Rating: 
Summary: Basic horror movie. READ THE BOOKS!!!
Review: Compared to the story of the book, the film version was VERY dissapointing.I read both HOWLING and HOWLING TWO in less than a week. I could not put them down. Skip the movie and read the books.
Rating: 
Summary: They don't make werewolf movies like this anymore
Review: Have you watched any werewolf movies lately? The ones with those lousy and crummy computer animated human to werewolf transformations? To me there flat out ridiculous!!! This is not the case with The Howling. This movie was made when special effects artists like Rob Bottin,Rick Baker were in their prime.The old latex FX are a thing of the past and they were the only ones that looked real.About a year ago I got around to renting An American werewolf in Paris and although it was a cool movie the werewolves looked more like gorillas than what they really supposed to be and the transformations happened so fast that I really didn't get to enjoy them.Joe Dante gives great direction and the make-up artist Rob Bottin puts lots of love into the FX for The Howling.If you wanna see what a werewolf movie is really supposed to be like then I highly recommend this one and remember they just don't make em' like they used to.
Rating: 
Summary: Brings me right back to classic 80's horror!
Review: I don't think I have ever seen such a "bare bones" DVD set like this one. I purchased this movie and the "Scanners" DVD at the same time and it's weird to open a package with literally nothing but the disc inside! Have I become so used to those "Special Edition" sets? I guess you're getting what you pay for with MGM "bare bone" DVD's. BUT NO MATTER! These movies are classic and since I am talking about "The Howling" this movie broke new ground and introduced some of the best prosthetic special effects ever developed for film....at least until "An American Werewolf in London" came along:) The digital video transfer is outstanding on this and after watching my VHS tape of this movie over the last umpteen years, this was such a welcome improvement. What I truly love about this DVD is that it is widescreen and there are a few scenes here and there that caught me by surprise since I never saw certain characters to the left or the right of the screen since pan and scan cuts the picture practically in half! The theatrical trailer is definitely "rough" as far as print quality preserving "The Howlings'" classic status of true 80's horror. Throw away that old VHS tape and get this DVD for the simple fact of it's improved sound and picture quality!
Rating:
Summary: Great Movie :) - Disappointing Release ;/
Review: A horror movie of great worth, perhaps the best werewolf movie of history, THE HOWLING still doesn't have a definitive release. I'll focus particular aspects of the MGM DVD (released on August 28th, 2001).
I didn't get why not to use the original movie poster in the cover instead of that "remake" design. Fans know it but I think companies don't: original promo materials are almost part of the movie. Moreover, the back cover is one of the worst I've seen in DVD so far, an ugly full moon, an artificial dead blue background and a crazy processed photo of late actor Christopher Stone to a point his skin looked green/brown, like a vegetable (although the movie has Kevin McCarthy, it is not the body snatchers! :). We're precisely talking about the only werewolf movie that followed some ancient legends that declined the moon cycle in the werewolf curse. Therefore, what is that moon for? And that's not all about the design, unbelievably there's nothing inside but the disc, not a single booklet to show the chapters!
The trailer is in awful shape (the source print was a mess, dirty and scratched, I'd say spoiled). Warning, this IS NOT the original theatrical trailer as it reads in the back cover, it had editions in it, God knows why.
I'd like to know why to release in widescreen 1.85:1 a print that was originally 1.66:1. Only in order to cut out some top and bottom areas? That's what happened. Actually even left and right areas of the screen were cut out a bit. Why there can't be widescreen/letterbox releases that show the entire picture area? I use the plural because the laserdisc collector's edition supervised by Joe Dante failed in that matter too.
Then we go to another problem: tone colors and lighting. The result was too bright and yellow. Joe Dante didn't want the transformation scene to be overlit and he took care about it when filming it, creating a fantastic atmosphere. However, home releases failed to respect his plans. In the first VHS edition (80s) it was more dark than it should, and from that on, the movie was tortured by bad home releases. Some of them blueish, some of them yellowish, none of them right. Perhaps not even the mentioned laserdisc collector's edition was perfect in this matter.
I guess the curse of this movie is not about werewolves, but about "silver homevideo releases".
Anyway, at least now there is the DVD of this title.
Let us have a good special edition of THE HOWLING with new running commentary, etc.
Rating:
Summary: THE BEST WEREWOLF MOVIE EVER
Review: The Howling is without a doubt the best werewolf movie ever made it has a great story and awesom special affects. The werewolfs are the cooliest I have ever seen if your a fan of werewolf movies or Horror movies in generel you will love this movie.
Rating:
Summary: Not really scary, But who cares?
