Werewolves: From Myth to the Silver Screen

Our nightmares are filled with creatures of the night, yet few are more terrifying than the primal Lycanthrope, or Werewolf. Stories of the shape shifting beasts have been around since as early as 1 AD, if not earlier. It is widely accepted that the first appearance of a werewolf was in “The Epic of Gilgamesh”, the oldest known western prose. The cause of lycanthropy has been thought to be anything from ointments and enchanted pelts to a scratch or out and out curse. However they came to be in our darkest imaginings, they have become a cornerstone of modern horror.

Where did the myth originate from? No one knows for certain, but they’ve been blamed for many horrific happenings throughout history.  Two Frenchmen in 1512,  Pierre Burgot and Michel Verdun, claimed to serve the devil. They claimed the devil gave them an ointment that would turn them to wolves. They both confessed to the brutal murders of several children and were burned at the stake. At this time, burning at the stake was considered one of the only ways to kill a werewolf. I guess if it was good enough for a witch, it was good enough for a wolf. While this is only one tale from our history, it is far from the last.

Werewolves came to the age of the Silver Screen in 1913 with the silent film “The Werewolf”, starring Clarence Burton and Marie Walcamp. Years later was the release of 1935’s “Werewolf of London”, directed by Stuart Walker and starring Henry Hull. However it wasn’t until 1941 that the werewolf really resonated with cinema goers. “The Wolf man”, directed by George Waggner and starring Horror film legends Lon Chaney Jr. and Bela Lugosi. Lon Chaney Jr. would go on to reprise this role four more times before he was done.

From the silent era of the Silver Screen till today, we have seen many incarnations and styles of werewolves, but several things have almost never changed, chief among them, is the only sure-fire way to put down a werewolf for good, and that is a silver bullet. Even this method has been toyed with over the years as well. Come to think of it, I’d say my personal favorite is the silver nitrate round from “Underworld”. The Vampire “Death Dealers”, made a type of ammunition that holds a small amount of silver nitrate, a liquid form of silver. When the casing around the silver nitrate impacts, it shatters, allowing the silver nitrate to enter the bloodstream. A faster, more lethal option for taking down the furry bastards.

Werewolves are almost always portrayed as being fully animalistic and primal (I mean why not, just look at them), however there is the occasional offshoot from that. After they shift, they tend to be animal like hunters, killing whatever crosses their path, with the afflicted human counterpart waking up naked and not remembering the events of the night before. This rule is sometimes broken, and when it is, it is usually done very well. My case for this argument is the 2002 Action Horror “Dog Soldiers”. These beasts go beyond your primal variations and show a pack, working together to get their prey. Directed by Neil Marshall, and starring Kevin McKidd, Sean Pertwee and Liam Cunningham.

You can find them anywhere today. Television (“Werewolf”, 1987), Books (“Cycle of the Werewolf” by Stephen King, 1983), Video Games (“Skyrim”, 2011) and of course, movies. While the werewolf enjoys a good chunk of cinema history, it seems its only true contenders are the vampire and zombie. Next time you sit down to watch one of the primal beasts of the Full Moon, take a moment and remember where this all started.

The image for this article is used with permission from Brett Gray. If you’d be interested in looking at more of his work, and how you might be able to get your hands on some of it head over to Brett’s Site or check out his Facebook Page and be sure to leave a like.

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Living Among Us (2018)

 

Releasing: February 2nd, 2018

By: Amanda Blake from Horror Movie Freaks

Director: Brian A. Metcalf

Vampires have played a huge role in millions of fans lives over the years. We all wanted to be either vampires or werewolves, right? Always thinking, “How awesome would it be if we could live forever, suck out the life force of our enemies, and never die?”, or “What if we had fur, could transform, and just live in the wild?”. Living Among Us may have brought us exactly that. They bring us into the home of a sect of vampires, invited by the sect leader, that have just stepped into the light (not really, that would kill them?). A crew from a local news team are going to find out exactly what it’s like to live with vampires. What could possibly go wrong?

This modern day take on vampires is new and refreshing. It’s not your regular run of the mill fangs. They say they have become civilized and only want to co-exist with humans. The sect leader, Samuel (William Sadler), even goes to the media to talk about it. He is a very convincing character and really makes you believe that’s all he wants.

