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Godzilla vs Gamera: A Secret War For The Planet!

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When it comes to Kaiju cinema, two names have been battling it out from the very beginning of time. Two massive forces that could essentially end all life on the planet should either of them ever get the gumption to do so. Of course, I’m talking about Godzilla and Gamera, two juggernauts who have fought a silent war across the world for the admiration, awe, and adoration of fans all around.

These two colossus beings have (sadly) never crossed paths to fight it out in a movie. Still, the question fans have always asked is who would win if Godzilla and Gamera ever came face to face in a world-ending battle that would not only determine the future of our pitiful little species but would alter the destiny of the entire cosmos.

If you’ve not seen as many Kaiju films as I have, and unless you’re an ultra-nerd uber-dork like yours truly here, you may not fully realize the god-like powers Godzilla holds within himself. In Shin Godzilla, that terrifying aspect of Godzilla’s might was momentarily explored in how Godzilla evolved from one stage of destruction to the next granting him new powers to crush and disseminate a path across all woefully in his way. He was utterly indestructible, and each level of evolution made him more than a conqueror of worlds.

This unique iteration of the King of the Monsters elevated his destructive powers to degrees never before witnessed. He is a terror born from toxic filth and radiation, a being of agony and in constant pain. A misery he brings to the world as punishment to mankind for how we’ve abused the planet by pouring toxic waste into the waters without a second thought to the consequences.

They could not defeat Shin Godzilla. They could only freeze him which means he’s still out there and should he thaw…well we’re fucked. The director’s opened up about the hidden power of Shin Godzilla, how he would’ve continued evolving into a stronger and better vessel of death and wrath. That evolution would have grown until his indominable might reached out into space, spread across the stars, and in a Lovecraftian display of nightmarish power taken over the galaxy entirely. Now that’s power and slightly terrifying

In Godzilla Minus One we see a youthful Godzilla that’s pure might and fueled by relentless rage. His atomic breath causes a delayed atomic nuclear blast on par equal to the dreaded Bomb itself. Imagine that power given the chance to grow and fully mature. Imagine his reach as he destroys the whole of Japan only to set his sights on other countries.

What’s stopping him from branching out? That’s a fun and scary thought. GMO is a massive achievement for Kaiju cinema being that it’s the first Godzilla movie to win an Oscar and the film took the world by storm largely because it stuck to the original concept – Godzilla is the Monster of the Apocalypse. A man-made monster born of the atomic bomb and fed by nuclear power. The perfect beast to spell our doom.

Gamera would be our only savior. Gamera, the friend of children and the guardian of the galaxy. Gamera who isn’t afraid to sacrifice a limb to protect us from sensational dangers such as Godzilla.

If they ever got the rights worked out these two fighting in a movie would be out of control! Forget Godzilla vs King Kong. Put the monkey to rest and bring in the giant Atlantean Turtle! It would be an onslaught of might and power, an atomic glowing display of brute force as all the dangers of nature slammed fists against cosmic divinity.

We need this movie to happen. We need the two studios to give each other a big hug and work things out so fans can watch this awesome battle of the ages take place. I would hope that by the end of their personal war, the world would stand on the brink of doom. A desolate hellscape of smoldering cities, cratered nations, and seas boiling from the aftershock. If I was a billionaire, this is what I’d be using my money to make happen.

Whereas fans never have seen the battle of these two gods take place (yet) there’s always been a cold war between Godzilla and Gamera. A war between their movie franchises. So impactful has this conflict been that it’s altered both of their destinies and forced the two monsters to undergo unique evolution over the last 70 or so years. In 1954 audiences shrank back in horror as a new breed of monster stormed its way onto the screen.

Gojira! Walking out of the shadows of King Kong, Godzilla soon became a titan in his own right and began a whole new breed of cinematic monsters. These monsters were giants and world killers. King Kong may have inspired the concept but Godzilla is his own beast. A killer born into the atomic age against his will. An unfit child for a world that foolishly ushered him into existence. It was a hit, and soon rival studios saw only potential in the idea.

In 1965 Deisei Film Studios brought the world an answer to Toho’s monstrous success with Gamera, a giant turtle. At first, Gamera is presented as another monster of destruction but Deisei realized they needed a new angle to their beast if they wanted him to survive Godzilla’s fame. So they let their giant monster appeal to a younger audience and so Gamera became the gentle and fun-loving friend to children.

