Drawing from folklore of both ancient and medieval history, werewolves played a significant part in stories, books, and in recent decades, film and television. Similarly to vampires, the werewolf has earned an enduring role in fiction and popular culture, where they have become a staple in mainly fantasy fiction and monster films. Vampires and werewolves often have significant overlap in media, often holding similar characteristics and involved in similar stories. Guiley (2005) suggests that no supernatural creatures have adapted themselves to film and television so skilfully, alternately terrifying us and romancing us. Overtime in media, werewolves have evolved from only representing monster films and horror roles, to expand into a number of genres and represent a wide range of social topics. This trend is linked with the social and cultural changes in society.
Like vampires, werewolves were initially a shocking monster of disease and death-spreading evil. Guiley (2005) acknowledges that they have evolved into many character types, such as the hero, anti-hero, super hero and romantic lead, even becoming the ‘stock character as common as the people next door’. This evolution is especially evident in their role in the Twilight Saga, where the werewolves become fleshed out characters, rather than merely a monster-horror form, as well as Being Human, the UK television show featuring traditional monster characters living together in a flat.
The earlier films and television shows featuring werewolves were almost entirely monster horror films, often featuring attacks, murder and danger. They often represented a raw, bestial nature, which Guiley (2005) suggests, lacks the subtleties available to the fictional vampire. Szainberg (2012) offers that a difference between vampires and werewolves in early works was regret and guilt, whereby the werewolf often felt terrible remorse, only knowing what they had done through distant memory or evidence of blood and ripped clothing. This trend of difference between vampires and werewolves is echoed in many pieces of fiction, such as Underworld, Van Helsing and even the Twilight Saga, where vampires and werewolves are enemies and often depicted in gruesome and rewarding action scenes.
The 1941 film The Wolf Man, is often considered to be the ‘Dracula’ of werewolf films and is said to have put werewolves on the map. It established the connection of werewolves and wolfsbane and reinforced the idea that silver bullets can destroy the monsters. Werewolves remained in raw monster mode through much of the middle 20th century, often exploring lycanthropy and the curse of being a werewolf, Guiley (2005) claims. Prominent films that are indicative of this include I am a Teenage Werewolf in 1957 and the Curse of the Werewolf in 1961. Szainberg (2012) argues that the depiction of werewolves in this gruesome fashion stems from being one of the highest forms of undead; they appear human most of the month, only to lose control and eat humans. He argues that the popularity of werewolves is due to their bestial nature and ability to frighten. This is acknowledged in the high number of werewolf films and depictions in media which are inherently violent and frightening.
Guiley (2005) suggests that contemporary werewolf films have fallen into two camps, either featuring in a ‘monster rampage film’ or featuring ‘intelligent, supernaturally endowed man-wolf creatures’. This is similarly found in vampire and zombie films, where these character and film types have evolved beyond their initial role as monsters. In many instances, they have become a backdrop for different genres, such as romance, action and comedy. This is seen in a number of films, such as Warm Bodies (2013) and to an extent, The Walking Dead (2007-present ), where characters are portrayed in a dramatic environment featuring zombies. Valbey’s (2012) writings on the ‘Twilight Effect’ suggest how the influence of this saga, which uses vampires and werewolves to focus on romance, are circulating in modern popular culture’s bloodstream. She writes that Twilight helped create a tidal wave of interest in the paranormal – the popularity of the series helping to greenlight numerous shows including the Vampire Diaries (2009) and the Teen Wolf (2011) reboot. The popularity of the Twilight series is undeniable, boasting large ticket sales and an immense community online. Indeed, Rikk (2014) describes how ‘recent shapeshifters transform from human into desirable others, and in so doing, offer critical insight into a range of social topics’. He suggests that werewolves and their depiction can describe a ‘personal metamorphosis’ and examines that the desirability of werewolves is a repeated element in young adult literature. This desirability, which has been seen in contemporary vampire media, illustrates how werewolves have evolved from a primal and dangerous villain into a sexualised character that people can admire and be inspired by.
Cininas (2013) offers that the increasing appearance of shapeshifting characters in recent literature and media offer new and exciting options that help to challenge all manner of boundaries and social issues. They can offer critical insights into topics including ‘adolescence, gender, sexuality, ethnicity, disabilities, spirituality and religion’. She continues by proposing that the werewolf can become an empowering figure to combat feelings of loneliness and isolation caused by confused identity, dysfunctional families and vulnerability. There is definitely a significant amount of weight to her claim, especially evident in internet communities. On many forums, blogs and websites, communities often rehash werewolf culture, discussing it in stories and illustrations. Schell (2007) suggests that this innovative shift in their portrayal is one example of ‘popular culture’s rehabilitation of the werewolf’ and proposes that becoming a werewolf is not necessarily a ‘tragedy but a makeover’. Schell’s discussion is exemplified in Wolf (1994) where becoming a lycanthrope and ‘unleashing the beast has made a man out of him’. This is indicative of a modern shift in fantasy, where what was once frightening and horrible, can now be powerful, sexualised and appealing to an audience.
Indeed, it is not only a change in culture and perception of the iconic character that has played a role in the evolution of the werewolf. Guiley (2005) and Cininas (2013) argue that the available film technology was instrumental in how werewolves were portrayed. Up until the 1980s, a werewolf’s transformation was a clumsy affair, requiring cutaway shots and elaborate costumes; a development of sophisticated technology allows a ‘slick transformation to take place in front of the audience’. This continues in modern cinema, allowing for graphic depictions of attacks and transformations as well as humanising the character and making them aesthetically pleasing.
Overall, werewolves in media have undergone many changes since their inception. There is always a relevant monster-horror side to the character to provide an action and fantasy feel, but there has been a definite growth and evolution in their portrayal in other genres. Werewolves are perfectly capable, like vampires and zombies, to provide a suitable character for a range of genres in popular culture.
Reference List
Guiley, R. (2005). The encyclopedia of vampires, werewolves, and other monsters. New York, NY: Facts on File.
Szainberg, N. (2012). Zombies, Vampires, Werewolves: An Adolescent’s Developmental System for the Undead and Their Ambivalent Dependence on the Living, and Technical Implications. Psychoanalytic Review 99.6.
Valby, K. (2012). The Twilight Effect.
http://www.ew.com/article/2012/11/16/twilight-effect
Rikk, M (2014). Werewolves and Other Shapeshifters in Popular Culture: A Thematic Analysis of Recent Depictions. Extrapolation.
Schell, H (2007). The Big Bad Wolf: Masculinity and Genetics in Popular Culture. Project Muse, Literature and Medicine.
Cininas, J (2013). Girlie shape-shifters with five o’clock shadows: Surveying representations of she-wolves, wolf girls and female werewolves in printmaking and the visual arts. Luke Morgan (ed.) Intersections and Counterpoints: Proceedings of the IMPACT7 International Multi-disciplinary Printmaking Conference, Clayton, Australia, 27-30 September 2011, pp. 106-113