Customer Reviews

Howling V The Rebirth / Howling VI The Freaks

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

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.

I don't care what anybody else says, Howling V: The Rebirth is an awesome horror movie. When I was a kid, my mom allowed me to rent Howling V: The Rebirth and watch it. For years it gave me terrible nightmares. I had a wild imagination back then and it often got the better of me whenever I watched certain certain things. A group of heirs are invited to a Hungarian castle for a secret werewolf bust. The guests realize to their horror that they are being hunted down by evil. They all have the same birth mark. One of them is a werewolf, and it can only be destroyed by one of its own, someone who has the mark. Howling VI: The Freaks is a pretty cool horror film too. But I like Howling V better. I am glad this movie is finally on DVD.

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 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).

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.

When I saw this DVD, I was thrilled. Two movies in one! Nowe that is a bargain for what I payed for [...]. But I was very disapointed with HOWLING VI and was surprised with HOWLING V.

HOWLING V: THE REBIRTH is a good installment. While the picture quality is grainy, it doesn't take away from a very creepy film. A werewolf is hiding and living out in a 500 year old castle where a group of poeple from all over the world have come to see its reopening. What they discover is horrifying! Werewolf doesn't have much on screen time, but what you see of it, it looks pretty cool. But...
HOWLING VI: THE FREAKS is one of the most horrible installments in the series ( but this is nothing compared with NEW MOON RISING or HOWLING 7). It takes place in a carnivel of freaks where a young werewolf named Ian has decided to go and live for the rest of his days. The werwwolf looks more like chewie from Star Wars. The acting is horrible, the story is medicore, and nothing happens until maybe 40 or 50 minutes in.
What's my point? My point is Buy this only for HOWLING V. I have watched V 2 times while I have only watch VI once. ( And once is enough for me.)
3 for V and 0 for VI.

There have been some other releases of these of movies on some third party crap, but Artisan has so far done the best job on the formating and mastering (even over blue-ray sadly). Though Part V is still full screen (not sure if it was ever wide screen), it's still very enjoyable. "Rebirth" gives that claustrophobic feeling and a mysterious "Who did it?" kind of touch, which is fun. Not quite sure why it's rated R, as there no cussing, next to no gore....but a little slight nude scene. Overall Rebirth is a fun sequel of "The Howling" and probably the most worthy of being called a "Howling" movie. "The Freaks" is just weird, but mildly entertaining and at least worth the watch. If you're a Howling fan, pick this release up. It's the most functionally correct version available!

HOWLING 5
THE REBIRTH

This has got to be the most entertaining film in this series by far since the first, it may even surpass the first in some ways. The first one played like a good b horror movie while this one plays like a classic murder mystery, trust me that is a good thing. This series has always been an interesting one to me, even the truly horrible ones I find really entertaining. This one is really one of the most interesting werewolf movies I have ever seen and I really mean that. Sure the acting is B movie bad but that means it is B movie cheese good, but the concept and lay out of this film is truly A level stuff. Honestly if you were to give a film from this franchise a chance it should be this one, go into it with low 2 no expectations and you will come truly entertained.

The film is all about a group of randomly chosen people [or are they] that make a trip to a castle in Europe for its grand opening. Once there they are treated to an open house of a mysterious castle with something running around picking them off one by one. From here we are treated to something more in the vein of a good mystery film kinda like a "who done it" kind of thing more so then a horror movie. I think since it was made like this that is the reason why a lot of people enjoy this movie more so then the other films in this series. Once people start to disappear they realize that they are stuck in the castle because of a huge blizzard, and then not only are they lost inside a huge castle but they have to run around labyrinth like tunnels under the castle. When it comes down to the last 4 or 5 people this really turns into a "who is the werewolf" situation between the survivors. That who done it mentality really makes this film an interesting watch and actually keeps you interested all the way through.

Director Neal Sundstrom really took something that would normally have been just another sequel and turned it into a very entertaining stand alone in the series. I really feel that Neal along side screen writers Clive Turner and Freddie Rowe saved this film from being horrible. Don't get me wrong the script is not an academy award winner in aspect [except maybe the idea of it] but it is still very interesting. I think it is the bad acting in this film that also adds a little something to it, bad acting in this type of film equals good cheese. Other then maybe Philip Davis every one in this film are so bad they are good, well maybe not that bad but still not award winning. Everything in this film just kinda has a likeable quality about it that even the cons are over shadowed by the pros.

I highly recommend this film to any and every body out there, and if there was ever a film in this series you should see it is this one. The first film is also a really good flick in this franchise, I recommend a viewing of both, well just watch all of them.

I have not received the title.
Redwood entertainment from which I purchased the item lied to me on 2 occasions that they mailed the item and they did not

Remember the first time you watched the original "Howling"? Remember the sense of fear that would build up when you saw the moon was out? And when you knew the werewolves were near? Remember the macabre foreboding feeling you got while watching the entire movie? That was what made the original "Howling" a great movie. But by now, the whole formula's gotten old. The second "Howling" was alright, so was the third, and it started getting old on the fourth, but there is no need for a fifth, and definetly not a sixth. It's time to call it quits with this series. They're just gonna keep releasing crappy sequels like they did with "Halloween" and Jason until it's completely ruined. The whole formula's not scary anymore. Either try something new or STOP.