The Trustworthiness of Beards, as Assessed & Charted by Matt McInerney

I’ve been super busy today, but I wanted to share this delightful chart with you. Have you ever wondered if you could gauge the general trustworthiness of a person, based on the beard they’re sporting? Graphic designer Matt McInerney says you can, and he has a chart to prove it. He claims there’s no scientific basis to his observations, but other than grossly exaggerating the threat of werewolves, I think he seems to be spot-on. The Philosopher? Good. The Neckbeard? Watch yourself.

Click for the full thing at a (much) larger resolution.

Jul. 27th 2010

Initial Impressions of Warcraft’s New Cataclysm Races? The Worgen are Awesome

Over the past few weeks, beta testers have been getting a chance to check out the new races and terrain Blizzard’s latest Word of Warcraft expansion, Cataclysm. So far the reactions seem to be extremely positive, particularly where the Alliance’s new werewolf-like race, the Worgen, are concerned. Donnie Ingalls of Ripten says “Everyone and and their mother is going to be playing a Worgen when Cataclysm hits the shelves,” right before unapologetically using the term “cool-o-meter”. Steve Butts at The Escapist goes into detail describing the start of the Worgen game. Apparently you start off as a human fighting against the Worgen in a foggy Victorian setting, until you’re inadvertently bitten and wake up in stocks with fur and claws.

I got giddy just typing that. When Cataclysm finally comes out I’m screwed.

Jul. 26th 2010

Trailer for Syfy’s “Red” Contains Felicia Day, Clips From “The Howling” and Cheese

Syfy has posted the first trailer for their latest original movie, “Red”, staring Felicia Day. I have a feeling this got rushed out for SDCC (assuming that’s where it was shown), because it looks a little disjointed and they’ve cut in some werewolf footage from “The Howling” to pad it out. Weird! Overall it looks pretty cheesy, but I think that’s sort of the point– Syfy original movies aren’t expected to bring home any award hardware.

It says something about Syfy’s production values that practical werewolf effects from 1981 look better than the CGI werewolves they came up with on their own.

Hat tip: ArcLight

Jul. 25th 2010

MTV’s “Teen Wolf” Will Have Three Types of Werewolves, May Not Be Terrible After All

Finally, someone at San Diego Comic-Con with an interest in horror has some info about MTV’s Teen Wolf show. Nomad at Dread Central got some interesting and somewhat encouraging news from producer Jeff Davis. Of particular interest are these two tidbits:

– KNB FX [sic] is handling the PRACTICAL effects!! The look of the werewolves (yes, I said “werewolves” plural) was very important so they brought in the best.

– There will be three types of werewolves in this show, all with a different look.

KNB EFX has got some pretty serious chops in the realm of practical effects, and they’ve done werewolves before too: for Wes Craven’s “Cursed” (pictured on the right) and “The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian”. I am now cautiously optimistic about this!

Jul. 24th 2010

Life-Sized “Werewolf of London” Mask (or Bust) by Steve Neill

You might not know who Steve Neill is. I didn’t when I first saw this link in my inbox, but after digging around on his site and looking him up on IMDB, I came to realize that I had seen his special effects work in some of my favourite 80’s movies. He sculpted (and performed one of) the monster arms that burst out of Dana Barrett’s chair in Ghostbusters, for pete’s sake!

Steve is still doing masks and props, and one of his latest creations is this mask of the Werewolf of London as played by Henry Hull. He details its creation on his blog, from the initial sculpture to the finished mask. Yes, “mask”. Despite the fact that the eyes are filled in the photos, Steve is selling mask versions for $225 US (scroll down). You can also get it foam-filled with glass eyes, which I suppose makes it a bust. This isn’t exactly the kind of werewolf I dig, but it’s a classic, well-crafted by a guy who’s been doing it longer than most of us have been alive. Love your work, Steve!

