“William” by Mathieu Aerni

Canadian artist Mathieu Aerni is coming at you like a northern bullet with this killer image of William (who you might remember from such films as Underworld: Rise of the Lycans and When Harry Met Sally). Mathieu posted this on his CGPortfolio back in November 2009 and it’s been my desktop background ever since. William was sculpted and textured in ZBrush and given some fur in Photoshop. Check out some more renders on Mathieu’s site, and while you’re at it have a look at some of his other work– chances are good you’ve seen his work in a feature film in the past year.

Mar. 23rd 2010

Jim Bycznski’s Work in Progress: a Life-Sized “Wolfman” Display Figure

In December I got an email and some photos from Jim Bycznski, founder of what might be the coolest program to ever grace the curriculum of a high school. Jim was inspired by the (then) imminent release of The Wolfman and he and his crew began working on a life-sized display figure of the titular beast. This weekend I got a few more photos of their progress– “Legs have been molded and casted, teeth made, and the body will be fabricated soon,” Jim writes. Here are seven shots of the process. Look on this, and wonder why your high school wasn’t this cool.

If I’d had access to a program like this when I was in high school, my career path would have been very different. You can see a gallery of more BHSFX work here– there are some more werewolves, if you look closely! Thanks for sharing, Jim.

Feb. 20th 2010

Be a Royal Army Werewolf in Battlefield Heroes

If WolfTeam‘s too intense for you, you can still get your first person shooter werewolf action in Battlefield Heroes, which has introduced werewolf and vampire sets with which to trick out your heroes. If you want to rock Grim’s Varg werewolf set you’ll need to have a hero in the Royal Army and 1,800 Battlefunds to spare. Your purchase will gain you these fine items, plus a Wold Howl gesture and a Claw Attack:

Feb. 19th 2010

Werewolves and Vampires Duke It Out In New York Magazine – Roukas Dissects the Radness and Ramifications

Werewolf Vs. Vampire by Bryan Baugh.



This month’s New York magazine features a short article on werewolves by Jeff Vandam. While the “article” is only a page long, and while I would sooner expect The New Yorker to run a feature on Rambo, I was nevertheless happy to see some lycanthropic goodness in a mainstream magazine. Unfortunately, the article quickly becomes a classic werewolves vs. vampires retro-drama. Guess what? Count Chocula wins, and Edward Cullen wins the mark of cultural favor over David Naughton’s David Kessler and Jack Nicholson’s Will Randall. And while everyone is allowed to have a personal preference when it comes to monsters, I believe that the hairy-handed gents are made out of culturally richer and more enduring stuff than vampires are.
(more…)

Feb. 17th 2010

Two Killer Werewolf Tracks on Rob Zombie’s “Hellbilly Deluxe 2”

Rob Zombie loves two things: monsters and rock. Even if he hadn’t made it perfectly clear with the title, everything about his new album “Hellbilly Deluxe 2” is intended to evoke associations with his monstrous, sexy 1998 solo debut. Although I personally hear a little more of sneer than I’d prefer in his voice, and not enough of the roar he’s employed on previous records, Hellbilly Deluxe 2 is certainly worth a listen if you’re a fan of anything Zombie’s done in the past two decades. This isn’t a music blog, though, and there’s a reason I’m posting about Zombie’s latest here: there are two werewolf-themed songs on the album, and both of them kick ass. John 5′s southern-fried slide guitar on “Werewolf, Baby!” will have you combing your fur into a pompadour before you climb into your ’59 Cadillac Coupe to menace Little Red down at the drive-in. And although Zombie confirmed that his “Werewolf Women of the SS” Grindhouse trailer won’t be expanded into a feature film, he turned the concept into one hell of a jack-booted, crop-wielding song. You can check out both of the songs below. Howl, baby, howl!

Feb. 12th 2010

Interactive Wolfman Timeline

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.

Feb. 11th 2010

10 Werewolf Movies That Don’t Suck

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”.

Feb. 10th 2010

“The Wolfman” News Digest, Part 1

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!

Feb. 9th 2010

“The Wolfman” Soundtrack Available Now!

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! (more…)

Feb. 9th 2010

Goodbye, Friend

Keesha passed away today. Her cancer spread too far, too quickly, and her quality of life declined so rapidly it seemed like she was disappearing before our eyes. This past weekend we made the difficult decision to help end her pain, and today at 4:30 PM the incomparable Dr. Pollen of the Vancouver Animal Wellness Hospital administered drugs that first put Keesha to sleep, then sent her to wherever it is that excellent dogs go when they leave this life. We held her until the end.

Thanks for all of your support and kind words. Those who donated have been contacted regarding their art. The winner of the draw for a copy of The Werewolf’s Guide To Life is Mark K., whose name was selected at random out of a mug.

If you have an animal in your life, go hug them now.

Feb. 8th 2010