What makes a great werewolf?

[Hauntedweenpt2]

I am in the middle of writing a script or rather getting my plot points and building my characters. I was wondering what makes a good werewolf? is it the ones that walk on two legs or four like AWIL or is it something like underworld? I want to be creative but still pay homage to the great werewolves of old. any tips, pointers, pros or cons?

Aaron

[X-Nightcrawler]

I am also writing a Werewolf script (entitled 'Oath' but my lycans are not like anything before. They go through transformation phases they control themselves and are two-legged until phase 4 these can be done any night unless there's no moon. Phase five can e achieved only in full moon and it's like a Hulk. Also note that they keep inteligence, self control and the abiligty to talk in all phases but 5.

I wish you good luck.

[Hell Phantom]

Why not make it both? Make then Xenomourph (alien) like...able to run fast on two legs and run super fast, jump really high, and clim walls and stuff on four legs.... :D

[pyscho dude]

This sounds extremely stupid but... MAKE THEM FLY! I've yet to see a flying werewolf. That would be original.

[Corpse Candle]

BasketBall:p

[TheDeadWalk]

A hefty right handed hook shot. The upper torso power of the werewolf is what I like in some of the movies. A ferocious swing that can do some gory damage, or miss and take a chunk out of a tree or what not, could drive the intensity of the action scenes.

[X-Nightcrawler]

Originally posted by Corpse Candle
BasketBall:p *laughs* oh my god...

I was planning to say something like "Nike" or "Full Moon Cola"

[Romero&Juliet]

balloon thievery... :D

[skweemkween]

What makes a great Werewolf?

Big.Large.Huge.Frickin. Teeth.

And a big, large, booming, evil howl. I'm talking American Werewolf in London evil. Now THAT was a howl.

[Klownzilla]

I too am developing a werewolf sceenplay, and I've got my beast just the way I want him to be. The human character should be interesting so that the audience isn't always waiting in anticipation for a transformation. The lycanthrope should have a terrifying personality and a clever mind to get its enemies in a real fix.

[captainjesus]

Originally posted by Klownzilla
I too am developing a werewolf sceenplay, and I've got my beast just the way I want him to be. The human character should be interesting so that the audience isn't always waiting in anticipation for a transformation. The lycanthrope should have a terrifying personality and a clever mind to get its enemies in a real fix.

do you have a drawing or some other picture referance? id like to see if at all possible:D

[darchangel]

darchangel's elements of a good werewolf:

1. they have to be dead sexy (pun intended)...animal magnetism goes a long way...fucking on jim morrison's grave always helps. :)

2. have to be able to do amazing things with their wolfy bodies. jumping, running, scaling 30 foot walls....shit so outlandish that it could only be accomplished with some really shitty CGI.

3. for once, i think it would be nice to see a werewolf that doesn't frighten or enrage dogs. come on! they're bretheren!!! why would they snarl or whimper?

4. no unibrows, please. maybe a deeper, issac hayes-ish voice once they are turned. grrrowl....

umm....all this talk about sexy, deep voiced men who turn into animals under the full moon has me feeling the need to put on a little red riding hood and find a big, bad...............wolf! what the hell did you think i was going to say??? ;)

[evilredneck13]

Me personally, I like werewovles that stand on two legs. It lets you know that this thing's not completely animal nor all human. Plus, this is just a little suggestion: If youre script gets turned into a movie, and I hope that it does, get the Fx people to make the werewolf look intelegent. You know how you can look someone in the eye and tell they're like scary smart? Like that. Show that the wolves are thinking, planning creatures. That scare the shite outta someone.

[Klownzilla]

Originally posted by captainjesus
do you have a drawing or some other picture referance? id like to see if at all possible:D

I have a few drawings and even a clay model of it. Unfortunately I don't have a scanner to show them, but I might be able to use a friend's digital camera to get them on my computer.

[Antonio]

The #1 element in creating an interesting werewolf character is the sympathy factor, ultilized so well in George Waggner's THE WOLF MAN and Mike Nichols' WOLF...and that is where SILVER BULLET and THE HOWLING missed the boat-their antagonists provided no rooting value. At least we cared about Lon Chaney Jr.'s doomed character in the original, and Jack Nicholson's ferocious book editor in WOLF!

[SixStrangSmoker]

make them turn into weiner dogs.

