Feb 4 2010 Kevin Edge
Sighting of a wolf-like creature over Cannock Chase have continued to flood in, with eyewitnesses claiming to have seen the fabled beast near to Huntington woodland.
Readers say they have spied a creature they believed to be a wolf near woodland off the Stafford Road.
The sightings follow a raft of eyewitness reports claiming to have seen the creature in undergrowth near Pottal Pool.
“I was walking my dog near to Broadhurst Green and I believe I saw something that could be described as a wolf,” resident Mark Sutton said.
“It was not a panther and it was too large to be a dog. It was walking through the bushes without a care in the world.
“It was about 50 metres away from us, but it didn’t seem fussed.
“It disappeared back into the Chase. I’m sure a lot of other people would have seen it. It wasn’t trying to stay hidden.”
Over the past 20 years, many people have claimed to have seen a big cat prowling Cannock Chase, fuelling speculation a panther roams the area.
But the recent sightings seem to suggest the fabled Chase Panther could belong to the wolf-family.
Last week resident Peter Derbyshire also said he saw a wolf-like creature while driving near Pottal Pool.
“I was driving through the trees in the direction of Stafford when I saw something dark moving amongst the bushes on the right hand side of the car,” he said.
“I slowed down to get a better look. It was probably about 80 metres away. It was aware I had slowed down, but did not seem too fussed. It disappeared into the bushes and I lost sight of it.
“It was definitely not a cat, it had more of a dog’s characteristics. It had a long nose and sharp, pointy ears.”
http://www.chasepost.net/news-in-cannock/cannock-burntwood-news/2010/02/04/more-sightings-of-chase-wolf-93633-25762017/
Showing posts with label Werewolves. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Werewolves. Show all posts
Wednesday, January 19, 2011
More sightings of Chase 'wolf'
Feb 4 2010 Kevin Edge
Sighting of a wolf-like creature over Cannock Chase have continued to flood in, with eyewitnesses claiming to have seen the fabled beast near to Huntington woodland.
Readers say they have spied a creature they believed to be a wolf near woodland off the Stafford Road.
The sightings follow a raft of eyewitness reports claiming to have seen the creature in undergrowth near Pottal Pool.
“I was walking my dog near to Broadhurst Green and I believe I saw something that could be described as a wolf,” resident Mark Sutton said.
“It was not a panther and it was too large to be a dog. It was walking through the bushes without a care in the world.
“It was about 50 metres away from us, but it didn’t seem fussed.
“It disappeared back into the Chase. I’m sure a lot of other people would have seen it. It wasn’t trying to stay hidden.”
Over the past 20 years, many people have claimed to have seen a big cat prowling Cannock Chase, fuelling speculation a panther roams the area.
But the recent sightings seem to suggest the fabled Chase Panther could belong to the wolf-family.
Last week resident Peter Derbyshire also said he saw a wolf-like creature while driving near Pottal Pool.
“I was driving through the trees in the direction of Stafford when I saw something dark moving amongst the bushes on the right hand side of the car,” he said.
“I slowed down to get a better look. It was probably about 80 metres away. It was aware I had slowed down, but did not seem too fussed. It disappeared into the bushes and I lost sight of it.
“It was definitely not a cat, it had more of a dog’s characteristics. It had a long nose and sharp, pointy ears.”
http://www.chasepost.net/news-in-cannock/cannock-burntwood-news/2010/02/04/more-sightings-of-chase-wolf-93633-25762017/
Sighting of a wolf-like creature over Cannock Chase have continued to flood in, with eyewitnesses claiming to have seen the fabled beast near to Huntington woodland.
Readers say they have spied a creature they believed to be a wolf near woodland off the Stafford Road.
The sightings follow a raft of eyewitness reports claiming to have seen the creature in undergrowth near Pottal Pool.
“I was walking my dog near to Broadhurst Green and I believe I saw something that could be described as a wolf,” resident Mark Sutton said.
“It was not a panther and it was too large to be a dog. It was walking through the bushes without a care in the world.
“It was about 50 metres away from us, but it didn’t seem fussed.
“It disappeared back into the Chase. I’m sure a lot of other people would have seen it. It wasn’t trying to stay hidden.”
Over the past 20 years, many people have claimed to have seen a big cat prowling Cannock Chase, fuelling speculation a panther roams the area.
But the recent sightings seem to suggest the fabled Chase Panther could belong to the wolf-family.
Last week resident Peter Derbyshire also said he saw a wolf-like creature while driving near Pottal Pool.
“I was driving through the trees in the direction of Stafford when I saw something dark moving amongst the bushes on the right hand side of the car,” he said.
“I slowed down to get a better look. It was probably about 80 metres away. It was aware I had slowed down, but did not seem too fussed. It disappeared into the bushes and I lost sight of it.
“It was definitely not a cat, it had more of a dog’s characteristics. It had a long nose and sharp, pointy ears.”
http://www.chasepost.net/news-in-cannock/cannock-burntwood-news/2010/02/04/more-sightings-of-chase-wolf-93633-25762017/
'Underground Tribe' theory on Chase Beast
May 14 2007 By Lynn Grainger
A tribe of subterranean creatures who surface on Cannock Chase to hunt for food could be behind a rash of 'werewolf' and Big Foot sightings near Stafford.
And the mysterious beings could also be responsible for a string of pet disappearances, it has been claimed.
West Midlands Ghost Club, our area's top paranormal investigation group, say they have been contacted by a number of shocked eye-witnesses who claim they have come to face to face with a 'hairy, wolf-type creature' at the beauty spot.
A scout leader and a local post man are amongst the 'credible' witnesses to contact the club. Theories behind the sightings range from a crazed tramp to aliens.
But now another paranormal expert has put foward the theory the sub-human beast is not a werewolf at all - but a Stone Age throwback.
The investigator, who wishes to remain anonymous, told us: "Strange sightings in this area have been made over many years by civilians, military, police, ex-police and scout leaders on patrol.
"Some incidents have been reported and logged but others not - some people don't want to be classed as 'mad'.
"The strangest rumour has come from a senior local resident who believes the mysterious intruders to be subterranean," he told us.
"The creatures have made their way to the surface via old earthworks to hunt, for example, local deer."
And, on the surface, the far-fetched tale could be easily dismissed. However, our expert added: "It's a fact that there has been significant mining activity under Cannock Chase for centuries. And it's a fact there is a high rate of domestic pet disappearance in the area - especially dogs off the lead...just ask anyone who walks their dog near the German War Cemetery..."
Nick Duffy, a lead member of West Midlands Ghost Club, told us he was intrugued by this new theory: "It's as likely as any of the others - so it could well be," he said.
* What's your view? Has your beloved pet vanished on the Chase? Or have you seen things you cannot explain there? If so, the Post wants to hear from you. Contact us, in the strictist confidence, on 01785 212370 or write to the Post at 35 Eastgate Street, Stafford, ST16 2LZ. Alternatively, email lynn_grainger@mrn.co.uk.
http://www.chasepost.net/news-in-cannock/tm_headline=-underground-tribe--theory-on-chase-beast&method=full&objectid=19102326&siteid=75673-name_page.html
A tribe of subterranean creatures who surface on Cannock Chase to hunt for food could be behind a rash of 'werewolf' and Big Foot sightings near Stafford.
And the mysterious beings could also be responsible for a string of pet disappearances, it has been claimed.
West Midlands Ghost Club, our area's top paranormal investigation group, say they have been contacted by a number of shocked eye-witnesses who claim they have come to face to face with a 'hairy, wolf-type creature' at the beauty spot.
A scout leader and a local post man are amongst the 'credible' witnesses to contact the club. Theories behind the sightings range from a crazed tramp to aliens.
But now another paranormal expert has put foward the theory the sub-human beast is not a werewolf at all - but a Stone Age throwback.
The investigator, who wishes to remain anonymous, told us: "Strange sightings in this area have been made over many years by civilians, military, police, ex-police and scout leaders on patrol.
"Some incidents have been reported and logged but others not - some people don't want to be classed as 'mad'.
"The strangest rumour has come from a senior local resident who believes the mysterious intruders to be subterranean," he told us.
"The creatures have made their way to the surface via old earthworks to hunt, for example, local deer."
And, on the surface, the far-fetched tale could be easily dismissed. However, our expert added: "It's a fact that there has been significant mining activity under Cannock Chase for centuries. And it's a fact there is a high rate of domestic pet disappearance in the area - especially dogs off the lead...just ask anyone who walks their dog near the German War Cemetery..."
Nick Duffy, a lead member of West Midlands Ghost Club, told us he was intrugued by this new theory: "It's as likely as any of the others - so it could well be," he said.
* What's your view? Has your beloved pet vanished on the Chase? Or have you seen things you cannot explain there? If so, the Post wants to hear from you. Contact us, in the strictist confidence, on 01785 212370 or write to the Post at 35 Eastgate Street, Stafford, ST16 2LZ. Alternatively, email lynn_grainger@mrn.co.uk.
http://www.chasepost.net/news-in-cannock/tm_headline=-underground-tribe--theory-on-chase-beast&method=full&objectid=19102326&siteid=75673-name_page.html
'Underground Tribe' theory on Chase Beast
May 14 2007 By Lynn Grainger
A tribe of subterranean creatures who surface on Cannock Chase to hunt for food could be behind a rash of 'werewolf' and Big Foot sightings near Stafford.