A monster kids (whose families literally survived an atomic blast) could look up to and not be scared of. The idea was a goldmine! Not only could kids at the time dance around the Gamera movies but once they grew up, they introduced their own kids to the loving protective turtle of their childhood.

Gamera was an unexpected success even with all its zany camp and fun. The zany camp and fun are what made Gamera such a treasure. Toho stood back and watched the results and decided their giant monster needed a bit of a redo. Fans of the Showa era Godzilla films are very familiar with a HUGE tonal shift in the movies. We go from Gojira, a beast to be terrified of, to a silly romp of Megalon ass-kicking alongside Jet Jaguar.

You can clearly see which movies Gamera affected in Godzilla’s history. The fun campiness of many of Showa’s movies is what kept Godzilla a cultural mainstay in many people’s minds and it’s all thanks to a fire-breathing turtle. Still the two beasts fought it out over box office results as well as the hearts of fans near and far.

The Heisei Era


This is when the heat ramped up for both monsters. The Showa Era was ended for both. Toho gave fans a huge monster slugfest on Monster Island (and a couple more movies to follow) as a grand send-off for the legendary monster of monsters. Godzilla was done and it didn’t seem like he’d be back…until he did return. In 1984 Toho released The Return of Godzilla and took things back to their horror roots. They said forget all that Jet Jaguar and Son of Godzilla stuff. Godzilla was once scary so let’s make him scary again.

The whole movie is blanketed with a sense of overwhelming dread. It doesn’t hurt that it was released during the heat of the Cold War and people were going to bed scared to death to wake up to the world burning all around them. The possibility of being nuked was at an all-time high and was the perfect setting for Godzilla’s triumphant return. The movie released in the West a year later as Godzilla 1985. I remember being four years old and seeing an ad on TV for this movie and I LOST MY SHIT! A NEW Godzilla movie?!?!? I couldn’t contain myself. Everyone was talking about it.

This movie was a big fucking deal! Godzilla was back with updated effects and a brand-new look. He felt more indestructible than ever, and I couldn’t have been happier. I got the VHS for Christmas one year and it was a prized treasure in my collection. I’ve watched the movie to fucking death too. I mean I’ve had to replace the tape twice now.

Little be known to us Godzilla was raging over in Japan. The Heisei era was only just begun, and Toho was bringing back beloved monsters like Mothra, Rodan, and Ghidorah and fans were loving every minute of it. But, just as had happened with the Showa Era, Deisei Studio was paying attention, and if Godzilla could come back in such a massive way why couldn’t their Gamera?

Their war at the box office was rekindled and holy dog shit on toast it was wild! Let me make something very clear. I love Godzilla. For the longest time, Heisei Godzilla’s design was my favorite look of the monster, it’s since been replaced by Minus One’s. But let it be known I’m going to fanboy for Godzilla no matter what…but those Gamera movies are no joke!

I mean they’re really, really good!

I’d never really watched a Gamera movie before if we’re honest. The first Gamera film I sat down to watch was from the Heisei trilogy, a trilogy I bought for $5 on Blu-ray and didn’t have high expectations for. I pretty much went in blind and came out a true believer! Removed now was all the silliness and Gamera was suddenly a force to be reckoned with and taken seriously.

In Gamera: Guardian of the Universe, Japan is being attacked by these flying monsters called Gyaos, a classic beast Gamera battled way back in 1967. Gyaos are swooping in and eating people. One moment that stands out to me is when our heroes stumble upon a huge white pile of bird shit and it hit me. That’s people! The movie is pretty shocking in its unexpected brutality. It’s not Video Nasties level brutal but for a Kaiju film, it pushes the envelope. The Gyaos are a serious threat and so Gamera rises to answer Earth’s need for a protector.

As with Godzilla the Heisei Gamera films gave the monster suits a much-needed update and fill the movies with spectacular special effects like lots of explosions. Expect some great Kaiju battles and a lot of kaboomy action!

Guardian did so well that it inspired two sequels: Gamera 2: Attack of Legion which just makes it sound somehow biblical and fits into the apocalyptic tone for these movies.

