Film, Television & Music – Page 45

Waiting for the werewolf in psychological horror short film “The Beast”

In a recent interview with Digital Journal, filmmaker Peter Dukes discusses his latest project, “The Beast“, a dark, tense and beautifully shot short film starring Bill Oberst Jr. as a father coming to terms with his son’s recently acquired lycanthropy.

I wanted to make a short and high impact horror film as both a personal ode to the classic horror films of the 30’s, 40’s and 50’s as well as a reminder to many that there are many different kinds of horror out there to enjoy. This particular type of horror might not be big in the mainstream right now, but it’s a wonderful style and one I hope to see make a big comeback soon.

I also wanted to show some love to the werewolf genre, which often isn’t given quite enough credit in the horror community, overshadowed by the current titans (vampires, zombies, etc).

You can read the rest of the interview here, and because Peter is super cool and generous, you can watch the entire film for free on YouTube – or right here!

Angela Quinton Jan. 23rd 2013

Animation by Piotr Kabat portrays Hunter S. Thompson as a werewolf on “the EDGE”

“the EDGE“, a Vimeo Staff pick and the creation of Piotr Kabat, is a “little homage to Hunter S. Thompson based on a ‘Gonzo: The Life and Work of Dr. Hunter S. Thompson‘ excerpt.” Its style is evocative of Ralph Steadman‘s art, which accompanied much of Thompson’s work, but it’s layered with textures and shadows that I find more menacing than Steadman’s stark lines. The text, read here by Johnny Depp and quoted below, is adapted from Thompson’s 1966 book “Hell’s Angels: The Strange and Terrible Saga of the Outlaw Motorcycle Gangs“. I think Kabat does a wonderful job expressing the tangled thread of manic abandon and deep loneliness that runs through Thompson’s writing.

The werewolf connection is incidental – Thompson occasionally used the werewolf as a metaphor for those who untethered their predatory madness when they thought no one was looking – but I like Thompson’s writing, Depp’s reading and Kabat’s animation, so… enjoy!

…it was always at night, like a werewolf, that I would take the thing out for an honest run down the coast. I would start in Golden Gate Park, thinking only to run a few long curves to clear my head. The momentary freedom of the park was like the one unlucky drink that shoves an alcoholic off the wagon. In a matter of minutes I’d be out at the beach with the sound of the engine in my ears, the surf booming up on the sea wall and a fine empty road stretching all the way down to Santa Cruz. There was no helmet on those nights, no speed limit, and no cooling it down on the curves. Then into second gear, forgetting the cars and letting the beast wind out … thirty-five, forty-five… then into third, not worried about green or red signals, but only some other werewolf loony. …now there’s no sound except wind. The needle leans down on a hundred, and wind-burned eyeballs strain to see down the centerline… no room at all for mistakes. and that’s when the strange music starts. The Edge … There is no honest way to explain it because the only people who really know where it is are the ones who have gone over. The others – the living – are those who pushed their control as far as they felt they could handle it, and then pulled back, or slowed down. But the edge is still out there.

Angela Quinton Jan. 15th 2013

Malört Förlag’s scholarly & musical resurrection of Swedish werewolf folklore

Malört Förlag (Wormwood Publishing) is a Swedish publishing house “specializing in texts about the fantastic, the numinous and the aberrant”, and as if their area of focus didn’t sufficiently distinguish them from other niche publishers, for every book they publish, they also issue a soundtrack. Writer, editor and Malört Förlag co-founder Per Faxneld recently shared with me the details of a book they published this past summer – on the second full moon in August, to be precise – which scholarly werewolf fans will find interesting: “a definitive and luxurious edition” of Ella Odstedt’s 1943 study of Swedish werewolf folklore Varulven I Svensk Folktradition (The Werewolf in Swedish Folklore).

