What Makes a Good Werewolf Movie?

[J.L.R.]

Pulling elements from the threads, "Your Werewolf", I've been thinking a great deal about why werewolf related entities pretty much suck. For years, werewolf flicks have been the laughing stock of Hollywood execs across the board, and are often doomed to be produced by inexperienced newbies, who care more about gorey effects than they do a really good story.

Honestly, it is really REALLY sad that when you talk about the genre the only really good recent werewolf fliks were in the 80's, such as The Howling, Company of Wolves, and An American Werewolf in London.

There are plans to remake both the original Howling as well as AWL.

Recently though with the advent of newer technology film makers are again returning to the genre, with somewhat a bit different approach. Len Wiseman and co made a reasonable success with the Underworld series. While ultimately there is still a LOT of work to be done with the werewolf vs. vampire soap opera, it drew plenty enough press to make a decent sale..

Come Nov. The Wolf-Man will be ripping the shreds out of the box office, right before Nov. 20th when New Moon will be released. I am going to tell you right now, New Moon, is going to be huge. It is going to be even bigger than Twilight, and will probably make twice as much, of which will be crazily impressive.

In truth, it is a good time to be writing a werewolf related script, as studios seem to be wanting them.

This could be good or bad, depending on the quality of the material.
I was recently approached by a screenwriter friend of mine who has somebody interested in an early developed animated fantasy project, that I am working on. When you also consider my finished script, "Hour of Darkness, this will hopefully open new venues for our werewolf movie fans.

Then of course, I can't leave out another project that is dear to my heart, namely, "Guardians of Luna".
Matt, my animator friend, tells me that animators LOVE to work on the werewolf episode in animated series. They really like to do those types of stories, and yet usually there is only one episode that features the critters. Luna will set a new high mark, as it will feature werewolves exclusively.

So, let us hear your input...

What qualities are needed for you to enjoy a werewolf related project?

[DarkHunter]

What bothers me is how weak the stories are. Characters without depth. There's a lot of interesting things you could do with a werewolf story, but so far Hollywood tries to stick to tired stereotypes.

The thing I like about old movies is they are dramatic and compelling without all the flashy CGI crap. People don't walk around with a lot of bad fake accents. I think people are still capable of making good movies but I don't see the seriousness or talent put into it.

And of course there's the inevitable teenaged element. Look at Cursed. All younger actors, trendy setting. The trendy element appeals to the Aeropostale types, the loser misfit who gets the girl appealing to others. Mixing things in like that doesn't make a story good, it only makes them conform to those elements.

[J.L.R.]

What bothers me is how weak the stories are. Characters without depth. There's a lot of interesting things you could do with a werewolf story, but so far Hollywood tries to stick to tired stereotypes.

The thing I like about old movies is they are dramatic and compelling without all the flashy CGI crap. People don't walk around with a lot of bad fake accents. I think people are still capable of making good movies but I don't see the seriousness or talent put into it.

And of course there's the inevitable teenaged element. Look at Cursed. All younger actors, trendy setting. The trendy element appeals to the Aeropostale types, the loser misfit who gets the girl appealing to others. Mixing things in like that doesn't make a story good, it only makes them conform to those elements.

Very true Darkhunter. We are in accord. :)

The only thing that got interesting about Cursed is the way the boy, who was bitten, started to actually like being a werewolf. I think they should have focused on that concept, as opposed to, the out of nowhere ending and story that they created. What if one of the main characters embraced the wolf side, while they other faught to find an actual cure? Sibling vs Sibling...

Many times Hollywood obeys the common misconception, that you don't need a story with an action film. When you have movies that do historically well, such as Transformers, you would think they were right. HOWEVER, movies like TF and TF2 are comparable to eating popcorn. When you're eating it, it is good, but at the end of the day, you still want something more satisfying.

Films like Lord of the Rings, the original Star Wars saga (The latest three actually had good stories, but they were executed pretty badly), Lethal Weapon, and The first Matrix movie, all had amazing stories that make you want to go see it over and over and over again. You love the action, but the story that glues everything together is so intrigueing, that you want to go back and see it again.

A solid story is good no matter the genre.

