Thursday, October 22, 2015

Thursday Movie Picks: Werewolves


Hhhhhhhhoooooooooowwwwwllllllllll!!!

That was my attempt to howl at the moon.

Didn't work?

Laugh anyway.

If you somehow haven't guessed why I did that, I'll tell you. First off, it's definitely Thursday. which means it's time for Thursday Movie Picks hosted by Wanderer at Wandering Through the Shelves. Click the link to find out how to participate. Second, the topic this week is werewolf movies. I'm pretty I've seen one or two. Since I'm in a bit of a goofy mood, I'm going with films that explore the lighter side of lycanthropy. Here are my picks for this week's installment.


Abbott and Costello Meet  Frankenstein
(1948)
Yes, the title says Frankenstein. However, this is a grand sendup of all the famous universal monsters, featuring most of the original actors reprising and making fun of the roles that made them household names. A rather prominent part of the plot, as much as there is one, involves Lon Chaney Jr. back as Lawrence Talbot, aka The Wolf Man. Our titular heroes make sure laughs are had by all.


Teen Wolf
(1985)
Yes, this is the movie that the MTV series that's nothing like it is based. This is a fun-loving affair in which a young man played by Michael J. Fox discovers he's from a long line of werewolves and is, in fact, one himself. Of course, this means he becomes a star on his high school basketball team. Yup. I know yesterday was Back to the Future day, and all, but I feel like this one deserves a little love today. Whatever you do, just skip that abomination known as Teen Wolf Too.


Cursed
(2005)
Yes, the act of transforming into a werewolf with hair sprouting from every pore naturally lends it to being a metaphor for puberty. Therefore, we finish up with another film that looks a werewolves in high school. When famed horror director Wes Craven passed a couple months ago, there were lots of lists ranking his work and retrospectives on his career. Very few of them mentioned this little gem. It reunites Craven with his main collaborator from the Scream franchise, writer Kevin Williamson and includes a perfect tongue-in-cheek. It's not up to the level of those movies (except the third), but still a worthy addition to the filmography of all involved.



20 comments:

  1. Teen Wolf is a fun film though I don't think of it as a pure wolf movie. Cursed was OK as it maybe a mediocre Craven film but a mediocre film by Wes Craven is still better than most films.

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  2. Teen Wolf the movie was quite comical, although I don't really like it. At least, it's better than the series. No offense.

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    1. Not offending me. I checked out of the series way way back after the very first episode.

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  3. I didn't think Cursed was *that* bad. Definitely not one of Craven's best though. I've never seen the other too, though I probably should've seen Teen Wolf at some point by now.

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  4. I haven't seen Cursed but love your other two picks! By that I mean I loved that you picked them, the movies themselves...well. A&C movies are a strange breed almost unto themselves and this one is no exception. Goofy fun.

    I wasn't too wild about Teen Wolf but I remember it was a minor smash, major considering its budget, when it came out and it more than Back to the Future proved that Michael J. Fox had the ability to carry a film and set him out on a very successful decade.

    Mine are all 80's pix, a decade that had a super sufficiency of werewolf films owing to the success of the first film on my list:

    An American Werewolf in London (1981)-Inventive, fun/sad twist on the old werewolf legend. A couple of young Americans are backpacking through the English countryside when they are attacked by a wolf and one of them is killed…or so it seems. The surviving young man comes out of a coma in a London hospital unsure of what’s happened. Suddenly his now dead and quite mutilated friend appears to inform him that they were attacked by a werewolf and unless he kills himself by the next full moon he will become one too. Then there’s also the problem that his friend and any other victims can’t rest until he dead. He doesn’t believe him but then the full moon rises. Scares, and a fair amount of nudity, leavened with humor and Oscar winning makeup.

    Ladyhawke (1985)-A young thief played by Matthew Broderick escapes from a dungeon in medieval France. While on the run he befriends Captain Navarre, also a fugitive and discovers that he and his beloved the Lady Isabeau, Michelle Pfeiffer, are cursed by the evil Bishop who pursues them. During the day she becomes a hawk and he transforms into a werewolf at night so they only catch a glimpse of each other at dusk. Navarre recruits the young man to help him try and free them both from the curse.

    The Company of Wolves (1984)-Director Neil Jordan adds elements of mystery, dream imagery, werewolves and a slight sexual twist to this adaptation of Little Red Riding Hood that has Angela Lansbury as Grandmother.

    Honorable Mention-Silver Bullet (1985)-When a small town is plagued by horrible killings and mutilations the townfolk begin to think it may be a monster doing the killings. A small handicapped boy comes in contact with the werewolf and with his older sister and uncle set out on a search for the monster. What they discover will be shocking. Good, tense compact chiller with a standout performance by Gary Busey as the uncle.

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    1. I love An American Werewolf in London. Stayed away since I figured lots of others would pick it. Silver Bullet is one of those I think I've seen, but can't recall anything about it. I know I haven't seen the other two, though I have heard of Ladyhawke. Just had no idea it was about werewolves. Thanks, Joel!

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  5. I just watched Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein (1948), I had not seen anything by the duo before. I quite liked it. The jokes are a bit repetitive, but a fun mix of comedy/horror. Some amusing dialogue exchanges: "The moon will rise in 20 minutes, and then I'll turn into a wolf." - "Yeah, you and about a million other guys!”

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  6. I love that film with Abbott and Costello-I found it quite funny and I was surprised how big Lon Chaney's role was. I have not seen Teen Wolf nor the last one which looks very scary.

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    1. Cursed is not scary. At least I don't think so. It has more in common with Mean Girls than A Nightmare on Elm Street.

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  7. Somehow I managed to spend my entire adolescence in the 80's without seeing Teen Wolf. Weird, huh?

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    1. Wow. Like, I'm really not sure how you managed that. Then again, that's when I grew up, and I've never seen Top Gun. Go figure.

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  8. Interesting choices Wendell. I always enjoy watching Teen Wolf as it was a favourite in childhood.

    I recently saw a new British werewolf film called Howl which I'd recommend checking out. I have reviewed it on my site if you're interested but I would say it's an entertaining take on the genre - not hugely original but captures a few good scares with a bit of comedy, a good cast and some excellent special effects.

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    1. Sounds interesting. I'll check out your review for sure.

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  9. An American Werewolf in London will always be my fave in the genre. Cursed sounds interesting.

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    1. It's one my faves, as well. Cursed is interesting.

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  10. I've been wanting to check out Cursed. Then I remember it has a pretty bad rating and pass it over. I might just give it a watch this time.

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