AtoZ2017 - W is for Werewolf & Wayne & Wanda #AtoZChallenge

Welcome to Day 23 of the AtoZChallenge and the letter W. Every day in April (except Sundays) I will be making a post about shapeshifters of all kinds. Check back to see my choices and, from time to time some flash fiction too.

W is for 

Werewolf

Werewolves are in folklore. fiction and some people believe they are werewolves in read life as well. For being people who turn into wolves they are amazingly diverse in powers and forms too.

For example, as illustrated by the image to the left there are the half man half wolf, wolfman type werewolves. In cinema and TV these range from everything from a person with a hairy face, to CGI'd montrosities to terrorise any town.

My personal favourite is modern special effects makeup with a little bit fo CGI thrown in to iron out the wrinkles.

Examples of these wolfmen are the Lycan's from Underworld series, the werewolves from Teen Wolf the TV show and the totally unrealted Teen Wolf movies, the werewolves from Van Helsing, to name but three.

Then there are werewolves that completely become wolves. They are able to shift completely from human to wolf and hence are indistinguishable from the real thing. Examples of these are Talia Hale in Teen Wolf, Red from One Upon a Time and the lycanthropes from the Anita Blake series of books.

Some have both forms and can choose which they wish to become.

There are those werewolves who are ruled by the moon, turning into a slathering monster only under the influence of our sattelite. Some only become more agitated under the sway of the moon. Some can change at will, others are cursed to change in other ways.

Likewise some retain their human minds when changed, others lose some humanity, but maintain a modicom of intelligence and then there are the ones who become nothing more than monsters.

Werewolves can pass on their curse by a bite, or in some cases a scratch. With others it requires deliberate intent or an alpha werewolf to create more of their kind. Some are even born as wolves. A few are cursed to become a wolf because of the timing or manner of their birth into this world.

Part of what makes werewolves so interesting it the wealth of folklore and legend there is to work from. Werewolves are almost as diverse as vampires.

Werewolves of the Day

Wanda & Wayne

So I had to think hard for my werewolves today and then it hit me, of course, it has to be the wolfman and his wife from Hotel Transylvania. I love these two and their tribe of children, they are brilliant.

Close friends of Dracula, Wayne and Wanda regularly visit Hotel Transylvania where they can enjoy themselves and forget that humans are out to kill them.

Wayne is voice by the incomparable Steve Buscemi and Molly Shannon is Wanda. Since they're wolves they have a litter of children who are in equal parts adorable and a nightmare.

If you haven't seen Hotel Transylvania I highly recommend it as a great family watch, and I love #2 as well.

• Do you find werewolves that are wolfmen or full wolves a scarier idea?
• If you were one of the monsters from Hotel Transylvania, which one would you be?

Click here and here to find other AtoZ posts.