Few franchises have gone as far off the rails as the Howling franchise did, and it did so very quickly, going to one of the best werewolf movies ever made with director Joe Dante’s The Howling to director Philippe Mora’s oddball follow-up Howling II: Your Sister Is a Werewolf. Still, Howling II does have it charms and its fans, so Vinegar Syndrome have given the film a 4K release – and they’ve brought it to 4K with a ton of bonus features! Copies are available to order on the Vinegar Syndrome website and go for the price of $37.99.
Directed by Philippe Mora from a screenplay by Robert Sarno and Gary Brandner, Howling II has the following synopsis: Ben is mourning the recent death of his sister, Karen, whom he believes to have been killed in a savage wolf attack. At her funeral, Ben is approached by the mysterious Stefan, who warns him that a cult of werewolves had attacked Karen and that she too will become an undead lycanthrope. Although dismissing his claim as mere superstition, Ben’s girlfriend Jenny convinces him that he should take Stefan’s warning more seriously, and, sure enough, Karen is soon back from the dead, covered in fur and complete with a deadly set of K9s. After being narrowly saved from a fatal bite by Stefan, Ben is persuaded that he’s telling the truth and volunteers to join him on his mission to destroy the increasing hoards of beastly creatures ravaging Europe. But as their journey takes them to Transylvania, where werewolves from around the world are gathering for their ritual, Ben and Stefan fear that they might be in over their heads, mainly once werewolf queen Stirba receives news of their arrival…
The film stars Christopher Lee, Annie McEnroe, Reb Brown, Marsha Hunt, and Sybil Danning.
Vinegar Syndrome’s Howling II 4K release has the following features:
2-disc Set: 4K Ultra HD / Region A Blu-ray
4K UHD presented in Dolby Vision High-Dynamic-Range
Newly scanned & restored in 4K from its 35mm original camera negative
Brand new commentary track with director Philippe Mora and author/screenwriter Kelly Goodner
Archival commentary track with director Philippe Mora
Archival commentary track with composer Steve Parsons and editor Charles Bornstein
“Lights, Camera, Werewolves?” (35 min) – a conversation with director Philippe Mora and filmmaker Michael Mohan
“A Romp Through Czechoslovakia” (15 min) – an interview with actress Annie Pressman
“Thrown to the Wolves” (11 min) – an interview with special make-up effects artist Steve Johnson
“A Life Collaboration with Philippe Mora” (11 min) – an interview with Pamela Krause, Philippe Mora’s wife and artist consultant
“Freaky, Sexy, Mad” (16 min) – an interview with composer Stephen Parsons
“Lord of the Stricken Field” (25 min) – film historian Jonathan Rigby on Christopher Lee and Howling II
“Queen of the Werewolves” (17 min) – an archival interview with actress Sybil Danning
“Leading Man” (14 min) – an archival interview with actor Reb Brown
“A Monkey Phase” (15 min) – an archival featurette with special make-up effects artists Steve Johnson and Scott Wheeler
Theatrical trailer
Still gallery
Reversible sleeve artwork
20-page booklet with never-before-seen behind-the-scenes Polaroids by director Philippe Mora and an essay by Matt Serafini
English SDH subtitles
Will you be buying Howling II: Your Sister Is a Werewolf on 4K? Let us know by leaving a comment below.
