In case you didn’t already hear the bad news, the Werewolf: The Series DVD set that Shout! Factory was working on has been scrapped indefinitely, thanks to the greed of the music industry. Two of the bands whose songs were used in scenes refused to grant permission to use the music for the same scenes on the DVD. None of the official sources are naming the bands, but if word around the campfire is true, these assholes wanted more money than Shout! Factory was reasonably able to pay. The audio tracks for the scenes were mixed down, so the offending songs and the critical dialog can’t be separated and re-mixed with different, less-made-by-greedy-clowns songs. I’m sharing this now because the original posts I made about the DVD set are still getting a lot of (presumably hopeful) traffic.
The Last Werewolves of October
Here’s an assortment of items that have hit my inbox over the course of October, but that I’ve been too busy or distracted to post.
- The Yorkshire Post has an interview with Jenny Agutter, who played nurse Alex Price in An American Werewolf in London. She discusses her role in AWIL and talks about how the audience reacted to the initial screening of the film.
- The Grosse Pointe Farms Department of Public Works in Michigan is home to a boulder that bears the footprint of Le Loup Garou, the werewolf of Grosse Pointe. Hooray for urban legends!
- Here’s a printable 3D werewolf paper craft, in case you’re locked in a room with a colour printer and 15 minutes to kill. I may have crafted one of these for my office desk.
- pjstar.com has an interview with Professor Leslie Sconduto, author of “Metamorphoses of the Werewolf: A Literary Study from Antiquity through the Renaissance”. Choice quote: “There’s a werewolf for everyone. Each to its own. One to suit each taste.”
- Champions Online is running a game event called “Blood Moon“, wherein the game’s world is overrun with werewolves, vampires and other monstrous creatures. Players can battle (and become) these monsters, and of course there’s a number of werewolf-related items to be had. There’s a free trial available for anyone who wants to try the game out, but it expires at 10 AM Pacific on November 2nd. That’s in, like, 10 hours. Hurry! HURRY!
- The BSC Beat has an interview with Mark Chadbourn, author of the recently-released Hellboy novel Hellboy: The Ice Wolves
. You can read a preview of The Ice Wolves at the Dark Horse web site.
- Scribblenauts is an interesting game that’s just come out for the Nintendo DS. The idea is to solve puzzles by typing in the name of virtually any object you can think of that might help. That object then appears in the game and does its thing, whether it’s a ball, a chainsaw or a platypus. You can probably guess where I’m going with this… yes, you can summon werewolves. Here’s a Youtube video of two garlic and stake-infused werewolves scaring a vampire to death. I want this game just so I can do that, over and over.
- Cinematical explains why it’s worth it to replace your DVD copy of An American Werewolf in London with the recently released Full Moon Edition
- I also wish I had an Xbox 360. The LIVE Marketplace has got werewolf costumes for your Xbox 360 Avatar.
Many thanks to people who submitted these items!
Ginny & Clutch (Little Red Riding Hood Reloaded)
U! a.k.a. Uriel A. Duran has shared some werewolf art with me that I feel compelled to share with everyone else, on account of how much I love the concept and character designs. Meet Ginny & Clutch!
Hometown: Some lost town on Route 66.
Likes: Fast cars, faster music, robbing banks and ice cream.
Dis-likes: Being chased by the police, woodsmen and/or hunters.
Super Powers: Ginny has an IQ of 250 and is not afraid of anything. Clutch is a werewolf —’nuff said.
Personality: Ginny may seem like a shy girl, but behind that appearance there’s a really evil and wicked mind. She’s very manipulative, yet she’s with Clutch because she truly is in love with him (but won’t admit it, at least in public). Clutch on the other hand is grumpy and stubborn but once you get to know him you’ll find he’s actually very kind.
If you’d like to see these characters developed further, make sure to let Uriel know. Thanks for sharing, my friend!
A Monster Poll for the Geek Contingent
Nerd news portal Slashdot has updated their site-wide poll to ask the question: If I Had To Choose, I’d Be A …
The options are:
- Zombie
- Vampire
- Werewolf
- Mummy
- Necromancer
- Ringwraith
- My Family Already Thinks I’m A Troll
- Demon Penguin
As of this minute, werewolves are in fourth place with 10% of the vote. We’re being beaten by Demon Penguin (har har, nerd joke), Necromancer (thanks a lot, roleplaying / WoW fans) and Vampire (sigh). Werewolf fans, do your thing !
