Werewolves

[Taaroko]

The Oz-wolf. What do you guys think of him? As far as I can tell, there isn't a thread about this yet. Personally, I think he's the most ridiculous-looking wolf-form of a werewolf TV/film has ever given us--of the ones that actually go for full-body transformation, at least; the ones that just give the werewolf yellow eyes, fangs, claws, and crazy hair and eyebrows are in a category of fail all on their own.

My philosophy is that if the werewolf can look completely human while in human form, he should look completely wolf-like in wolf form. Even if he doesn't, though, he should at least resemble a wolf, otherwise it wouldn't make sense to call him a werewolf. The Oz-wolf doesn't look anything like a wolf (maybe a little bit in "Phases", but that version of him doesn't really work either). Even the Lupin-wolf of the Prisoner of Azkaban movie looks more like a wolf than him. I know special effects budgets can be very limiting for this sort of thing, but still. My favorite TV/film werewolves are the ones that turn into actual wolves, closely followed by the ones in Van Helsing (despite their rather silly-looking lack of tails). I'm *really* not a Twilight fan, but I have to admit that I like a lot of the werewolf (well, shapeshifter, technically) lore in that 'verse, particularly the pack mentality and the way they look when they transform.

What say you? In addition to what you think of the Oz-wolf and Buffyverse werewolves in general, feel free to share what you think a werewolf should look like or examples of werewolves you think were done well.


Edited to expand the PoA acronym into the actual title of the film. My Harry Potter nerdiness carried over; sorry, Scobro.

 

[VisionGirl]

I don't particularly like the way he looks, but I voted for the last one. I actually like the way he looks as he transforms, or half transforms, like in Fear, Itself or New Moon Rising. But I think they did a better werewolf on ATS.

Do you have any pics of these better-looking werewolves you describe? Because I've never seen any I'm fond of.

 

[Skanky Vamp]

Werewolves and zombies are kinda my bag. I have seen a ton of werewolf movies/shows and really, Oz did not look that bad. He did look a bit mangey but some chicks go for that look.

---------- Post added at 02:32 PM ---------- Previous post was at 02:28 PM ----------

Not Harry Potter.. in general.. I read some of these posts when everything is abbreviated and I have no clue what is being said.. it took me ages when I got here (way back when) to figure out what a bloody ship was!!

 

[SlayerFae]

The only "oz-wolf" I like is the transition make up they put Seth Green in. I think whatever costumes they used (from phases or from season 4) were both done awfully. THAT BEING SAID, I think the Phases one was better in the sense that it DID look wolfy, just you know... FAKE, whereas the season 4 wolf looked real, but like a gorilla NOT a wolf

 

[Taaroko]

Do you have any pics of these better-looking werewolves you describe? Because I've never seen any I'm fond of.

No, I don't have pics of them, unfortunately. The werewolves I'm talking about are from the fairly mediocre supernatural drama The Gates (which was on ABC over the summer and has since been cancelled) and the movie version of Blood and Chocolate (I haven't read the book). They're basically just real wolves when they transform, which I love.

 

[Skanky Vamp]

The Gates looked good. I like(d) (sorry for this) the Twilight wolves too but if you read the book (sorry for that) they werent actually supposed to be wolves but big dawgs. (if I recall correctly)

---------- Post added at 03:00 PM ---------- Previous post was at 02:55 PM ----------

I do think this is the worst werewolf ever

but the movie also has the hottest one so.. its a wash.. but really when she became that at the end. Tsk. Tsk.


Maybe that was it.. maybe the were supposed to be 'giant' ones.. I knew they werent supposed to be 'normal' ones...

 

[The Unspoken]

Isn't the 'man-wolf' truer to traditional werewolf lore? I don't like it one bit when they turn into 'real' wolves.

And 'Phases' ftw! Hated the ones that came after that, except for the mid-way transformations which looked cool.

