Part of Universal Monsters + Restored Halloween Classics.
After a bizarre and near deadly encounter with a serial killer, a television newswoman is sent to a remote mountain resort whose residents may not be what they seem. Originally released in 1981, THE HOWLING reimagined one of the most durable of horror icons: the man (or woman) bitten by a wolf, and then doomed to turn into one with every full moon — wreaking havoc and murder, which the poor damned soul could not control or remember. Director Joe Dante utilized the talents of up-and-coming makeup and effects artist Rob Bottin (THE THING, TOTAL RECALL) — who, for the first time, created an onscreen transformation of man to beast without cut-away edits, using only latex and ligature. This was combined with a genre-imploding screenplay conjoining the new Hollywood interest in horror with the faddish West Coast self-awareness movement by filmmaker and novelist John Sayles (MATEWAN, LONE STAR), who had previously worked with Dante on PIRANHA, along with a cast of genre stalwarts, including Dee Wallace and Patrick Macnee — and John Carradine, Kevin McCarthy, and Dick Miller in referential cameo roles.
“Director Joe Dante’s work reflects Alfred Hitchcock’s insistence that terror and suspense work best when counterbalanced by a chuckle or two.” —Variety (Dec 31, 1980)
THE HOWLING has been restored in 4K by Studiocanal with the VDM lab, under the supervision of director Joe Dante. Says Dante, "I can honestly say this 4K restoration is the best THE HOWLING has looked since it came out of the lab in 1980 — maybe better. I'm happy to have it back in circulation at last."
