My Favorite Werewolves
As promised: more about werewolves than you wanted to know. I write about werewolves mostly because I think vampires are boring and I don’t have anything new to say about them, and because werewolves have gotten a bad rap. I get asked a lot why werewolves aren’t as popular as vampires — after all, aren’t they also broody, mysterious, magical, and powerful? But I think they’ve also been trapped in the same plot for the last hundred or so years. It’s the Jekyll and Hyde story: character has an inner beast, can’t control inner beast, inner beast breaks free and slaughters people, character dies horribly. The problem with this plot is the main character isn’t actually doing anything. He’s passive, he’s a victim of his supernatural powers rather than being the master of them. And he just about always dies. Yawn.
But I do have a few favorite werewolf movies, ones that either do the story so well I don’t care, or that do a completely different werewolf story. Shape-shifting, the border between being human and animal, is a very powerful metaphor, and that’s where the best werewolf stories are found, I think.
An American Werewolf in London
There’s a reason this one’s a classic. Because it’s a damn fine film. It’s the standard, “main character can’t control the beast within and dies horribly” story. But it’s also really funny, and I’m very fond of any movie that can leave me laughing and sick to my stomach at the same time. And this movie is truly scary in places. The trick with horror: if the main character is smart, competent, does everything he can to avoid getting killed and it still doesn’t save him — that’s scary. (As opposed to the hapless camper who stands there screaming while Jason cuts him to pieces.) There’s a scene in a tube station: the werewolf’s victim doesn’t scream, he just runs, doesn’t stop to pick up his dropped briefcase, then at the very last moment when he’s trapped, he turns around, and we see the wolf for the first time. It’s terrifying.
The Company of Wolves
Before Lon Chaney Jr. came along and defined the modern werewolf for us, we had thousands of years of stories and fairy tales about people, wolves, and what happens when they cross paths. This film is based on fairy tales like Little Red Riding Hood. There are talking wolves, helpful wolves, murdering wolves, and they all teach us something about human civilization. Like maybe the line between the human and animal isn’t all that well-defined after all.
Dog Soldiers
This is my guilty pleasure. I love this one. As with An American Werewolf in London, this is truly scary because the characters are smart. They fight hard. They do everything they can to save themselves. And they’re still doomed. The opening scene with the two campers always leaves my heart racing. The wolves are the standard CGI bogeymen, but this film is less about the wolves and more about surviving the impossible.
Ginger Snaps
This one takes the werewolf metaphor in a totally new direction, and that alone makes it awesome. Ginger is a teenager. She gets bit. Slowly, a transformation overcomes her, as her younger sister Brigitte watches in horror: Ginger loses interest in their old pastimes, she grows hair in places she never had hair before, she becomes a predator and chases boys. Is it lycanthropy or puberty? Well, it’s both, and it’s confusing for everyone involved. After all, what parent hasn’t wondered if their teenager might actually be turning into a monster?
Werewolf: The TV Series
This ran for about a season and a half as one of the very first shows on the brand-new Fox network, in 1987-1988. It was basically The Incredible Hulk, but with Eric the werewolf instead of the Hulk. He traveled around, seeking the cure to his curse, turning into a werewolf when he got pissed off and battling bad guys. This show sticks in my memory for introducing me to the concept of the werewolf bounty hunter in the character of Alamo Joe.
My least favorite werewolf movie
Right now that would have to be Underworld. I know lots of people love this one. But really, if vampires have enslaved werewolves for hundreds of years, why do they need machine guns to take them out now? I’ve been warned away from Blood and Chocolate, but if I do happen to see it, I’ll let you know what I think.
Jared said,
Wrote on February 14, 2007 @ 2:52 pm
Out of curiosity, have you seen Dog Soldiers director Neil Marshall’s other film, The Descent? Because if not, you definitely should.
As for my favorite movie werewolves, like you I loved An American Werewolf in London, the Ginger Snaps movies (in fact, I thought the 2nd one was even better than the 1st), and Dog Soldiers (just wanted to point out, though: the werewolves in that are, in fact, guys in suits). I also really like the design they came up with for the Harry Potter werewolf: a wonderfully uncomfortable-looking blend of human and canine features.
Carrie said,
Wrote on February 15, 2007 @ 1:25 pm
I haven’t seen The Descent. I’ll look it up. I didn’t like Ginger Snaps II at all. I thought it abandoned everything that made the first one cool.
And yes, you’re right about the guys in suits. Maybe what pisses me off about CGI werewolves is they don’t look like what I think werewolves should look like–they look like guys in suits!
Remus is one of my favorite characters in Harry Potter.
Griggk the goblin said,
Wrote on February 23, 2007 @ 5:29 pm
While the rest of the franchise was unmitigated crap, I have a fondness for “The Howling”, with Dee Wallace Stone and Patrick McNee. Aside from some transformations scenes that can still give me the willies, it’s about the only werewolf movie that centers around the struggle for pack dominance, which in and of itself raises it above the standard “Will the monster eat the hero” fare.
Chris said,
Wrote on February 24, 2007 @ 2:03 am
What? No love for “The Howling”?
I feel the same as you in regards to werewolves vs. vampires. Especially since so many vampires these days are whiny gits. Okay - I liked “The Lost Boys.”
And I definitely second Jarod - watch “The Descent.” Preferably at night in the dark.
Looking forward to “Dog Soldiers II” (and more Kitty stories).
Did you ever see the “She Wolf of London” TV series. I enjoyed it even tho I think the characters and concepts are better than the show itself, if that makes sense.
We’ll have to have a werewolf movie marathon sometime.
shelley said,
Wrote on February 24, 2007 @ 3:40 am
Hi, I also love an american werewolf in london, did you see an american werewolf in paris, i thought i would die laughing when he bungi jump from the effiel tower and hit his head.
I haven’t seen any of the others but will look for them.
Carrie said,
Wrote on February 25, 2007 @ 12:59 pm
To be honest, I haven’t seen The Howling in years. I should probably try it again.
An American Werewolf in Paris: heh. That’s about all I can say about it…
bluemoon said,
Wrote on March 24, 2007 @ 11:07 pm
i am so far behind. i’m only elven. but i can’t get away from werewolves they are so cool. i agree about the werewolf vs. vempire. vampires might be smarter as some people say but if a football player gets in a fight with a nerd. who do you think will win? the football player. i want to see the american werewolf in london but blockbuster has only one copy and my mom won’t let me get it also i think i saw dog soldiers if it is really good i want to see it. if you know where i can find all those movies or most of them please tell me? man why do i always make long comments?