It’s no secret that the werewolf, a creature that’s enjoyed cinematic exposure for almost eight decades, has never been closer to the forefront of pop-culture consciousness than the times we currently dwell in. But after achieving newfangled popularity on big and small screen alike, what with NEW MOON and “True Blood,” the lycanthrope, much like the vampire, has become a muzzled, neutered, tooth-extracted creature of impotence in way that would make Lon Chaney go on a real life death spree.
And of course, we have Catherine Hardwicke’s RED RIDING HOOD to look forward to this week (in theaters tomorrow). Will Hardwicke kowtow to the TWILIGHT franchise she left behind, continuing with dreadful CG renderings and odious onscreen transformations? Or will she restore order to what’s become an endangered species? After all, the flick is PG-13.
So that got us to thinking. With all that is currently wrong with the screen representation of werewolves, why not go back and show these charlatans how it’s really done. You into it? Good, here’s my Top Ten cinematic werewolves of the last 70 years.
WARNING: MINOR TO MAJOR SPOILERS BELOW!
#10. BAD MOON (1996)
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I truly dig what our man Eric Red was laying down in his 1996 werewolf thread BAD MOON. Based on Wayne Smith’s “Thor” novel, the flick stars the great Michael Pare as a man taken in by his sister (Mariel Hemingway) and her son (Mason Gamble), soon pitting his ruthless animalistic werewolf nature vs. the family dog, a German Shepherd who almost instantly senses something’s amiss. And while it would have been interesting to follow the novel to a T and tell the story largely from the POV of the dog, we all know that’s not terribly palatable, or even that logistic to achieve. As it stands, the film fuses traditional werewolf lore with an angle we don’t usually see: a full bore, quadruped animal sort of outwitting a malefic man-beast. With a good amount of grue and brisk runtime (80 minutes), a lycanthropic transformation made during the nascence of CG technology, BAD MOON is a lesser known werewolf piece that’s worth sniffing out!
#9. WOLF (1994)
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Aside from the fact I saw this movie twice in theaters at the age of 11, I suppose now’s as good a time as any to profess my undying love for Michelle Pfeiffer. Stephanie Zinone all damn day! Seriously though, In Mike Nichols’ critically drubbed 1994 film WOLF, Jack Nicholson underplays the traditional werewolf movie kitsch and actually gives his role a level of austerity most horror films fail to achieve. The flick, despite all its recognizable tropes – full moons, oddball scientists, bouts of bloodshed – plays far more like a sincere drama than a cheap thrill genre piece. Of course, seeing Jaaaaack piss all over a snarky James Spader’s loafers is always a fun sight to behold. At 125 minutes, Nichols doesn’t rush the material or cut it in an MTV mien, instead he draws the movie out through good old fashioned storytelling. In the films climax (granted, reshot for 6-8 weeks), the somnolent, slow motion touches Nichols’ employs against Ennio Morricone’s score is a pretty effective way to end the film. Also, it’s kind of cool to note that the word werewolf in never uttered once throughout.
#8. SILVER BULLET (1985)
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What’s a top ten horror list without doffing a tip of the cap to the regal king…Stephen King! In one of the rarely effective King adaptations, Daniel Attias – in his first and last feature film ever made (he’s since gone on to do yeoman’s work in TV) – the small town of Tarker’s Mill is ravaged by a bevy of brutal murders. Occurring once a month, under a full moon, it isn’t until a pre- LUCAS Corey Haim (RIP Haimer) spots a furry ghoul in the mist that people suspect the slayings to be something superhuman. Marrying 80s cheese with some pretty cool set pieces and vintage King dialogue (King also adapted the screenplay), SILVER BULLET holds up more than 25 years later as a decent addition to the werewolf canon. Not for nothing, but apparently producer Dino De Laurentiis hated the werewolf costume and the actor’s choreography in such, but Gary Busey’s improvised one-liners mine some well timed humor that make you sort of forgive the technical shortcomings the film has. God bless raw ether!
#7. THE BEAST MUST DIE (1974)
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In perhaps our most obscure list entry, the premise for Paul Annett’s 1974 werewolf-whodunit is all kinds of fun. For those who missed this one, THE BEAST MUST DIE is pretty damn awesome variation on the theme. It centers on the great Peter Cushing, as his opulent business tycoon character invites six strangers up to his estate. There, he presents a challenge to his guests. He basically forces them to stay in the house, and over the course of time defies them to vet and suss who in the house is actually a rapacious man-beast. But it’s not just for the cast members, it’s for the film patrons as well. In a somewhat hokey introduction, a disclaimer exhorts the audience to figure out who exactly is the werewolf. And if that isn’t different enough, an interactive gimmick is encouraged in the audience, when, just about 30 seconds before the film ends, a “Werewolf Break” appears on screen, allowing the people watching the film to deliberate who they believe to be the blood-thirsty culprit. THE BEAST MUST DIE is a must see!
#6. THE COMPANY OF WOLVES (1984)
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Before Neil Jordan was shocking the world with hermaphroditic art-house flicks (THE CRYING GAME, INTERVIEW WITH A VAMPIRE even) dude was cutting his teeth on a surrealist fable of a horror movie in the 1984’sTHE COMPANY OF WOLVES. Laced with lush visuals and hyper-vivid dreamscapes, the film boasts a menacing tone and a level of violence we don’t often associate with an otherwise docile Little Red Riding Hood fairytale (I wonder if Hardwicke will compete, I doubt it). What’s even cooler about Jordan’s work here is the use of metaphor and counterbalance of gorgeous coloring with the phantasmagoric. It’s creepy movie, but done so in a fantastical way…the result leaves you befuddled in a way real dreams often do. Sarah Patterson plays the little girl undergoing an eerie rite of passage, coming of age through her sub-conscious fear and desire. With Angela Lansbry, Stephen Rea and David Warner all lending solid support, THE COMPANY OF WOLVES is in good company indeed!
STAY TUNED FOR PART 2!