Gamera 2 finds a special place in many fans hearts and for many it’s the best Gamera’s ever looked. The monster battles are that much more impressive as we see Gamera at times covered in swarming hordes of the Legion as he still fights for our survival against astronomical odds. In the first movie the Gamera suit looks…how do I say this respecfully? I guess soft. He looks good but you can tell the studio had a better budget and put it to good use making this sequel an even more exciting experience. But that only leads to my personal favorite of the trilogy!

Gamera 3: Revenge of Iris is not just my favorite of the Heisei trilogy here but it’s actually one of my top five favorite Kaiju movies of all time. The main antagonist, Iris, is just so fucking cool and steals the show right away. He starts off early on looking like a cute alien snail and you can’t help but love the little guy. He’s innocent enough and somewhat sweet. But then he grows into a mother-fucking god of destruction and only Gamera can save us!

If Ghidorah is the main antagonist to Godzilla, then I argue Iris is that to Gamera. Not to mention Iris is just so cool to look at. He also brings a heightened threat to Gamera that’s never been seen before. I suppose their conflict could be on par with the battle-heavy madness of Godzilla vs Destoroyah.

This is also my favorite look for the Gamera costume. Take a look.

I mean just look at this badass! You know I had to get this version of the character in my figure collection. They’ve fully let their monster mature and act like a tank. You can expect some great fights here between the two juggernauts.

These three films took Gamera out of the camp and gave them heart and fangs and made them mother-fucking metal as all Hell! The giant turtle was taken seriously, and the results were in. His movies were actually outselling Godzilla’s at the time. Gamera could bleed and take damage. In one moment of the series, he loses an arm in battle but doesn’t stop fighting. Gamera had a vulnerability to him that audiences found endearing. People cheered for Gamera and hated seeing him take a beating. Not to mention the trilogy had some top-notch Kaiju effects. Godzilla’s superior reign had been challenged and the two monsters fought it out to win the hearts of the fans all over again

Anyone who knows my writing here will know how much I love Godzilla. So it might come as a shock for you to know that when it comes to the Heisei Era of both franchises I actually prefer Gamera’s films over Godzilla’s. I know shocking right? That doesn’t mean the Heisei Godzilla movies are crappy or anything because holy hot damn are there some good ones during that era. Godzilla vs. Destoroyah alone! But by a very small margarin Gamera wins me over for the time period and also depending on my mood. The Gamera trilogy was a massive treat and took my totally by surprise by how great they are.

In both cases, the Heisei Era was good for both franchises, and it’ll always hold a special place in my heart. The films of the era all just have a great look about them. The monster suits were all given a much-improved updated look….all except Mechgodzilla but that’s another issue entirely. But yes, Godzilla and Gamera were back and better than ever.

The Heisei movies were full of explosions, fire, chaos, and loads of face-melting destruction. Cities were smashed to the ground as giant monsters battled it out for supremacy. The era secured their place in pop-culture, reintroducing these monsters to a new generation of kids as well as pulling in fans who grew up watching the Showa films.

As result there was mass pandemonium in the streets and mobs of people ran their little feet off to go see these movies as they hit theaters…. only in fucking Japan! For some reason, we never got to see these movies for the longest time. I never got ahold of them until DVDs became a thing and I think I ended up collecting them all sometime around 2010. For one thing they weren’t easy to find and for another they were damn expensive whenever you could find one on the rare occasion!

Final Thoughts

Back when Shin Godzilla took the world by storm it was rumored Gamera was getting a new movie as well in light of his 50th Anniversary. Well, Deisei failed us and nothing happened. Since then, we’ve had a whole new Godzilla franchise take over with the Legendary films and Toho released yet another Godzilla movie with Minus One.

Now after Godzilla: Minus One, my absolute favorite Godzilla movie btw, there’s still room for Gamera to do what he’s always done and come in after Godzilla’s shadow. I would love to see Gamera have special effects on par with what Minus One showed us. There’s always a need for a giant flying fire-breathing turtle.

There’s also always room for a possible battle between the two monsters. Could we see it happen? I’m still holding out hope. Nevertheless, at the very least, we may still get to see the two fight it out at the box office if someone ever brings Gamera back. Will it be like Shin and Minus One and make its way over to a theater near me? I can only hope it will.

As of writing this Tubi’s uploaded the Heisei Gamera trilogy and the Heisei Godzilla movies. It’s a perfect time to relive the battle of the monsters. Or maybe even watch them for the first time. Lucky you if that’s the case because you’re in for a treat. So, crack open a beer and get yourself a pizza and indulge in the days of mass destruction in an age of giant fire-breathing monsters.

