Werewolves: From Folklore Tales to TV
There are some creatures with which we’re all familiar: immortalized by literature and film, we’ve often grown up acquainted with the imagery of folkloric monsters like werewolves, vampires, and witches. Over the years, these magical creatures have become engrained in pop culture and have been reinvented time and time again. In this article, we’re going to look at the evolution of the half-man, half-wolf: the much-feared werewolf.
Werewolves in Pop Culture
With its origins in Ancient Greece, the tales of werewolves first spread around Europe in the 16th century. Over time, these night creatures, who are cursed to turn into a beast at the sight of the moonlight, became increasingly popular, comparable with other classic horror figures, such as Frankenstein, vampires, witches, and the undead/zombies.
From TV to cinema and literature, these supernatural creatures have been portrayed in multiple ways and explored from different perspectives. However, it’s interesting to note that the werewolf culture was at its peak in the 80s, when some of the biggest classics of this genre were initially released, with prime examples such as An American Werewolf in London, The Howling, and The Company of Wolves. Additionally, many books and films have also taken a particular interest in exploring the human side of werewolves, their inner battles, and bizarrely enough, the trials and tribulations of their romantic relationships.
Source: Pexels
Werewolves have also become quite popular in other areas of entertainment such as gaming, in which several titles have been notably inspired by the transformative properties of supernatural beings. There are the likes of the antiquated Nightmare Creatures, which once terrified the original PS1 and Nintendo 64 players, The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess, The Wolf Among Us, and of course the fan-favorite that is The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim.
Moreover, in the gambling world, werewolves and age-defying vampires have also inspired developers to create games featuring this topic. For instance, there are titles such as Wolf Gold, Immortal Romance, and The Magic Cauldron slot reels that appear on the most popular page at Genesis Casino, an online casino in India. These slots incorporate symbols and sound affiliated with these mystical creatures, and they keep players coming back for more, which is a true testament to how they stand the test of time.
While in modern times, this topic has become less popular on the big screen, TV shows have never stopped exploring werewolves, with several critically acclaimed series focusing on the beasts. Here are three good options for you to check out:
Teen Wolf (2011)
Teen Wolf first aired in 2011 and went on to become the most famous werewolf TV series in recent years. The show tells the story of Scott McCall, played by Tyler Posey, who is bitten by a wild animal and becomes a wolfman. Scott is then forced to learn how to deal with this new reality while maintaining his social life at his high school. However, soon problems arise as he discovers that he is not the only werewolf around.
The series came to an end in 2007, but there are now plans for a movie revival that will bring the original cast back to the screen.
Werewolf (1987)
The series follows a young man named Eric Cord (John J. York), who after being attacked by his best friend, turns into a werewolf. Eric discovers that the only way to get rid of the curse is to kill the first werewolf of the bloodline. As he crosses the US in the pursuit of the original werewolf, Eric must also evade a bounty hunter known as Alamo Joe Rogan (Lance LeGault).
While the series only ran for one year, overall it was met with a positive reaction from both audiences and critics, especially due to the quality of the special effects, considered advanced at the time of release.
The Order (2019)
The Order tells the story of Jack, a young man who joins a secret society. The protagonist ends up getting involved in a war between practitioners of black magic and werewolves.
While these are only some examples of series dedicated to the tales of werewolves, one thing’s for sure: these classic magical creatures are set to remain popular in pop culture in years to come and will certainly still inspire more films and TV shows.