True Blood to add Werewolf Character Alcide Herveaux in Season 3
E! Online is reporting that HBO’s super-popular supernatural drama True Blood will add an actual werewolf character – sorry, Sam –in season three: fan-favourite (fans of the books, anyway) Alcide Herveaux. This is another show I haven’t seen yet (I really need to figure out my roommate’s DVR) but judging from the enthusiasm of my prime-time TV-crazed co-workers, True Blood seems to be… pretty good. In any case, it’s bound to get better with the addition of a werewolf (doesn’t everything get better when you add a werewolf? Oh, wait. I guess not).
Syfy to Create American Remake of BBC’s “Being Human”
Reuters and SCI FI Wire are reporting that Syfy (formerly and less ridiculously known as the Sci Fi Channel) is planning an Americanized remake of “Being Human“, the BBC’s popular comedy-drama about a werewolf, a vampire and a ghost living together in Bristol. “It turned out great as we can now do an American version,” Syfy president Dave Howe told The Hollywood Reporter. “We’ve always been keen on vampires and werewolves, and we loved the originality of ‘Being Human,’ the fact that the fantastical creatures in it are very young, accessible and charming.”
Despite Dave’s peppy attitude, reactions of fans of the original series seems to be largely negative. io9’s Meredith Woerner makes some great observations about the cultural and class differences between US and UK audiences that will probably result in much of the show’s charm being lost, and regarding the Dave Howe quote above, she notes: “They loved the originality of it so much, they decided to remake it.”
I am ashamed to admit that I haven’t seen Being Human at all, other than a behind-the-scenes feature on show’s formidable werewolf transformation effects. I am definitely going to track it down this weekend, though– it sounds like I’m missing out on a real phenomenon, and I’d like to experience it before it gets “remixed”, American-style.
A New Classic Lit / Horror Mashup: Little Women and Werewolves
If you’re at all interested in books, you’ve probably heard of the recent classic literature / horror novel mashups Pride and Prejudice and Zombies
In this retelling of Louisa May Alcott’s classic, the beloved little women must keep not just the wolf, but the werewolves, from the door…and the kindly old gentlemen next door and his grandson may have some secrets to hide–or share with the March girls.
“I Was A Tranny Werewolf” Trailer – Probably NSFW, Definitely Fabulous
“Gayploitation” filmmaker Lola Rocknrolla has combined two of this Werewolf News poster’s favourite things in one campy, ridiculous short film. “I Was A Tranny Werewolf” premiered last week at Anthology Film Archives in New York City. No word yet on when the whole thing will be available to watch / purchase for those who didn’t see it then, but if Lola’s filmography is any indication, this should be worth watching– if only so you can throw your mascara and popcorn at the screen. Oh yeah, you probably shouldn’t watch this trailer at work if your workplace is humour-deficient. That’s a lot of hair!
Thanks to Viergacht for the link. And to those who know me IRL: yeah, I know.
Animal Planet Airing “Werewolves: The Dark Survivors” Tonight
Werewolves: The Dark Survivors (originally titled We’rewolves) is airing tonight on Animal Planet. It’s a two-hour special shot in a faux-documentary style that examines what the world would be like if werewolves really existed. If you miss it tonight, don’t worry– it’s airing six times in total before the end of the month. It sure sounds like an interesting concept! If you see it, leave a comment below to let your fellow werewolf fans know what you think!
Set Your TV Dial to “Werewolf”
“Wolf” wrote in with a reminder that the History Channel is running two werewolf-related shows on Wednesday, October 28th.
08:00 PM MonsterQuest: American Werewolf
The werewolf is a centuries-old legend based on myth, not a real animal. However, local eyewitnesses in Wisconsin and Michigan report seeing a dogman–a tall hairy man-beast. Professional hunters and trackers armed with tranquilizer guns will be deployed in an area of recent sightings to find this creature. For the first time polygraphs and hypnosis will be used on eyewitnesses with astonishing results. One-part history, one-part science and one part monster, discover the truth behind legendary monsters.
09:00 PM The Real Wolfman
Follow veteran criminal profiler George Deuchar and renowned cryptozoologist, Ken Gerhardt as they investigate the legend of the notorious Wolfman. Between the years of 1764 and 1767, the small French hamlet of Gevaudan was plagued by a mysterious beast that attacked and killed 102 villagers. The victims (mostly women and children) were all maliciously mauled and decapitated. All bore the bite marks of a non-human creature, and even more bizarre, many victims were found undressed and sexually assaulted. For centuries, the true identify of this mysterious “wolfman” has remained a mystery. Digging deeply into the mythology of Werewolves, they uncover reported paranormal transformations, diseases that make men look and act like animals, strange but true stories of children raised by wolves, and the truth about wolfsbane and silver bullets. Their modern-day forensic investigation leads them to the horrific truth behind the Werewolf murders.