The only question now is who would come out the victor? Godzilla or Gamera? Fans have debated this heatedly. Me personally I think in this battle there would need to be a clear good guy and a definite bad guy. Let’s take Godzilla to his roots and say he’s the villain, a massive force of utter destruction hellbent on destroying us all. To answer the threat would be Gamera, but he’d be in the toughest fight of his entire life as he stood up against Godzilla.

Could Gamera beat Godzilla? It’s definitely possible but I think Gamera would crawl away from the fight in pieces. It would be a bittersweet victory. It’d be very interesting if Gamera had to fight Shin Godzilla. Oh, heck or even Minus One’s Godzilla. Also, would Gamera have our help like would we deploy Mechagodzilla to assist the Guardian of the Universe? That might be the only way Gamera could get a leg up on the fight. However, it happens it’s fun to think about so share your thoughts with us.

Manic out!

Editorials

Thoughts Concerning the Upcoming He-Man and Masters of the Universe Movie!

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Grab your sword and shield, find a jungle cat to throw a saddle on, and you bet your ass it’s time to brandish the coveted powers of Grayskull because we’re going back to Eternia, and I couldn’t be happier! Due to my restless obsessing over MOTU and, to my endless glee, foolhardily giving me a platform to express said obsessions on as much as I want, I’ve spent weeks of my life feverishly writing articles (and hardcore essays) on He-Man and his eternal battle against the best villain ever created, Skeletor. Coincidentally I’ve come to be known (for better or worse) as the Master of the Universe guy around here at Nightmare Nostalgia – a title I wear proud as pearls – and as it so happens a brand-new fancy-ass movie is in the works, and I’ve been asked to share my humblest of thoughts concerning it.

Oh, believe me, I have thoughts a plenty concerning this ambitious project so let’s get right to it and talk about He-Man’s most dangerous adventure yet – walking down the red carpet and up to the silver screen …. again. Sigh hopefully, this second time around doesn’t suck for him.   

Remember the ‘80s?

The decade is practically mythic at this point. An age fraught with peril and forged under the neon heat of Cold War threats. Us kids had no clue how imminent the end of the world was though because we had toys, sugary cereals, and Saturday morning cartoons to keep us focused on how great life really was. And oh my God the only thing better than playing with our favorite toys and watching them on TV was seeing them turned into big-budget action films and hitting a theater near you to flambee our little brains!

Of course, they made a He-Man movie! Kinda a no-brainer when you think about it. We weren’t all that far away from Return of the Jedi or Conan the Destroyer so there was a definite market for space barbarian fantasy at the time, a thing only He-Man could masterfully fulfill. I remember how excited we all got when they first announced the project. Images of swords and sorcery assailed our imaginations as we imagined how epic this hallowed-be-thy-name project had to be. Then the actual movie was released.

If I sat here talking about how great the actual movie was you all would have every right to beat me over the head with a dead trout. We all know the movie sucked. It did, it sucked hard too, even if I always have kinda liked it. I get the fact the movie isn’t just bad. It’s rotten rat-ass bad!

I’m sure when we all thought of a He-Man movie, we couldn’t wait to watch a film more focused on Courtney Cocks than the mysteries of the Power Sword. And if you’re just now scratching your head wondering what the bull-fucking Hell Courtney Cocks has to do with MOTU you’re not alone. Is she an Eternian? Is she part of the Masters? Is she a secret weapon that alone can save the universe? Oh hell no, she’s just some Southern California teenager. She lost her parents in a plane crash or something like that and since we’re watching a MOTU movie no one gives a shit about it. It’s like a whole other movie, some teenage drama, is fist fucked into what should’ve been the stand-out fantasy epic of our lifetime.

What should’ve been a huge adventure across Eternia instead turned out to be more focused on He-Man and the Masters hiding out on planet Earth where (discount-Orco) Gwildor dresses up like an idiot, the Masters eat a bucket of barbeque ribs and at some point, try to communicate with a cow.

