The Complete Idiot's Guide to Werewolves

by Brown Robert

  Werewolf, the TV Series (1987)

  In 1987, Fox ran a short-lived TV series under the simple title Werewolf. Though the show only had a 29-episode run, it has grown to be considered a cult classic of the werewolf genre. In recent years, fans of the show have demanded that it be released on DVD since the only available copies have long been nothing more than poor-quality bootlegs.

  Graduate student Eric Cord (played by John J. York) didn’t believe it when his roommate claimed that he was a werewolf. However, when the guy transformed and attacked Eric, it made him a believer. During the struggle, Eric killed his roommate. Unfortunately, he still got bitten.

  The show followed Eric’s long journey to rid himself of the werewolf curse. In order to do so, however, he had to track down and kill the source of his bloodline, whom he believed to be a sadistic figure by the name of Captain Janos Skorzeny (played by Chuck Connors). Unfortunately, Eric’s first transformation left a trail of bodies in its wake, which made him the target of a bounty hunter named “Alamo” Joe Rogan (played by Lance LeGault). Eric hunted Skorzeny and was hunted by Rogan. Could he free himself of this cursed lycanthropy before the bounty hunter catches up to him?

  The Savage Truth

  Much to the joy of fans of the Werewolf series, the entire collection was released onto DVD by Shout! Factory in September of 2009. For more information on the show or to purchase the DVD, you can go to www.shoutfactory.com or www.werewolftv.com.

  The Monster Squad (1987)

  The Monster Squad was a film released in 1987 as part of the popular “kid-venture” genre of the 1980s.

  When the diary of legendary vampire hunter Abraham Van Helsing was discovered in a spooky house on Shadowbrook Road, it ended up as part of a garage sale and was sold to a woman who gave it to her monster-obsessed son, Shawn, as a present. Shawn (played by Andre Gower) was thrilled by the gift but was disappointed to discover that it was written entirely in German. He showed the diary to his friends, who together were members of a “Monster Club.” When strange things started happening in his town, which Shawn learned by eavesdropping on his father (a police detective), he concluded that monsters were responsible and dubbed the group “The Monster Squad.”

  They took the diary to the neighborhood “scary German guy,” who translated it for them. They learned that on the next night, at the stroke of midnight, Dracula and his monstrous companions would open a hole in limbo and destroy the world. Among these monsters was, of course, a werewolf. Unlike the other monsters, however, the werewolf was an involuntary pawn being controlled by Dracula’s wolf-headed silver cane.

  The primary reason that this movie is mentioned here is because it spawned one of the most highly quoted movie lines regarding werewolves. The boys had a long-standing debate as to whether or not werewolves had “nards.” When confronted by the werewolf in Dracula’s mansion, Shawn commanded his friend, “Kick him in the nards!” To which his friend replied, “He doesn’t have nards!” “Do it! Do it!” The young man kicked the werewolf in the groin, and the creature doubled over in pain. The awestruck kid stood there for a moment and quietly commented, “Wolf-man’s got nards.” A classic line … no question about it.

  Dog Soldiers (2002)

  The 2002 British film Dog Soldiers was written and directed by Neil Marshall. It starred Sean Pertwee as the rough and tumble Sgt. Harry G. Wells, along with a very large cast of actors from the United Kingdom. This movie is probably the most well-known werewolf film to be produced by British cinema.

  The movie is about a squad of British soldiers who were in the wilderness of the Scottish highlands on a routine training exercise. The first night, however, they heard something moving in the woods. Suddenly, a dead rabbit was thrown into their campsite. It gave the men a scare, but they dismissed it … until the next day when they found an entire unit of Royal Special Forces soldiers torn to pieces. They inspected the weapons of the dead to find that they were carrying live rounds. Knowing something wasn’t right, they armed up and prepared to get the heck out of dodge. They discovered one survivor, a man that one member of the squad recognized as a British black ops agent. They questioned the man, who only rambled on that, “There was only supposed to be one of them.” They were ambushed by werewolves, and several squad members were ripped apart.

  The Savage Truth

  Dog Soldiers, many fans agree, contains one of the greatest fights of all time. One soldier, Cooper, went wild and tangled with a number of werewolves one-on-one ... first with a sword ... then a kitchen knife ... then even with his bare fists. Any person who watches the movie cannot help but stand in awe at how bravely and savagely Private Cooper went down fighting.

  Eventually, the soldiers were rescued by a mysterious woman with a truck. She took them to an abandoned cabin, where they tried to radio for help. The radio, however, was hit by a round during the battle and was now useless. The men fortified the house and successfully fended off wave after wave of werewolves. With a dead radio and a destroyed truck, however, all avenues for an escape were soon totally cut off. For how much longer would the soldiers be able to survive? What happened to the Special Forces unit? And exactly what was this woman doing in a cabin out in the middle of nowhere?