The vampire family consists of an interesting mix of characters, even bordering dysfunctional: The father, Andrew (John Heard); The mother, Elleanor (Esmé Bianco); and their two sons, Blake (Andrew Keegan) and Selvin (Chad Todhunter). They each carry their own quirks. Andrew always feels like he’s hiding more than he’s telling, and that one wrong move would literally kill you. Elleanor is beautiful, eloquent, and charming. I often found myself thinking that she is the perfect host. A little secretive and the wrong questions made her seem more menacing. Blake was such an energetic character. I very much enjoyed this character. He made me feel like all he wanted to do is show the world how they live. He also always had this slightly sadistic feel to him. Then you have Selvin. Selvin was awkward. He made me feel like he was a ticking bomb that was going to go off at any time.

The news crew consisted of: Mike (Thomas Ian Nicholas), Carrie (Jordan Hinson), and Benny (Hunter Gomez). This group made things so relatable. Mike and Carrie being an on again, off again couple, arguing throughout their whole journey with Benny off to the side, who decided to document absolutely everything. The pressure of not getting along with someone, constantly being watched, and staying with vampires would create the perfect tension for everything to go wrong.

Overall, this movie kept me interested. I loved the fact that the movements with the different cameras were very well done, not so shaky, and they were in focus perfectly. This is by far one of the best documentary films I have ever seen. It kept me on the edge of my seat, the suspense was amazing and perfectly matched with the music, and the special effects were incredible.

They did a great job with the pace. It started out slower, you got to know each character, and you had time to take in the story. It even felt more realistic and explanations within the movie actually made sense. I really felt at times, like I was even a part of the movie. It also fascinated me the way they even captured what the world is like today with technology, politics, and how media is all about ratings.

I really do not have anything bad to say about this movie. It was one hell of a horror flick that I suggest everyone sees, even if only once in your life.

I give this movie a solid 10/10!

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Interview w/ Dimitri Vegas

We’ve been talking a lot about zombies around HMF lately, and with good reason. George C. Romero, announced “Rise of the Living Dead” and not long after that gave his first casting announcement. Globally known DJ (and one of the people behind Tomorrowland), Dimitri Vegas, would be taking the role of Edmond. Well, thanks to Cameron (George C. Romero) and Dimitri, we have a short interview. So without further waiting, lets get to the interview with Dimitri.

 

Horror Movie Freaks: What is your favorite Horror Movie?

Dimitri Vegas: Hmm… that’s a tricky one. I grew up in the glorious 80s so there’s just too many to pick from…  I think one that made a big impact on me & my brother is ‘Child’s Play’. Especially BEFORE we actually got to see it! Our granddad used to work in one of those old outdoor movie theaters in Greece… and they had a huge Chucky poster hanging. The one with the doll & the scissors… the second one I think – scared the s*** out of us. That poster and watching ‘Critters’ that summer made us look under the bed before going to sleep for months…

HMF: What is your favorite film from the “Living Dead Saga”?

DV: The original stays timeless !!

HMF: You’re known everywhere for being one of the top DJs in the world. How do you think that success and following will move with you into more film work?

DV: Well it’s especially a time-management thing – shooting movies while touring the world… but I’m very dedicated and some very cool parts are about to be announced so it’s all very exciting and new.

HMF: Rise of the Living Dead is your debut in Horror. What can you tell us about your role in Rise as Edmond?

DV: Not too much without getting into trouble haha… but it’s a very cool part and can’t wait to start filming.

HMF: How do you plan to prepare for the role of Edmond?

DV: I always try to get in character as much as I can… which is a very interesting one for this movie

HMF: How does it feel to be the first official cast announced for the film?

DV: It’s a big honor for me. It’s such a legacy to be part of and reactions have been really great – from music-fans to horror-fans so I want to make everyone proud!

HMF: Without revealing too much, what were your initial thoughts when you were approached with this project, before and after reading the script?

DV: It’s really going to surprise people and relaunch the saga in a very exciting way.

HMF: There has been a little bit of backlash by hardcore “Dead” fans about this prequel. Are you a fan of the series? Where do you stand on this topic?

DV: It would be weird if there was no backlash… people always have something to say. It would have been worse if no one spoke about it. It means people care about the property and it’s up to George and us to surprise the haters and deliver a great movie.

HMF: How do you feel you’ll do if a zombie apocalypse broke today? How long do you think you’ll survive and why?

DV: Very good question… Guess it kinda depends where in the world we would be when it happens but it think me & my brother would do fine! Finally gives me a reason to use that huge Game Of Thrones ‘longclaw’ sword I got hanging on the wall…

HMF: For anyone out there who wants to make their way into the worlds of film or music, what words of wisdom do you have to impart?

DV: Dedication is everything… never give up and follow your dreams. It can take a long time to achieve something and there’s never a guarantee to success… but if you don’t pursue it you’ll never know.