Someone also thought it would be super cool to watch Temu Stormtroopers hovering around Mainstreet Americana with He-Man clumsily flailing his sword around swatting them off like obnoxious flies. Skeletor ends up on Earth too and instead of taking over the White House (you know something cool) he gets his maguffin and goes back to Eternia. Everything to do with Earth is entirely pointless! What the fucking Hell were we watching? What were the filmmakers huffing while making this atrocity?

Did anyone want to see He-Man on Earth? No! Did we need to be on Earth to identify with the characters? Of course not! We wanted nothing more than a hellfire action film featuring our favorite heroes and villains battling it out in a fight to the death over the fate of the universe and preferably in the center of Grayskull itself. We had an opportunity to see Eternia brought to life in a cinematic spectacle that should’ve knocked our teeth out and left us begging for more. Instead, people were just begging for it to be over.

Today the movie’s reached a beloved cult status and is appreciated for what it is – a silly ‘80s fantasy flick that fits alongside Legend or the Dark Crystal. Is it a good He-Man movie though? No, it’s not. It is a very good Skeletor movie with Frank Langella dominating the role with monstrous flair. Watch the movie for Skeletor alone I say. Nevertheless, fans were left disappointed, and it seemed as if any hope to ever see a proper He-Man movie was dashed against the rocks.

The movie was so bad that many blame it for the sad decline of the toy sales thus ending MOTU if only for a brief season. Personally, I feel like it had a heavy hand to play in the decline, but I also think some heroes in a half shell also had a little something to do with it too once their toys hit store shelves.

But Manic, I hear you lament, why are you so hung up on rehashing the failures of a past movie? Shouldn’t you just shut the fuck up and let this new project stand on its own feet, you say. You would otherwise be correct to make such an assessment, but I bring up the failures of the Canon film because it would seem no one learned a whole fat load of anything from history,

That being said, no one wants to see He-Man on Earth ever again. Not only is it rumored He-Man will be on Planet Earth (again), but he’ll be stuck working an office job…. oh God why? Why, why, why? Who thinks that’s a good idea? Who do they think wants to see Prince Adam working a desk job?

Recently leaked photos all but confirm those rumors too.

Maybe the Earth scenes are the result of evil magic. Like maybe it’s in Adam’s head and he needs to break free from the illusion? Maybe once he touches the Power Sword the evil spell is broken? Yeah, that’s really stupid I know but no stupider than having He-Man working an office job on fucking Earth! Why are they doing this? It feels like Kryptonite to this movie’s success, and I really don’t feel like seeing history repeating itself.

Time For Redemption

Today we’ve witnessed redemption stories for dead movie adaptations. Previously failed cinematic adventures can now be retooled with the proper respect and love for both the characters and properties and turned into billion-dollar success stories. Super Mario Bros. is a great example of how a movie’s first cinematic flop can be redeemed. That live-action Mario movie was awful, and I was one of those giddy kids sitting at the theater when it first premiered only to be crushed by what I saw. Before Universal Pictures dared return to the Mushroom Kingdom did anyone think a Mario movie could work? And yet it did and was a massive success. It won our hearts over and made us relive some great NES nostalgia.

Another great example of a property rising from failure to success is Dungeons and Dragons. Honestly, I dare you to go back and watch the 1999 D&D movie. I double-dog dare you! It’s worse, so much worse than I even remembered. And then just like a nat-20 roll Dungeons and Dragons: Honor Among Thieves was nothing short of a Critical Success! The same could easily be true for MOTU.  Do it right and the fans will support the movie. It’s not complicated.

Today filmmakers can bring projects like Avatar or The Lord of the Rings to thrilling life. The special effects of today can absolutely bring Eternia to life in ways Canon could only dream of back in the ‘80s. Langella was stuck performing behind some questionable prosthetics but still mastered the role as the Lord of Destruction. Today they can make Skeletor look like a demonic overlord hellbent on conquering the universe while remaining faithful to the classic look we all love.

Special effects artists have the unique opportunity to bring these larger-than-life characters to the big screen! Think of it – Battlecat, Panthor, and Orko all have a chance to thrive at last whereas before there was no way to add them in any live-action attempt. Bottomline there’s no excuse for this movie to fail.

Casting Choices and Concerns

So far, I’ve been impressed with the casting choices. I mean so far, I’m not all worked up by any of their decisions. Hollywood is notorious for miscasting people all the damn time, but this time around we might be ok.  I mean I like seeing the actors hitting the gym to get buffed up for their respected roles. That’s what we need out of them. They need to fill in the armor and loincloths after all.

