every now and then.
This DVD is a dual-sided disk packed with extras. On the side with the film, you can listen to a commentary track with the director and others. The other side of the disk is jam packed with good extras. There are many making of features. There are also deleted scenes and outtakes. There are trailers and a photo gallery. This pulls The Howling up to a four-star rating. Pick this one up to satisfy you 80s horror craving.
werewolf April 18, 2008
This movie kept me from sleeping when I saw it as a kid. I still love it today. It is a little dated but the werewolfs and the story are still great even today!
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