Jul. 22nd 2010

SDCC Exclusive: Dark Shadows “Chris Jennings” Action Figure from Spectre Toys

Those of us who aren’t lucky enough to be attending San Diego Comic-Con right now have a new reason to cry a little harder, especially the “Dark Shadows” fans. Entertainment Earth, those venerable purveyors of stuff I wanna buy, are selling a Dark Shadows Werewolf Action Figure, made by Spectre Toys and based on the character Chris Jennings. If you’re at SDCC you can just walk right up to booth #2343 and buy one right on the spot. Otherwise you can place a pre-order through the Entertainment Earth web site for an August release. Chris looks a little too much like Chewbacca for my tastes, but what the heck!

Jul. 22nd 2010

Get a Caricature of Yourself as a Werewolf!

It’s you, but as a werewolf! My partner, co-conspirator and lupa Tandye (deviantART & Etsy) likes to draw werewolves. See what you’d look like as a werewolf without the expense and mess of all those prosthetic appliances and the makeup!

Get a print-quality digital sketch with a single-colour highlight for $15 US. Just upload a clear, well-lit photo of your face to an image host of your choice, paste the URL below and click “Buy Now”. You’ll get the completed picture via email within a week!


Web address of reference photo





Note: this post also has a permanent home here.

Jul. 21st 2010

USA Weekend Interviews Russell Tovey of “Being Human”

Warning: Spoilers! People are starting to get excited about “Being Human” again, what with the first season being out on DVD, shooting of the third series underway and the main cast attending SDCC for a panel this Friday. Yesterday USA Weekend posted an interesting interview with Russell Tovey, who plays dweeby nurse / reluctant werewolf George. Tovey talks about how his character has evolved as a man (and as a werewolf), the uncomfortable realities of having to film a transformation scene in the nude, and how other werewolf characters look to him for cues on how to handle their own transformations:

When I did it, they just basically stripped me, threw me into a room and said, “Scream.” [Laughs] I was thrown right in the deep end so I’ve found my own language of it. Now they watch me to see how to do it, which is a massive compliment. I always felt like I wanted it to seem the most painful thing in the world, which it’s meant to be. I thought, “You’ve got to go for this because if you don’t and you do it halfheartedly, people watching it go, ‘Well, I don’t believe that’ or ‘He doesn’t look like he’s in pain,’ and it would just ruin it.

Read the whole interview here.

Jul. 21st 2010

eBay auction for life-size werewolf bust. I dare you to outbid me.

Edit: bumping this up to the top because the auction ends in two hours. Current bid is $204.50 US. Want it? Get it!

Werewolf News reader Bill has notified me of an eBay auction he’s just started on a life-size werewolf bust. I really like the design– it’s evocative of the “horror” style of werewolf I like, so I’m the high bidder as of 1:56PM Pacific today. I’m shooting myself in the foot by posting this, but I’m duty-bound, so here are the details!

Due to a need for cash, I am selling a very rare (possibly one of only two in existence) lifesize werewolf bust. It is cast in resin with foam backing and is unpainted. I purchased this from the UK about 6 years ago. It is an awesome piece! Approximate dimensions are; 19″ from nose to back of head, 20″ tall, and 19″ across the back. Obviously the sculptor was inspired by the American Werewolf in London movie bust because it is similar but not the same and personally I like this one better. I think it is a little meaner looking

There’s no reserve and the auction runs until July 21st, so if you want to help Bill out with some cash in exchange for a wicked-looking werewolf bust, get over there and bid!



Jul. 21st 2010

The Mystery of “The Howling Reborn” and the Boring Plot Synopsis

Buried three pages deep in the Moonstone Entertainment web site is this synopsis of “The Howling Reborn”, the upcoming remake of “The Howling”:

On the eve of his high school graduation, unremarkable Will Kidman finally bonds with the girl he has long yearned for, reclusive Eliana Wynter. But he also discovers a dark secret from his past… that he is about to become a werewolf. Now, in an effort to fight destiny and save their love as well as their lives, they must battle not only Will’s growing blood lust but an army of fearsome beasts bent on killing them… and then, us all.

Is it just me or does this have nothing at all in common with the original film? Is this just an attempt to piggyback a new (and dull-sounding) werewolf movie on the name recognition of the Howling series?

Jul. 21st 2010