And the mysterious beings could also be responsible for a string of pet disappearances, it has been claimed.
West Midlands Ghost Club, our area's top paranormal investigation group, say they have been contacted by a number of shocked eye-witnesses who claim they have come to face to face with a 'hairy, wolf-type creature' at the beauty spot.
A scout leader and a local post man are amongst the 'credible' witnesses to contact the club. Theories behind the sightings range from a crazed tramp to aliens.
But now another paranormal expert has put foward the theory the sub-human beast is not a werewolf at all - but a Stone Age throwback.
The investigator, who wishes to remain anonymous, told us: "Strange sightings in this area have been made over many years by civilians, military, police, ex-police and scout leaders on patrol.
"Some incidents have been reported and logged but others not - some people don't want to be classed as 'mad'.
"The strangest rumour has come from a senior local resident who believes the mysterious intruders to be subterranean," he told us.
"The creatures have made their way to the surface via old earthworks to hunt, for example, local deer."
And, on the surface, the far-fetched tale could be easily dismissed. However, our expert added: "It's a fact that there has been significant mining activity under Cannock Chase for centuries. And it's a fact there is a high rate of domestic pet disappearance in the area - especially dogs off the lead...just ask anyone who walks their dog near the German War Cemetery..."
Nick Duffy, a lead member of West Midlands Ghost Club, told us he was intrugued by this new theory: "It's as likely as any of the others - so it could well be," he said.
* What's your view? Has your beloved pet vanished on the Chase? Or have you seen things you cannot explain there? If so, the Post wants to hear from you. Contact us, in the strictist confidence, on 01785 212370 or write to the Post at 35 Eastgate Street, Stafford, ST16 2LZ. Alternatively, email lynn_grainger@mrn.co.uk.
http://www.chasepost.net/news-in-cannock/tm_headline=-underground-tribe--theory-on-chase-beast&method=full&objectid=19102326&siteid=75673-name_page.html
A tribe of subterranean creatures who surface on Cannock Chase to hunt for food could be behind a rash of 'werewolf' and Big Foot sightings near Stafford.
And the mysterious beings could also be responsible for a string of pet disappearances, it has been claimed.
West Midlands Ghost Club, our area's top paranormal investigation group, say they have been contacted by a number of shocked eye-witnesses who claim they have come to face to face with a 'hairy, wolf-type creature' at the beauty spot.
A scout leader and a local post man are amongst the 'credible' witnesses to contact the club. Theories behind the sightings range from a crazed tramp to aliens.
But now another paranormal expert has put foward the theory the sub-human beast is not a werewolf at all - but a Stone Age throwback.
The investigator, who wishes to remain anonymous, told us: "Strange sightings in this area have been made over many years by civilians, military, police, ex-police and scout leaders on patrol.
"Some incidents have been reported and logged but others not - some people don't want to be classed as 'mad'.
"The strangest rumour has come from a senior local resident who believes the mysterious intruders to be subterranean," he told us.
"The creatures have made their way to the surface via old earthworks to hunt, for example, local deer."
And, on the surface, the far-fetched tale could be easily dismissed. However, our expert added: "It's a fact that there has been significant mining activity under Cannock Chase for centuries. And it's a fact there is a high rate of domestic pet disappearance in the area - especially dogs off the lead...just ask anyone who walks their dog near the German War Cemetery..."
Nick Duffy, a lead member of West Midlands Ghost Club, told us he was intrugued by this new theory: "It's as likely as any of the others - so it could well be," he said.
* What's your view? Has your beloved pet vanished on the Chase? Or have you seen things you cannot explain there? If so, the Post wants to hear from you. Contact us, in the strictist confidence, on 01785 212370 or write to the Post at 35 Eastgate Street, Stafford, ST16 2LZ. Alternatively, email lynn_grainger@mrn.co.uk.
http://www.chasepost.net/news-in-cannock/tm_headline=-underground-tribe--theory-on-chase-beast&method=full&objectid=19102326&siteid=75673-name_page.html
Tuesday, October 12, 2010
Wolfman’s ‘lair’ discovered
Oct 10 2010 by Rachael Misstear, Wales On Sunday
THE hunt for a West Wales “wolfman” is back on – after walkers stumbled across what is thought to be his lair.
The unknown vagrant – dubbed the Wolfman after years of living wild in Carmarthenshire woods – was linked to a spate of food and clothing thefts from a village last year.
So far police have caught nothing more than glimpses of the straggly figure, as he evaded capture in the woods around Pantyffynon tips near Ammanford.
But officers from the Dyfed-Powys force this week confirmed they are looking into possible fresh sightings after walkers reported stumbling across a woodland shack stuffed with food, clothes and electrical equipment.
Builder John Jones, 43, who lives in Pantyffynon, said the new development was the talk of the area.
“We’ve been told that some walkers found a tin shed full of food and clothes, so we assume that is one of his hideouts,” he said.
“Lots of people have been looking for where he is, but the woodland is so dense it’s not an easy place to search.
“There have been one or two sightings of this longhaired, bearded person who is so scruffy and unkept, he’s like a wild man.
“Last year people started saying how their milk was disappearing and food was taken from freezers in out-buildings.
“When one of the villagers spotted a man creeping around outside her house and saw him steal her milk that made people nervous and the police got involved.
“Since then there’s been lots of odd sightings of him and more milk has gone.”
David Thomas, a carpenter from Tycroes, said: “A lot of the lads around here have seen him. He’s scruffy with dirty clothes and lots of dark hair.
“I was working at a site near the woods once and saw him hiding in the hedge. I think he was watching us, I have no idea why. It’s all very strange.”
The sightings have even sparked a bizarre paranormal investigation – into the possibility of a werewolf on the loose.
Gwilym Games, regional representative for Wales for the Centre for Fortean Zoology — an organisation dedicated to the investigation of unknown and out of place animals — said: “There is a long history of werewolves in Wales and even an earlier mention in the Amman valley.” But his search proved fruitless.
“I turned up very little during my hunt. I did manage to talk to a couple of locals but they dismissed it as just a tramp.”
It is thought the figure may have lived in the wild for up to four years, but only turned to crime after a harsh winter.
Inspector Paul Williams, of Dyfed-Powys Police, said: “We have had a report from a member of the public and we are now following that up with officers making enquiries.”
http://www.walesonline.co.uk/news/wales-news/2010/10/10/wolfman-s-lair-discovered-91466-27439597/
THE hunt for a West Wales “wolfman” is back on – after walkers stumbled across what is thought to be his lair.
The unknown vagrant – dubbed the Wolfman after years of living wild in Carmarthenshire woods – was linked to a spate of food and clothing thefts from a village last year.
So far police have caught nothing more than glimpses of the straggly figure, as he evaded capture in the woods around Pantyffynon tips near Ammanford.
But officers from the Dyfed-Powys force this week confirmed they are looking into possible fresh sightings after walkers reported stumbling across a woodland shack stuffed with food, clothes and electrical equipment.
Builder John Jones, 43, who lives in Pantyffynon, said the new development was the talk of the area.
“We’ve been told that some walkers found a tin shed full of food and clothes, so we assume that is one of his hideouts,” he said.
“Lots of people have been looking for where he is, but the woodland is so dense it’s not an easy place to search.
“There have been one or two sightings of this longhaired, bearded person who is so scruffy and unkept, he’s like a wild man.
“Last year people started saying how their milk was disappearing and food was taken from freezers in out-buildings.
“When one of the villagers spotted a man creeping around outside her house and saw him steal her milk that made people nervous and the police got involved.
“Since then there’s been lots of odd sightings of him and more milk has gone.”
David Thomas, a carpenter from Tycroes, said: “A lot of the lads around here have seen him. He’s scruffy with dirty clothes and lots of dark hair.
“I was working at a site near the woods once and saw him hiding in the hedge. I think he was watching us, I have no idea why. It’s all very strange.”
The sightings have even sparked a bizarre paranormal investigation – into the possibility of a werewolf on the loose.
Gwilym Games, regional representative for Wales for the Centre for Fortean Zoology — an organisation dedicated to the investigation of unknown and out of place animals — said: “There is a long history of werewolves in Wales and even an earlier mention in the Amman valley.” But his search proved fruitless.
“I turned up very little during my hunt. I did manage to talk to a couple of locals but they dismissed it as just a tramp.”
It is thought the figure may have lived in the wild for up to four years, but only turned to crime after a harsh winter.
Inspector Paul Williams, of Dyfed-Powys Police, said: “We have had a report from a member of the public and we are now following that up with officers making enquiries.”
http://www.walesonline.co.uk/news/wales-news/2010/10/10/wolfman-s-lair-discovered-91466-27439597/
Wolfman’s ‘lair’ discovered
Oct 10 2010 by Rachael Misstear, Wales On Sunday
THE hunt for a West Wales “wolfman” is back on – after walkers stumbled across what is thought to be his lair.