Were-weiners

[skweemkween]

Originally posted by Antonio
The #1 element in creating an interesting werewolf character is the sympathy factor, ultilized so well in George Waggner's THE WOLF MAN and Mike Nichols' WOLF...and that is where SILVER BULLET and THE HOWLING missed the boat-their antagonists provided no rooting value. At least we cared about Lon Chaney Jr.'s doomed character in the original, and Jack Nicholson's ferocious book editor in WOLF!

And let's not forget the beautifully touching and sad sympathetic tug Stephen Geoffrey's did as his brief moments as canus lupus. That was also great genuine suffering and agony.

[Jim H]

I like the ones that are vaguely standing on two, but can function well on all four - like in the Howling. Either way, I think it is best if they have very wolf life heads and torsos - I will never be a big fan of the Lon Chaney type of werewolf, as it is just lame to me.

[C-Desecration-]

The #1 element in creating an interesting werewolf character is the sympathy factor

Eh. Its been done hundreds of times. I'm bored. Move on.

[Jim H]

Originally posted by C-Desecration-
Eh. Its been done hundreds of times. I'm bored. Move on.

Depends on what he means by sympathy. Sympathy for the plight of a character in a terrible plight (i.e., The Wolfman, An American Werewolf in London) or sympathy for a person with an unusual ability who is attacked for it are very different things. The latter hasn't been done to death yet, at least not IMO.

[Dead Halloween]

http://thegalleryofmonstertoys.com/90swing/mcwerewolf.jpg

I like the Mcfarlane Werewolf, it looks very cool!

[C-Desecration-]

Sympathy for the plight of a character in a terrible plight (i.e., The Wolfman, An American Werewolf in London) or sympathy for a person with an unusual ability who is attacked for it are very different things.


I was reffering to the latter, yes. That plot-line has been thrown into movies over and over and over and over . . .
The trite "Poor guy who can't control his wolf-side" should have added layers. That and that alone won't cut it (though not that I'm implying anyone thinks that it will). But sometimes it just seems to be the cliche' werewolf: basically a wolf The Hulk. Not buying it. Hulk had a lot more going for it than some more scientist schmuck who can't control his rage. So should werewolf movies.

As for appearance, I like two-legs. More threatening. And yes, that McFarlane werewolf looks excellant (mainly the head).

[Jim H]

That plot-line has been thrown into movies over and over and over and over

Really? I haven't seen very many movies that follow that angle. Nearly all werewolf movies I see have the lycanthropes as total bad guys. Could you name a few where they aren't portrayed as vicious killers?

I'd be interested enough to seek them out.

[C-Desecration-]

Keep in mind that I'm basically a 'mainstream' movie guy, so if there are dozens of underground/foriegn werewolf flicks that don't follow the sympathy factor, my bad.

I haven't seen all of these, but they do have the type of lycan you're talking about in varied degrees. The most 'obvious' are the ones I list first:

American Werewolf in london
Buffy tv series (Oz)
American werewolf in paris
The Howling (at the end)*
Wolf
Bad Moon (this is iffy; but has that 'isn't his fault he's a werewolf' angle)


. . . I can't really think of many movies where the werewolves are shown as nothing but viscious killers. Even Underworld has good/bad lycans just as there are good/bad people.

If you're looking for a fantastic 'wolf' movie in general, check out Brotherhood of the Wolf.

*but this movie sucks, so I wouldn't bother

[SixStrangSmoker]

What did you guys think of the Wolf in Silver Bullet?

[Countess]

I dug the wolves in American Werewolf in London, The Howling, Dog Soldiers, The Wolf Man, etc.

Huge, menacing, great howls, huge teeth, fast, agile, sharp claws, etc.

[ParileseMonster]

mmmm, Silver Bullet. I do not recall really seeing much of him. He needed more screen time. I have seen pictures of him in magazines and he was ok. I think I will always have a fondness for American Werewolf in London. The wolf in that one looked real and mean and he was husky. A werewolf to me has to change well and look strong and mean.

[C-Desecration-]

Shit, that reminds me . . .

How is dog soldiers? I don't watch a lot of movies so if it's just 'good, cheesy fun' I'll probably pass, but there have been oh-so-many great reviews. Is it Killer Klown stuff or more along the lines of Werewolf in London?

[SixStrangSmoker]

ya know i was actually impressed w/ it. Not a bad little werewolf film.

[Jim H]

Originally posted by C-Desecration-
Keep in mind that I'm basically a 'mainstream' movie guy, so if there are dozens of underground/foriegn werewolf flicks that don't follow the sympathy factor, my bad.