Odstedt’s book contains accounts of people who fell victim to spells that imprisoned them in wolf form, women who attempted magical remedies for the pain of childbirth and who were then punished with werewolf infants, and of practitioners of witchcraft who could voluntarily assume wolf form. This 416-page edition of “Varulven” is limited to 777 copies and contains two appendices – essays by contemporary scholars, and reviews first published in response to the original edition. It comes with a dust jacket and bookmark ribbon, and contains original illustrations by Timo Ketola.

In keeping with their desire to release a soundtrack for each book they publish, Malört Förlag has also released “Werewolf Songs – Music Inspired by Swedish Folklore“, a digipak album + booklet containing 11 exclusive songs about werewolves. You can listen to a selection of songs from the CD here, courtesy of UK music magazine The Wire. The album is available to purchase by itself (English), or as an accompaniment to the book (Swedish / Google-translated English).

My limited knowledge of Sweden is derived from Stieg Larsson’s books and a week spent with friends in Vetlanda in 1997, none of which gives me the experience (or more practically, the knowledge of Swedish language) to fully appreciate this book. Nevertheless, as someone who loves literature, werewolf mythology, and finely-crafted objects, I have to acknowledge the fine work that Per Faxneld and his colleagues at Malört Förlag have undertaken to make Ella Odstedt’s work available in this way, particularly with such care and passion that they would commission an entire album of music to accompany it.

Angela Quinton Jan. 15th 2013

Trailer & Release Date for Netflix “Hemlock Grove” Miniseries

The 13-episode Netflix original series Hemlock Grove, based on the novel of the same name by Brian McGreevy, will premiere on April 19th. Eli Roth (who directed the first two Hostel films and swung a Nazi-seeking baseball bat in Inglourious Basterds) will executive produce, as well as handle directing duties for the pilot and the last two episodes. Above is the trailer (which my favourite media site AV Club carefully dissects), and here’s a synopsis from the Netflix press release:

The series revolves around the eccentric residents of a dilapidated former Pennsylvania steel town and the murder of 17-year-old Brooke Bluebell. Through the investigation, the town’s seamier side is exposed, revealing that nothing is what it seems.

I’m in the middle of reading the novel, so I’ll avoid editorializing or spoilers and just say that it has my favourite cover art of 2012.

Angela Quinton Jan. 9th 2013

Dutch film “Alfie, the Little Werewolf” will eviscerate you with cuteness

“Alfie, the Little Werewolf” (Dolfje Weerwolfje) is a film based on a series of popular children’s books by Dutch author Paul Van Loon. It was in theatres in the Netherlands in November 2011, but it’s recently popped up at a few international film festivals (Toronto, Dubai). I think Tandye’s reaction after seeing the trailer speaks for us both: “Oh my God, that is the cutest thing I ever saw.”

Alfie has no idea what is happening to him when, on the night of his seventh birthday, he changes into a small, white, furry animal: a little wolf. By the light of the full moon, he runs through the park and the neighbours’ gardens, chasing chickens and ducks. The next morning, he wakes up as himself, an ordinary little boy. Now he starts to realise why he has always felt so different from his foster parents and his foster brother Timmie. He’s a werewolf. But sensitive little Alfie doesn’t want to be different. He just wants to be normal, like everybody else. He’s afraid his father and mother won’t want to have anything to do with him once they find out he is a werewolf. So Alfie wants to keep it a secret at any cost, but that’s not as easy as it seems. After all, there’s a full moon every month…

If your job is to acquire films for the North American market, come on. Come oonnnnnn. A cute little family-friendly werewolf kid with glasses (and a ton of merch)? You’ll be rich!

Angela Quinton Jan. 6th 2013

What is “A Werewolf Boy”? (besides a South Korean box office smash)

I’ve been seeing a lot of online enthusiasm for South Korean film “A Werewolf Boy” over the past two months, but most of the talk has been about how well it’s doing financially, not about the content of the film itself. Today I decided to eschew Google News summaries in favour of a little research, and here’s what I found:

…young Suni and her family moved to a small village in Korea. There, they encounter a bedraggled orphan boy hiding under a bush and take him in out of pity. Called a “wolf boy” by some for his feral behavior and uncommon strength, Suni teaches the boy how to eat at a table, and read and write so that he might one day live among people. He repays her kindness with a devotion unequalled by any human being, a love that exceeds all normal expectations.