But what about Jared Leto, I hear some of you ask. I don’t have any issue with Jared Leto’s involvement honestly. Yeah, he was in some shitty movies, but he’s also been in some fan favorites too. He was in Fight Club and American Psycho to name a couple. Not to mention Leto does look like a cool Keldor.

People love pointing to Moebius to rip on the guy, but I argue nobody could save that movie no matter who was cast for the part. The movie was a shit puddle. People also love to criticize his Joker role but then Leto turned around and gave us a chilling portrayal of Joker in the epilogue of Snyder’s Justice League and people sang his praises. Point being give him a chance.

I remember when the internet lost its shit over Heath Ledger being cast as Joker in Nolan’s The Dark Knight. Oh, don’t act like you didn’t bitch about it because we all did. I bitched the loudest…and then I had to eat crow.  It’s easy to get wrapped up in internet raging is all I’m saying.

You can tell I’m trying to be hopeful here. I want to like this movie. I want to love this movie! I’ll make a promise right now that if this movie’s good I’ll go see it every single week it plays at the theater. I’m dead serious. Give me a good MOTU movie and I’ll see it as often as possible. Make a great movie and I’ll watch it multiple times in the same day.

That Earth crap though already gives the movie a huge obstacle to overcome.

Having said all that if, and I mean a big if, we get Earth out of the way early on and the rest of the movie is totally on Eternia toting us across both Grayskull and Snake Mountain and with the Masters at war against the evil forces of Skeletor maybe, just maybe, all the action and excitement can wash away Earth’s hideous taint.

We will see. As it stands now the movie already has that working strongly against it. So, if the movie manages to excel despite all of that it’ll prove its merit.

Look, MOTU isn’t hard to make work. It’s brimming with adventure, fantasy, whimsy, magic, romance, and a clear moral tale about good vs evil. It’s everything the human soul thrives on for inspiration. It’s how a simple toy line has stayed alive (off and on granted) for 40 years. It’s gone beyond a nostalgia trip back to the past. The lore continues to reinvent itself and find new fans across every generation. It’s because it speaks to us all. Horror, monsters, dragons, demons – lightness and comedy with bumbling wizards and yet galaxy-binding sorcery. MOTU is brimming with inspiration.

So good luck to everyone involved with this upcoming project. I have faith that it could be awesome.

If nothing else maybe it’ll be reason enough for a MOTU game to finally be released with all the hype now surrounding the movie. Come on, make a video game happen for crying out loud!

Manic out!

Creature Features, Editorials

The Wolf Man’s Unstoppable Legacy of Terror

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It’s that time of year again – arguably the best season of all! A time of longer nights and shorter days. A season fraught with nightmarish landscapes! Skeletons hang silently from banisters like cadavers strung over a hangman’s gallows, neighboring lawns – the same ones we pass day in and out – become overnight graveyards, masked ghouls take to the streets seeking treats, and inhuman voices howl at autumn moons. The season of horror and the hour of monsters is again upon us.

Horror fans don’t have to wait a whole year to indulge in the inner beasts that drive us, but this time of year makes it much more fun to embrace all things macabre. With Halloween approaching, I’ve decided to continue my tradition of focusing on a specific legendary monster. This year, my fangs are bare and I’m going for the jugular with Universal Monster’s Wolf Man.

The film stands as an early example of body horror, showcasing our protagonist’s human form abandoning its natural grace and becoming grotesquely animalistic. Bones break and rearrange, skin tears and fur grows, nails curl blackly into sharpened talons and teeth sprout from a beastly maul hungry for human blood. Human anatomy is mutilated until a man becomes an accursed beast trapped under the gossamer shine of a haunting moon. Such is the horrid fate of the werewolf as we know it today. And nearly all of our knowledge concerning werewolf lore draws from the imaginative concepts introduced in this classic horror spectacle.

The movie takes its viewers on a dangerous journey across haunted moors and a gypsy camp where old magic still rules the night and locks all under a gloom of superstition and existential dread. This distant land of mysticism is shared by resplendent mansions and modern conveniences, which, intentional or not, leaves us a message – the modern day of science and progression is not protected from the old curses of a much more powerful world still lingering on the outskirts of society. The moors hold their secrets and the practitioners of the old ways know more than modern mankind when it comes to safeguarding against primordial haunts and horrors. This lesson our protagonist, Larry Talbot (played by horror royalty Lon Chaney Jr.) all too soon falls prey to.