Review: I haven't seen "The other early 80's werewolf movie" In about a decade, So I will make no more refrences to it, I Promise. This is a review for a 1981 movie, on a 2001 DVD, and in the case of most horror movies : Horror + Many Years = Not scary, bordering on pathetic. Nobody over the age of eight is going to be scared of this movie today (Accept maybe PETA), and tomorrow doesn't look good either. This is honestly, THE movie I've been waiting for on DVD since I bought my player, and I am somewhat disappointed by the MGM release. The picture quality is only so-so for DVD (Meaning it's better than original) blacks aren't super-black, colours aren't too vibrant, But for a low-budget twenty year old horror movie, I guess you can't expect a frame for frame restoration like 'Akira' or 'The Exorcist'. Audio quality isn't anything to write home to momma about either. The dialogue is clear, sound effects aren't too shabby, and the music isn't bad ('Untouchables ' was really bad). I don't remember who composed, but chances are some other reviewer did, and you can find out from their review. Special Features are nonexistant. You get a trailer and subtitles, Not even a commentary. I don't care who directed this, but he should have had a commentary track. And if the directors dead, then put the stars in the commentary. If the cast was eaten by werewolves during post production (It would have been horrific and ironic), then they could have got some guy off the street to do commentary. I like commentary, and this DVD seems to lack that basic feature. Also 'The Howling' will not let you be late for work tomorrow because you won't oversleep, because you will have no reason to stay up late watching featurettes. No Making-of's, storyboards, scripts, behind the scenes, free T-shirts, collectible ashtray's, or Lobby card's are included. As for the film: It's a B horror movie. It's not very good. It's probably closer to bad. But if it is bad, then it is so bad it's good. It seems to enjoy its early 80's gorehound campy horrificishness (I just made that up). The fact that THIS is the best werewolf movie to date (Maybe 'Wolf', I won't argue too much here) is saying something either about Hollywood, or werewolves in general. Hopefully it says something about Hollywood, because I happen to enjoy the werewolf mythos. Someday werewolves will have their opus, as zombies had their 'Day of the Dead', vampires had their 'Dracula', necrophiliacs had their 'Nekromantik' and mummies had 'The Mummy'. But this is not that opus, At least I hope it's not. This is really just a special effects slasher movie with dog hair. But I love it none the less, and I can't explain why. This movie was followed by a series of sequels that were either bad (6 and 7), worse (2 and 5), Really really really bad (3), or a quasi-remake of the first (4).
Rating:
Summary: Horror With A Humorous Touch
Review: Here is the ultimate horror film - funny, unorthodox and sexy. This is the first of the "Howling" series and probably, the best, although I am partial to "Howling 2 - Your Sister is a Werewolf." The rest of the "Howling" series stinks.
Patrick Macnee is the patriarch of these howlers, even though he is not one of them. They all live in an artist's colony up the coast of California - a Malibu for lycanthropes. Into this steamy setting arrives a TV reporter (Dee Wallace Stone, as she was then known) seeking to escape the pressures of her encounter with a werewolf. Her husband (Dee's real life husband, Christopher Stone) comes with her only to be snatched up by a vampy werewolf. The idyll ends with Dee being chased by the howlers. The highlight of this film is the ending when Dee returns to the TV station to report on the werewolves. I won't give away the ending, but will say she won't be reporting the news for awhile.
For its time, this film was first-rate, fresh and original. And I believe it still holds up its quality end like it was yesterday. This is enjoyable on all levels - humor, sexual encounters and scare. Ahead of its time and just right for now.
Rating: 
Summary: Excellent print of a crackling werewolf flick
Review: I won't dissect the movie at length as many others have done that here already. It is my favorite modern (post-1970) werewolf flick, with a fresh, intriguing script (co-written by John Sayles, another of my favorites), a healthy dose of eroticism, lots of cool "stunt casting", and generally excellent makeup effects. I say "generally" 'cause, admit it diehards, the first major transformation scene is drawn out way too long, spoiling the potential effectiveness of the admittedly awesome makeup. The second, shorter one is much more effective by comparison. I suppose at the time they just couldn't help showing off their new bladder technology, but I think the first transformation would benefit from some judicious editing. But that is my only major complaint in an otherwise scary, funny, sexy film. And you have to love John Carradine as a "fundamentalist werewolf." The DVD is typical of MGM Home Entertainment's budget DVD releases, containing only the widescreen print of the movie, trailer, chapter stops, and subtitles. But the print does look terrific; extremely clean, with vibrant color, rich blacks. I only noticed some occasional film grain (not the fault of the DVD transfer) and a handful of tiny flecks. Despite the continuing Bottin vs. Baker controversy, note that Rick Baker is listed in the end credits as special makeup consultant, right after Mr. Bottin. Perhaps they are unaware of their rivalry.
Rating:
Summary: Most scariest "werewolf metamorphosis" sfx ever !
Review: At the time of writing, this DVD has yet to be available but i will definitely grab it as soon as it's out. Special effects wizard, Rob Bottin has created just about the most gruesome & realistic werewolf transformation scene ever filmed in movie history...you can bet on that! Even Rick Baker's effects from ' An American Werewolf In London 'couldn't match that of Rob Bottin's in this movie. Heck...Rob is the same guy who did those great slimy mutating visual effects of that shape-shifting alien from John Carpenter's ' the Thing '. What a guy! This movie is worth grabbing just for that werewolf transformation sequence ( complete with protruding snout, jaw, fangs, body hair, ripping skull...etc )itself . This is THE DEFINITE Werewolf movie for fans of the genre. Don't miss it !
Rating:
Summary: The Howling
Review: It's a sad fact that after twenty years, there is only one truly great werewolf film. And The Howling ain't it. This was part of the big werewolf trilogy from 1981; the socially conscious, and just as ridiculous, Wolfen was one, along with American Werewolf in London, which remains miles ahead of its competition in production, acting, and direction. The Howling was created on a budget of one million dollars, and believe me, it shows. Although Rob Botin deserves credit for his primitive make-up FX. The Howling stars Dee Wallace Stone, who does nothing but whine and cry through the whole thing, and is also infested with inside jokes that are simply silly (werewolf cartoon whilst girl is being eaten). The soundtrack sounds as if it were taken from a low-budget film.....from the 50's. There is no fear here, only camp. Indeed, while the film does away with the full moon effect ("Hollywood BS"), it endorses the much cheezier silver bullet solution. In the end, do yourself a favor, skip this old school waste of film and check out the recent Dog Soldiers if you wish to see how a low budget film is done right.
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