[Klark]

I'm working on getting a script written for a werewolf themed movie because of the lack of good story I've seen in recently released werewolf flicks. While it may never see the light of day, I wanted something that filled in those cracks of less story, more gore. I wanted characters that grew or regressed, I wanted to feel more life in a werewolf flick.

I won't go into detail about what I'm working on because I always have hope that it will one day be read by somebody, but I will say that movies like Cursed, Never Cry Werewolf and others that follow a similar pattern suck. Underworld: Rise of the Lycans, I feel, was just a taste of what a good story might do for the genre.

Perhaps a bigger question is why do vampire movies have better storylines than werewolf movies? (not all of them, of course, but a good majority it seems)

[BlasphemousHeart]

two words: Michael J. Fox

[UNODRAGONE]

I miss the days of Howling and American werewolf in London and even Bad Moon because they took out the time to make the werewolf look just right. They didn't depend only on heavy computer graphics; some of the werewolves were mechanical and looked wicked real. I also blame actors and the whole sex appeal (naked big busted women) for making a lot of werewolf films that had potential shitty like Full Eclipse and Big bad wolf. What was amazing about the older films especially the Wolfman is that it had the history to go with it, the legends were told and shown and it felt right. Now I hear ridiculous legends like in Never cry werewolf and Cursed. I think film makers need to focus and stay true to the old legends and make the wolves more realistic, more solid then just graphics and I think the actors need to act more "normal" not, let me cringe in terror instead of defending myself. Modern werewolf flicks just seem to lack believability and realism :(

[J.L.R.]

I'm working on getting a script written for a werewolf themed movie because of the lack of good story I've seen in recently released werewolf flicks. While it may never see the light of day, I wanted something that filled in those cracks of less story, more gore. I wanted characters that grew or regressed, I wanted to feel more life in a werewolf flick.

I won't go into detail about what I'm working on because I always have hope that it will one day be read by somebody, but I will say that movies like Cursed, Never Cry Werewolf and others that follow a similar pattern suck. Underworld: Rise of the Lycans, I feel, was just a taste of what a good story might do for the genre.

Perhaps a bigger question is why do vampire movies have better storylines than werewolf movies? (not all of them, of course, but a good majority it seems)

I can certainly relate. I just finished a "final" edit of "Hour of Darkness" a few days ago. While I have a number a big action sequences, the push is for a really good story with a strong narrative as opposed to graphic violence and tons of over done sex scenes.
I don't know how far you've gotten with the craft Klark, but I do recommend a few good books that should help you get started. Skip Press', "Idiots Guide to Screewriting" is a very cheap book, at about $20 dollars. I know Skip, and he is a nice guy, and his book really gets you started. It is a quick read as well. If you have formatting questions, and haven't purchased a Screenwriting program, such as Movie Magic or Final Draft, I suggest you pick up another book, "The Complete Screenwriter's Manual". This answers formatting questions and such.

I also recommend purchasing a full functioning screenwriting program, as it will eventually save you time, and in this biz, time is money.

I use Movie Magic Screenwriter 6.0. It has a number of amazing features and it is so smart, you really don't have to think about the formatting, and just simply focus on the craft.

As for Gurus... I've used John Truby. He's very good. I will be taking a few lecture courses from Hal Croasmun. They can be a bit pricey, but all in all, it is education, and education also helps you, the writer, create a better story.

While you write, I also suggest that you delve into the most important aspect of the biz... and that is... networking... If you have any additional questions, feel free to PM me.

Getting back on track now:

I agree with you Uno, with exception to Bad Moon, of which I thought was horrible. The German Shepherd was by far the best actor... :D I didn't like the werewolf at all, as it was a bit too mechanical.

I rather like full CGI. You can obtain believable performances with the use of full CGI, such as what was done for Gollum, and the Narnian animals, like Aslan. It all comes down to setting up the mythology giving the creatures substance, making them an actual character, as opposed to an effect.

This was one thing the Van Helsing werewolves failed to achieve. While they were certainly cool to look at, there was no depth of character.

Hopefully, once I can get HOD into production, it will change that...

