Werewolf News

IGN’s Killer Instinct “Sabrewulf” profile video might sell me an Xbox One

IGN’s Destin Legarie hangs out with Dave Verfaillie (Design Director at Double Helix) and a mystery man identified only as “Rich” as the latter two show off Sabrewulf from the new Killer Instinct game, available exclusively on the Xbox One. This video is from July, but I didn’t see it until this past #WerewolfWednesday, courtesy of @hamstertoybox. The game (and the system it’s playable on) launch today, with Sabrewulf as one of the six initial characters, and holy shit does this tweaked-out medical experiment of a werewolf look good. And by “good” I mean “rabid killing machine”.

Throughout the 12-minute video, Dave explains Sabrewulf’s combat style and unique attributes (quickest dash in the game!) and discusses the design decisions behind his appearance and his stage, The Alchemical Lab. Despite Sabrewulf’s efforts to regain his humanity – enhancements like bionic arms are gone, replaced by bandages and other vestiges of medical equipment – they played up the “animal within” angle, which is obvious from the ragged panting, shuddering twitches and sprays of drool that make up much of his animation.

I’m going to level with you. I never played the original KI in the arcade or on the SNES, and I’m still more likely to get a Wii U than an Xbone or a P Ess Four, but there’s something about the gameplay, animation and sound design in this video that makes the hairs on the back of my neck stand up. Did you get an Xbox One and this game today, and if so, what’s your opinion? Should I take my credit card over to Amazon and buy myself an early Christmas gift?

Angela Quinton Nov. 22nd 2013

The Lycanthrope Learner

This book of cartoons by Doug Smith features “insight to some known and little-known facts about Lycanthropes”, and a drawing of a werewolf punching a man’s head CLEAN OFF. It costs less than three bucks, and if I had a Kindle, I’d be reading it right now.

Angela Quinton Nov. 21st 2013

Turn off the porch light, it’s “Night of 1,000 Wolves”

Reader Stalker introduced to me another comic title I need to get my hands on, this time from IDW: Curnow and Wachter’s Night of 1,000 Wolves. At first glance I thought it was going to be Hitchcock’s The Birds, but with wolves (insert photo of playground covered in silent staring timberwolves), and I wasn’t particularly interested beyond my intrigue at the earthy watercolour art. But Stalker was thorough with the links, and after reading a good review (and a crummy review), it’s clear that the family under lupine siege has a supernatural secret, and that there’s at least one actual werewolf in the three-issue series. Here’s the summary from IDW:

In the Dark Ages, the tranquil life of Harrick Benjyon and his family is shattered by unthinkable tragedy. Before they can react, the family find themselves under siege by hordes of wolves with one aim: Death! A race for survival becomes all the more impossible by the arrival of the supernatural… and the dark secrets that lie at the heart of the Benjyon family.

Night of 1,000 Wolves was written by Bobby Curnow, whose other credits are the stuff of Saturday morning cartoon dreams, and all of the art (including the covers) was done by Harvey and Eisner nominee Dave Wachter, who has a wonderful post about his artistic process for this book on Comic Monsters. The book is available in trade paperback, and you can see an eight page preview of the first issue courtesy of Comic Book Resources.

I’m going to get a copy later this month, but if you’ve read it, what did you think? Were 1,000 wolves enough? Too many? Should they have been spaced out over three nights, 333 each plus a Bonus Wolf on the last night?

Angela Quinton Nov. 20th 2013

“Ginger Snaps” and “Dog Soldiers” to get the Scream Factory treatment

Someone at Scream Factory really likes werewolf movies! This past Saturday, the horror imprint of Shout! Factory (which I like to think of as the Criterion of horror) announced on Facebook that they’ve signed a deal which will see them release collector’s editions of two top-shelf werewolf films from the early 2000’s: Ginger Snaps and Dog Soldiers. Here’s hoping these releases aren’t hampered by bureaucratic snags like the music industry bullshit that wrecked Scream Factory’s oft-lamented Werewolf TV series release (yes, I’m still bitter about that). There are no more details beyond the existence of the deal and a “summer 2014” release date, but that’s still more than enough reason to execute a small dance, high-five a stranger or perform the happiness-gesture of your choice. Follow Scream Factory on Twitter for more info, or read about it on this very site as it becomes available. Thanks to Werewolf News reader Sam for the heads-up!

Angela Quinton Nov. 19th 2013

Watch short film “Bad Moon Rising”, or “why you don’t keep werewolves in captivity”

2012 short film Bad Moon Rising combines practical effects and smart directing in a manner calculated to stimulate the part of the brain labelled “werewolves killing motherfuckers”. Enjoy all seven minutes of it here.

