Last night I watched a discussion on Twitter that all started from an article which was written about how most Werewolf movies suck:

http://www.horrorsquad.com/2010/02/12/heres-why-most-werewolf-movies-suck/

Now, a lot of the points that were raised I did actually agree with and some I didn’t, but I thought I’d have a look at the Werewolf myself and show my point of view on if they suck or not.

My viewpoint has always been that if a werewolf movie can come close to American Werewolf in London then it’s a good movie.  Have many done it? No, one I would argue that has is the Howling.  This came out in the same year and offered a different view of the Werewolf mythology.  For one the werewolves were more man than wolf and appeared to be more in control of their wolf side.  Most of the victims of the “curse” seemed to relish the chance to let their inner wolf out, hiding away in the countryside in their little community.  Of course the sequels coming from this movie were pretty abysmal.  Who can say they have watched the Howling 2 and not be shocked at how bad it was? Even Christopher Lee could not save that mess.

Another of course is The Wolfman, this movie is arguably the inspiration for the werewolf becoming a tragic character.  Lon Chaney Jr’s wolfman is a pitiful character who has no control over his transformation or the events that take place while he is in wolf form.  This is the classical view of the werewolf of course.  This is also where the character is seen as simplistic.

To say simplistic though is a mistake as a good writer could pull a lot of character development out of the “curse” that being a werewolf is.  Being Human (the popular UK TV series) is a good example of how to create the tragic character of the werewolf and really extend its character.  Not to spoil it too much for people who have not seen it yet in series 2 George the werewolf tries to control his transformations and actually manages to stop his changes.  This leads to his daytime life being affected by violent episodes.  It turns out the werewolf feels “cheated” out of his time at the full moon and wants out.  This to me adds interest in the werewolf as it becomes a character in itself, a lot like Hyde in Dr Jeckyll and Mr Hyde.  Although at the start of the movie Jeckyll changes himself on purpose into the monster, by the end of the movie he has no control over the transformations which is arguably a lot like the werewolf curse.  It is the loss of control of our “darker selves”.

The idea of the werewolf is that it is an uncontrollable beast that dwells within us and only escapes at the full moon.  Movies and TV shows have proven that (as with vampires) these rules can be bent slightly to fit a story that can be quite entertaining when needed to be.  The werewolf character is not just a 2D monster lacking anything other than violence.  It is an examination into our inner selves and what truly happens when one lets the darker side go.

So, are werewolves boring? I would argue no, BUT I don’t think many good movies can be pulled out of the legend.  As stated in the above article 1981 was almost a magical year for the werewolf and I doubt it could ever be topped.  There will be a slight rise in interest now that the remake of The Wolfman has been released and with Being Human doing interesting things I’m sure the interest will rise on if there can be another good Werewolf movie.  True Blood season 3 will be featuring werewolves (not just shape shifters but actual werewolves) and of course there is the dreaded remake of An American Werewolf in London.  Let’s just see where the werewolf is going to take us in the next few years.  If it’s in a Twilight route….then fuck it, I don’t want to see it.