Joe Dante's tongue-in-cheek horror film is given the special edition treatment by MGM. Because of its irreverent tone and the ground-breaking make-up effects, "The Howling" stands the classic werewolf mythos on its ear (becoming a minor classic itself), and was one of the more influential horror films of the 80s.

TV reporter Karen White (Dee Wallace) survives an assault by a serial killer roaming Los Angeles; the assailant (Robert Picardo) is shot, but the attack deeply affects her, both personally and professionally. At the urging of Dr. George Waggner (Patrick Macnee), a renowned psychologist and TV personality, Karen and her husband, Bill (Christopher Stone), attend the good doctor's retreat, called The Colony, an encounter group where people try to come to terms with their emotional problems. Little does she know that everyone in The Colony is a werewolf. Meanwhile, her close friend, Terry (Belinda Balaski) and her beau (Dennis Dugan) uncover some disturbing info about the man who assaulted Karen (besides the fact he has disappeared from the morgue), leading them to the very same retreat. "The Howling" works on many levels. It's a classy homage to B-movies past; there are so many references to wolves, werewolf lore and classic films that one practically needs a scorecard to count them (for the uninitiated, the enclosed booklet reveals a few of them). It's also a clever satire of those films (with the same self-aware humor that would later pop up in the "Scream" series), as well as the "I'm-okay-you're-okay" pretensions of trendy encounter groups so popular in the 80s. And, of course, it's a full-blooded horror film in its own right; it's atmospheric, suspenseful, scary and violent (but, for the most part, not overly gory). Working from a clever John Sayles script, director Joe Dante effortlessly blends all these elements, aided in no small part by Rob Bottin's terrific transformation effects. While the effects may seem just a bit quaint to some, just remember that it was THIS film which set the standard by which later horror make-up work would be measured. The only place where the film is a bit lacking is in some of the lead performances; most of the supporting cast is great, full of such familiar character actors as Patrick Macnee, Slim Pickens, Kevin McCarthy, John Carradine and Dick Miller, who shines as a know-it-all proprietor of an occult book store. But I felt Dee Wallace was ineffective in the lead role...a bit too waifish and bland, and not nearly as forceful as her performance in "Cujo." Ditto for Christopher Stone, who registers little personality as her husband...unfortunate, considering the emotional impact of subsequent events hangs on the dynamics of their relationship. Other than that, the movie is a lot of good, scary (and adult) fun.

As they did with another Avco-Embassy minor classic of the 80's, "The Fog," MGM has given "The Howling" a great DVD transfer. Presented in both 1.85:1 widescreen and standard full frame, this disc offers a great picture, considering the film is 22 years old. There's a bit of grain, most noticeable during some of the night shots, but the film looks like it's been cleaned up considerably, with very few blemishes or scratches. The soundtrack as also been well restored, remastered in 5.1 Dolby Digital Surround, and there's little or no distortion. The film's original mono track is also available, but no foreign language tracks are included.

There is an abundance of special features included on this disc. The audio commentary features director Joe Dante, as well as cast members Dee Wallace, Christopher Stone, and Robert Picardo (since Christopher Stone died in 1995, I'm assuming some of the commentary is from a Laserdisc edition of the film). There are also two comprehensive documentaries, "Unleashing the Beast" and "Making a Monster Movie: Inside 'The Howling'." Both are entertaining and informative...a must for any fan of the film, or horror movies in general; the former is especially abundant with behind-the-scenes anecdotes. If you've never seen "The Howling," though, I recommend you watch the movie first. Also included is one of my personal favorite features, the outtake reel, which runs about seven minutes, as well as some deleted scenes, the original theatrical trailer, and trailers for other MGM genre releases. Useless trivia: "The Howling" is pretty much 90 minutes of useless trivia. Rather than pointing out the obvious, might I suggest getting some of your friends together and playing a DVD variation of 'Slug Bug'? You could award points to those who can point out references to wolves, other werewolf movies, characters named after directors, cameo appearances, etc. Trust me, there's a buttload of them. (No fair watching the documentaries first, though).

This edition of "The Howling" should be a welcome edition to any horror fan's DVD collection. Even if you already own the previous edition, you still may want to consider this one just for all the extras (not to mention the improved picture and sound).