Werewolves are men and women who transform into feral wolf-like creatures. The clinical term for this condition is called Lycanthropy. Werewolves have been a popular part of Western European folklore for several centuries, but it wasn't until the 20th century that they became a part of modern pop culture. In addition to vampires, witches and ghosts, werewolves are one of the most popular breeds of supernatural creature and they have appeared in every aspect of the horror medium from films to television, comics, video games, role playing modules and more.
The process of becoming a werewolf varies, but can usually be traced to one of three different points of origin. One may be have a curse put upon them which turns them into a werewolf against their will. Others may be members of an actual species of werewolf and thus, are born with their special traits. In most cases however, a person becomes a werewolf after having been bitten or scratched by another werewolf. The actual process of transformation classically takes place during the three nights of the full moon, but more modern werewolves have also been shown to transform at will regardless of the lunar phase.
The physical elements of a werewolf are also very varied. Sometimes a person shape-shifts into an exceedingly large wolf, with no human characteristics whatsoever. In other cases, a person may maintain prominent human traits, but possess excessive body hair, pointed ears, enlarged canines and claws. In other cases, a werewolf may adopt a perfect blend of both human and animal traits, becoming a veritable power house. These werewolf forms, sometimes referred to as crinos form, have become increasingly popular in the past several decades and are arguably the most visually appealing types of werewolves found in film and literature.
Destroying a werewolf can be a complicated and dangerous process. Some traditions believe that the presence of wolfsbane may harm or drive a werewolf away. Other traditions posit that when wolfsbane is in bloom, a man may become a werewolf. The most effective means of destroying a werewolf is through the use of silver. Any weapon made of silver be it a silver bullet, or a silver-tipped cane will prove fatal to a werewolf. This aspect remains as the one constant in nearly all forms of werewolf lore.
Werewolves on TV[]
Being Human (UK)[]
On the British television series Being Human, one of the three main protagonists of the series was a werewolf. The other two consisted of a vampire and a ghost. The werewolf character was a high-strung young man in his mid-twenties named George Sands. George became a werewolf while on holiday in Scotland. He was about to go out for a walk when an American tourist, not knowing his way around, invited himself along after George reluctantly let him. They both got lost as night fell and were attacked by a werewolf – later revealed to be a man named Tully. The tourist was killed, but George survived and awakened with severe lacerations across his left shoulder. The werewolf scratch had infected George with lycanthropy and he was now a werewolf too.
After becoming a werewolf, George left his family, his job and his fiancée, afraid of hurting them. He worked as a porter in the local hospital, unable to hold down a more permanent job due to his monthly transformations, which were extremely painful. [1]
Tully tracked him down and offered to mentor George on how to manage his condition. Though reluctant at first, George accepted Tully's wisdom and worked and lived with him for several weeks. On the eve of the full moon of the following month, George learned a horrifying truth about his new friend - that Tully was the one who had infected him. Disgusted by him, George abandoned Tully in the forest, voicing his desire to never see him again. [2]
Being Human (US)[]
Werewolves on Being Human follow many of the same traditions as those of werewolves found in classic forms of media. There are two methods for becoming a werewolf. One who is bitten or scratched by another werewolf and survives will become a werewolf. The second method is through natural birth. Pureblood werewolves are the offspring of two adult werewolves and have been able to shape-shift since early on in their physical development. Those infected by a bite or scratch will become a werewolf on the nights of the full moon. Their personality is completely submerged and they follow the predatory instincts of the wolf. On the days leading up to a full moon, the werewolf can feel certain urges overwhelming him, including a surge in self confidence and an increased libido. Werewolves often distinguish their base personality from their animal one as if they were two separate organisms, often referring to their internal drives by the pseudonym, "the wolf".
Killing a werewolf is very difficult, but one does not require silver to accomplish this. A well-placed gunshot to the head will kill a werewolf just as readily as a human. When an infected werewolf dies, they revert back to their human form. When a purebred werewolf dies, they revert back (or remain) in wolf form. [3]
There is only known method for curing someone who is a werewolf. This applies only to those who have been infected by a werewolf bite. If a werewolf kills the one who turned them, then he or she will cease to become a werewolf. This only applies to the individual and does not cross generations. It will not cure those whom the newly-cured werewolf may have infected herself. On the North American version of Being Human, this was shown in season three when Josh Levinson killed Ray - the one who infected him. Josh was cured, but it did not cure Nora Sargeant, whom Josh infected in season one.
Dark Shadows[]
Alex Stevens as the werewolf.
Werewolves have been featured in several television series dating back to the 1960s. One of the more popular werewolf characters from this era was Quentin Collins from the ABC gothic soap opera Dark Shadows. Quentin originally appeared as an angry malevolent spirit haunting his descendents in the playroom in the West Wing of Collinwood along with the ghost of his lover, Beth Chavez). [4] Quentin and Beth's spirits befriended the children David Collins and his friend, Amy Jennings. Eventually, they took possession of both children and used them to serve their own interests.
