Wolfenoot is nearly upon us

This Friday kicks off a holiday weekend, and I’m not talking about American Thanksgiving, although you can certainly celebrate that too – your roasted bird will work for both events. I’m talking about Wolfenoot, the wolf-centric holiday invented just a few months ago by a 7-year-old in New Zealand.

“My son has invented a holiday called Wolfenoot,” goes the original post, which appeared on Facebook, making this the only good idea to ever come from that place. “It is when the Spirit of the Wolf brings and hides small gifts around the house for everyone. People who have, have had, or are kind to dogs get better gifts than anyone else.”

And how does one actually observe this holiday? According to the gospel:

You eat roast meat (because wolves eat meat) and cake decorated like a full moon.

A holiday to the spirit of wolves that celebrates people who are kind to dogs? I can 100% get behind this. So we will be celebrating Wolfenoot. It’s on the 23rd November if anyone else is moved to celebrate it. 😉 If you do, please post pics, so he can see how his idea has spread.

If you’re posting publicly about it, use #wolfenoot.

I don’t care what kind of blood-soaked moon-crazed snarling horror hellbeast of a werewolf fan you are – if you can’t see the sweet appeal of this idea, you’ll get no full moon cake or sympathy from me.

I was initially cautious about spreading the Wolfenoot word, because this is the Internet, where even the sweetest concept can hide something bad, but this idea really did come out of nowhere in September of this year, and the anonymous mom and son duo behind it are keeping things legitimately wholesome.

According to the FAQ, vegetarian and other adaptations are welcome, donations to “shelters/wolf sanctuaries/dog based charities” are encouraged over other kinds of gift-giving, and if you do want to give a little support to the family, you can buy merch with the slogan “No hate, only snootboops” on it. You can find out more on the Wolfenoot web site, Twitter account or Facebook event (which has over 10,000 people involved as of this post).

Wolves aren’t werewolves, I’m not in New Zealand, and I don’t know where I’m going to find a ketogenically suitable full moon cake on such short notice, but it doesn’t matter. This Friday, I’m celebrating Wolfenoot.

Nov. 21st 2018

Time lapse video of “Lycan” digital painting by Kirisute Silvermane

Sometimes when you’re feeling under the weather, it’s nice to indulge in that classic trio of self-care staples we all know and love: chicken soup, a blanket on the couch, and watching time lapse videos of people painting werewolves.

Here’s a time lapse video by UK artist Kirisute Silvermane, who wrote to me with some links to his work a few days ago… almost as though he knew I’d be laid up sick, wearing a hoodie with the hood up indoors, and craving the meditative experience of watching a pencil drawing fill out with fur, fangs and drool.

You can see the finished artwork in his DeviantArt gallery, and more time lapse videos of his art here.

Nov. 18th 2018

Mask & costume maker Magpiebones brings her incredible werewolf to life

She calls herself a mask and costume maker, but with all due respect to her astonishing mastery of craft, I’m going to refer to Briana Barber (aka Magpiebones) as a supernatural shapeshifter, because her latest personal project has transformed her into an utterly believable werewolf.

This werewolf costume, created over several years as a lycanthropic labour of love, features several types of synthetic fur, including NFT fur on the tail and hackles, detailed paint work, a moving jaw, hidden-heel digitigrade feet, a wire and foam-core tail, and a bespoke bodysuit to give the correct monstrous shape.

Check out some selected images from her recent photoshoot below. You can also see more of her astounding work on DeviantArt and Instagram. If you’d like her to work her magic and turn you into a mythical creature, be prepared to pounce when she re-opens for commissions in January.

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Nov. 17th 2018

Werewolf News editor’s 2012 short story “The Librarian” now available as a PDF

Hi, werewolf pals! My 2012 short story “The Librarian” is now available as an e-book. For $2, you can read about Alexis LaPierre, a murderous werewolf who tries hard to be a good person, and succeeds… for a while.

Reformed werewolf Alexis LaPierre is doing her best to make a normal life for herself. She has a good job, a comfortable apartment, and a fridge full of raw steak. She has a friend, some reasonable hobbies, and she hardly feels like killing anyone anymore.

Then she meets Rick, and her normal life begins to unravel.

This 5,000-word short story was originally published in the Hic Dragones anthology “Wolf-Girls”, and is presented here as a PDF e-book, with exclusive cover and endpaper illustrations by Tandye Rowe.

Nov. 16th 2018

Indie slasher film “Bonehill Road” is out

When I posted about crowdsourced werewolf movie Bonehill Road last year, I had the usual mix of high hopes and low expectations. Now it’s out, and according to Rotten Tomatoes and IMDB reviews it’s… actually pretty good!

To be fair, most of the positive reviews are from people who were hoping for low-budget indie schlock featuring lots of gore and a guy in a werewolf suit, and most of the negative ones are from people who apparently don’t know that’s basically writer/director Todd Sheets’s whole thing.

My policy for movies that lean into the low-budget thing is to cut them some slack if they’re upfront about what they’re making, and everyone seems to be having fun. If you’re making a 90-minute tax write-off where everyone’s miserable, we can tell. But I’ve watched the official trailer below a few times, and yeah, it’s cheesy, and sure, there’s a guy (and maybe a gal?) in a bespoke werewolf suit, but that transformation shot, the synthy score and the slasher title splash at the end get me every time.

You can buy Bonehill Road on Amazon, in Walmarts and other physical goods retailers around America, and also directly from Todd himself, who says:

In addition to DVDs I have a few Blu-rays left and two or three VHS is left from the original Indiegogo. All items purchased from me are autographed by members of the cast and crew as well.

