Angela Quinton

Waititi & Clement working on lycanthropic “What We Do in the Shadows” spin-off “We’re Wolves”

As reported by Crave, Taika Waititi and Jemaine Clement are “trying to write a werewolves spin-off” to their 2014 vampire horror/comedy What We Do in the Shadows. “It’s going to be called We’re Wolves,” says Waititi – “like ‘We are wolves.’ We’re Wolves.”

This is one of two projects Waititi’s considering after he’s finished directing 2017’s Thor: Ragnarok (as though a Marvel Cinematic Universe tentpole film is something you just casually complete), and he tells Crave it “will most likely be the next thing” he works on.

Even if I need to wait until 2018, I couldn’t be happier. What We Do… is hands-down the funniest thing I saw last year, and I say that as someone with a fairly dim view of vampires. If Waititi and Clement can find a werewolf treatment that’s even half as delightful, funny, frightening and sincere as the one they gave Viago, Vlad and Deacon, We’re Wolves will be a shoo-in for my new favourite werewolf movie.

Here’s hoping Rhys Darby’s pack returns, along with its newest member – a person I think of fondly, but whose name I won’t mention, lest I spoil What We Do… for anyone lucky enough to get to watch it for the first time.

Angela Quinton Jan. 26th 2016

HowlCon II has been cancelled

Final production work for the next issue of WV has distracted me from posting here, but some new shit has come to light, as the The Dude would say, and I wanted to get the word out so people can adjust their plans. HowlCon II, the Pacific Northwest werewolf convention scheduled for February 6 and 7, has officially been cancelled.

January 21 edit: here’s the official statement from HowlCon.

I say “officially” despite lack of an update on the HowlCon web site (as of this post, anyway) because I’ve been in touch with the convention’s organizer, Stephen Couchman. He told me over the phone that the demolition of the convention’s original home and the subsequent venue change had a big impact on pre-registration, which in turn affects cash flow and logistics. There were some other issues as well, most of which were out of Stephen’s hands… but some of which, in my armchair quarterback opinion, could have been avoided with better planning and/or project management.

It’s a shame that the event has been cancelled, and it’s kind of a pain in the ass that we’re only hearing about it now, less than three weeks before the event – and that you have to hear about it from me, rather than the event organizer. My overall impression, though, is that HowlCon II has been cancelled not because the idea is bad (the idea is extremely good in theory and in practice), or because the organizers don’t know what they’re doing (they clearly do, judging by the success of their other big convention) but because conventions are extremely hard to plan, fund and execute, and sometimes things just don’t work out. I have faith that HowlCon will return in some shape or form, and I look forward to supporting it – and attending it! – when it does.

Stephen tells me that an official post about HowlCon II and future plans will be up at howlcon.com within the next 48 hours. In the meantime, if you booked a hotel reservation or made travel plans, now would be a good time to get a refund.

Angela Quinton Jan. 20th 2016

“Neon Joe, Werewolf Hunter” miniseries starts tomorrow on Adult Swim

As prophesied back in May, Jon Glaser’s brightly-coloured fever dream “Neon Joe, Werewolf Hunter” has arrived. Starting midnight tomorrow night (Monday the 7th), Adult Swim will air one half-hour episode each night this week.

In the tradition of Walking Dead and True Blood comes a better show – Neon Joe, Werewolf Hunter. Set in the sleepy town of Garrity, VT (aka “B&B Town, USA!”), Neon Joe, Werewolf Hunter is the story of a neon-clad man with a mysterious past and a specialized skill of hunting werewolves. The five-part mini-series airs each night, December 7-11, at midnight on Adult Swim.

So suck it, vampires. Take a seat, walkers. Neon Joe, Werewolf Hunter is coming. HE-YUMP!

From the look of the trailer, Joe’s outfit has evolved a bit (gone are the Coors Light “silver bullet” pants) and the town of Garrity is plagued by more than just werewolves. Robots? Aliens? It doesn’t matter. I don’t need this to be coherent to enjoy it!

Thanks to Viergacht for the link.

