DVD Corner

Silver Bullet 4K UHD Review

“Silver Bullet” is an underrated werewolf movie. 

Based on Stephen King’s book “Cycle Of The Werewolf,” “Silver Bullet” takes place in the tight-knit town of Tarker’s Mill in the year 1976. The town has become terrorized by a string of recent murders and the local Sheriff’s investigations have proved fruitless. The town becomes fearful and vigilante mobs begin to form.

The main focus of the story, however, is on the Coslaw family namely Jane and her disabled brother Marty who are constantly feuding. When Marty discovers who and what the killer is (a werewolf whose identity is a local townsperson), he tries to seek help from Jane and his wild Uncle Red. After initial doubts, the two begin to believe his claims are true especially when all of their lives are put in grave danger.

Released in 1985, the Dan Attias directed “Silver Bullet” has stood the test of time. It certainly helps that Stephen King was able to adapt his own story too. Yes, there are some very 80’s elements here liked the souped up wheelchairs (which were not in the book), the bizarre Reverend nightmare sequence, and the cheesy narration, but for the most part this is an intense werewolf movie. For whatever reason, werewolf movies have been notoriously hard to pull off in cinema. Sure, there’s classics like the original 1941 “The Wolf Man” and “An American Werewolf In London,” but lycanthropes are hard to pull off on the big screen without looking goofy. “Silver Bullet” succeeds where others have failed by showing just enough of the werewolf and choreographing freaky and violent sequences that are effective. Carlo Rambaldi’s creature work is also generally on point with the end transformation sequence being especially noteworthy.

Werewolf action aside, ‘Silver’ also excels as a family story. The chemistry between Corey Haim (Marty), Megan Follows of “Anne Of Green Gables” fame (Jane) and the always entertaining Gary Busey (Uncle Red) really works wonders. You care about this family through all of their dysfunctions and that’s a testament to these 3 actor’s work. The cast also contains fantastic character actors like Lawrence Tierney, Terry O’Quinn, Bill Smitrovich, and Everett McGill as the Reverend (who is chillingly good here).

Video/Audio:

Presentation: 2.35:1 2160p. How does it look? Scream Factory 4K releases have greatly improved as of late and “Silver Bullet” is yet another winner from the label. The new 2023 transfer from the original camera negative in Dolby Vision offers up improved image quality.

Audio Track: 2.0 DTS-HD MA. How does it sound? The back cover lists 5.1 tracks, but both the 4K and Blu-ray only contain the Mono track. With that said, the Mono track still delivers a satisfying audio experience. 

Extras:
* 3 commentaries on the 4K and Blu-ray. One by producer Martha De Laurentiis, one by director Daniel Attias, and one by podcasters Eric Vespe and Scott Wampler.
* Isolated score selections and audio interview with film composer Jay Chattaway on the 4K and Blu-ray.
* Blu-ray copy
* Extras On The Blu-ray: TV Spot, Radio Spot, Theatrical Trailer, Still Gallery, 3 separate interviews with editor Daniel Loewenthal, actor Kent Broadhurst and actor Everett McGill, and “Full Moon Fever- The Effects Of Silver Bullet” featurette.

December 5, 2023 - Posted by nicklyons1 | 4K UHD Review | 80's Movie, Corey Haim, Gary Busey, Megan Follows, Scream Factory, Silver Bullet 4K UHD Review, Silver Bullet Movie, Stephen King, Werewolf Movie