The unknown vagrant – dubbed the Wolfman after years of living wild in Carmarthenshire woods – was linked to a spate of food and clothing thefts from a village last year.
So far police have caught nothing more than glimpses of the straggly figure, as he evaded capture in the woods around Pantyffynon tips near Ammanford.
But officers from the Dyfed-Powys force this week confirmed they are looking into possible fresh sightings after walkers reported stumbling across a woodland shack stuffed with food, clothes and electrical equipment.
Builder John Jones, 43, who lives in Pantyffynon, said the new development was the talk of the area.
“We’ve been told that some walkers found a tin shed full of food and clothes, so we assume that is one of his hideouts,” he said.
“Lots of people have been looking for where he is, but the woodland is so dense it’s not an easy place to search.
“There have been one or two sightings of this longhaired, bearded person who is so scruffy and unkept, he’s like a wild man.
“Last year people started saying how their milk was disappearing and food was taken from freezers in out-buildings.
“When one of the villagers spotted a man creeping around outside her house and saw him steal her milk that made people nervous and the police got involved.
“Since then there’s been lots of odd sightings of him and more milk has gone.”
David Thomas, a carpenter from Tycroes, said: “A lot of the lads around here have seen him. He’s scruffy with dirty clothes and lots of dark hair.
“I was working at a site near the woods once and saw him hiding in the hedge. I think he was watching us, I have no idea why. It’s all very strange.”
The sightings have even sparked a bizarre paranormal investigation – into the possibility of a werewolf on the loose.
Gwilym Games, regional representative for Wales for the Centre for Fortean Zoology — an organisation dedicated to the investigation of unknown and out of place animals — said: “There is a long history of werewolves in Wales and even an earlier mention in the Amman valley.” But his search proved fruitless.
“I turned up very little during my hunt. I did manage to talk to a couple of locals but they dismissed it as just a tramp.”
It is thought the figure may have lived in the wild for up to four years, but only turned to crime after a harsh winter.
Inspector Paul Williams, of Dyfed-Powys Police, said: “We have had a report from a member of the public and we are now following that up with officers making enquiries.”
http://www.walesonline.co.uk/news/wales-news/2010/10/10/wolfman-s-lair-discovered-91466-27439597/
THE hunt for a West Wales “wolfman” is back on – after walkers stumbled across what is thought to be his lair.
The unknown vagrant – dubbed the Wolfman after years of living wild in Carmarthenshire woods – was linked to a spate of food and clothing thefts from a village last year.
So far police have caught nothing more than glimpses of the straggly figure, as he evaded capture in the woods around Pantyffynon tips near Ammanford.
But officers from the Dyfed-Powys force this week confirmed they are looking into possible fresh sightings after walkers reported stumbling across a woodland shack stuffed with food, clothes and electrical equipment.
Builder John Jones, 43, who lives in Pantyffynon, said the new development was the talk of the area.
“We’ve been told that some walkers found a tin shed full of food and clothes, so we assume that is one of his hideouts,” he said.
“Lots of people have been looking for where he is, but the woodland is so dense it’s not an easy place to search.
“There have been one or two sightings of this longhaired, bearded person who is so scruffy and unkept, he’s like a wild man.
“Last year people started saying how their milk was disappearing and food was taken from freezers in out-buildings.
“When one of the villagers spotted a man creeping around outside her house and saw him steal her milk that made people nervous and the police got involved.
“Since then there’s been lots of odd sightings of him and more milk has gone.”
David Thomas, a carpenter from Tycroes, said: “A lot of the lads around here have seen him. He’s scruffy with dirty clothes and lots of dark hair.
“I was working at a site near the woods once and saw him hiding in the hedge. I think he was watching us, I have no idea why. It’s all very strange.”
The sightings have even sparked a bizarre paranormal investigation – into the possibility of a werewolf on the loose.
Gwilym Games, regional representative for Wales for the Centre for Fortean Zoology — an organisation dedicated to the investigation of unknown and out of place animals — said: “There is a long history of werewolves in Wales and even an earlier mention in the Amman valley.” But his search proved fruitless.
“I turned up very little during my hunt. I did manage to talk to a couple of locals but they dismissed it as just a tramp.”
It is thought the figure may have lived in the wild for up to four years, but only turned to crime after a harsh winter.
Inspector Paul Williams, of Dyfed-Powys Police, said: “We have had a report from a member of the public and we are now following that up with officers making enquiries.”
http://www.walesonline.co.uk/news/wales-news/2010/10/10/wolfman-s-lair-discovered-91466-27439597/
Wednesday, February 17, 2010
Coleraine author taps into fascination with mythical beast
Published Date:
16 February 2010
By David Rankin
A Coleraine author's blood-curdling new book on werewolves is taking America by storm.
Dr Bob Curran's Werewolves - A Field Guide to Shapeshifters, Lycanthropes and Man Beasts (New Page Books) reached No1 in the Independent Publishers List and sparked a new frenzy of interest in the mythical beast.
Over the past few months, Dr Curran has appeared on a number of US radio shows along with other supernatural experts to discuss our morbid fascination with werewolves.
In the past week The Wolfman - directed by Joe Johnston and starring Benicio Del Toro, Emily Blunt and Sir Anthony Hopkins - was released in cinemas, much to the delight of horror fans.
"The idea of the werewolf," writes Dr Curran, "may represent an amalgam of a number of deep human fears and perceptions - the separation from nature, the fear of the wild, a horror of cannibalism, and inherent awareness of the savagery and ferocity that often lies under the veneer of human 'civilization.'"
In his best selling book, Dr Curran examines the deep psychological roots that underlie the linking of human and beast.
He reveals that the modern sympathetic vision of a forlorn man-wolf transforming under the moon's rays are very different from, say, the 16th century perspective, when lycanthropy was considered an abominable offshoot of witchcraft and Devil worship. Or from further back, to the Dark Ages, when taking on the mantle of the wolf was seen as a sign of virility, and battle-hardened strength.
The notion of a werewolf as we understand these days appears to spring from a 13th century text entitled "Otia Imperia" (Resurrection of the Emperor) by Mediaeval chronicler Gervase of Tilbury.
Darker aspects of early werewolf ideas included cannibalism. The idea of a foreign 'Manbeast' was a common xenophobic attitude in Christian Europe. Tales told by travellers returning from far away lands would spread rumours of tribes in distant mountains who ate human flesh.
Dr Curran also notes that in medieval Western European tales the werewolf is often perceived as a noble creature. Later, as the West expanded, a more horrific set of tales emerge.
This generated a fear of werewolves that sparked prosecutions of alleged werewolves, particularly in 16th century France. Burning at the stake inevitably followed.
The paranoia and irrational beliefs of the day sit well with the gothic horrors of latter-day fiction, which Bob Curran also explores later in the book.
But there have also been real-life examples of manbeasts. Dr Curran catalogues examples of cannibals, feral children, the psychotically ill, and the Leopard Men cult of Western Africa back in the 1940s.
So why is there a cultural fascination with werewolves?
Dr Curran says that they represented freedom - "the thrill of the hunt together with the absence of the constraints of a more regimented culture.
"It was wildness; it was the exhilaration that civilized men imagined existed within the bestial world. It accorded hidden passions and concealed rages, as it shook off the very trappings of what made mankind 'civilized'."
http://www.colerainetimes.co.uk/news/Coleraine-author-taps-into-fascination.6075277.jp
(Submitted by Caty Bergman)
16 February 2010
By David Rankin
A Coleraine author's blood-curdling new book on werewolves is taking America by storm.
Dr Bob Curran's Werewolves - A Field Guide to Shapeshifters, Lycanthropes and Man Beasts (New Page Books) reached No1 in the Independent Publishers List and sparked a new frenzy of interest in the mythical beast.
Over the past few months, Dr Curran has appeared on a number of US radio shows along with other supernatural experts to discuss our morbid fascination with werewolves.
In the past week The Wolfman - directed by Joe Johnston and starring Benicio Del Toro, Emily Blunt and Sir Anthony Hopkins - was released in cinemas, much to the delight of horror fans.
"The idea of the werewolf," writes Dr Curran, "may represent an amalgam of a number of deep human fears and perceptions - the separation from nature, the fear of the wild, a horror of cannibalism, and inherent awareness of the savagery and ferocity that often lies under the veneer of human 'civilization.'"
In his best selling book, Dr Curran examines the deep psychological roots that underlie the linking of human and beast.
He reveals that the modern sympathetic vision of a forlorn man-wolf transforming under the moon's rays are very different from, say, the 16th century perspective, when lycanthropy was considered an abominable offshoot of witchcraft and Devil worship. Or from further back, to the Dark Ages, when taking on the mantle of the wolf was seen as a sign of virility, and battle-hardened strength.
The notion of a werewolf as we understand these days appears to spring from a 13th century text entitled "Otia Imperia" (Resurrection of the Emperor) by Mediaeval chronicler Gervase of Tilbury.