Angela Quinton Dec. 6th 2015

Universal refuses to let Larry Talbot die, plans 2018 resurrection of “The Wolf Man”

As reported by The AV Club, Arrow in the Head and many other movie news outlets today, Universal’s “Classic Monsters” reboot scheme is continuing apace with a March 30th 2018 release date for “The Wolf Man”. That’s one year after the planned release of their Mummy reboot, and eight years after the 2010 The Wolf Man remake squandered Rick Baker and Benicio del Toro.

Writes Dennis DiClaudio for The AV Club:

There’s still no word on who will star as the hapless and hirsute Lawrence Talbot; unlike The Mummy’s Imhotep, it’s a meaty part for an actor (no pun intended), so the studio may even be able to secure an A-lister. The script was written by Aaron Guzikowski, who was recently tasked with bringing a very different horror icon back to the screen.

The only source for this news is an updated entry for the film on Box Office Mojo, but given the site’s connection to IMDB and the film industry, it seems credible. It’s certainly no coincidence that Friday, March 30th 2018 is on the cusp of a full moon.

What I don’t understand is what’s in it for us. (I originally wrote why here, but I know why – they want to make a shitload of money with their intellectual property.) Nothing about the concept of another Wolf Man reboot stirs me. It’s a tired story. Unless Guzikowski takes things in an entirely new direction – and then is it really a reboot? – my only reaction to this news is vague dread. The creature effects eye candy is nice, Hollywood, but please tell some new stories.

Thanks to @colonelnemo for the link.

Angela Quinton Dec. 4th 2015

Horror-comedy “Crying Wolf” coming soon to VOD and DVD

Someone at Uncork’d Entertainment really likes werewolf movies! The same distributor that released Blood Moon and Dark Moon Rising is bringing Crying Wolf to VOD on December 12th and to DVD on January 5th.

There is a lot of strange and weird goings on in the little village of Deddington. For centuries a pack of werewolves have resided in the sleepy town but when local girl Charlotte meets a particularly gruesome death, the town is descended upon by reporters, crazy detectives and lunatic hunters desperate to get their story, solve the crime and kill the beasts. But these wolves are smart… very smart.

Its Facebook page and various other sites describe the movie as a “horror comedy”, but despite a bit of ham and some so-bad-it-must-be-intentional CGI, the trailer looks pretty straight-faced. I want to be interested in this, but I’m worried it’s another film that tried to go for straight horror, fell short, and got repositioned as “satire”.

Also, does anyone know what “VOD” actually means? Netflix and Hulu? Local cable company pay-per-view?

Edit: Craig J. Clark explained which services “VOD” tends to cover in the comments. I’ll quote him here to save you a scroll & click:

In addition to being available through your cable provider (provided you have one), VOD generally also means it’ll be on platforms like iTunes, Amazon, and maybe even as a rental on YouTube or Vimeo.

Thanks, Craig!

Thanks to @Crystalakhanna for the link.

Angela Quinton Nov. 30th 2015

Awesome Crystumes Costumes werewolf mask: what articulated ears you have!

The werewolf mask photo in this Crystumes Costumes tweet has been open in one of my browser tabs since Wednesday, and the accompanying video shows off the mask’s phenomenal design and articulations (those ears!).

This pulls me in two directions: vague regret that I abandoned the creature FX career path before I’d even really started down it, giddy delight that people like Crystumes (aka Crystal Michelle) are making such amazing stuff in their own homes.

Crystumes is not currently taking commissions, but you can see her works in progress on Patreon. She’s here in the Pacific Northwest so I have my fingers crossed that she might be at HowlCon next year so I can check out her work in person.

Angela Quinton Nov. 28th 2015

Mr. Kate’s “Gabriel” beat made me like “Van Helsing” again

Other than some great werewolf designs, I didn’t think there was anything that could redeem the 2004 Hugh Jackman feature Van Helsing. Beat-maker Mr. Kate (aka Th3N1ghtF0x) just proved me wrong. “I’ve been making some beats lately,” they wrote in an email, “and being a huge werewolf nerd, had to do a little Van Helsing tribute.”

I have a deep appreciation for El-P but I don’t know anything about beat-making, hip hop or its many sub-genres. I do know that in less than two minutes, Mr. Kate’s trap beat “Gabriel” delivers more entertainment than the film it samples did in two hours. I want to hear someone rap over this, ideally some verses about vampire trash and preposterous stagecoach jumps.

