Category: Film, Television & Music

Believe it or not, there are werewolf movies other than “An American Werewolf in London”.

House of the Wolf Man

House of the Wolfman

Late last week, Nuke The Fridge got the scoop on Eben McGarr‘s retro-fantastic indie film House of the Wolf Man, starring (among others) Ron Chaney, the grandson of the original Wolf Man, Lon Chaney, Jr.

“Dr. Bela Reinhardt (Chaney) has invited five people to his castle to see which of them will inherit his estate. He has arranged for a competition of sorts, the victor shall be determined through process of… elimination,” McGarr tells Bloody-Disgusting. “The film was shot in black and white, 1:33 aspect ratio and is a good old fashioned monster movie that you could bring your kids to.”

If you missed Chaney and McGarr at the San Diego Comic Con (apparently they were there, but schedule details are sketchy), Bloody-Disgusting has the convention trailer, and you’ll find more amazing (and super-hi-res) photos like the one above here. NukeTheFridge.com also has some great shots of the monsters.

I don’t know about you, but seeing these photos and watching the trailer made me grin ear-to-ear. Thanks to NukeTheFridge.com, ArcLight and Bloody-Disgusting for the info.

Jul. 24th 2009

Den of Geek: A look back at An American Werewolf in London

The classic werewolf film An American Werewolf in London has been getting a lot of press lately, what with the Blu-ray edition on the way this September, and Dimension Films getting ready to shoot a remake. Today, Den of Geek is taking a look back at AWIL in the form of an article about the film’s groundbreaking status when it was released in the 80’s, and its status today as (some would say) the Holy Grail of werewolf films. Supplemented with some great still-frames and some interesting trivia, it’s well worth a read.

Jul. 22nd 2009

Harry Palms

ArmchairAccomplice sent me a link to “Harry Palms”, an episode of The Receptionist by Travis Betz. The link was accompanied by a note that read “low tech werewolf musical hits youtube, the less I say the better.” I watched. I bit my fist. I went to Travis’s web site and confirmed my suspicions: Travis Betz is a demented genius. And now, I share the video with you.

Jul. 17th 2009

French Lycanthropic Hip-Hop

Although I can’t tell exactly what DIALOKOLECTIV is rapping about here, it appears to be something bristly, snarly, lycanthropic and cool. And while that’ll be my Abercrombie & Fitch logic for the day, I promise to make up for it with a new feature / review that I have in the works.

Jul. 15th 2009

“Wolf Man” Creature Redesign, Wolf Man Vs. Werewolf + “Upcoming” Trailer

Back in May, word was going around that stuntman / second unit director Vic Armstrong was coordinating some additional beastly fight scenes for The Wolf Man. Now Mail Online’s Baz Bamigboye reports that the reason behind the additional filming may have been to introduce a new design for the titular lycanthrope. “The Wolf was on its heels and it looked daft,” says one Wolfman actor. A Universal rep had this to say (warning: PR speak in full effect): “The full articulation of the transformational lead character will be realised when the film is completed and we are excited to share his incredible look with the world in the upcoming trailer.” Bamigboye also mentions that the scenes involve a “confrontation between the Wolf Man and the Werewolf”– a choice of words with some exciting and curious implications.

So what we can take from all this is

  1. The Wolf Man’s design may be changing, possibly going from a two-legged creature to four legs. Whether Rick Baker was consulted remains to be seen (let’s hope he was).
  2. Apparently the film involves a Wolf Man and a Werewolf. The differences between the two remain unclear.
  3. An official trailer for The Wolf Man is “upcoming”. Considering the film’s November release, maybe in another month or two?

Jul. 14th 2009

Shakira’s “She-Wolf” Name-Drops Lycanthropy, Still Sounds Terrible

Shakira has a new single called “She-Wolf”. Ugh. Just ugh.

Jul. 13th 2009

Official Michael Jackson “This Is It” Tour T-Shirt Designs Include Thriller Werewolf

Michael Jackson Thriller Werewolf T-Shirt

Before he passed away, Michael Jackson was getting ready for “This Is It”, a 50-show residency at London’s O2 Arena. Now that Michael’s gone, refunds are being issued for tickets, but the official Michael Jackson tour web shop is still selling This Is It merchandise, including this “Cartoon Thriller video Michael Jackson Werewolf shirt“. Questions of taste and decorum aside, I want this shirt.

Jul. 8th 2009

“Living Arrangements” Film Pits Vegans Against Werewolf

Living Arrangements is an independent film by director Sam Thompson about a pair of vegans who have to contend with a new roommate’s unorthodox eating habits.

Sasha and Billie just found a new apartment right next to their favorite coffee shops and thrift stores. Life couldn’t be better until they discover a blood-thirsty werewolf living in the attic. Coping with the uninvited roommate challenges their vegan lifestyle and may turn these animal savers into animal slayers.

Check out the trailer, and visit the official web site and blog for more info, including screening details and production stills (including some closeups of the werewolf costume).

Living Arrangements

Why are there so many fun werewolf indie films out there? Oh yeah, it’s because werewolves are fucking awesome. Nice work, Living Arrangements cast and crew. Put this out on DVD and I will buy three.

Jul. 5th 2009

25 Best Werewolf Horror Movies

About.com has got a breakdown of the 25 best werewolf horror movies (in the author’s opinon, of course), including what submitter ArcLight quite rightly describes as “a few surprises”. I consider myself well-versed in werewolf films, but there were a few titles in there that I’d never heard of! Check it out. What’s your favourite werewolf movie?

Jul. 4th 2009

Yeah Yeah Yeahs – “Heads Will Roll” EP

Heads Will Roll EP

Straight from the Yeah Yeah Yeahs MySpace page comes news of a remix EP for Heads Will Roll, a spendidly dancy single from their latest record It’s Blitz. You may remember the track’s video from last month, which featured the sharp-dressed werewolf shown on the EP cover above. The EP will be available from iTunes and digital retailers on July 14th, and features remixes by Passion Pit, Tommie Sunshine, Nick Zinner and James Iha. You can listen to the Passion Pit remix on Stereogum right now. Dance ’til you’re dead!

Jul. 2nd 2009