Darker aspects of early werewolf ideas included cannibalism. The idea of a foreign 'Manbeast' was a common xenophobic attitude in Christian Europe. Tales told by travellers returning from far away lands would spread rumours of tribes in distant mountains who ate human flesh.
Dr Curran also notes that in medieval Western European tales the werewolf is often perceived as a noble creature. Later, as the West expanded, a more horrific set of tales emerge.
This generated a fear of werewolves that sparked prosecutions of alleged werewolves, particularly in 16th century France. Burning at the stake inevitably followed.
The paranoia and irrational beliefs of the day sit well with the gothic horrors of latter-day fiction, which Bob Curran also explores later in the book.
But there have also been real-life examples of manbeasts. Dr Curran catalogues examples of cannibals, feral children, the psychotically ill, and the Leopard Men cult of Western Africa back in the 1940s.
So why is there a cultural fascination with werewolves?
Dr Curran says that they represented freedom - "the thrill of the hunt together with the absence of the constraints of a more regimented culture.
"It was wildness; it was the exhilaration that civilized men imagined existed within the bestial world. It accorded hidden passions and concealed rages, as it shook off the very trappings of what made mankind 'civilized'."
http://www.colerainetimes.co.uk/news/Coleraine-author-taps-into-fascination.6075277.jp
(Submitted by Caty Bergman)
Thursday, January 14, 2010
Fresh sighting of UFOs and Werewolves on Cannock Chase
Jan 13 2010
Hound of the Cannock hills?
A wave of paranormal and mysterious episodes in the town have helped usher in a new decade of spooky sightings, with readers encountering UFOs and wild wolves in the first week of the year.
The area has a long standing association with paranormal activity – with websites across the World recording spooky incidents in the area.
Resident, Jane McNally, recently had a run-in with a mysterious canine creature while out walking with her partner on Cannock Chase.
“I was walking with my partner and his dog,” Jane said.
“We put the dog back on the lead as we thought in the distance there was an enormous ‘dog.’ As we approached the animal we realised this wasn’t a dog and it just stared at us for a while – I said I thought it looked like a fox, but the size of a lioness – it then turned into the wooded area, and we proceeded to walk on.
“As it turned its long, bushy black tipped tail, we realised it was definitely not a dog.
“I have just logged onto the net and went onto images of wolves, and can honestly say whatever we saw yesterday was the closet thing to a wolf.”
The area has also become a hotbed of UFO sightings, with dozens of people claiming to have witnessed strange lights in the sky.
Christie Oliver became the latest person to experience a close encounter, when she spied mysterious lights over Heath Hayes at the turn of the year.
“Me and my partner came home from celebrating New Year in Cannock and I let the dog out, turned to my left and saw four red dots in the sky,” she said.
“I have never seen anything like this before. I immediately called my other half out to look at it. I could not believe my eyes.
“They then flew north and two of them disappeared. The last one went around six seconds later. I can’t believe what I saw, and I would like to find out if anyone else saw it too? It was around 00.37 on New Years Day.”
http://www.sundaymercury.net/news/midlands-news/2010/01/13/fresh-sighting-of-ufo-s-and-werewolves-on-cannock-chase-66331-25589705/
(Submitted by Paul Haresnape)
Hound of the Cannock hills?
A wave of paranormal and mysterious episodes in the town have helped usher in a new decade of spooky sightings, with readers encountering UFOs and wild wolves in the first week of the year.
The area has a long standing association with paranormal activity – with websites across the World recording spooky incidents in the area.
Resident, Jane McNally, recently had a run-in with a mysterious canine creature while out walking with her partner on Cannock Chase.
“I was walking with my partner and his dog,” Jane said.
“We put the dog back on the lead as we thought in the distance there was an enormous ‘dog.’ As we approached the animal we realised this wasn’t a dog and it just stared at us for a while – I said I thought it looked like a fox, but the size of a lioness – it then turned into the wooded area, and we proceeded to walk on.
“As it turned its long, bushy black tipped tail, we realised it was definitely not a dog.
“I have just logged onto the net and went onto images of wolves, and can honestly say whatever we saw yesterday was the closet thing to a wolf.”
The area has also become a hotbed of UFO sightings, with dozens of people claiming to have witnessed strange lights in the sky.
Christie Oliver became the latest person to experience a close encounter, when she spied mysterious lights over Heath Hayes at the turn of the year.
“Me and my partner came home from celebrating New Year in Cannock and I let the dog out, turned to my left and saw four red dots in the sky,” she said.
“I have never seen anything like this before. I immediately called my other half out to look at it. I could not believe my eyes.
“They then flew north and two of them disappeared. The last one went around six seconds later. I can’t believe what I saw, and I would like to find out if anyone else saw it too? It was around 00.37 on New Years Day.”
http://www.sundaymercury.net/news/midlands-news/2010/01/13/fresh-sighting-of-ufo-s-and-werewolves-on-cannock-chase-66331-25589705/
(Submitted by Paul Haresnape)
Monday, December 14, 2009
Full moon brings out inner werewolf, scientists say
Some people are more violent and exhibit tendencies comparable to werewolves during a full moon, according to Australian scientists.
Published: 7:30AM GMT 14 Dec 2009
A study conducted at the Calvary Mater Newcastle Hospital, north of Sydney, found that in the year to July, 91 emergency patients with violent, acute disturbances comparable to werewolves were admitted.
And a quarter of these occurred on the night of a full moon, double the number for other lunar phases, according to Leonie Calver, a clinical research nurse in toxicology.
"Some of these patients attacked the staff like animals, biting, spitting and scratching," she said. The patients had to be sedated and physically restrained to protect themselves.
Miss Calver's study, reported in the Medical Journal of Australia, said: "One might compare them with the werewolves of the past, who are said to have also appeared during the full moon."
Werewolf mythology, she pointed out, included reports of people rubbing "magic ointment" on to their skin or inhaling vapours to induce the transformation from man to beast.
The main ingredients of the ointment, said Miss Calver, were belladonna and nightshade - substances that could produce delirium, hallucinations and delusions of metamorphosis.
However the "modern day werewolf" used a different 'potion' - more than 60 per cent of the patients reviewed in her study were under the influence of alcohol or drugs.
"Our findings support the premise that individuals with violent and acute behavioural disturbances are more likely to present to the emergency department during full moon," she said.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/howaboutthat/6806151/Full-moon-brings-out-inner-werewolf-scientists-say.html
Published: 7:30AM GMT 14 Dec 2009
A study conducted at the Calvary Mater Newcastle Hospital, north of Sydney, found that in the year to July, 91 emergency patients with violent, acute disturbances comparable to werewolves were admitted.
And a quarter of these occurred on the night of a full moon, double the number for other lunar phases, according to Leonie Calver, a clinical research nurse in toxicology.
"Some of these patients attacked the staff like animals, biting, spitting and scratching," she said. The patients had to be sedated and physically restrained to protect themselves.
Miss Calver's study, reported in the Medical Journal of Australia, said: "One might compare them with the werewolves of the past, who are said to have also appeared during the full moon."
Werewolf mythology, she pointed out, included reports of people rubbing "magic ointment" on to their skin or inhaling vapours to induce the transformation from man to beast.
The main ingredients of the ointment, said Miss Calver, were belladonna and nightshade - substances that could produce delirium, hallucinations and delusions of metamorphosis.
However the "modern day werewolf" used a different 'potion' - more than 60 per cent of the patients reviewed in her study were under the influence of alcohol or drugs.
"Our findings support the premise that individuals with violent and acute behavioural disturbances are more likely to present to the emergency department during full moon," she said.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/howaboutthat/6806151/Full-moon-brings-out-inner-werewolf-scientists-say.html
Full moon brings out inner werewolf, scientists say
Some people are more violent and exhibit tendencies comparable to werewolves during a full moon, according to Australian scientists.
Published: 7:30AM GMT 14 Dec 2009
A study conducted at the Calvary Mater Newcastle Hospital, north of Sydney, found that in the year to July, 91 emergency patients with violent, acute disturbances comparable to werewolves were admitted.
And a quarter of these occurred on the night of a full moon, double the number for other lunar phases, according to Leonie Calver, a clinical research nurse in toxicology.
"Some of these patients attacked the staff like animals, biting, spitting and scratching," she said. The patients had to be sedated and physically restrained to protect themselves.
Miss Calver's study, reported in the Medical Journal of Australia, said: "One might compare them with the werewolves of the past, who are said to have also appeared during the full moon."
Werewolf mythology, she pointed out, included reports of people rubbing "magic ointment" on to their skin or inhaling vapours to induce the transformation from man to beast.
The main ingredients of the ointment, said Miss Calver, were belladonna and nightshade - substances that could produce delirium, hallucinations and delusions of metamorphosis.
However the "modern day werewolf" used a different 'potion' - more than 60 per cent of the patients reviewed in her study were under the influence of alcohol or drugs.
