In the intervening years since Wolfen was made, wolves have left the endangered species list and have been reintroduced successfully to many important North American ecosystems where they have had immediate salutary effects. Unfortunately as a byproduct of their success, increases in state-sanctioned violence and murder against wolves have also increased because humans never learn. Wolves have not yet returned to North American cities, but in their absence, their cousins the coyotes have done quite well for themselves. The presence of coyotes is difficult for humans to discern because they stay out of our way, going where we don't when we don't and living off of what we leave behind and the animals who increase in number by cohabitating with…

Geoff T's Hoop-Tober 5.0 Challenge
Wolfen (1981)

'81 was somewhat of a big year when it came to werewolf films. The two obvious ones that spring to mind are The Howling and An American Werewolf in London. The lesser known of these however was Wolfen, which isn't so much a werewolf film as it is a supernatural crime-drama that involves killer wolves, but still has some interesting elements to offer.

Occuring on the gritty streets of NYC (from Wall Street to the Bronx) are a series of grisly murders that resemble animal attacks. NYPD detective Dewey Wilson is called out of a vacation to investigate the bizarre deaths, one of which includes prominent real-estate developer Chris Van der Veer. While…

You Gotta Be Fucking Kidding Me: The 1980s Horror Month

For some reason I had always stated that I had seen and really enjoyed Wolfen, yet upon watching it tonight I didn't remember a single, solitary thing about it.

I can't even imagine for one second that even I wouldn't remember a single thing about this film, especially because it does happen to be very good. Maybe that was the only thing I remembered? So I'm putting this in the non-rewatch project and if you can't handle then that's too bad. Hold on, the foundations of Letterboxd are shaking as I write this.

Wolfen is an oddity in a few ways but I don't think it's some misunderstood masterpiece. It…

i'm a huge proponent of going into films blind, and the occasional rare discovery like this perfectly sums up what watching films is all about for me.

it starts as one thing and keeps changing as it goes along. i go in expecting a werewolf flick, then i'm pleasantly surprised that it's actually a police procedural, all of a sudden it slowly starts turning (damn) into some spiritual touching lil thing and everything that came previously starts coming together for a wholesomely great finish. by the end it's an entirely different and much bigger, much more impacting take on the creature genre.

theres a key comparison that gets made between wolves and native americans, both of which were victims of…

Wolfen was part of the big werewolf craze of the early 1980's, released alongside movies such as An American Werewolf in London and The Howling.

A New York City police captain becomes involved in a grisly string of murders, and eventually he thinks that the Native American community may be involved. Could it be the act of a wolf or even a werewolf?

This stands out in many ways. The New York City location makes it a slightly different experience, rooted in urban environments that are a form of wilderness unto themselves. It may sound strange, but I have always found NYC somewhat attractive in a certain way - the urban land of steel and concrete, so structured, with so…

INORDINATE HORROR MOVIE WITH SOME CHARM

Certainly Different than the average Werewolf Movie...Wait...this isn't a Werewolf Movie, so let's start again.

Certainly Different than Your average Horror Movie, the Director’s Only other Film other than “Woodstock: (1969).

A Treat of Offbeat Gore and POV Madness.

It's Ambitions Fall Short on the Environmental and Mystical Stuff at times but the way it gets there is Nonetheless Chillingly Captured.

The Movie may Try too Hard to Show a Number of Different Angles on the Horror of the Story...

Native American Shape-Shifting, the Encroachment of Civilization on the Natural World, and Human-Urban Decay.

A Fine Film that is a Different Entry in the Genre and until the Rushed and Confusing Ending it Captivates…

Ah the werewolf, there are times when this sometimes forgotten beast gets pushed into the movie spotlight. Normally when this happens it’s as the villain in some horror movie where our monster is misunderstood or straight out a killer with no reason for why it has the desire to chew on human flesh. 1981 was an interesting year as we got 3 tales in one year. The first time are well remembered and sit nicely in the horror genre, An American Werewolf in London and Howlin. Both movies are more or less the same thing, someone gets bitten and next thing you know they are up howling at the moon. But like I said there was 3 that year and…