October 16th - Feels Like A Werewolf Wednesday:
Film #31.
The Wolf Man (1941)
Well, October 16th is officially the middle of the month with 15 days of Halloween fun behind us and 15 days more ahead of us. Thanks to my double feature strategy, I have now reached the "minimum viewing quota" many individuals set for themselves as a goal to reach by the very end of the entire month (which is 31 films in total).
Phew! I must admit, I'm a bit relieved to have reached this goal already and be ahead of schedule (at least
technically speaking of course). Now some of the extra pressure to ensure that I have a "productive" Halloween movie marathon this year is finally off my back. Maybe I can start to relax a little more and stop spending so much damn time writing/posting about stuff here...?
Yeah, I wish...
Either way, I better buckle down and revisit some of the mandatory seasonal classics before time runs out completely.
I honestly can't remember which Universal Monster film I ever saw first mainly because I was 5 years old (or possibly even younger than that) when it originally happened. However, if I had to make my best educated and realistic guess, I want to say it was
The Wolf Man (1941) (but it could have easily been
Frankenstein (1931) instead). Whatever the exact film was, ironically I wasn't scared at all by it, even at my young and vulnerable age. Instead, it only cemented my endless fascination and enjoyment with monsters and horror which obviously continues to this day. The moral of this story, which I'm struggling to express here, is simply this: If you're a (new) parent, don't be a square. Raise your kids the
correct way by letting them watch the Universal Monster films starting at a very young age. That's how my folks raised me back in the day and I thank them dearly for it each and every October/Halloween. No joke!
Points Of Interest include: Stars Lon Chaney Jr. (son of the legendary horror icon Lon "the man of a thousand faces" Chaney) as Larry Talbot (a.k.a. The Wolf Man), also features Claude "The Invisible Man" Rains as his on-screen father, some brief "peeping tom" behavior accompanied by initial creepiness directed towards a local lady (not the best first impression to make with women, my good man...
), an unusual walking cane that has a silver handle shaped like a wolf's head, discussions about pentagrams, an "ancient" poem which is recited (in full) several times throughout the entire film by multiple characters ("Take a shot!"
), Bela "Dracula" Lugosi as a Romanian fortune-telling gypsy (and werewolf), Maria Ouspenskaya as cinema's quintessential "old gypsy lady", an ominous symbol appearing on those who are either cursed or doomed, a vicious and mysterious animal attack at night, a hairy transformation sequence, lurking around the fogy/misty woods at night, a furry foot caught in a steel-jaw trap, several werewolf attacks, and bludgeoning a beloved relative to death with a blunt object.
Röckzilla's Final Verdict: "
Even a dude who bangs his head and drinks his beers by night, needs to stop and watch The Wolf Man Blu when the October moon is bright..."
(That's "old gypsy lady" talk for "it's a good film to watch in October."
)
Film #32.
An American Werewolf In London (1981)
40 years after Lon Chaney Jr.'s character Larry Talbot terrorized the European villagers depicted in
The Wolf Man (1941), another American character would journey to the U.K. and eventually terrorize a European community on his very own in
An American Werewolf In London (1981). Interestingly enough, 1981 proved to be a stellar year for lycanthropic horror cinema with the release of other werewolf movies such as Joe Dante's
The Howling (1981) &
Wolfen (1981). Now
there's something to definitely
howl about!
Anyway,
An American Werewolf In London (1981) has to be without a doubt one of the greatest werewolf films ever made. I could easily go on and explain more about the film in full detail here but I really don't see the point in me doing so right now. I mean, if you're still not convinced yet, just read the "Points Of Interest" section... or better yet, just go watch the entire movie itself! That's a great idea!
Points Of Interest include: Directed by John "Animal House" Landis, academy award winning special makeup effects by "Monster Maker" Rick Backer (but more details relating to that aspect a little later on), an uncomfortable and unwelcoming reception from locals at the English pub The Slaughtered Lamb, a vicious nocturnal animal attack on the moors (or so it initially seems...), a naked dead dude on the ground, an appearance by Frank "Yoda" Oz, a nightmarish blitzkrieg of nazi werewolf soldiers firing machine-guns, a little boy that can only say "NO!" apparently, humorously sardonic hauntings by the mutilated carcass of a recently deceased best friend (I f*cking
LOVE this character!
), a soundtrack consisting of songs about "the moon" (including tracks by Van Morrison & Creedence Clearwater Revival
), some random U.K. punks (Oi! Oi! Oi!)
, a rather tasteful sex scene with a nurse, intimate discussions regarding werewolves in movies (both the Lon Chaney Jr. and Oliver Reed variety), a Mickey Mouse impersonation by a talking decaying corpse, an impressively hair-raising and skin-stretching werewolf transformation sequence that will not be forgotten about anytime soon, 6 victims for an American werewolf (not too bad for a first full moon outing), waking up naked at a public zoo inside of an animal enclosure, stealing balloons from a little school boy, a man wearing women's clothing in public during the day time, hanging out with the rotting talking skeleton of a best friend inside a porno movie theater discussing suicide (sounds like a healthy and normal type of day to me
), severed bloody head rolling, chaotic traffic collisions, panicked crowds of people, and a completely blunt "punch-to-the-gut" style ending which somehow pulls off all 3 of the following qualities successfully and simultaneously: a heartbreakingly powerful tragedy, an homage to the rather abrupt conclusions typically found in classic (Universal) monster films, and even a hilariously morbid send-off that may leave you laughing, shaking your head, and simply saying "wow" or "damn".
Röckzilla's Final Verdict: An absolutely phenomenal film from start to finish, horror or otherwise... but remember to stay clear of the moors!
Seeing the circa 1981 punks in
An American Werewolf In London (1981) really got me thinking...
I seriously need to include more songs by (hardcore) punk bands for this year's Röcktober Fest!
Honestly, I should be ashamed of myself for not doing so already.
Well, there's only one way to rightfully make amends here...
How about a circa 1983 Bay Area Hardcore Punk song about being a werewolf?
Courtesy of the criminally under-appreciated and relatively unknown band Fang!
(And I think Kurt Cobain of Nirvana would even agree with me on that last part there at the very least.
):
[Show spoiler]
But if that song was still too short for ya, here's a more "metallic" offering from Mercyful Fate that's dedicated to all you gypsies out there (circa 1984)! :
All countries
Argentina
Austria
Belgium
Brazil
Bulgaria
Chile
China
Colombia
Cyprus
Czech Republic
Estonia
Denmark
Finland
Greece
Hong Kong
Hungary
Iceland
Indonesia
Ireland
Israel
India
Latvia
Lithuania
Malaysia
New Zealand
Norway
Philippines
Poland
Portugal
Romania
Russia
Singapore
South Africa
South Korea
Sweden
Switzerland
Taiwan
Thailand
Turkey
Ukraine
United Arab Emirates
flag icon to the right of the quick search at the top-middle.
[hide this message]
Shaun Of The Dead (2004): 
Linear Mode
