The Wolfman is out now! If you’re killing time before your showtime comes up (you are going to see it, right?), I recommend that you level up on your Wolfman history with this interactive timeline from Universal and Substance.

In an article they’re calling “The Beast Within: Ten Timeless Werewolf Films“, PopMatters has identified what I have to agree are 10 top-drawer werewolf films (even though two of them don’t technically have any werewolves in them). There aren’t any big surprises here, but it was nice to be reminded that for every “Never Cry Werewolf” there’s a “Dog Soldiers”.

With the premiere of “The Wolfman” only days away (remember when it was supposed to come out in 2008?) the web is sprouting Wolfman stories like so many tufts of fur from the collar of Benicio del Toro’s vest. Rather than spamming the site with a new post every time something interesting comes up, I thought I’d collect them all here. Enjoy!

• As part of a big press push last week, there were a lot of cast / crew interviews. Dread Central’s got interviews with Benicio Del Toro and Anthony Hopkins, and ShockTillYouDrop.com had a nice chat with director Joe Johnston.
• Namco has released a Wolfman side-scrolling game for mobile devices. If you have a supported phone, you can “play through 10 thrilling stages as both Lawrence Talbot and The Wolfman and experience the brute strength and insatiable bloodlust that launched a legacy of horror!” My carrier isn’t supported, so, uh, if it’s good, let me know. It certainly looks cool!
• Bloody-Disgusting was one of several horror media web sites to get their paws on a recording of the vaunted Wolfman howl. Effective, and much better (in my opinion) than the shrill American Werewolf in London howl!
• Way back in November, Universal released a short “behind the scene” featurette. There are some comments from Benicio Del Toro, Anthony Hopkins, Emily Blunt, and producer Scott Stuber, and some trailer-style footage.
• As long as we’re talking about stuff from November, here are two rambling but worthwhile interviews from Ain’t It Cool News: one between Joe Johnston and Harry Knowles and another longer, rambley, spoilerific but fascinating conversation between some of the AICN guys and Rick Baker.
• Internet-to-TV providers Boxee have developed a Wolfman app as part of their public beta.
• Early reviews are starting to arrive. Here’s one from the New York Observer [warning: spoilers!].
• A fifth TV spot has surfaced, but it’s nothing we haven’t already seen: a silhouette of a claw, Del Toro getting dunked in ice water, and Rick Baker’s old-gypsy-guy-getting-killed cameo.

If all of this isn’t enough to keep you busy, stay tuned for more as we get closer to Friday!

In what appears to be a fortuitous glitch, Danny Elfman’s soundtrack to The Wolfman is available for purchase on iTunes, two weeks ahead of its posted February 23rd release date! All 19 songs for $9.99. Quick, before Apple catches on! Thanks for the heads-up, @hey_frey.

Sam Thomspon and Astrix Home Video care about your home, your attic, and your family. More specifically, they care about protecting these things from a threat that, according to the Department of Homeland Security, costs taxpayers $4 million per year. That threat? Werewolves. If you’re a homeowner, this series of instructional videos contains critical information. For a closer look at what can happen if you don’t take precautions, take a look at Thompson’s movie Living Arrangements.

Part One

Part Two

Part Three

Part Four

Short and sweet! Thanks for the link, Nyetwerke.

NYTimes.com has posted a just-snarky-enough-for-the-Internet breakdown of eight canonical movie werewolves (well, seven plus that bland New Moon guy). The author (Dave Itzkoff) watched the films with enough attention to detail to produce some wry comments, but I think the best one of the lot comes early.

[1941's Wolf Man] Talbot meets his end at the wrong end of a silver walking stick wielded by his father who, while disappointed in his son’s lifestyle, probably never intended to club him to death.

OH SNAP.

Whenever one of my favourite bands is about to release a new record, I make a point of listening through their entire discography as a sort of warm-up to the main event. I find savouring the new creation all the more enjoyable while the history of the material is fresh in my mind (yes, fine, I’m a geek, but don’t act like you don’t do it too). In that spirit, you might wish to prepare for the 12th by checking out the Universal Legacy Edition of “The Wolf Man”. Although this is the third time in a decade that Universal has re-released the 1941 classic, it sounds like this might be the edition worth buying. In addition to a new restoration of the film itself, the 2-disc set contains all of the bonus material available on 2004’s Legacy Collection version, plus two new documentaries (one on Lon Chaney Jr., the other on the history of werewolf movies). Not bad for twenty bucks!

Thanks to Macabri for the link.

These lovely photos of George (edit: and in the white pressure tank George’s girlfriend Nina) are from episode four of Being Human’s second series. Thanks to @SheenFanSite for bringing them to my attention! It looks like the official Being Human Facebook group is posting stills from each episode as it airs, so expect more photos of these excellent werewolf costumes as they become available.

Varese Sarabande has made available the full track listing and some audio samples for Danny Elfman’s “classically Gothic, Transylvania-flavored score” to The Wolfman. Interesting that no other musicians are credited, despite last month’s rumblings that “additional composers” would fill out Elfman’s work. Here’s the track listing, and direct links to the four sample-enabled songs. Enjoy!

1. Wolf Suite Pt 1 (4:12)
2. Wolf Suite Pt 2 (5:55)
3. Prologue (2:57)
4. Dear Mr. Talbot (1:45)
5. Bad Moon Rising (0:59)
6. Gypsy Massacre (2:24)
7. Wake Up, Lawrence (5:17)
8. The Funeral (4:13)
9. The Healing Montage (2:50)
10. First Transformation (3:30)
11. You Must Go (3:46)
12. The Antique Shop (3:32)
13. Country Carnage (2:31)
14. Be Strong (2:31)
15. The Madhouse (5:32)
16. Reflection / 2nd Transformation (4:12)
17. The Traveling Montage (4:27)
18. The Finale (4:11)
19. Wolf Wild #2 (1:27)