Cinematical Says Werewolves are a ‘Hard Sell’

Which I think is bullshit, –werewolves might be portrayed mainly as males, but movies like Ginger Snaps, and even the Company of Wolves, make it glaringly obvious that girls can don the fur and fang role just as effortlessly as the males can; if not moreso. Haven’t we all thought, at one point or another, about the viciousness of the woman, when it comes to certain subjects, like jealousy, of course, but also, the genetically ingrained desire to protect her children? And that’s not their only reason why they’re skeptical about the werewolves comeback in popular culture:

“It’s a Furry Boys Club – Everyone likes a little gender diversity in their movie monsters, and with very few exceptions, movie werewolves tend to be of the male persuasion. Some critics have even theorized that there is a practical reason for this; mainly, how do you handle the physical realities of a wolf-woman without making audiences uncomfortable — or to put it bluntly: how do you stop audiences from being weirded out by a werewolf with boobs? But, I’m not sure that logic is sound, are you?

Transforming isn’t Much Fun – There might be some minor variances in the ‘transformation’ of a vamp from a seemingly normal (if overly pale) individual to a bloodthirsty fiend, but for the most part, what you see is what you are going to get. Which is unfortunately not the case with our lycanthropically-inclined friends; for the wolves, it’s all about goo, pain, and hair sprouting in strange places (which is probably why it made such a great metaphor in Ginger Snaps).

A Curse vs. A Life Choice – I think sometimes we like to live vicariously through our movie monsters, and while most vampires are that way by choice, the traditional werewolf narrative has the condition thrust upon an unwilling victim. Being at the mercy of the moon messes with our fantasies of power, strength, and the general awesomeness that goes hand in hand with our monsters. So I guess a cursed existence might look pretty good to someone who likes to suffer, but for the rest of us, the life of a wolf-man seems like one big downer.”

The reasons listed are flawed in various places; take the last one. Anyone who’s read any werewolf romance can easily get behind the theory that being wild, connecting with nature, and giving in to primal urges, far outranks the ability to look great in PVC, and burn to a crisp in daylight. As for the second reason, –transformations are painful, but worth it. Plus, that practically says it right there: how often do you see a pussified werewolf? Werewolves are strong, dominant guys who can handle the transformation into a predator. Vampire guys on the other hand, are often pussies, brooding emo boys, and such. And I don’t really need to say anything about the sexist views of the first one, do I? Plenty of guys love to see hot werewolf chicks, –and plenty of girls love to see a werewolf woman who kicks ass.

6 comments

  1. Exactly, us women may not have physical strength as males but we have the drive and rage and power to manipulate the males around us to our advantage.

  2. >>Being at the mercy of the moon messes with our fantasies of power, strength, and the general awesomeness that goes hand in hand with our monsters.<<

    SERIOUSLY??? Every woman I know goes through a monthly change, why would turning into a wolf be any different…(might make PMS that much more understandable tho) :P

  3. Geez, Cinematical really has their head stuck deep in their own asses for sure. The only thing they do hear is bullshit (Or humanshit in this case) so maybe it’s time to help the pour bastards to pop it out so they can see the light.

    Excuse my language but stuff like this really irritates me. It’s just proof on that they don’t know what they’r talkng about.

  4. Oh, great, here we go again.
    Honestly, is it that much to ask that we all just have a neutral disposition towards males and females?
    It’s either: males are stronger, faster, better.
    Or: Females are smarter, better and think faster.
    Seriously.
    We should be over this by now.

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