In an effort to save his family, the former vampire known as Barnabas Collins, used the cosmological principles of the I Ching to send his spirit backwards through time to the year 1897 (unfortunately for Barnabas, this meant becoming a vampire once again as such was his physical state during that time period). This series of episodes is commonly referred to as the "1897 flashback. [5]
Upon meeting Quentin, Barnabas discovered him to be a selfish and spiteful individual, a womanizing manipulator constantly at odds with his family. Quentin earned himself the reputation of being the black sheep of the family – due largely in part to his marriage and subsequent abuse of a gypsy girl named Jenny Racosi. Along with Beth Chavez, the two conspired to keep Jenny hidden from the rest of the family by imprisoning her inside of the tower room at Collinwood.
Quentin's philandering lifestyle changed forever when he ran afoul of an occultist known as Count Petofi. Through Petofi's machinations, Quentin inherited a curse that transformed him into a werewolf whenever the moon was full. Barnabas, sympathetic to Quentin's plight, tried to help him overcome the curse, but to no avail. He did however, succeed in altering Quentin's destiny, preventing the creation of the future timeline where Quentin's spirit would plague Collinwood.
Quentin's curse extended through his own family bloodline, affecting his descendent Chris Jennings (Chris' twin brother Tom ironically enough, became a vampire).
In the series, the role of Quentin Collins was played by David Selby. Chris Jennings was played by Don Briscoe and stunt coordinator Alex Stevens played the role of the werewolf for both characters.
Drak Pack[]
Drak Pack was an American animated children's series produced by Hanna-Barbera Productions, Inc. and aired on CBS from 1980 to 1982, spanning a total of sixteen episodes. Though not directly in-line with the horror genre, the series was a send-up to several notable iconic monster figures, specifically, the classical renditions of Dracula, the Wolf Man and the Frankenstein Monster. The main characters on the show were three teenagers who made-up the superhero team the Drak Pack. All three were the descendents of legendary monsters who atoned for the sins of their parents by using their monster powers to fight against crime. The leader of the group was Drak, Jr., the grand-nephew of the infamous Count Dracula. The others were Frankie - a living iteration of the Frankenstein Monster and Howler - a werewolf. The primary antagonist of the series was the diabolical Doctor Dred and his evil organization O.G.R.E., which consisted of Vampira, Mummy Man, Toad and Fly. Howler was voiced by actor William Callaway and appeared in all sixteen episodes of the program. He had the ability to generate a strong gust of wind by blowing extremely hard. This is likely a reference to the character of the Big Bad Wolf from the Three Little Pigs children's story.
Fangface[]
Fangface was a children's animated series that was produced by Ruby-Spears Productions and aired on ABC from 1978 to 1979. The main character from the series, Sherman Fangsworth, aka "Fangs", was a teenager who transformed into a werewolf at the sight of the full moon. The moon did not have to be in phase for the change to take place. Sherman needed only to see a photograph of the moon, or a drawing, or some other representation of the moon in order to assume his werewolf form. As a werewolf, Sherman had one protruding fang which extended downward from his upper mandible and was also notable for wearing a backwards ball cap.
Unlike traditional werewolves, Fangs was a good-natured individual who hung around with his friends Puggsy, Kim and Biff, often times getting into wild adventures and solving crimes and mysteries. The story format of both the character and the series was very similar to that of the Scooby Doo family of animated projects.
Hemlock Grove[]
Peter Rumancek in werewolf form.
On the Netflix original series Hemlock Grove, the main character of Peter Rumancek is a werewolf. Werewolves in the series maintain several old world traditions, the most important of which is the requirement of the presence of the full moon in order to effect the change. In the show, humans turn into wolves, but are not necessarily monstrous in appearance. The wolf develops internally as it changes and literally tears itself through it's human form. Afterward, it consumes its human remains so as to leave no evidence of its presence behind.
Another type of werewolf presented in the series is a Vargulf - which is a werewolf that has gone insane and kills randomly. In many cases, a Vargulf may not even realize that it is a werewolf. In season one, the character of Christina Wendall is shown to be a Vargulf. She is responsible for the deaths of five individuals - all of whom were young females and nearly ended the life of Peter Rumancek as well. Christina was defeated by the reanimate Shelley Godfrey, who broke Christina's neck while she was attacking Peter. As the after-credit Easter egg on the final episode of the season shows however, a broken neck is not enough to kill a Vargulf.
Werewolf[]
Werewolf is an American television series that ran for a single season from July of 1987 to May of 1988. The show debuted on the FOX Network and was one of the then-fledgling network's inaugural television programs. The series featured John J. York as Eric Kord, a young college student had the misfortunate of inheriting the curse of lycanthropy after being bitten by his best friend (who died soon after). Researching the nature of werewolves, Eric discovered that the only way to cure lycanthropy was by destroying the originator of the werewolf bloodline. Eric's search for the originator brought him into conflict with Janos Skorzeny, the werewolf responsible for infecting his best friend Ted. Only later did Eric discover that Skorzeny was not the original werewolf after all. Complicating Eric's life even further was the presence of an old world bounty hunter named Alamo Joe Rogan, who believed Eric was responsible for a string of murders that were actually committed by Skorzeny. Helping Eric in his search for a cure was his girlfriend Kelly Nichols.
Known werewolves[]
Behind the fur[]
Includes actors, voice actors and stunt performers who have played werewolves.
Appearances[]
See also[]
External Links[]
References[]
- ↑ Being Human: Pilot
- ↑ Being Human: Tully
- ↑ Being Human: (Dead) Girls Just Wanna Have Fun
- ↑ Dark Shadows: 646
- ↑ Dark Shadows: 701