We’re entering the violent world of the Wolf Man and only a silver bullet can protect you from that haunter of night. Lock yourself behind an iron gate and say your prayers he’s not picked up your scent.  

“Even a man who’s pure at heart and says his prayers by night, may become a wolf when the wolf bane blooms and the autumn moon is bright.” – The Wolf Man

artwork by Bernie Wrightson

The plot is one of pathos. Much like the other demons of Universal Studios’ House of Horrors, this monster is another lamentation of lost innocence. Larry Talbot has reluctantly returned home to his father’s house (here played by acclaimed actor Claude Raines who starred in The Invisible Man and later Phantom of the Opera) and it’s not long before Larry’s struck by otherworldly powers.

In many cases, victims in horror movies often get exactly what they’re looking for. A puzzle box that opens the labyrinths of Hell, an Ouija board, calling out the Candyman’s name five times, or simply exploring a house said to be haunted are all examples of how curiosity can lead to dire consequences and make for some really good scares. However, this is not the case with the Wolf Man. He neither went seeking to become a wolf nor was he even the intended victim of the werewolf’s bloodlust.

Larry brings Hell down upon himself by simply being a good Samaritan. Hearing the distressed cries of a woman being attacked in the woods Larry rushes out to help only to find she’s being attacked by a wolf. With no thought to caution, Larry throws himself between the beast and its prey and quickly becomes the new object of its rage.

Unbeknownst to Larry this isn’t a mere wolf which would’ve been bad enough. No, this was a werewolf. Larry wins the fight and kills the beast but doesn’t walk away as a victor. He’s been bitten and we all know good and well what that means for poor Larry.

His selfless act of valor ends up cursing him to the beast’s possession. A murderous rage soon takes over his mind, eating away at his senses and sending him out into the night to hunt down and kill all whom he holds dear. It’s a story of sublime pathos if ever there was one and that’s the silent genius of the movie’s timeless strength.

This ingenious concept – that still holds up in every werewolf movie to come out after Universal’s feral classic I might add – is all due to the insight of one man – the movie’s screenwriter, Curt Siodmak. Of course, werewolf lore existed before the movie’s release and this wasn’t even the first werewolf movie out at the time. Werewolf of London had already come and gone but ultimately didn’t enjoy the success Wolf Man managed. This is due to the personal touch of sadness Siodmak put into his screenplay.

Siodmak’s youth was ravaged by sudden tragedy as his home was overtaken by men and women who turned hostile and monstrous against him and his own kind as if overnight. Being Jewish Siodmak saw his neighbors and acquaintances transform and give in to bestial instincts. Jewish people were forced to identify with a star, a symbol that later on would mark them for death. It’s no wonder then that in his screenplay the Wolf Man can see a pentagram star appear on the palm of his victim’s hand, a sure mark of death for the innocent and unsuspecting victim.

This harrowing environment stayed with Siodmak well after his family fled Germany and elements of it settled into his imagination and went on to create one of the most enduring movie monsters of all time. So powerful was Siodmak’s vision that Wolf Man DNA can be seen in every werewolf movie to follow. Before Wolf Man people turned into a werewolf by eating a poisonous plant or by magic herbs. But now all of a sudden a man bitten by a werewolf (and lived) would join the demons of the night in a rampage of grotesquely.

Wolf Man also introduced the idea that silver is lethal to werewolves, as well as the concept of transformation during a full moon. These elements contributed to the foundation of many iconic and cult werewolf films, including Silver Bullet, The Howling, An American Werewolf in London, and Ginger Snaps. All of these “wolfy” favorites draw on the concepts established in this classic Universal horror film.

In short, what Bram Stoker did for vampires and George Romero did for zombies Siodmak did for werewolves. Ask anyone: how do you kill a werewolf and they’ll tell you a silver bullet. Same goes for how we all know a werewolf transforms on full moons. These monster facts are rooted securely in our cultural zeitgeist and that’s something very, very hard to pull off. And so we salute Siodmak, a man not very well known among horror fans, but, maybe that can change, because had it not been for his imagination and insight we would’ve been robbed of one of the most enduring movie monsters to ever go tearing across the screen.

