StudioCanal, out now

After an intense confrontation with a serial killer, a traumatised news anchor takes refuge within a country retreat which is hiding a terrifying secret.

While every legacy movie seems to be getting a 4K polish (or a new transfer is on the cards), few can boast the time and effort applied here to Joe Dante’s 1981 werewolf masterpiece. I love this movie – it really doesn’t put a foot wrong – and its new transfer is quite stunning. There’s options to buy this release as a DVD or BluRay, but it’s the UHD version that really makes the picture zing.

Right from the opening titles, which feature the name of the movie slashed in red on a black background, the vibrancy and clarity of the picture is stunning. From the neon drenched red light porn district where Karen (an excellent Dee Wallace) is first attacked to the lush greenery of the forest and some pitch blacks at night, its an explosion of colour.

The technical description is: a release in DCP 4K, in Dolby Vision UHD HDR and SDR. What that means in practice is that this new scan benefits from the latest technology in 4K with 16-bit colour depth that brings the original negative to life. The hundreds of hours spent in correcting defects and relics on the negative have really paid off with a picture that still has a soft filmic grain but also a vibrancy in its colours.

StudioCanal’s disc includes ‘Inside the Career of Joe Dante’, a frank, new 20 minute interview with the director, and ‘Welcome to Werewolfland’, a 51 minute look at werewolf movies, interviewing cast and crew from 2001. There’s also 11 minutes of deleted scenes, 13 minutes of outtakes and a trailer.

Verdict: The perfect Halloween treat – celebrate The Howling’s 40th anniversary with this gorgeous and definitive new transfer that looks better than ever. 10/10

Nick Joy