"Our findings support the premise that individuals with violent and acute behavioural disturbances are more likely to present to the emergency department during full moon," she said.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/howaboutthat/6806151/Full-moon-brings-out-inner-werewolf-scientists-say.html
Published: 7:30AM GMT 14 Dec 2009
A study conducted at the Calvary Mater Newcastle Hospital, north of Sydney, found that in the year to July, 91 emergency patients with violent, acute disturbances comparable to werewolves were admitted.
And a quarter of these occurred on the night of a full moon, double the number for other lunar phases, according to Leonie Calver, a clinical research nurse in toxicology.
"Some of these patients attacked the staff like animals, biting, spitting and scratching," she said. The patients had to be sedated and physically restrained to protect themselves.
Miss Calver's study, reported in the Medical Journal of Australia, said: "One might compare them with the werewolves of the past, who are said to have also appeared during the full moon."
Werewolf mythology, she pointed out, included reports of people rubbing "magic ointment" on to their skin or inhaling vapours to induce the transformation from man to beast.
The main ingredients of the ointment, said Miss Calver, were belladonna and nightshade - substances that could produce delirium, hallucinations and delusions of metamorphosis.
However the "modern day werewolf" used a different 'potion' - more than 60 per cent of the patients reviewed in her study were under the influence of alcohol or drugs.
"Our findings support the premise that individuals with violent and acute behavioural disturbances are more likely to present to the emergency department during full moon," she said.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/howaboutthat/6806151/Full-moon-brings-out-inner-werewolf-scientists-say.html
Wednesday, October 21, 2009
New moon rising: return of the werewolf
RIGHT: Benicio del Toro takes the lead in next year's 'The Wolfman'Forget vampires. A raft of new werewolf films looks set to take horror to hairy new levels. It's time to stock up on the silver bullets, says Stephen Applebaum.
Monday, 19 October 2009
Is the vampire's reign as creature of the night coming to an end? For some time now, bloodsuckers have been hogging the moonlight in everything from the chaste, teen-friendly Twilight to HBO's kinky True Blood, while October alone has given us Park Chan-wook's mad sanguinary love story Thirst, and Cirque du Freak: The Vampire's Assistant.
But could the release earlier this year of Underworld: Rise of the Lycans, the return to cinemas of John Landis's influential comedy-horror An American Werewolf in London, and the delayed arrival next February of the remake of George Waggner's seminal The Wolfman, starring Benicio del Toro as the titular lycanthrope, be a sign that the scales are tipping in favour of another mythical creature? As will be evident when The Twilight Saga: New Moon is released, werewolves are on their way back – and they're coming in force. It had to happen, eventually.
"If vampires are popular, it follows that werewolves must soon arrive," says Brad Steiger, author of The Werewolf Book. "In cinema, the two are paired like horse and carriage. You can't have one without the other." Chris Weitz, director of New Moon, concurs. "I suppose they're the two most relatable human monsters we can think of," he said recently. "They nicely encapsulate restraint and passion. Vampires are cold-blooded, literally, and werewolves are hot-blooded."
Whether we will go as loopy over lycanthropes as we have vampires remains to be seen. But like them or loathe them, they will be hard to avoid. Indeed, New Moon will offer a whole (six) pack of buff Native American werewolves. The writer/producer/director Alan Ball has promised that the beasties will soon be padding around True Blood's Bon Temps. Jack and Diane, a notorious lesbian werewolf movie originally, but no longer, starring Juno's Ellen Page, looks likely to finally appear in 2011, while MTV is developing a pilot for a series based on the popular 1985 Michael J Fox movie Teen Wolf. Fox network's "dramedy" Bitches – yes, really – about a quartet of female New Yorkers who happen to be werewolves, has, apparently, been put on the back-burner for now.
Meanwhile, Leonardo DiCaprio's production company, Appian Way, is putting together a "Gothic re-imagining" of Little Red Riding Hood, with Twilight director, Catherine Hardwicke, at the helm. Some early oral versions involve a werewolf rather than a wolf; after all, the girl's fate at the end of the first published version, by Charles Perrault, was more grim than Grimm.
Add to this list a proposed, some might say pointless, remake of An American Werewolf in London, and the news that the film rights to Maggie Stiefvater's best-selling teen novel Shiver, about a young girl and her wolfy teenage boyfriend, have been snapped up by the producers of Lord of the Rings and Blade, and who can doubt that the fur is really going to fly? Why now? According to Steiger, the werewolf might just be the perfect creature for today.
"What could give one more of a sense of power in these troubled times," he muses, "than being able to shapeshift into a wolf and run off into the night, howling at the moon, and being able to demolish one's enemies and anxieties?" Steiger has a point. Who doesn't feel like going wild these days?
Werewolves in various forms have stalked the imagination for millennia, the reasons for their existence changing over the centuries. In some legends, people become werewolves by choice, says Steiger; they "seek the power of transmutation through incantations, potions or spells, glorying in their strength and in their ability to strike fear into the hearts of all who hear their piercing howling on the nights of the full moon. They also become great warriors in the legends of the Norse and other countries."
After the Church condemned them as Satanic in the Middle Ages, however, a lycanthrope was one of the last things anyone wanted to be identified as. Take the case of Peter Stubbe, in 1589, for instance. He was accused of a series of wolf attacks near Cologne – the wolf itself having vanished – and confessed under torture to making a pact with the Devil, who he claimed gave him a belt that transformed him into a wolf. He said he had killed and eaten children, including his own son, and livestock, and committed incest. The least grisly part of poor Stubbe's punishment was his beheading.
Today, our concept of the werewolf comes mainly courtesy of Hollywood. Though there had been earlier werewolf films, notably Universal's Werewolf of London, in 1935, it was the same studio's The Wolf Man, starring Lon Chaney Jr, six years later, which would fix the creature in popular culture, and for a long time serve as the blueprint, effectively, for future werewolf movies.
Intelligently scripted by Curt Siodmak, the film "rewrote centuries of werewolf lore and legend", says Steiger. Even the film's famous poem – "Even the man who is pure at heart/ And says his prayers at night/ May become a wolf when the wolfbane blooms/ And the moon is clear and bright" – was written by Siodmak.
"The Wolf Man created a number of faux werewolf traditions that became cinematic werewolf dogma in many horror films to follow," notes Steiger. These included the transmission of lycanthropy via a bite or scratch, the first full moon following an attack as the trigger for the victim's initial transformation into a werewolf, the look of the creature, the "clouding of human compassion by blood lust", and the lethal effect of silver. A silver bullet in the heart, he points out, was not added until Frankenstein Meets the Wolf Man in 1943.
If werewolves have anything to be thankful for, it is surely that, unlike vampires, at least they aren't undead. The sun's rays are harmless to them, they can see their reflection in mirrors, and crucifixes pose no danger. On the other hand, pentagrams, especially silver ones, must be avoided.
The years since The Wolf Man have seen the creature's popularity wax and wane, as actors including a pre-Little House on the Prairie Michael Landon (I Was a Teenage Werewolf), Oliver Reed (The Curse of the Werewolf) and Jack Nicholson (Wolf) have followed in Chaney Jr's paw prints.
In 1981 the sub-genre gained a new lease of life with the release of An American Werewolf in London. The film was a perfect meld of comedy, horror and satire, and featured groundbreaking, ultimately Oscar-winning special effects by Rick Baker, which seamlessly transformed David Naughton's hapless backpacker, horrifyingly, into a ravening wolf before our eyes.
The momentum was maintained by two other films released the same year: Joe Dante's The Howling and the more serious-minded Wolfen. While the rest of the 80s produced further memorable outings for werewolves, such as A Company of Wolves and Teen Wolf, the 90s proved disappointing, offering the likes of Mike Nichols' so-so Wolf and the dire An American Werewolf in Paris.
The Canadian cult favourite Ginger Snaps gave the werewolf a much needed boost at the beginning of the Noughties, and the creature has barely been away since, re-appearing in Dog Soldiers, the Underworld and Harry Potter films, and Van Helsing, among others.
Next year, The Wolfman will take us back to the creature's cinematic roots. It is a risky business remaking a classic and time will tell whether it works like moonlight on the werewolf sub-genre, or a silver bullet. "I am not a fan of remakes, but I do have great hopes for the film," says Steiger.
With any luck, it will be – ahem – a howling success.
Honourable howlers Five great werewolf movies
By Ben Walsh
An American Werewolf in London (1981)
John Landis's mischievous, droll and rather heart-breaking werewolf film begins with two young, chirpy American backpackers traipsing along the Yorkshire moors. They stop off at a pub, The Slaughtered Lamb, and somewhat unwisely ignore the dire warnings of the locals ("Stay on the roads. Keep clear of the moors"). Clearly they're going to be mauled by a lycanthrope. David (David Naughton) survives but he's prone to violent mood swings come full-moon time. His friend, Jack (the bone-dry Griffin Dunne), is trapped in purgatory as a rotting corpse. 'An American Werewolf in London' is memorable for its groundbreaking special effects – the werewolf transformation scene in particular – the petrifying late-night Tube sequence, Jenny Agutter's comely nurse, the soundtrack (Van Morrison's "Moondance" and "Blue Moon" by Bobby Vinton) and the frightful sight of a gaggle of rotting corpses congregated in a seedy cinema watching a porn film. It also benefits from a cameo from Brian Glover and the immortal line, "You made me miss. I've never missed that board before."