  Underworld Series (2003)

  The first part of the Underworld film series was released in 2002. Written and directed by Len Wiseman, this film series is among the most popular werewolf films of recent years. What’s more, it has provided moviegoers with an entirely new portrayal of werewolves.

  The Savage Truth

  There are two further installments that make up the rest of the Underworld movie trilogy. The second film is Underworld: Evolution, which was released in 2006 and explains the origins of werewolves and vampires (according to the mythology of the film) as well as the fate of Selene and Michael. The third and final movie of the series, Underworld: Rise of the Lycans, is a prequel that tells the story of just how the long war between werewolves and vampires began.

  The Underworld series involves a centuries-old war that has raged between werewolves (called “lycans” in the films) and vampires. In the first movie, it was learned that the vampires had nearly won, and that only a handful of the most powerful werewolves now survived. Among the vampires, a group of warriors, called “death-dealers,” was responsible for hunting down and eradicating the few remaining lycans on Earth. When a female death-dealer named Selene discovered that the lycans were tracking a specific human named Michael Corvin, she investigated further and learned that his blood was the key to creating a powerful hybrid that was both werewolf and vampire. She soon developed feelings for Michael Corvin, who she learned was the last descendent of the first immortal being who a forgotten legend said spawned both of the immortal races—a man named Corvinis. Eventually, Selene had to choose between her allegiance to her own kind and her love for Michael.

  Blood and Chocolate (2007)

  The interesting Romeo-and-Juliet-like film, Blood and Chocolate, was released in 2007. The film was directed by Katja von Garnier and was based on the screenplay by Ehren Kruger and Christopher Landon. Set in Bucharest, Romania, Blood and Chocolate follows an American comic artist named Aiden who came to do research on a graphic novel he was creating about werewolves. While there, he met a girl named Vivian and was rather taken with her. Little did Aiden know, however, that Vivian was descended from an ancient werewolf bloodline.

  The Curse

  When compared to the werewolves of other modern films, those of Blood and Chocolate are unique. Whereas most films of today portray werewolves that are giant and humanoid in appearance (walking on two legs, etc.), the werewolves of Blood and Chocolate are humans that turn into actual, normal looking wolves.

  Vivian was an orphan, her parents killed by human hunters in the Colorado Rocky Mountains. As a result, she was sent to Romania to be raised by her aunt. Vivian was betrothed to the pack’s alpha male, Gabriel. So when she developed feelings for Aiden, it threw a wrench into things. Gabriel, enraged
with jealousy, brought the two lovers before the other werewolves on the night of the full moon to face the justice of the hunt. Would the two star-crossed lovers be able to survive?

  The Least You Need to Know

  • The first known werewolf movie was a silent film called Wolf Blood, released in 1925.

  • The first “talking pictures” werewolf movie was Werewolf of London, released in 1935.

  • The Howling and An American Werewolf in London are considered the first modern werewolf films, which is marked by their uses of advanced special effects.

  • Teen Wolf offered a unique portrayal of werewolves that was funny and lighthearted.

  • Much of the modern perception of werewolves comes from the Underworld film series.

  • Unlike in most modern films, the werewolves of Blood and Chocolate were depicted as humans who transformed into normal wolves.

  Chapter 12

  Werewolves in Art and Comics

  In This Chapter

  • A look at anthropomorphism in the religious art of the ancient world

  • A discussion of anthropomorphism in art and its relationship to lycanthropy

  • The multitude of werewolf characters in comic books and graphic novels

  • Werewolves in the Japanese comic media of manga and anime

  • The relationship of the popular manga/anime series Wolf’s Rain to the Shinto myths of the O-kami

  • The werewolf characters of Marvel Comics

  The visual arts have long attempted to create portrayals of werewolves to suit their fantastic images within human imaginations. Even in the ancient past, humans imagined such figures and fashioned images that displayed spectacular integrations of human and animal traits. In recent decades, lycanthropy’s appeal to the imagination has led to the widespread inclusion of werewolf-themed characters in the pop culture realms of cartoon art, animation, comic books, and graphic novels.

  Anthropomorphism in Ancient Art

  In the ancient world, the most common use of anthropomorphism was in the depictions of divine and supernatural beings such as gods or spirits. Artifacts displaying such depictions are especially common from ancient cultures that practiced polytheistic nature religions, where gods were often associated with animals and forces of nature.

  Beastly Words

  Anthropomorphism refers to figures that embody both human and nonhuman traits. The word comes from the combination of the Greek anthropos, meaning “man/ human,” and morph, meaning “shape/form.”

  Werewolves often fall under the category of anthropomorphic figures, especially when depicted in their most popular hybrid/ humanoid forms. Werewolves were by no means, however, the first anthropomorphic figures to be depicted in the assorted media of human art. In fact, some of the oldest known anthropomorphic depictions come from ancient Mesopotamia, commonly known as the “cradle of civilization.”