Is Universal’s Wolf Man a perfect film? Hell no, of course not and I’m not gonna pretend it is otherwise. But it serves perfectly on my annual Halloween watchlist. It doesn’t have to be perfect to be effective. Its moody atmosphere and eerie imagery are all perfectly Halloweeny and if you’ve never seen it you’re missing out on one of horror’s essential foundations that set the criteria for the genre.

Remakes of the Wolf

Wolf Man (2010)

I honestly don’t hate the 2010 remake. I saw it at the theater back when it came out. I also just ordered the Scream Factory special edition release. I think it’s a good retelling of the familiar classic with some decent (honestly gotta say shocking) gore. I also like how the Wolf Man looks proving once again that Rick Baker (American Werewolf in London) is the monster maker. It’s an updated vision of what Jack Pierce came up with all those years ago and I love it.

The one glaring fault with the movie is its unnecessary use of CGI. Because the studio had the genius of Rick Baker behind the project there’s no excuse for not letting him be in charge of the werewolf transformation scenes. Compare those scenes to what Baker did with AAWIL and you’ll see what I mean.

Overall does the remake deserve the hate it got? No. I mean comparing the look of its werewolf to that stupid shit Blumhouse is trying to push and yeah. Superior!

The story closely follows the original film with a few new twists and surprise elements to keep it fresh. Honestly, I say give it a chance.

Wolf (1994)

This is a weird one and shocking that it even exists. It’s not a bad movie but it’s just a bit odd. It’s a modern retelling of the Wolf Man and was inspired by the striking success of Bram Stoker’s Dracula and Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein. The ‘90s wanted to restore the audience’s love for classic horror icons with new erotic romance, updated effects, and blood. Woo hoo!

Well, Wolf might strike some (probably most) viewers as a boring journey seeing as how there is no wild transformation scene. Not on the lever of AAIL or The Howling. You also won’t get a full-body werewolf costume like you do in Silver Bullet. Our lead protagonist slowly does turn more wolf-like and will fully become a beast by the end of the movie but it’s nothing at all like what people expect to see.

This time our lead is played by Jack Nicholson (The Shining, Batman), and is no stranger to horror roles or larger-than-life parts. He’s a perfect casting choice to play the role of Larry Talbot but the filmmaker chose to hold back. There’s no amazing monster makeup and Nicholson’s roles in The Shining and The Joker are way more memorable. That’s not to say there’s no monster effects. There are they’re just, well, have a look. They look fine.

Wolf came out during that weird time in the ‘90s when Hollywood didn’t want to make ‘horror’ films and preferred the term thrillers. Because of this attitude, the movie really feels like a monster movie that’s scared of being associated with being a monster movie. So it misses the point. All that said I do weirdly like it. I mean honestly, I’ve not seen it since I was a teen and I liked it back then. If I rewatched it now all these years later that all could possibly change.

Personally, I’d recommend just watching any other werewolf flick. That or the 2010 remake. If you’ve never seen the original movie I say go give it a watch because I’m a whore for Universal Monsters and have to watch them every year around this time.

Further Recommendations: Sequels

I’d also strongly recommend the Wolf Man’s sequel, Frankenstein Meets the Wolf Man. One of the first times horror icons met up in a fatal fight to the death as the man made of cadavers and the man cursed by the moon are locked in battle. It’s also the earliest example of a shared universe way before Marvel ever acted like they started that shit.

And, if you’re like me and have seen all these movies a dozen times over and still need a lycan fix, I just discovered a novel officially released by Universal Monsters that’s a sequel to the Wolf Man. It’s called Return of the Wolf Man and the book opens up right away with our hairy beast promptly fighting Dracula! Not only that but the Frankenstein Monster shows up and already this is proving to be a wild monster mash well worth the price I paid for it.

Yeah, so about that, it’s sad to say this thing can be pricy as all fuck. I paid $40 at Half Price Books for my (used paperback) copy but a copy on Amazon (last I looked) is going for over a hundred big ones. So yeah… If you happen to chance across this book at a used store or the library I say pick it up.

So that’s it, my nasties. Hope you all enjoyed our little journey into the night to discuss werewolves. You all have a Happy Halloween and watch out when you go out after sunset. If you hear something howling in the dark run as fast as you can. You might get away with your life.