Cheap Thrills for a Cheap Price
Lunar Strain | United States | 10/02/2003
(3 out of 5 stars)
"Before I bought this DVD featuring both Howling V & VI, I had only seen the first three Howling films. I loved the first one, hated the second one, and thought the third one was weirder than hell. I saw this DVD for sale for real cheap so I picked it up. I wasn't expecting much since Howling II & III weren't very good (I still haven't seen IV), and I was actually surprised by Howling V. Of course its lower budget and it has its downfalls, but I really enjoyed it. I really liked the the idea of people being trapped inside a castle because of a ragging blizzard only to be terrorized by a werewolf. I only wished they showed the werewolf a little more, because of the few shots it had, it looked pretty cool. Howling V, since it was made in Europe, has a real unique atmosphere to it. Howling VI on the other hand, I didn't like so well. Even compared to the other sequels, this one fells a lot cheaper made. The idea is intersting, but it just plods along. The werewolf in this one looks more like big foot than a lycanthrope. Already I have watched Howling V three times and VI only once. What I want to know is why didn't Artisan throw Howling IV on this DVD as well? I mean they fit V & VI onto one side of the DVD so they could have put IV on the other? Artisan does own the rights to Howling IV, so this makes me wonder if they are ever goint to release it. Overall this disc was worth the ten bucks I spent. I really like when movie companies put two movies on a disc, and Artisan is doing it a lot latly. I only wish that Artisan would remaster these movies. MGM does, why not Artisan. The movies look a little too grainy."
Get it for the Rebirth
Ironman | Carmel, IN USA | 10/30/2004
(4 out of 5 stars)
"Howling 5 *****
Howling 5 the Rebirth is by far the best of the Howling sequels (despite having nothing to do with the rest of the franchise). The story starts off simple enough, a group of strangers are brought together a mysteriouse castle for some unknown reason. They wind up being snowed in and as a result are picked off one by one by a werewolf. What makes it so great is that you never know who it is until the end where paranoi runs into overtime.
Howling 6 ***
Howling 6 The Freaks is what is to be expected out of a B level title. A man who is cursed with the mark of a werewolf stumbles into a traveling freakshow. He is eventually lured in and placed as one of the attractions. Eventually he discovers that the owner is a Vampire and the two duke it out. The plot is minor and realy the effects were not that great, especially on the Vampire (gives ugly a new meaning).
Overall get this DVD for # 5 and think of #6 as an unwanted bonus feature (like a Hilary Duff Music Video)."
The Rebirth is the Most Suspenseful Howling
Joseph Adams | Superior, WI USA | 09/24/2004
(4 out of 5 stars)
"I had seen Howling 5 growing up as a teenager. It is by far the most suspenseful in the series. A group of people are gathered together at a castle in Budapest. A werewolf picks them off one by one. I kept on guessing until in the final half hour I was pretty sure who it was and I was correct. I will not spoil it for you. For what was a name brand off the shelf rental and now great on DVD this is really suspenseful. All the group, each of them has a gimmick. A surprisngly intelligient horror film.
The Howling 6 The Freaks is just that- a freak show. I hadn't seen it before. A vampire is also thrown in.
It's too bad I'd imagine only diehard horror fans have probably seen this/ will see it as it is one of the most suspensful movies I have seen in my life, Howling 5 that is. I've seen this series called mediocre by critics, they're not. I grew up on Friday the 13th and Nightmare on Elm Street, Halloween and they were called mediocre, too. Diehard fans don't care what the critics say. Only trendy teenybopperish audiences honestly will or won't see a movie based on critics. Oh, the suspsense!"
Howling V: The Rebirth
Sir Airrick | London England | 02/08/2004
(5 out of 5 stars)
"By far the best in a long running series, V delivers classic werewolf fear & legend with a twist of suspense unlike any of the other Howling movies...A group of travelers are invited to an old, isolated castle in the heart of werewolf country (Hungary) to see which one of them is a descendant of an ancient werewolf. An atmospheric & mesmerizing film."