  The oldest known anthropomorphic depictions in the ancient world date back to nearly 4000 B.C.E. and are representations of the gods and nature spirits of the Sumerian, Assyrian, and Babylonian civilizations of Mesopotamia. The majority of these have been found on small stone engravings called cylinder seals, which when rolled over wet clay tablets create panoramic-style pictures. The cylinder seals were often used to quickly create religious charms meant to invoke certain beneficial gods or to ward off any number of malevolent deities/spirits, which were in those times thought to be the bringers of famines, disease, and natural catastrophes. For example, the ancient figure known as Lilith (associated with the conflicting elements of childbirth/death, creation/disease, and agriculture/storms) was often depicted in cylinder seals and relief carvings as a beautiful, winged female with the talons of a raptor for her feet.

  When it comes to the anthropomorphic integration of human and canine features, werewolves are still not the oldest of the bunch. The dark ancient Egyptian god of death, Anubis, was depicted in drawings, carvings, and statues as having a human body and the black head of a canine (which many people would describe as resembling the head of a Doberman Pincer).

  The Book of Jack

  The Book of Jack is based on the original French story Le Livre de Jack written by Denis Pierre Filippi. The graphic novel was translated into English by Piche and Kelly and then released in America in July 2002 by Humanoids Publishing. The graphic novel’s artwork was done by Olivier G. Boiscommun.

  The story begins with a young man named Jack trying to gain acceptance into a local gang of boys. As part of his initiation into the group, Jack must go into an old abandoned house that is supposedly haunted. Not wanting to be seen as a coward by the others, Jack accepts the challenge and ventures with them, crossing the threshold of the strange house.

  Beastly Words

  A graphic novel is a comic-style book that typically has a more complex, full-length story than is usually found in comic books. It usually is created for a more mature reading audience.

  Once inside the house, Jack stumbles upon an odd and dusty book. He opens it but cannot read. Sam, the only female member of the gang as well as the only one who can read, informs Jack, much to his astonishment, that the book appears to be telling the story of his life. When they reach the final pages, which are blank, words magically begin to appear that tell the story of Jack’s present actions. He decides to take the book with him when he leaves, and as a joke he has someone write in the book that he becomes a werewolf. The next morning, Jack thinks twice and decides that perhaps he should return the book to the house. Unfortunately for him, it has now mysteriously disappeared.

  As days pass, the book remains missing, and Jack soon discovers that he is transforming into a werewolf … just as he’d had it written. In the hopes of finding a way to break the curse of his new lycanthropy, Jack must go on a strange quest to find the lost book and return it from whence it came. Sam stays with Jack and helps him despite his monstrous transformation. They manage to find the man Jack had write in the book and by doing so are able to return Jack to normal. The story ends with Sam and Jack returning the book to the house.

  The Crescent Moon Series

  Crescent Moon is the English title of a Japanese manga series called Mikan no Tsuki, which basically translates as “The Incomplete Moon.” Both the story and the art of the Crescent Moon series were created by Haruko Iida. It was originally released in Japan by publisher Kadokawa Shoten. It was later translated into English and released to American audiences by the corporation TokyoPop.

  Beastly Words

  Manga is a Japanese term that literally translates as “involuntary sketches.” However, manga is now used in reference to a popular genre of book-length, black-and-white Japanese comics. The term is believed to have first been coined in 1814, when a Japanese artist named Hokusai created a book of impromptu black-and-white sketches, many of which had elements of storytelling, which he called manga.

  The story of Crescent Moon follows the unusual adventures of a young girl named Mahiru Shiraishi. Mahiru was born with a gift that allows her to bestow good fortune upon people simply by touching them. She cannot apply her gift of good fortune, however, to her own life. Sadly, because it is her own good fortune that she gives to other people, she has very little of it left for herself.

  At one point, Mahiru begins to experience a series of reoccurring dreams involving strange beings. These dreams later cause her to encounter a group called the “Lunar Bandits,” all of whom are part of a race of special mythical beings referred to as “The Lunar Ones.” The name of this race of mythical creatures comes from the fact that their powers are dependent upon the phases of the lunar cycle.

  Mahiru meets a number of these “Lunar Ones,” among them a vampire, a kitsune (“demon fox”), and a tengu (a winged and beak-faced mountain spirit). The youngest member of the “Lunar Bandits” is a 16-year-old, rather carefree werewolf by the name of Akira Yamabuki. Akira later develops a crush on one of Mahiru’s classmates, a girl named Keiko.

  Beastly Words

  I
n Japanese, the word kitsune can be used to refer to a normal fox. However, in Shinto, it is often used to refer to a mischievous “fox spirit.” In Shinto, the tengu is a clever, mischievous, and sometimes destructive nature spirit, usually found in the mountains and described as having wings and a beaked face.

  The “Lunar Bandits” tell Mahiru that she is the descendent of the “Moon Princess” and that they need her in order to find and take back the stolen source of their powers, called the “Lunar Teardrops.” In addition to helping the “Lunar Bandits” recover the powers that are rightfully theirs, Mahiru must also try to mend the fear and hostility that has grown in humans toward these forgotten creatures of the moon.