Arrow Video, out now

American tourists David and Jack are savaged by an unidentified vicious animal whilst hiking on the Yorkshire Moors. 

John Landis’ seminal 1981 werewolf horror comedy has never looked so good than in its new 4K release from Arrow. Fans may balk at double-dipping, and buying this new set should be determined by what you already own.

If you bought the 2019 Blu-ray Arrow disc then there’s no new extras for you here. It was already an improvement on the 2009 Universal disc with some welcome new material. The big lure here is in the new 4K transfer from the original camera negative, which uncovers depth that we haven’t seen before.

The blacks are so much darker on the scenes on the movies, revealing details previously lost on SD or HD transfers. But where it really takes off is with the vibrancy of the primary colours courtesy of the HDR. David’s red jacket really pops, and the lashings of crimson Kensington Gore are really rich. The posters on the walls of underground have never been so legible, and look at the colours of the balloons in London Zoo that the naked David takes from the young boy. Grain is still apparent in darker scenes, but this is true to the film stock.

There’s a whole bunch of extras in the disc, ported over from the previous release. New to this version is a reversible sleeve featuring original poster art and artwork by Graham Humphreys, a double-sided fold-out poster, lobby card reproductions and a book featuring new writing, archival articles and original reviews.

Verdict: You might balk at having to buy the disc again so soon after its previous release, but the 4K makeover is well worth it. 9/10

Nick Joy

Click here to order from Amazon.co.uk