 

Thank you again to Dimitri Vegas for taking the time to sit down and answer a few questions. We at HMF are going to be following “Rise of the Living Dead” very closely, so keep an eye out here for more news on the next installment of the “Living Dead” films we love so dear.

 

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Zombies: The Undead That Will Not Die

Zombies in film have been a thing since 1932 with Victor Halperin’s White Zombie (Widely considered the first Zombie film).  We won’t be looking that far back.  We will be focusing on the genre since it was defined in 1968.

 

Once upon a time in 1968, a man named George A. Romero brought to life and even defined a genre of horror that to this day, has captured our imaginations and fed our fears.  The Zombie genre.  You see, George had no idea at the time, that we would be looking back 50 years later on his work and proclaiming it’s greatness and its transformative power on the world of film.  He had no idea that there would even be a “Dawn of the Dead”, “Day of the Dead, or any other film.  No idea we would have remakes upon remakes of the original vision he had with John Russo and “Night of the Living Dead”.  What was started in 1968 however, has grown, like the hordes of the undead we see on the screen.

 

Hundreds of films have been made around these creatures over the last Fifty years and they have been all over the place.  Everything from Gore Soaked horror, to romantic comedies and everything you can think of in between.  We haven’t run out of ideas and situations to pit people against the undead yet, and it looks like this train has no plan of stopping any time soon.  I think its this reason, that zombies have remained in the spotlight so much since the 1990 remake of “Night of the Living Dead”, starring Tony Todd and Patricia Tallman (Ben and Barbra respectively).  There is something almost self-defeating and thoroughly terrifying about humanity having to fight its own risen dead.

 

Since 1968, we have seen a series of films, a loose spin-off, an explosion of art, music, clothing, games and so much more.  After Fifty years, why wouldn’t there be?  Fifty years…zombies are still going stronger than vampires, werewolves, aliens and almost every other creepy crawly out there combined.  Now with all that already going on, there is no way it could get better right?  Wrong!  So very wrong.

 

As I’m writing this, there is a small group of people, led by George C. Romero, who are working on a project known as “Romero’s Deadverse“. The “Deadverse” is described best by Cameron (George C. Romero). “The Deadverse is a very cool place full of love for George A. Romero, everything he created and everything I am working to carry into the future. At its root, this is the simplest explanation.

Upon a deeper dive into the “Deadverse”, your trip down the rabbit hole will introduce you to the phenomenon that has grown to global epidemic proportions. Whether you are new to the world of zombies or if you’re a seasoned fan with the most die hard of commitments to this world, you will find a place designed to finally pay the proper respect to the Godfather of the modern zombie, and my father, George A. Romero.” The “Deadverse” is also home to information on the next steps in the “Living Dead Saga” created by George A. Romero.  His son Cameron will be filming the next installment, titled “Rise of the Living Dead”. Along with the film, will also be a Table Top RPG, that will allow you, my dear Freaks, to enter into the world of the undead. Not just any world though. The world created by George A. Romero.

 

For Fifty years, we’ve seen Vampires come and go, werewolves as well, but zombies have been a massive constant. They’re not going anywhere anytime soon. The fact that the Romero legacy is in the more than capable hands of Cameron, leaves me feeling hopeful for the shambling corpses of our fallen in the future of film.

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Review of “Ivy” by Itai Guberman

I return with another offering from Australian-Israeli director, Itai Guberman, the man who gave us the amazing short films “Dolphin” and “Third Temple”. He dropped a new gem in my lap with “Ivy”. A fantastic short that brilliantly combines several genres seamlessly together. I wish i could go further into these, but that would give away so much of the film’s atmosphere. I’m afraid it would take away from your experience.
“Ivy” is a short film that centers on the  journey of a man trying to cope with something he simply doesn’t want to face, and really, who could blame him?
The cast of characters Itai assembled for this short are fantastic and absolutely make “Ivy” outstanding. Itai has an eye for talent, for sure. He also has an eye for great shots, which “Ivy” is loaded with, and the music compliments each scene perfectly. The music gives us an added bonus. It tells its own side of the story if you listen closely enough.
The aspects of this short, when picked apart, could let you make this film in several different ways, however, the blending of these aspects gives an awesome story that I couldn’t see happening in any other way. “Ivy” is a must see and marks another fantastic offering from Itai Guberman. It will be part of a larger overall project when it gets its full release, but until then, look for it to hit a film festival near you. Its worth the effort.  Be sure to check out his other shorts, “Dolphin” and “Third Temple” (both of which are in Hebrew with English subtitles, but don’t worry, “Ivy” is fully in English. No need to read this one.).
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