You can reach him through the Bonehill Road Facebook page.

Nov. 16th 2018

Be kind to the new girl – an untitled werewolf comic

This comic by Alex and Sidney  (Ollioxn and squidpicture on Twitter) is making its way around Tumblr. I absolutely love the gentle artwork and the unapologetic use of red. It has no title, but I would like to suggest “New Girl”, after the Long Winters song of the same title (and, given the impressionistic lyrics, potentially a similar theme).

https://foreign-shores.tumblr.com/post/179672745455/untitled-comic-written-and-sketched-by-alex

Nov. 15th 2018

After 9 years, World of Warcraft’s Worgen are getting a fresh new look

From Blizzard Watch, Wowhead, and a bunch of other sites that cover breaking video game news comes some worgen-related excitement today. Blizzard’s annual gaming convention BlizzCon kicked off today with a bunch of announcements, one of which promises a fresh new look for World of Warcraft’s werewolf-like player race. Says Blizzard Watch:

One of the most requested features in WoW is an update for the Cataclysm-era goblin and worgen models. At the BlizzCon What’s Next panel, Blizzard announced that both races would finally receive model updates in patch 8.2.5 — immediately invalidating about 80% of the questions for tomorrow’s Q&A panel.

Given that these are among the least popular races in the game and still among the newer ones, a model update was low on Blizzard’s priority list. But it was sorely needed, especially for Worgen, who never turned out quite right. Even back in Cataclysm, players were unhappy with how the Worgen looked.

I was pretty happy with how the Worgen looked when Cataclysm came out over nine years ago, but these updated models are even better. Have a look at these screengrabs from the BlizzCon stream, courtesy of Wowhead.

Note that these updated models won’t likely arrive until sometime in early 2019.

Pose details for the updated male Worgen model

Head details for the updated male Worgen model

Pose details for the updated female Worgen model

Head details for the updated female Worgen model

 

Nov. 2nd 2018

Rick Baker’s daughters Rebecca and Veronica become a new American Werewolf & her victim for Halloween

Every Halloween, monster maker / creature effects legend Rick Baker transforms his entire family with a themed range of makeup that he spends days preparing. In 2015 he and his two daughters became variations of the Joker, in 2016 he re-created the doctor, nurse, and patient from the Twilight Zone episode “Eye of the Beholder”, and last year he turned his daughters into characters from The Strain.

This year, with the help of his daughters, Baker revisited the work that won him the first Academy Award for Best Makeup in 1981 – a little film called “An American Werewolf in London”.

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Here’s his daughter Veronica as Jack (Jackie?) “Meatloaf” Goodman, who went to work today like all good and industrious werewolf murder victims do:

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And here’s his daughter Rebecca as David (Danielle?) Kessler. She stayed home from work today, but I hope she went to the mall (or Piccadilly Circus) so people can get a look at this incredible work:

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Now we know why Baker was revisiting some of his “American Werewolf” work last week!

Oct. 31st 2018

A deep dive into the Colony with “The Howling: Studies in the Horror Film”

“The Howling: Studies in the Horror Film” by Lee Gambin looks like a must-have book for anyone interested in the seminal 1981 werewolf movie.

Author and editor Lee Gambin has written the definitive story of the making of The Howling, complete with an insightful plot synopsis and complete critical analysis, behind the scenes information, and a slew of interviews with cast and crew. Rounding out the book are nearly 150 stills of the movie, ranging from individual frame enlargements to rare, never-before-published behind the scenes photographs.

Over 350 pages, this handsome sewn paperback offers everything you need to know about one of the 1980’s greatest horror films, and is a welcome addition of the Centipede Press Studies in the Horror Film series.

I’ve been squinting at the text visible in some of these spreads and I’ve already learned things I never knew about a film as old as I am.

Eddie Quist’s sketches depicting other residents of the Colony were actually done by Richard Hescox

More supplemental artwork by Richard Hescox

You can order this book today from Centipede Press.

Oct. 31st 2018

Former Dimension exec confirms that the original cut of Wes Craven’s “Cursed” exists & should be seen

Here’s an exclusive from Bloody Disgusting that’s got me ready to head to the Miramax offices in New York City and start searching in closets and storage rooms: Cary Granat, who was COO of Dimension (a label within Miramax) from 1995 to 2000, has confirmed that there’s an original cut of Wes Craven’s 2005 werewolf movie Cursed, and that it’s good enough that it should be released.

“Yes, yes, yes, 100%,” Granat told us when we asked about the Craven cut of Cursed in a phone interview promoting his new movie, Welcome to Mercy.

Since Cursed came after Granat’s tenure at Dimension, he’s not sure where to find the original cut, only that it’s got to be somewhere.

“It still exists,” Granat said. “I just don’t know if it went with The Weinstein Company. I left in 2000 to start Walden so it was in development after that.”

For context: Cursed was shot in 2003, with an R-rated script, Wes Craven’s direction, and werewolf effects by Rick Baker, but then spent two years in development hell as Dimension execs Bob and Harvey Weinstein (yeah, that Harvey Weinstein) proceeded to ruin it. Massive reshoots cut it down to a disjointed PG-13 mess that radically mangled the plot, omitted many actors, changed the ending twice, relied heavily on KNB for CG for werewolf effects (although I still like the werewolf design), and was ultimately disavowed by Craven.

There’s no telling what state this original cut is in, although it’s probably not complete – Wikipedia claims that only 90% of the original script was shot, leaving some gaps that wouldn’t be covered by the “three films worth” of footage they got during the film’s time in purgatory. I’d be glad to see it in any state, though, especially with some Rick Baker werewolf effects.

Oct. 30th 2018