It’s the first commercial film by writer/director Jo Sung-hee, and it stars Song Joong-ki as the titular werewolf boy and Park Bo-young as the girl who tames and befriends him. According to Korea JoongAng Daily, it became “the most-watched Korean melodrama to date” within two weeks of release, and by all accounts it’s made a ton of money. So far it’s had a very low-key release in North America, limited to the Toronto International Film Festival and a handful of what look like art-house showings listed on the film’s North American web site.

So is “A Werewolf Boy” something your average werewolf fan might actually want to see? Viewer feedback so far indicates that there’s no actual lycanthropy in the film, and the fact that its original title (늑대소년 / “Neukdae Sonyeon”) literally translates as “Wolf Boy” is somewhat telling. Nevertheless, there are some scenes in the trailer (including a claw turning back into a human hand) that make me curious. When it’s released digitally, I’ll pick up a copy and let Werewolf News readers know what I find.

Angela Quinton Jan. 5th 2013

Animated Gotye turns werewolf in backdrop video for “What Do You Want?”

From the official Gotye web site:

The visuals for our live performances of What Do You Want? were created by an incredible animator from Australia called Lucinda Schreiber. Created with coloured paper and stop-time animation techniques, it’s a beautiful piece, hope you enjoy.

The song is from Gotye’s 2003 debut album Boardface. Musically it’s not quite the earworm that Somebody That I Used to Know is, but then, that’s like saying that mint tea isn’t quite the calmative that heroin is. It’s a cute video that makes me think of the Land of the Dead musical scenes from Corpse Bride, and the gripe I had about its somewhat repetitive nature is obviated by the fact that it’s meant to be shown on a screen behind a band playing the actual song.

Angela Quinton Jan. 3rd 2013

Is this one-eyed schoolgirl a werewolf? Support the short film “Howl” to find out

“Howl” is a UK-produced short film in which schoolteacher Karen Crawshaw “unravels the mystery behind the odd relationship between her new pupil and a stranger with a dark secret.” It’s being shot in Surrey this February, and it’s the most well-organized “indie” production I think I’ve ever been asked to help publicize. They’ve got their cast, location, gear, storyboards, creature FX and basically everything else figured out, and they’re using Kickstarter to raise the remaining £2,000 they need to pay for the project.

Director Jamie Sims emailed me a few months back to see if I might be able to recommend a UK-based maker of creature prosthetics, and while I wasn’t able to help much in that regard (I live in a Canadian city where they’re making at least one Hollywood werewolf picture a year and I can’t even get a foot in that door), I can share some more details from Howl’s Head of Marketing Ben Cowan:

The film hopes to regenerate interest in the horror/monster genre through combining metaphorical parallels between a common evil within society (child abuser/paedophilia) and a traditional creature of nightmares. Using this, the film explores both adult and child fears.

We are currently releasing production videos and concept art on both our Facebook page and our website, that will allow followers to feel a part of the action, and also feel a part of our production team, embarking on the filmmaking journey as we do too.

At the time of this post, the Kickstarter campaign had less than £800 to go with 19 days left, and there are some really interesting perks available, including two pieces of world-building bonus content:

Ministry of Defence Classified Dossier

In July 2010, Scotland Yard ran an investigation into the mysterious circumstances surrounding the death of Karen Crawshaw. Upon reading and analysing the events described in the late Miss. Crawshaw’s diary, Scotland Yard concluded that the case be passed onto the Ministry of Defence. The investigation is ongoing and strictly classified, but a number of restricted dossiers have surfaced online.