[UNODRAGONE]

I can certainly relate. I just finished a "final" edit of "Hour of Darkness" a few days ago. While I have a number a big action sequences, the push is for a really good story with a strong narrative as opposed to graphic violence and tons of over done sex scenes.
I don't know how far you've gotten with the craft Klark, but I do recommend a few good books that should help you get started. Skip Press', "Idiots Guide to Screewriting" is a very cheap book, at about $20 dollars. I know Skip, and he is a nice guy, and his book really gets you started. It is a quick read as well. If you have formatting questions, and haven't purchased a Screenwriting program, such as Movie Magic or Final Draft, I suggest you pick up another book, "The Complete Screenwriter's Manual". This answers formatting questions and such.

I also recommend purchasing a full functioning screenwriting program, as it will eventually save you time, and in this biz, time is money.

I use Movie Magic Screenwriter 6.0. It has a number of amazing features and it is so smart, you really don't have to think about the formatting, and just simply focus on the craft.

As for Gurus... I've used John Truby. He's very good. I will be taking a few lecture courses from Hal Croasmun. They can be a bit pricey, but all in all, it is education, and education also helps you, the writer, create a better story.

While you write, I also suggest that you delve into the most important aspect of the biz... and that is... networking... If you have any additional questions, feel free to PM me.

Getting back on track now:

I agree with you Uno, with exception to Bad Moon, of which I thought was horrible. The German Shepherd was by far the best actor... :D I didn't like the werewolf at all, as it was a bit too mechanical.

I rather like full CGI. You can obtain believable performances with the use of full CGI, such as what was done for Gollum, and the Narnian animals, like Aslan. It all comes down to setting up the mythology giving the creatures substance, making them an actual character, as opposed to an effect.

This was one thing the Van Helsing werewolves failed to achieve. While they were certainly cool to look at, there was no depth of character.

Hopefully, once I can get HOD into production, it will change that...


I agree Bad Moon's werewolf was a little too mechanical but I just can't feel the whole CGI thing, it gives me that cartoon feel :( with American werewolf in London, I actually got chills because it looked so life like and real, guess I'm just old school :shrug: I have yet to find a movie that has CGI that I actually like, I am hoping New Moon will be it, the trailor looks cool but still the CGI thing throws me off :cry:

[Vendetta]

Simple fact: a movie shouldn't be defined by the fact that's it got a werewolf in it. It should be defined by a sharp narrative and quality acting.

[Klark]

J.L.R. - I've read several books on the subject including Skip's and one by a fellow who worked on Sci-Fi films. I also read the book in the link below.

EDIT: Here it is - The Complete Book of Scriptwriting. (http://www.amazon.com/Complete-Book-Scriptwriting-Michael-Straczynski/dp/1582971587)

I've also had creative writing, including the ability to write scripts, whilst I was in college.

As for programs, I use the free Linux-based program Celtx. It has a wonderful amount of features including auto screenwriting format.

This isn't the first script I've written, just the first one I announced like this. I've written a few plays that have been used by the local One Acts chapter in an area high school and one for the community theater in town.

I won't lie, screenwriting is more of a hobby than anything else. You'd think with my job I'd be sick of writing, but my professional writing leaves little room for creative writing.

Back to the topic, I can agree that the werewolves of Silver Bullet, An American Werewolf in London and Howling were awesome looking for their time. Hell, the transformation scene in AWL is unbeatable in my opinion. Even Michael Jackson's Thriller had a better transformation than some I've seen in movies.

However, CGI does have it's place, especially as it's advanced leaps and bounds in current years to provide effects that are only perceivable as CGI because our minds know that couldn't actually happen in real life. I do believe that some films have used CGI in huge gobs that eventually ruin the overall effect.

[Chiron Jackal]

All I ask is that the werewolf be a good guy. I'm willing to look past just about any shortcoming in a movie if the werewolf is a protagonist.

[J.L.R.]

All I ask is that the werewolf be a good guy. I'm willing to look past just about any shortcoming in a movie if the werewolf is a protagonist.

Then you'll LOVE "Guardians of Luna"!

Vendetta is right though... If the story is solid, almostly anybody will enjoy it. If it has a werewolf in it, and it is solid, then the world might possibly end. :D