I haven't seen all of these, but they do have the type of lycan you're talking about in varied degrees. The most 'obvious' are the ones I list first:

American Werewolf in london
Buffy tv series (Oz)
American werewolf in paris
The Howling (at the end)*
Wolf
Bad Moon (this is iffy; but has that 'isn't his fault he's a werewolf' angle)


. . . I can't really think of many movies where the werewolves are shown as nothing but viscious killers. Even Underworld has good/bad lycans just as there are good/bad people.

If you're looking for a fantastic 'wolf' movie in general, check out Brotherhood of the Wolf.

*but this movie sucks, so I wouldn't bother

I've always liked Howling a lot, but hey, to each his own..

Bad Moon and An American Werewolf in London both portrary the werewolf as a vicious killer. I'm not talking about the HUMAN side being sympathetic, I'm talking about a movie where BOTH sides are sympathetic - e.g., they remain in control of their faculties to some degree (Paris is borderline). The only movies I know of even remotely close to that are Underworld and the Howling (almost, they're still portrayed as bad). Oh, and SORT OF, Full Eclipse (quasi-werewolves).


***MILD UNDERWORLD SPOILERS***







You are right that movies where the human side of the "cursed" creature is sympathetic are very overdone, but that wasn't what I was referring to. More along the lines of the wolves in Underworld (which, as it happens, were far more sympathetic then the vampires - including Selene, who continues to kill the lycans even after finding out that, in truth, the vampires are much more murderous and cruel), or the novel Blood and Chocolate.



**END**


That's the way I see it. Sympathetic werewolves ala the Wolfman are indeed very common, but the type of werewolf that is still there in at least part mentally is not common at all.

It is worth noting that the cursed werewolf, as in the Wolfman or an American Werewolf in London, is almost entirely the creation of Hollywood. Silver, the full moon, etc, Hollywood did basically all of that. Werewolves were usually supposed to be people who made a pact with the devil, or in some cases, pagan gods or spirits, to gain the ability to shapeshift at will. Typically they were evil in folklore, but not always.

***MAJOR HOWLING SPOILERS***




Another note on the ending of the Howling.. WTF does she have the guy girl her? I never did get it - it is well established that they have control of their transformations (she apparently does it of her own volition) and that they remain in control, and don't have to kill or hurt people - why would she want to die given that situation? Maybe eventually the loss of humanity would get to her or something, but it was an IMMEDIATE "I must die now" kind of thing.

I thought that was the biggest flaw in the entire flick.





**END**



Oh yes, Dog Soldiers is quite entertaining. It's by no means a traditional werewolf film, but it is quite entertaining and has some well-paced action scenes. The ending is a little weak, but a lot of the wicked humor works great and there is gore a plenty. It's on the low end of an 8/10 from me. The best werewolf film in ages, but that isn't saying much.

[captainjesus]

Originally posted by Jim H
***MAJOR HOWLING SPOILERS***
Another note on the ending of the Howling.. WTF does she have the guy girl her? I never did get it - it is well established that they have control of their transformations (she apparently does it of her own volition) and that they remain in control, and don't have to kill or hurt people - why would she want to die given that situation? Maybe eventually the loss of humanity would get to her or something, but it was an IMMEDIATE "I must die now" kind of thing.

I thought that was the biggest flaw in the entire flick.


could it be that she would rather die then go on living as a creature that she sees as an abomination? thats what i got from it.

__________________
"to the book depository!"

[Jim H]

Originally posted by captainjesus
could it be that she would rather die then go on living as a creature that she sees as an abomination? thats what i got from it.

__________________
"to the book depository!"



I can see what you're saying, and that probably IS what the movie was getting at, I just think it is a ridiculous train of thought. So she's someone who CAN turn into a non-human creature, but doesn't have to... Personally, I'd be happy to suddenly gain a super human trait with no downsides at all (and hell, you'd probably live past 120 years, easily, since you would heal from like anything).

The way they juxtaposed it with the dog food commercial I thought was very amusing, at least.

[tvmorbid]

I think that Oz form Buffy... was kinda coll but he was too small and WAY to fluffy to be taken seriously. I like the werewolf idea from Terry Pratchett's Discworld books: they can change anytime they like but the full monn is the unresistable trigger. They also have almost full control over themselves except when they really let themselves go. I also liked the werewolves from Underwolrd; 8 foot tall rock hard killing machines:) ROCK OOOOOONNNN!