Dog Soldiers (2002)
Another witty werewolf film, this time featuring a platoon of British squaddies – including Kevin McKidd's earnest hero and Sean Pertwee's very ripe (he's disembowelled early in the piece, but is patched together with Superglue) sergeant – who are besieged, 'Night of the Living Dead'-style in an abandoned shack in the woods by dirty great werewolves. Neil Marshall's gory, impudent, potty-mouthed delight is that rare thing – a decent, low-budget British horror flick – and is full of tasty dialogue, such as "We are now up against live, hostile targets. So, if Little Red Riding Hood should show up with a bazooka and a bad attitude, I expect you to chin the bitch."
The Company of Wolves (1984)
Neil Jordan's unsettling, brooding coming-of-age tale is based on two short stories by Angela Carter, who also co-wrote the screenplay with Jordan for this cerebral film. 'The Company of Wolves' turns down the blood and guts, but cranks up the eeriness. Based around the 'Little Red Riding Hood' fable, this stylish, trancelike and intensely visual feature film concerns the dreams and nightmares of an adolescent girl, Rosaleen (Sarah Patterson), who is told a series of stories by her creepy old grandma (Angela Lansbury), at one point warning her young charge that "There is a beast inside every man; he meets his match in the beast inside of every woman". Jordan's deeply odd werewolf flick is highly sensual, riddled with references to Eden (snakes and apples pop up regularly) and centres on sexual maturity, innocence lost and the horrors of puberty. It's very ripe, with a suitable gamey performance from Stephen Rea as a bloodthirsty (of course) werewolf.
Wolf (1994)
Jack Nicholson, remarkably, is rather sweet in Mike Nichols' "grown up" werewolf film. He plays Will Randall, a burnt-out, slightly wimpy book editor whose supposed friend and ally (a deliciously slimy James Spader) is sleeping with his wife (Kate Nelligan) and undermining his efforts to impress his wealthy boss (Christopher Plummer). However, once Randall is bitten by a wolf, the underdog, as it were, bites back. With his heightened senses, feral instincts and increased stamina he becomes a much more aggressive proposition. He also, rather fortunately, attracts the attentions of Michelle Pfeiffer's millionaire's daughter. Not really a horror film, this is a cerebral, amusing and leisurely paced romance, with an exquisite performance from Nicholson.
The Howling (1981)
It was very tempting to plump for Hammer House of Horror's garish 'The Curse of the Werewolf' (1961), starring a very young Oliver Reed. However, Joe Dante's excellent and much-imitated horror, 'The Howling', is a superior beast. 'The Howling' centres on a TV anchor (Dee Wallace-Stone) who is on the trail of a serial killer, Eddie (Robert Picardo). When she finally catches up with Eddie, she witnesses him morph into a lycan. Full of suspense, black humour, bloodshed and tension.
'An American Werewolf in London' opens 30 October; 'The Twilight Saga: New Moon' opens 20 November ; 'The Wolfman' opens 12 February ; 'Real Vampires, Night Stalkers and Creatures from the Darkside', by Brad Steiger, is published by Visible Ink Press
http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/features/new-moon-rising-return-of-the-werewolf-1805067.html
(Submitted by LordOfThyNight)
New moon rising: return of the werewolf
RIGHT: Benicio del Toro takes the lead in next year's 'The Wolfman'Forget vampires. A raft of new werewolf films looks set to take horror to hairy new levels. It's time to stock up on the silver bullets, says Stephen Applebaum.
Monday, 19 October 2009
Is the vampire's reign as creature of the night coming to an end? For some time now, bloodsuckers have been hogging the moonlight in everything from the chaste, teen-friendly Twilight to HBO's kinky True Blood, while October alone has given us Park Chan-wook's mad sanguinary love story Thirst, and Cirque du Freak: The Vampire's Assistant.
But could the release earlier this year of Underworld: Rise of the Lycans, the return to cinemas of John Landis's influential comedy-horror An American Werewolf in London, and the delayed arrival next February of the remake of George Waggner's seminal The Wolfman, starring Benicio del Toro as the titular lycanthrope, be a sign that the scales are tipping in favour of another mythical creature? As will be evident when The Twilight Saga: New Moon is released, werewolves are on their way back – and they're coming in force. It had to happen, eventually.
"If vampires are popular, it follows that werewolves must soon arrive," says Brad Steiger, author of The Werewolf Book. "In cinema, the two are paired like horse and carriage. You can't have one without the other." Chris Weitz, director of New Moon, concurs. "I suppose they're the two most relatable human monsters we can think of," he said recently. "They nicely encapsulate restraint and passion. Vampires are cold-blooded, literally, and werewolves are hot-blooded."
Whether we will go as loopy over lycanthropes as we have vampires remains to be seen. But like them or loathe them, they will be hard to avoid. Indeed, New Moon will offer a whole (six) pack of buff Native American werewolves. The writer/producer/director Alan Ball has promised that the beasties will soon be padding around True Blood's Bon Temps. Jack and Diane, a notorious lesbian werewolf movie originally, but no longer, starring Juno's Ellen Page, looks likely to finally appear in 2011, while MTV is developing a pilot for a series based on the popular 1985 Michael J Fox movie Teen Wolf. Fox network's "dramedy" Bitches – yes, really – about a quartet of female New Yorkers who happen to be werewolves, has, apparently, been put on the back-burner for now.
Meanwhile, Leonardo DiCaprio's production company, Appian Way, is putting together a "Gothic re-imagining" of Little Red Riding Hood, with Twilight director, Catherine Hardwicke, at the helm. Some early oral versions involve a werewolf rather than a wolf; after all, the girl's fate at the end of the first published version, by Charles Perrault, was more grim than Grimm.
Add to this list a proposed, some might say pointless, remake of An American Werewolf in London, and the news that the film rights to Maggie Stiefvater's best-selling teen novel Shiver, about a young girl and her wolfy teenage boyfriend, have been snapped up by the producers of Lord of the Rings and Blade, and who can doubt that the fur is really going to fly? Why now? According to Steiger, the werewolf might just be the perfect creature for today.
"What could give one more of a sense of power in these troubled times," he muses, "than being able to shapeshift into a wolf and run off into the night, howling at the moon, and being able to demolish one's enemies and anxieties?" Steiger has a point. Who doesn't feel like going wild these days?
Werewolves in various forms have stalked the imagination for millennia, the reasons for their existence changing over the centuries. In some legends, people become werewolves by choice, says Steiger; they "seek the power of transmutation through incantations, potions or spells, glorying in their strength and in their ability to strike fear into the hearts of all who hear their piercing howling on the nights of the full moon. They also become great warriors in the legends of the Norse and other countries."
After the Church condemned them as Satanic in the Middle Ages, however, a lycanthrope was one of the last things anyone wanted to be identified as. Take the case of Peter Stubbe, in 1589, for instance. He was accused of a series of wolf attacks near Cologne – the wolf itself having vanished – and confessed under torture to making a pact with the Devil, who he claimed gave him a belt that transformed him into a wolf. He said he had killed and eaten children, including his own son, and livestock, and committed incest. The least grisly part of poor Stubbe's punishment was his beheading.
Today, our concept of the werewolf comes mainly courtesy of Hollywood. Though there had been earlier werewolf films, notably Universal's Werewolf of London, in 1935, it was the same studio's The Wolf Man, starring Lon Chaney Jr, six years later, which would fix the creature in popular culture, and for a long time serve as the blueprint, effectively, for future werewolf movies.
Intelligently scripted by Curt Siodmak, the film "rewrote centuries of werewolf lore and legend", says Steiger. Even the film's famous poem – "Even the man who is pure at heart/ And says his prayers at night/ May become a wolf when the wolfbane blooms/ And the moon is clear and bright" – was written by Siodmak.
"The Wolf Man created a number of faux werewolf traditions that became cinematic werewolf dogma in many horror films to follow," notes Steiger. These included the transmission of lycanthropy via a bite or scratch, the first full moon following an attack as the trigger for the victim's initial transformation into a werewolf, the look of the creature, the "clouding of human compassion by blood lust", and the lethal effect of silver. A silver bullet in the heart, he points out, was not added until Frankenstein Meets the Wolf Man in 1943.
If werewolves have anything to be thankful for, it is surely that, unlike vampires, at least they aren't undead. The sun's rays are harmless to them, they can see their reflection in mirrors, and crucifixes pose no danger. On the other hand, pentagrams, especially silver ones, must be avoided.
The years since The Wolf Man have seen the creature's popularity wax and wane, as actors including a pre-Little House on the Prairie Michael Landon (I Was a Teenage Werewolf), Oliver Reed (The Curse of the Werewolf) and Jack Nicholson (Wolf) have followed in Chaney Jr's paw prints.
In 1981 the sub-genre gained a new lease of life with the release of An American Werewolf in London. The film was a perfect meld of comedy, horror and satire, and featured groundbreaking, ultimately Oscar-winning special effects by Rick Baker, which seamlessly transformed David Naughton's hapless backpacker, horrifyingly, into a ravening wolf before our eyes.