Karen Crawshaw’s Original Diary

Locked away in the vaults of the MOD for a number of years, very few have read Karen Crawshaw’s original diary from 1994. Handwritten, she describes the strange occurrences in the village of Chillum and beyond, including the bizarre behaviour of Eleanor Stagg as she grew up. The diary has seen some wear over the years, but still retains the various ink splodges and sketches by the original owner within.

If you’d like to start 2013 off with some charitable giving in support of a short werewolf film, give Howl a look!

Angela Quinton Jan. 1st 2013

Full Moon Features: Werewolf: The Beast Among Us

For my final Full Moon Feature of the year, I went with what promised to be the werewolf movie event of 2012 — Universal’s Werewolf: The Beast Among Us. Supposedly an offshoot of The Wolfman (although there’s no real connection between them as far as I can tell), the film takes place in a world where the existence of werewolves and other creatures of the night is taken as a given, which saves a lot of time and unnecessary dickering around. It’s also a world with enough of a werewolf problem that it can support teams of professional werewolf hunters, with one particularly colorful crew headed up by top-billed Ed Quinn, whose backstory involves bearing witness to his mother and father getting batted around by an enormous beast when he was a wee lad, but not before having a wolf-headed family heirloom passed on to him.

Twenty-five years later, Quinn and company are summoned to a remote village where they encounter a foe of unusual intelligence and a whole array of potential suspects. They’re also dogged by an overeager doctor’s assistant (Guy Wilson), who has to offer his services three times before Quinn finally relents, over the objection of his preening second-in-command (Adam Croasdell). For his part, Wilson is a constant worry to his gypsy mother (Nia Peeples), sneaking off to meet up with his rich girlfriend (Rachel Katherine DiPillo) — whose trigger-happy father doesn’t exactly approve of him — whenever he isn’t needed by the doctor (Stephen Rea, appearing in his second werewolf movie in one year), who’s grown distressingly accustomed to putting down the survivors of the werewolf’s attacks. (Seems if this isn’t done soon enough, they turn into wurdaleks, although the film never actually bothers to explain what a wurdalek is. All we know is that you don’t want them hanging around.) Steven Bauer rounds out the cast as the boastful huntsman with an eye patch and the one story about how he got it that he trots out in every town they visit.

Given its direct-to-video budget, it’s a wonder Werewolf: The Beast Among Us is as watchable as it is, what with its Renaissance-Fair-crossed-with-the-Old-West costumes and Van Helsing-like weaponry. As for the plot, director Louis Morneau and his co-writers toe the line between painfully generic (pretty much any scene between Wilson and DiPillo is a waste of time) and bizarrely specific (e.g. Rea’s determination to send Wilson off to medical school). They even find a way to tie the whole thing to the winter solstice, which is when we get our most sustained look at the title creature, which goes back and forth between being an entirely digital creation and a stunt man in a suit. It fails to sustain a consistent look, though, which is the most basic thing you can ask for. If there’s a sequel — as the open ending suggests there could be — maybe they’ll manage to hammer that out.

Craig J. Clark Dec. 27th 2012

Take a note, Twiddle

Well, I’m all grown up now! I watched The Wolf Man for the first time last, and I did it in good company. I won’t bore you with a review of the film – that would be like reviewing Super Mario Brothers 3 – but I will say that I liked it a lot more than I expected to. It’s amazing that so much of what we consider to be canon in werewolf lore came from Curt Siodmak’s screenplay. As I said in the livestream chat and then on Twitter, I think the 2010 remake could have been significantly improved by emulating the original’s economy (and by including Twiddle).

Much of the hour’s entertainment came from watching the movie with an audience on Synchtube. I’m not a fan of MST3K, but there’s something to be said for sharing a cheesy movie-watching experience with a bunch of like-minded smart alecks. It’s something I’d like to do again, maybe as often as once a month, so if you missed tonight’s viewing (or participated and enjoyed it), maybe keep the evening of Friday, December 28th open.

Angela Quinton Nov. 29th 2012