It’s a new year and 2019 has come to a close. I always like to reflect on my favorite physical releases of year. Consumers seem to be moving more and more to streaming services with the launch this holiday season of Disney Plus being the latest. However, 2019 was also a banner year for physical media as well. Several companies really stepped up their game with incredible packaging, extras and in some cases sparkling new transfers of classic films. I will always make the case of physically owning a copy of a movie because it is permanently in your collection, it won’t be dropped or eventually removed from your shelf.

Being that it is 2019, I decided to list my favorite 19 releases of the year. So sit back relax and let’s watch some movies!

3. An American Werewolf in London (Arrow Limited Edition)

Two young Americans David (David Naughton) and Jack (Griffin Dunne)are backpacking through the moors of England. They stumble into a pub called The Slaughtered Lamb. The locals don’t want anything to do with them. They do however tell them to stay on the road. Don’t go through the moors.

The boys don’t listen and are viciously attacked by an animal. Jack is killed and David barely survives.

The title gives it away but the monster that attacks the boys is a werewolf, and because David survives the attack he too soon becomes a werewolf.

1981 is the year of the werewolf, as Wolfen and The Howling were also released. Wolfen is ok and The Howling is a campy, awesome werewolf movie, but for my money An American Werewolf in London is the superior wolf film.

Director John Landis does an outstanding job balancing the horror with some pretty great comedy. Landis honed is skills as a great comedy director and writer on back to back classics, Animal House and The Blues Brothers. Landis uses those gifts to craft a horror classic.

David’s transformation is startling and awesome, so awesome in fact that it won the first ever Academy Award for Best Makeup.

The best scene however is when the werewolf stalks some poor Londoner through the tubes. It is ripe with tension and the shots are expertly crafted and staged.

An American Werewolf in London howls with a brand new 4K scan approved by John Landis. This film looks amazing. There really are no words to describe how great this transfer is. Colors are natural and radiant. Details in clothes and the werewolf reach a new level of greatness. I can’t overstate how much this is a must own for the transfer alone.

A werewolf has rarely sounded more terrifying than it does on Arrow’s release. The snarls, the howls and the sounds of ripping and dripping and rotting flesh are superb. Dialogue is balanced well as you will not need to mess with the volume between horror scenes and the talky scenes.

To say that Arrow packed this release with new meat would be an understatement. An American Werewolf in London comes with over 2 hours of brand new material as well as porting over 2 hours and 45 minutes of previous bonus features, not including two commentaries.

The best of the new stuff is a documentary called The Mark of the Beast: The Legacy of the Universal Werewolf. Not only does it cover An American Werewolf, but it also Universal as a movie studio. Really a great documentary that is nearly one hour and twenty minutes long.

Another really fascinating documentary on this disc is, I Think He is a Jew: The Werewolf’s Secret, in which Jon Spira examines the Jewish subtext throughout the movie.

On top of the on the disc content, Arrow has included an awesome new cover art in a heavy duty cardboard. It also come with a booklet, postcards and a reproduction of the original theatrical poster.

One great movie, another outstanding release from Arrow. An American Werewolf in London is a must buy.

Film: A

Video: A+

Audio: A

Extras: A+

Overall: A