Director Scott Hamilton and crew put it together as a promo for a feature length film about a bank full of hostages that turn out to be werewolves. Its showcase is a lengthy werewolf transformation that’s achieved solely through traditional effects, and which I thought was very well-executed. BMR is a “modified version of the feature film’s opening sequence [that] was shot in order to act as a guide to the overall feel of the film”. All right, Hamilton, my appetite has been sufficiently whetted – please tell me where I can see (or help fund) the feature!

For more information, including an extensive gallery of mid-transformation photos like those below, visit BMR‘s web site.

Angela Quinton Nov. 18th 2013

Full Moon Features: The Werewolf of Woodstock rocks out

Six years before she was viciously mauled to death by lycanthropic serial killer Eddie Quist in The Howling, Belinda Balaski nearly met a similar fate at the paws of The Werewolf of Woodstock. (more…)

Craig J. Clark Nov. 16th 2013

Animated short “CARN” shows savagery’s bloody consequences

This prize-winning animated short film by Jeff Le Bars – submitted as his final project at Ecole d’art Emile Cohl – is a perfectly-executed morality tale, gorgeous to look at and exquisite in its brutality. I can’t really discuss it without spoiling the story, so please watch it and then let’s talk about it in the comments. Suffice it to say every frame is beautifully designed, the sound and music (by Sylvain Livenais) are perfect, and there are two smash cuts in it that are so fucking harrowing I’ve watched it a half-dozen times and still get goosebumps.

You can see more of Le Bars’ work on his web site. I’m cold, so cold.

Angela Quinton Nov. 15th 2013

Weekly Werewolf Art: “Out Comes the Wolf” by Mary Doodles

This week’s feature is a video of artist / vlogger / all-around nice person Mary Doodles painting a man caught in the eye of the full moon. She is seriously going nuts with those watercolours, which freaks me out because the last time I tried anything with watercolours a man drowned. Mary’s got it under control, though, even when she’s literally just dumping colour into a puddle of water.

She dedicates the storybook-macabre results to “that very special lycanthropic person in my life”, which is sentiment I can appreciate, given that I’m married to an artist who indulges my lycanthropic side as well. You can see more of Mary’s work on her YouTube channel or her web site.

Angela Quinton Nov. 14th 2013

The playable werewolves of “The Elder Scrolls Online” look nasty in a good way

If you liked stalking the hills of Skyrim as a werewolf, I’ve got some good news: Bethesda Softworks and Zenimax Online Studios are working on the next Elder Scrolls game, and the playable werewolves are even more elaborate than Skyrim’s lycanthropes. The Elder Scrolls Online is a MMORPG set in the continent of Tamriel, a millennium before the events of Skyrim. The game is currently in closed beta, but in the months leading up to the game’s release, Bethesda is sharing a lot of material about the game’s planning and development, and one of the latest news posts gives us “a peek at the creation of the player version of the werewolf”.

The werewolf’s model and combat animations need to convey a sense of unrestrained savagery. Werewolves use their incredible strength to leap through the air towards their unfortunate targets; they devour them with fervor. They often hunt in packs, destroying everything they can hunt down. We used references like video of hyenas gorging on a zebra to get the feel just right, adding touches like bloodstains on the muzzle after a good feast.

I’m not the biggest fan of digitigrade legs or oversized tails, but overall I really like the character design! He looks nasty in all the ways a werewolf ought to be nasty.

For more details, including the effort that went into making the werewolves’ sound design appropriately bestial, check out the news post on the game’s official site. The Elder Scrolls Online comes out in Spring 2014, and will be available for Windows, OS X, Xbox One and PlayStation 4.

Angela Quinton Nov. 13th 2013

Bigfoot Vs. Werewolves comic “Savage” coming to theatres

Did you know that in 2009, Shadowline / Image Comics published a comic miniseries that pitted against each other a pack of werewolves, Bigfoot, a psychotic monster hunter and a shoe salesman? I sure didn’t, which just goes to show how much potentially excellent werewolf content is out there, waiting to be discovered by people with short attention spans (that’s me, I’m talking about me). Savage was written by Jeff Frank & Steve Niles and drawn by Mike Mayhew. It ran for four issues in 2009, and it was good enough that even two years after it came out, folks were speculating that it would make a great film.

Now it seems that those folks are probably going to get their wish. As originally reported by TheWrap, the film rights to Savage have been acquired (excited face!) by the guys responsible for Agent Cody Banks and the Twilight films (concerned face).

Pathbender’s E. Thompson (“Hansel and Gretel Get Baked”) and John Adams will produce the movie, while Outlier’s Mark Morgan (“The Twilight Saga”) will executive produce.

I want to say something snarky about the involvement of these guys, but I was recently a total asshole about something that’s not even out, and I don’t have it in me to take digs at two guys who actually seem super good at their jobs (making movies that make a lot of money). The fact is, there might be another werewolf movie, and even if it’s about werewolves who shed their human skin and hassle cows, that’s a good thing.

For more info on Savage, I recommend reading these two great pieces on Comic Book Resources:

Angela Quinton Nov. 12th 2013