 

[VisionGirl]

OK, so I was checking out some werewolf websites (did I really just say that?), and found some cool ones:
American Werewolf in London:

The Wolfman 2010:

Gingersnaps:

 

[Taaroko]

Isn't the 'man-wolf' truer to traditional werewolf lore? I don't like it one bit when they turn into 'real' wolves.

And 'Phases' ftw! Hated the ones that came after that, except for the mid-way transformations which looked cool.

I don't really care what's truer to traditional werewolf lore. With any lore, I tend to pick and chose the stuff I like and throw out the stuff I think is ridiculous. With vampires, turning into bats and sleeping in coffins and so forth fall into the ridiculous category. There are several traditional werewolf lore things that I think are stupid, like the allergy to silver. Why would they be allergic to silver? That makes no sense. Or how they can only be killed by silver. Aren't they just humans that turn into wolfy things? Where does invulnerability unless it's silver fit in there? So, as far as I'm concerned, if you're going to call something a werewolf, it should either be stuck in a half-wolf, half-man form (like Van Helsing, sort of), or it should be able to switch from all man to all wolf. *shrug* Most people I know like it better when they turn into real wolves too, though I have met a couple who hate it when that happens.

 

[Skanky Vamp]

Dog soldiers I thought looked good

But come on.. Jack and James were the best wolves ever

 

[FetalPig]

American Werewolf is the one that sticks in my mind, but again that might be because the transitions were so amazing. Or it might be this:

 

[VisionGirl]

Van Helsing werewolf:

 

[Skanky Vamp]

American Werewolf

Much as Anne Rice and Interview ushered in a new subgenre of vampires, American Werewolf (in london! sod paris) brought about the new wolf.

 

[Taake]

I went with the last option because I think most werewolves in TV/film look rather stupid, is just a difficult creature to capture I guess (though I know I've seen some I like... can't recall in what a at the mo' though) and BtVs just didn't have the budget to make a believable wolf-guy...

lol, I really do think the Oz-wolf just looks like a guy in a really bad suit. Like something that's been lying around in a water damaged basement for a few decades or so... but mangy worked for Willow I guess 😉

 

[VisionGirl]

Underworld:

 

[JCoatsworth]

That's a really interesting thread.
Well, I think he looks pretty good in Phases which is one of my favorite episodes, but afterwards he looks kinda weird.
Is it just me or does he actually shrink??😱

I mean, he's pretty big in Phases. Bigger than a human, the way a werewolf is supposed be.
But in the episodes of the 4th season, for example New Moon Rising I think, he's very small.
Not so much like a werewolf. More like a normal dog. Or what do you think?

I'm a werewolf (and horror in general) fan and I really like Oz.
But on a TV Series you can't really get a werewolf like in An American Werewolf in London which has been mentioned before.
I think the making of a werewolf like that would cost about as much as a whole episode of BtVS.
But they did a good job in Phases I think.

Anyway, I like the Phases-Oz-wolf, but not so much the later one.

 

[InsaneMystic]

I thought the "Phases" werewolf (who, IIRC, wasn't even played by Seth, right?) looked okay. The shaggy man-thing after that episode, not so much.

 

[Ozgal]

Even though I'm like one of the biggest Oz fans out therem I wasn't a fan of how he looked when he was "wolfie"... But I like his transformation.

I LOVE the Van Helsing and Underworld werewolves though!

 

[LoveLoveLovix]

I'm going to be weird and say I love those freaking Twilight wolves. Please, please, don't kill me.

And I haven't seen many (well, okay, make that ANY) of these werewolf movies with the fun transformations that make Oz look even more like a man in a gorilla mask and a fur coat than he actually does.

I agree with JCoatsworth on size issues, too. Bigger than human is the fun part of werewolves, the part that makes you want to run screaming from them (it's FUN to be scared!) instead of scold them for nipping at your ankles and then give them a doggy treat.

 

[Abby27]

I didn't care for the weird gorilla-looking wolves. But yea, budgets, I'm sure it isn't cheap to put someone in full werewolf make-up. But the make-up Oz wore in Fear Itself was AMAZING. That by far (even though it was only transition) will always be the best job they did with the werewolf make-up IMO.