The conversation about physical media dying has been going on for almost a decade now as streaming and VOD has been the general audience's main way of consuming their home media. However, in recent years, boutique companies like Scream Factory have been keeping physical media alive with their preservation of the horror genre. They are best known for releasing the entire Friday the 13th series in all their uncut bloody glory last year in a beautiful box set and as recently as October they released the first five Halloween films in 4K. Now they are bringing another classic horror film in Joe Dante’s The Howling to 4K early next year.

This 1981 werewolf film followed a news reporter after her near-deadly encounter with a serial killer that leads her to a remote mountain resort which just so happens to be full of lycan creatures. The film starred E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial’s Dee Wallace, Dennis Dugan, Elisabeth Brooks, Belinda Balaski, Christopher Stone, and Patrick Macnee.

From its great special effects work to its dark themes that were ahead of its time to an ending that is still haunting to this day, The Howling is one of the best werewolf films of all time and one of the finest examples of the horror genre in the 80s. While it gets overshadowed by the masterpiece The Wolf Man and modern classics like Ginger Snaps or An American Werewolf in London which came out the same year, this film deserves more love and this 4K restoration is the perfect way to revisit this classic.

the-howling-dee-wallace-patrick-macnee-social
Image via Embassy Pictures

RELATED: 'Resident Evil: Infinite Darkness' Gets a Blu-ray Release Date in Time for the Holidays

Like the Halloween 4Ks, this film had a previous Blu-ray release from Scream Factory in 2013 and there are no new special features that were not on the previous release, but both the 4K Blu-Ray and standard Blu-Ray that this release comes with has new 4K restorations by Studio Canal. Each of these transfers are approved by Dante himself. 4K restorations have been popular of late, especially for the horror genre, and famous directors are jumping into the ring like Peter Jackson who recently announced that his horror comedy cult classic film Dead Alive is getting released on the format soon.

Here's the rundown of what's included on the 4K release of The Howling:

DISC 1: (UHD)

  • NEW 4K restoration by Studio Canal, approved by director Joe Dante
  • Audio Commentary with director Joe Dante and actors Dee Wallace, Christopher Stone and Robert Picardo
  • Audio Commentary with author Gary Brandner

DISC 2: (Blu-Ray)

  • NEW 4K restoration by Studio Canal, approved by director Joe Dante
  • Audio Commentary with director Joe Dante and actors Dee Wallace, Christopher Stone and Robert Picardo
  • Audio Commentary with author Gary Brandner
  • A Look Back at The Howling – an interview with actress Dee Wallace
  • Howling Eternal – an interview with executive producer Steven A. Lane
  • Cut to Shreds – an interview with editor Mark Goldblatt
  • Horror’s Hallowed Grounds: A look at the film’s original locations
  • Making a Monster Movie: Inside THE HOWLING
  • Unleashing the Beast: The Making of THE HOWLING
  • Interview with stop motion animator David Allen
  • Interview with co-writer Terence H. Winkless
  • Deleted Scenes with option audio commentary
  • Outtakes
  • Trailers from Hell – writer Josh Olson on THE HOWLING
  • Theatrical Trailer
  • Still Gallery

2021 has been a very busy year for Scream factory and this announcement teases that 2022 will be no different. The label’s next release is the 4K version of the 2015 Christmas horror comedy Krampus which comes out next week on December 7 and The Howling 4K will make some noise in physical media lovers' hearts when it releases on February 15, 2022. For all the latest horror movie news, stick with Collider.