Check out the rest of Mr. Kate’s beats and remixes on SoundCloud for some great stuff, including an insanely catchy Anchorman-inspired beat.

Angela Quinton Nov. 26th 2015

Here are your “WEREWOLVES VERSUS: Romance” contributors!

The werewolf-centric ‘zine I edit, WEREWOLVES VERSUS, is coming out with a second issue in early 2016. The theme this time is “romance”, a subject so broad and cliché that it’s just begging to get fucked up by monsters. That’s the point of WV! Check out the first issue, The 1990s, for an 80+ page demonstration.

To be notified when issue 2 is available for download, follow Argyle Werewolf on Gumroad, follow the Werewolves Versus Tumblr, or keep reading Werewolf News here or on Twitter.

Below is a handy index of issue 2 contributors, each of whom has whispered in my ear an excellent idea for a story, comic or illustration on the theme of “WEREWOLVES VERSUS: Romance”.

http://werewolvesversus.tumblr.com/post/132942197291/werewolves-versus-romance-contributors

Angela Quinton Nov. 24th 2015

End of the Road

Funding a feature-length film through crowdsourcing requires more than luck. It only seems to work if you have a huge pre-existing audience or a devoted cult following. A team of filmmakers decided to “get the ball rolling on [their] feature-length werewolf movie” by creating a stand-alone short film to woo studios and investors. Their 2013 campaign met its goal, and they got to work.

The result, a 10-minute horror film called End of the Road, feels like a particularly vicious Tales from the Crypt episode. Writer/director J. Spencer’s screenplay puts archetypical characters in an enclosed space and then lovingly surveys the carnage. There’s no world-building and no deep character exploration – the surprise is that everyone is exactly who you think they are – but the point is not to win an Oscar. The point is to grab audiences and investors by the shoulders, point to the beautifully-composed shots, endearingly-rendered characters (big Travis fan, here) and gore-splattered windows and say “look at the cool shit we did with $23,000… now imagine if we had a bigger budget”.

End of the Road isn’t simply a means to an end. It stands on its own as a brutal, funny and supremely-well-made horror short. There are flourishes of pacing and character detail that delighted me so thoroughly that after watching it once, I immediately started it again and attempted a goofball live-tweet session.

It’s not perfect – some of the dialogue clunks, and the werewolf design seems to vary significantly depending on whether or not it’s in focus – but perfection isn’t the point, either. J. Spencer and his colleagues are making the case for a feature-length werewolf project (which he teased in a message to me, and which sounds awesome), and in demonstrating their capabilities, they’ve created an aesthetic showcase that exemplifies the strength of crowdfunding, and the power a group of creative people can wield when they’re truly passionate about something.

You can watch End of the Road for free right now by asking for a download link and password on their Facebook page. There’s also an excellent behind the scenes gallery on the Unmanned Media web site.

Also, just putting this out there: I would pay to watch a Wes Anderson style movie about a day in the life of Travis.

Angela Quinton Nov. 23rd 2015

John Keogh’s werewolf vs. wrestler poster for The Mountain Goats now on sale

Remember this stunning tour poster John Keogh did for The Mountain Goats? I think of it often, because the song that inspired it gets shuffled into my earbuds on the regular, and because a print of it hangs in my office. Now, it can hang in your designated art area too.

Previously, there were only four ways to obtain this poster:

be a member of The Mountain Goats. Hard to do if you’re not already there.
be John Keogh. Also tough to manage if you’re just starting now.
run a “werewolf stuff” blog and be publicly excited about the poster and lucky and be prepated when someone nice who also has access to a test print and the Topatoco shipping facilities DMs you on Twitter. Easier than the first two, but availability is limited.
purchase it directly from The Mountain Goats merch table at a live show during the spring and summer of 2015. This was the easiest way, but it required advance planning, so if you didn’t already do it, sorry.

Except I’m not sorry! I’m excited – excited to tell you that this poster is now available to purchase directly from The Mountain Goats, in Spring and Summer configurations, for a mere $20. Go get it, friends!

Angela Quinton Nov. 19th 2015