The momentum was maintained by two other films released the same year: Joe Dante's The Howling and the more serious-minded Wolfen. While the rest of the 80s produced further memorable outings for werewolves, such as A Company of Wolves and Teen Wolf, the 90s proved disappointing, offering the likes of Mike Nichols' so-so Wolf and the dire An American Werewolf in Paris.
The Canadian cult favourite Ginger Snaps gave the werewolf a much needed boost at the beginning of the Noughties, and the creature has barely been away since, re-appearing in Dog Soldiers, the Underworld and Harry Potter films, and Van Helsing, among others.
Next year, The Wolfman will take us back to the creature's cinematic roots. It is a risky business remaking a classic and time will tell whether it works like moonlight on the werewolf sub-genre, or a silver bullet. "I am not a fan of remakes, but I do have great hopes for the film," says Steiger.
With any luck, it will be – ahem – a howling success.
Honourable howlers Five great werewolf movies
By Ben Walsh
An American Werewolf in London (1981)
John Landis's mischievous, droll and rather heart-breaking werewolf film begins with two young, chirpy American backpackers traipsing along the Yorkshire moors. They stop off at a pub, The Slaughtered Lamb, and somewhat unwisely ignore the dire warnings of the locals ("Stay on the roads. Keep clear of the moors"). Clearly they're going to be mauled by a lycanthrope. David (David Naughton) survives but he's prone to violent mood swings come full-moon time. His friend, Jack (the bone-dry Griffin Dunne), is trapped in purgatory as a rotting corpse. 'An American Werewolf in London' is memorable for its groundbreaking special effects – the werewolf transformation scene in particular – the petrifying late-night Tube sequence, Jenny Agutter's comely nurse, the soundtrack (Van Morrison's "Moondance" and "Blue Moon" by Bobby Vinton) and the frightful sight of a gaggle of rotting corpses congregated in a seedy cinema watching a porn film. It also benefits from a cameo from Brian Glover and the immortal line, "You made me miss. I've never missed that board before."
Dog Soldiers (2002)
Another witty werewolf film, this time featuring a platoon of British squaddies – including Kevin McKidd's earnest hero and Sean Pertwee's very ripe (he's disembowelled early in the piece, but is patched together with Superglue) sergeant – who are besieged, 'Night of the Living Dead'-style in an abandoned shack in the woods by dirty great werewolves. Neil Marshall's gory, impudent, potty-mouthed delight is that rare thing – a decent, low-budget British horror flick – and is full of tasty dialogue, such as "We are now up against live, hostile targets. So, if Little Red Riding Hood should show up with a bazooka and a bad attitude, I expect you to chin the bitch."
The Company of Wolves (1984)
Neil Jordan's unsettling, brooding coming-of-age tale is based on two short stories by Angela Carter, who also co-wrote the screenplay with Jordan for this cerebral film. 'The Company of Wolves' turns down the blood and guts, but cranks up the eeriness. Based around the 'Little Red Riding Hood' fable, this stylish, trancelike and intensely visual feature film concerns the dreams and nightmares of an adolescent girl, Rosaleen (Sarah Patterson), who is told a series of stories by her creepy old grandma (Angela Lansbury), at one point warning her young charge that "There is a beast inside every man; he meets his match in the beast inside of every woman". Jordan's deeply odd werewolf flick is highly sensual, riddled with references to Eden (snakes and apples pop up regularly) and centres on sexual maturity, innocence lost and the horrors of puberty. It's very ripe, with a suitable gamey performance from Stephen Rea as a bloodthirsty (of course) werewolf.
Wolf (1994)
Jack Nicholson, remarkably, is rather sweet in Mike Nichols' "grown up" werewolf film. He plays Will Randall, a burnt-out, slightly wimpy book editor whose supposed friend and ally (a deliciously slimy James Spader) is sleeping with his wife (Kate Nelligan) and undermining his efforts to impress his wealthy boss (Christopher Plummer). However, once Randall is bitten by a wolf, the underdog, as it were, bites back. With his heightened senses, feral instincts and increased stamina he becomes a much more aggressive proposition. He also, rather fortunately, attracts the attentions of Michelle Pfeiffer's millionaire's daughter. Not really a horror film, this is a cerebral, amusing and leisurely paced romance, with an exquisite performance from Nicholson.
The Howling (1981)
It was very tempting to plump for Hammer House of Horror's garish 'The Curse of the Werewolf' (1961), starring a very young Oliver Reed. However, Joe Dante's excellent and much-imitated horror, 'The Howling', is a superior beast. 'The Howling' centres on a TV anchor (Dee Wallace-Stone) who is on the trail of a serial killer, Eddie (Robert Picardo). When she finally catches up with Eddie, she witnesses him morph into a lycan. Full of suspense, black humour, bloodshed and tension.
'An American Werewolf in London' opens 30 October; 'The Twilight Saga: New Moon' opens 20 November ; 'The Wolfman' opens 12 February ; 'Real Vampires, Night Stalkers and Creatures from the Darkside', by Brad Steiger, is published by Visible Ink Press
http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/features/new-moon-rising-return-of-the-werewolf-1805067.html
(Submitted by LordOfThyNight)
Wednesday, June 17, 2009
Darwin killed off the werewolf
Darwin killed off the werewolf
16 June 2009 British Society for the History of Science
It was Darwinian theory that did away with the werewolf. For much of recorded history, humans have reserved their greatest fears for dog-human hybrids like the werewolf. These beasts were once thought to be real, hiding behind every tree waiting for the unsuspecting traveler.
But, argues Brian Regal, assistant professor of the history of science at Kean University in Union, New Jersey, USA, the publication of Charles Darwin’s On the Origin of Species 150 years ago focused minds on a different kind of monster – ape-men such as the Yeti, Bigfoot and Sasquatch.
Regal will present his thesis in July at the annual meeting of the British Society for the History of Science in Leicester, UK. He will use period artwork to chart the ‘evolution’ of the werewolf into
Bigfoot.
From the late 19th century onwards, stories of werewolf encounters tailed away significantly, says Regal. “The spread of the idea of evolution helped kill off the werewolf because a canid-human hybrid makes no sense from an evolutionary point of view,” he says. “The ape-human hybrid, however, is not only evolutionarily acceptable, it is the basis of human evolution.”
Today, in Darwin’s bicentenary year, werewolves have been relegated to films. When it comes to the actual monster scene, it’s Bigfoot that now dominates.
http://www.bshs.org.uk/conferences/annual-conference/2009-leicester
16 June 2009 British Society for the History of Science
It was Darwinian theory that did away with the werewolf. For much of recorded history, humans have reserved their greatest fears for dog-human hybrids like the werewolf. These beasts were once thought to be real, hiding behind every tree waiting for the unsuspecting traveler.
But, argues Brian Regal, assistant professor of the history of science at Kean University in Union, New Jersey, USA, the publication of Charles Darwin’s On the Origin of Species 150 years ago focused minds on a different kind of monster – ape-men such as the Yeti, Bigfoot and Sasquatch.
Regal will present his thesis in July at the annual meeting of the British Society for the History of Science in Leicester, UK. He will use period artwork to chart the ‘evolution’ of the werewolf into
Bigfoot.
From the late 19th century onwards, stories of werewolf encounters tailed away significantly, says Regal. “The spread of the idea of evolution helped kill off the werewolf because a canid-human hybrid makes no sense from an evolutionary point of view,” he says. “The ape-human hybrid, however, is not only evolutionarily acceptable, it is the basis of human evolution.”
Today, in Darwin’s bicentenary year, werewolves have been relegated to films. When it comes to the actual monster scene, it’s Bigfoot that now dominates.
http://www.bshs.org.uk/conferences/annual-conference/2009-leicester
Friday, May 22, 2009
Boffins identify inherited 'werewolf' mutation
Several packs discovered after four-year search
By Lewis Page • 22nd May 2009 13:37 GMT
Chinese boffins believe that they may have discovered the gene for "werewolf syndrome", and say that there are at least thirty people with the inherited disorder among the population of the People's Republic.
Science magazine reports that the correct medical name for werewolf syndrome is not lycanthropy but congenital generalized hypertrichosis terminalis (CGHT), and that geneticist Xue Zhang of the Peking Union Medical College in Beijing has "scoured his country for cases".
Apparently after more than four years of intensive hunting, Zhang and his team identified three families afflicted with the "rare but highly heritable disorder", and managed to persuade 16 sufferers to have their DNA scanned for genetic abnormalities.
According to Zhang & Co's paper, published yesterday in the American Journal of Human Genetics, all the CGHT sufferers had a "copy number variation" mutation in the same four genes on their seventeenth chromosome.
Zhang noted that the affected genes are near to one called SOX9, which is linked to hair growth. It could be that SOX9 in hair follicle stem cells is affected by the "werewolf syndrome" mutation to cause excessive hair growth - "but this is pure speculation", admits the geneticist.
