As horror films go, Howl does an above average job of scarring the pants off of its audience. Gross, ghastly and eerie, the film has moments when even the most hardened thriller fan will jump. The Blu-ray has excellent quality so even the night scenes where most of the film takes place are nicely visible, easy to identify and delightfully sinister. Topping it off, the make-up and costume creators are on their mark with some very ghoulish characters.
The story begins at London’s Waterloo railway station where we find Joe (Ed Speleers) just getting off work after a long day being a train guard/porter on the one of the easier routes. As he’s about to leave the new station supervisor David (Brett Goldstein) stops him and informs Joe he has to take the Eastborough run through the sketchy area that includes Thornton Wood. Not up for it he tries to decline, but when he notices stewardess Ellen (Holly Weston), a girl he has been crushing on, has the run and he quickly changes his mind.
Since it’s the night train there’s only four cars and an engine with about 12 passengers. After Joe checks the tickets and Ellen starts selling coffee from her cart we get to find out the personalities of the people on board. Just as the train enters Thornton Wood there’s a loud thump and the train comes to a halt. With the full moon right overhead and wives tales of werewolves in the forest come to mind, the occupants start to get uneasy.
The film goes on from there for a fright night that seems like it will never end. Director Paul Hyett, make-up/prosthetics for such films as The Descent, Unknown, Doomsday and The Woman in Black, does a good job of getting his audience set up for a night of continuous carnivorous terror. His ability to make the characters on the train a part of the reason for the chaos shows a strong case for future endeavors as a director.
In the lead as the train guard, Ed Speleers (A Lonely Place to Die) does a terrific job of controlling all the action in the train. Being the train’s policeman he has to keep the occupants under control while weird sounds and frightening screams are heard from the surrounding woods. Speleers works his character into a dither as he has never been in a situation of life or death and in command as well. It’s his problem, but if he can’t get others on the train to help, all is lost.
The prosthesis, costumes and make-up are very good. The creatures from the woods are very ghoulish, carnivorous and dripping with blood from fresh carcasses. Their skin has a fleshy look covered mostly by hair that’s matted and torn from living in the forest. Their eyes glow in the dark and they have hideous teeth to grasp human flesh tearing it from body and bones. A tip of the hat to the crews who worked on Howl.
The Blu-ray has a special feature that’s really worth the watch. Director Paul Hyett along with some of the main role actors and producers who participate in features about the film. The features are a must for budding filmmakers and actors as a very good lesson/refresher.
BONUS FEATURES:
“The Werewolves” show how the beasts were designed, the make-up from human to animal and more.
“The Humans” go over the characters and how they interact within the film.
“The Train” shows the main set on how it fits into the story, the shooting and more.
“The Sound” includes comments by the composer and sound designer on the music and terror sounds that keeps the audience engrossed in the action.
“The Grade” which works in tandem with the full composition during the scene changes, lighting, camera, visual effects etc. This feature includes comments by the Colourist.
Howl has not be rated by the MPAA, but contains extreme violence, gore, frightening images and language.
FINAL ANALYSIS: Horror lovers should like the film, but may be a little picky when it comes to the direction and acting. (C+)
Specifications and additional video information:
Cast: Ed Speleers, Holly Weston, Shauna Macdonald
Directed by: Paul Hyett
MPAA Rating: Not Rated, contains violence, gore, language
Genre: Horror
Running Time: 1 Hr. 32 min.
Original Theatrical Release Date: October 16, 2015 (UK)
Video Release Date: January 12, 2016
Language: English
Reviewed Format: Blu-ray (also available in DVD)
Audio: Dolby True HD
Video: 16×9 Widescreen
Subtitles: English SDH, Spanish
Number of Discs: 1 Disc
Distributed by: Alchemy
Writer, critic, film editor John Delia, Sr. has been on all sides of the movie business from publications to film making. He has worked as a film critic with ACED Magazine for more than 20 years and other publications for a total of 40 years. He earned a Bachelor’s degree in communications from the University of Florida. John is a member of the Southeastern Film Critics Association and Critics Association of Central Florida Send John a message at jdelia@acedmagazine.com