This being the real world, "werewolf syndrome" has nothing to do with the full moon. CGHT sufferers do grow a thick hairy pelt, and some "also have a broad, flat nose, large ears, a large mouth, and thick lips, and, occasionally, an enlarged head and jaw", according to Science. But they don't suffer bestial urges any more than the rest of us, aren't immune to lead bullets etc.
Apparently CGHT victims in modern times have been more likely to find employment as "bearded ladies" at circuses than to be pursued by superstitious villagers with flaming torches and pitchforks.
Read all about it layman-stylee from Science here, or for those up on their genetics (and with the right subscription) the scholarly paper is here. ®
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2009/05/22/chinese_werewolves_identified/
By Lewis Page • 22nd May 2009 13:37 GMT
Chinese boffins believe that they may have discovered the gene for "werewolf syndrome", and say that there are at least thirty people with the inherited disorder among the population of the People's Republic.
Science magazine reports that the correct medical name for werewolf syndrome is not lycanthropy but congenital generalized hypertrichosis terminalis (CGHT), and that geneticist Xue Zhang of the Peking Union Medical College in Beijing has "scoured his country for cases".
Apparently after more than four years of intensive hunting, Zhang and his team identified three families afflicted with the "rare but highly heritable disorder", and managed to persuade 16 sufferers to have their DNA scanned for genetic abnormalities.
According to Zhang & Co's paper, published yesterday in the American Journal of Human Genetics, all the CGHT sufferers had a "copy number variation" mutation in the same four genes on their seventeenth chromosome.
Zhang noted that the affected genes are near to one called SOX9, which is linked to hair growth. It could be that SOX9 in hair follicle stem cells is affected by the "werewolf syndrome" mutation to cause excessive hair growth - "but this is pure speculation", admits the geneticist.
This being the real world, "werewolf syndrome" has nothing to do with the full moon. CGHT sufferers do grow a thick hairy pelt, and some "also have a broad, flat nose, large ears, a large mouth, and thick lips, and, occasionally, an enlarged head and jaw", according to Science. But they don't suffer bestial urges any more than the rest of us, aren't immune to lead bullets etc.
Apparently CGHT victims in modern times have been more likely to find employment as "bearded ladies" at circuses than to be pursued by superstitious villagers with flaming torches and pitchforks.
Read all about it layman-stylee from Science here, or for those up on their genetics (and with the right subscription) the scholarly paper is here. ®
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2009/05/22/chinese_werewolves_identified/
Wednesday, February 25, 2009
A Brazilian Werewolf – is back
São Paulo, Feb 13:
Woman claims to have been attacked by ‘werewolf’
According to the victim’s account, the creature looked like a big dog. Police is looking for a suspect that may have used a costume to attack the girl.
The inhabitants of São Sepé, Rio Grande do Sul, [Brazil] have one more reason to fear Friday the 13th. Besides the bad luck and the strange happenings during the day, a ‘werewolf’ is supposedly at large. One of the possible victims, a 20-year-old, recorded her complaint in the police.
According to the police, Kelly Martins Becker claims to have been attacked in the night of January 28 by an animal that looked like a big dog, that was standing on its back feet and walked as if it were a man. She made a sketch of the creature.
According to the complaint, the creature scratched the face and arms of the victim. The police informed that Kelly underwent medical examination, where the wounds were confirmed. Officers also claim they will investigate if someone is using a werewolf costume to scare people. No suspect was arrested until Friday.
For full article with pictures please see:
http://forgetomori.com/2009/skepticism/a-brazilian-werewolf-is-back/
Woman claims to have been attacked by ‘werewolf’
According to the victim’s account, the creature looked like a big dog. Police is looking for a suspect that may have used a costume to attack the girl.
The inhabitants of São Sepé, Rio Grande do Sul, [Brazil] have one more reason to fear Friday the 13th. Besides the bad luck and the strange happenings during the day, a ‘werewolf’ is supposedly at large. One of the possible victims, a 20-year-old, recorded her complaint in the police.
According to the police, Kelly Martins Becker claims to have been attacked in the night of January 28 by an animal that looked like a big dog, that was standing on its back feet and walked as if it were a man. She made a sketch of the creature.
According to the complaint, the creature scratched the face and arms of the victim. The police informed that Kelly underwent medical examination, where the wounds were confirmed. Officers also claim they will investigate if someone is using a werewolf costume to scare people. No suspect was arrested until Friday.
For full article with pictures please see:
http://forgetomori.com/2009/skepticism/a-brazilian-werewolf-is-back/
Monday, February 23, 2009
Werewolves, unicorns and gore
Published: Sunday, February 22, 2009 at 4:03 a.m.
Mythtym
Edited by Trinie Dalton
In any 1970s horror movie worth its splatter budget, there's a crucial moment when a comely young woman examines herself in a mirror and is promptly killed. For Trinie Dalton, such hopelessly cliched moments are packed with clues to our darkest fears.
Dalton is the editor of "Mythtym," a new anthology of essays, fiction and artwork -- both serious and campy -- about werewolves, unicorns and what she calls "mirror horror."
As she explains: "If you watch enough of those movies, they're all exactly the same. These splatter-core movies have their own tropes -- like how the best way to show blood is to cut someone up in the shower so you see it on the tiles. But then you realize that these cliches are based on archetypes. The mirror as a symbol seems most powerful in a time of fear, when people step back and look at themselves."
"Mythtym" is a deep investigation into, and a cheeky balm for, the things that scare us. It's composed of three zines that Dalton, author of "Wide Eyed" and a compiler of "Dear New Girl or Whatever Your Name Is," made over recent years.
In "Mirror Horror," the anthology's first and largest section, she traces the theme of damning narcissism in works as diverse as the woodcuts of Albrecht Durer and the blood-bucket slasher flicks of Dario Argento.
Then, echoing the wry spirit of her friend, performance artist Miranda July, she follows up with a section devoted entirely to unicorn kitsch.
Unicorns -- really? Instead of derailing the book's otherwise involved explorations of mythology and high-gloss production values, this offers a knowing wink at the silliness of such pursuits.
"That's just my sense of humor, and it's a very contemporary way of making art, to just throw everything in there," Dalton says. "It's like how I watch horror movies that might otherwise be disturbing: If you look at it with an intellectual framework, or people around you are laughing at the scenes, you're not scared of it."
"Werewolf Express," the book's final segment, splits the difference, bookended by Dalton's essay on werewolf mythology and feminist semiotics and an illustrated spread of dog stickers offering advice to Shelley Duvall.
In between is a smattering of short works by authors such as Rachel Kushner and Amy Gerstler, as well as photos of mixed-media sculpture, campy illustrations and video stills.
"Mythtym" may be the ideal reference book for our collective psyche -- at once macabre, escapist and unexpectedly incisive. And it might even take us back to a time when we were afraid to drift too far from the campfire.
-- Los Angeles Times
Mythtym
Edited by Trinie Dalton
In any 1970s horror movie worth its splatter budget, there's a crucial moment when a comely young woman examines herself in a mirror and is promptly killed. For Trinie Dalton, such hopelessly cliched moments are packed with clues to our darkest fears.
Dalton is the editor of "Mythtym," a new anthology of essays, fiction and artwork -- both serious and campy -- about werewolves, unicorns and what she calls "mirror horror."
As she explains: "If you watch enough of those movies, they're all exactly the same. These splatter-core movies have their own tropes -- like how the best way to show blood is to cut someone up in the shower so you see it on the tiles. But then you realize that these cliches are based on archetypes. The mirror as a symbol seems most powerful in a time of fear, when people step back and look at themselves."
"Mythtym" is a deep investigation into, and a cheeky balm for, the things that scare us. It's composed of three zines that Dalton, author of "Wide Eyed" and a compiler of "Dear New Girl or Whatever Your Name Is," made over recent years.
In "Mirror Horror," the anthology's first and largest section, she traces the theme of damning narcissism in works as diverse as the woodcuts of Albrecht Durer and the blood-bucket slasher flicks of Dario Argento.
Then, echoing the wry spirit of her friend, performance artist Miranda July, she follows up with a section devoted entirely to unicorn kitsch.
Unicorns -- really? Instead of derailing the book's otherwise involved explorations of mythology and high-gloss production values, this offers a knowing wink at the silliness of such pursuits.
"That's just my sense of humor, and it's a very contemporary way of making art, to just throw everything in there," Dalton says. "It's like how I watch horror movies that might otherwise be disturbing: If you look at it with an intellectual framework, or people around you are laughing at the scenes, you're not scared of it."
"Werewolf Express," the book's final segment, splits the difference, bookended by Dalton's essay on werewolf mythology and feminist semiotics and an illustrated spread of dog stickers offering advice to Shelley Duvall.
In between is a smattering of short works by authors such as Rachel Kushner and Amy Gerstler, as well as photos of mixed-media sculpture, campy illustrations and video stills.
"Mythtym" may be the ideal reference book for our collective psyche -- at once macabre, escapist and unexpectedly incisive. And it might even take us back to a time when we were afraid to drift too far from the campfire.
-- Los Angeles Times
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