www.werewolves.com has gathered a good list of werewolf movies that would keep you up all night this weekend

Where would our favorite werewolf movies be today if they didn’t have groundbreaking movies to pave the way? And while the newer movies are filled with great special effects, Dolby surround sound, and makeup techniques and tools that truly transform man to beast, we simply wouldn’t be where we are today if it weren’t for these vintage films. And every now and then, we like to tip our hats to the movies that made it possible for all the great wolf movies that we enjoy today! Pick one of these up this weekend (or all of them) and take yourself back to a time when werewolves were just a tiny bit simpler, but still oh-so-awesome!

An American Werewolf in London was the first werewolf movie to be released by Universal Studios. And while it may not have been as successful as The Wolf Man, it was successful enough to also have a remake of it done. Check out this pseudo-trailer that some clever little devil put together for the original film. The original trailer is simply a reflection of a full moon in a body of water. This one’s much better, I must say!

More here

I really like The American Werewolf movies, they were the first ones I saw. What is you favorite werewolf movie?

MEDIABISTRO.com has a great article about the difficulties and pitfalls of getting your novel published:

How to Find an Agent for Your Urban Fantasy Novel’

Debut novelist Allison Pang (pictured, via her Twitter avatar) recently sold her urban fantasy novel, Shadow of the Incubus–along with two sequels to the book. Pocket Books executive editor Lauren McKenna acquired the book in a four-way auction. The deal was negotiated by Colleen Lindsay from FinePrint Literary Management.

GalleyCat caught up with Pang, getting some exclusive advice about pitching an urban fantasy novel (or any novel, for that matter). “The only real advice I can give is to write the absolute best book you can and don’t send it out before it’s ready,” explained Pang. “Souring an agent on a story can be hard to come back from. Make sure the agent you’re submitting to is actively looking for what you’ve written–Twitter, Google, Facebook and agent blogs are important tools that should absolutely be utilized.”

She continued: “Read other urban fantasy books to make sure your vision is as fresh as it can be. In a heavily saturated market of vampires, werewolves and sword-wielding heroines, it can be difficult to appear unique and you want to make sure your book has every possible chance to stand out.”

Read more suggestions and tips on mediabistro.com

I think it’s wonderful when a newly published author takes the time to give tips/suggestions to other struggling authors. It’s important for them to mentor those who are trying to get published.

Do you feel published authors should help up and coming authors? Why or why not?

ROCK ‘N’ ROLL WEREWOLF PICS FROM NEOWOLF

From ShockTillYouDrop.com:
Shock Till You Drop has the first pictures from rock werewolf movie: Neowolf

READ MORE HERE

SCIENCE PROVES 3-D MOVIES HURT YOUR BRAIN

From io9.com:
We knew it: 3-D films are trying to kill you with migraines and crappy vision. A new study proves the relationship between 3-D and headaches. But will this stop Hollywood’s slate of 32 (and counting) upcoming 3-D films? A study at the University of California Berkeley found that 3-D movies can cause eyestrain along with headaches. Apparently, 3-D doesn’t allow our eyes to “follow the rules” because we’re busy focusing on things both far and near at the same time, hence the headaches and blurred vision.

READ MORE HERE

FIRST ONDINE POSTER

From filmofilia.com:
Filmofilia.com has the first look at the new poster for the Colin Farrell movie, Ondine, which is a modern style fairy tale of a man, Syracuse, who discovers a beautiful and mysterious creature in his fishing nets.

READ MORE HERE

JOHN CARPENTER’S FIRST MOVIE IN A DECADE IS INSANE

From scifiwire.com:
Danielle Panabaker is only 22, but she’s already racking up an impressive resume of movie roles in remakes of classic horror movies (Friday the 13th, The Crazies) and working with one of the godfathers of horror, director John Carpenter, with whom she just wrapped the upcoming supernatural thriller The Ward.

After nearly a decade-long absence from features, Carpenter is finally back behind the lens: The horror icon recently wrapped The Ward, currently slated for release this September, which follows an institutionalized young woman (Amber Heard) who is being haunted by a ghost.

READ MORE HERE

QUEEN OF KOOK

From smh.com:
The Sydney Morning Herald has an interview with Helen Bonham Carter:

HELENA BONHAM CARTER fancies a drink. So she orders a double espresso. And a glass of fizzy water. And an apple smoothie. She looks rather worried when I order just a coffee. “Is that all you want?” she asks gently. Multiple drinking, she explains, is the way to a balanced diet. She admits her theory is not based on pure science.

We are in the cafe just down the road from her north London home. She says she’s got something to show me and produces a freaky cardboard cutout of a little woman with a huge, hydroencephalised head. “I’ve brought myself. It’s me . . . in Alice.”

READ MORE HERE

The eye problem with 3-d movies – particularly Avatar – seems to be common – I’ve heard from more than one person that they had a headache after watching that. Has it happened to you? Do you think it’s worth the experience of seeing a movie in 3-d? Do you think 3-d is necessary in movies?

I’m quite excited about Ondine -I’m a sucker for modern fairytales. Fingers crossed it’ll be good!

What interests you in today’s movie news?

Come and discuss in our forum!

Within the fantasy and fiction we can find a numberless list of creatures or beings that have lived throughout history and its myths. Some say they are real and believe to have seen them; others are just not that into them. So, this time around the OBS Staff brings you a list of some of the most recognizable “Mythical Creatures” for our A to Z edition. Enjoy!

Mythical Creatures

A: Angels
(A supernatural being found in many religions, whose duties are to assist and serve God. They typically act as messengers, as believed in the main three monotheistic religions.)

Afanc
(A lake monster from Welsh mythology. Its exact description varies; it is described alternately as resembling a crocodile, beaver or dwarf-like creature, and is sometimes said to be a demon.)

B: Bigfoot
(An alleged ape-like creature purportedly inhabiting forests, mainly in the Pacific Northwest region of North America. Bigfoot is usually described as a large, hairy, bipedal humanoid.)

Banshee
(A female spirit, usually seen as an omen of death and a messenger from the Otherworld.)

C: Cyclops
(A giant, with one single eye in the middle of his forehead.)

Centaur
(Has the head, arms, and chest of the centaur are human while the rest of its body, including four legs, hindquarters, and a tail is like that of a horse.)

Cherubs or Cherubim
(In Modern English they are strictly known as baby or toddler angels. Originally they are described as winged beings, a tetrad of living creatures, each having four faces: of a lion, an ox, an eagle, and a man. They are said to have the stature and hands of a man, the feet of a calf, and four wings.)

Chimaera
(A monstrous beast which is part lion, goat and snake.)

D: Dragons
(A legendary winged creature, typically with serpentine or reptilian traits.)

Demons
(Powerful supernatural beings without the dignity of gods. Ancient demons could be good or bad. Traditionally demons have been said to reign on some other planet, usually some form of hell, and are creatures of fire.)

Dwarves
(Described as shorter and stockier than Elves and Men, able to withstand both heat and cold. Though they are mortal, Dwarves have an average lifespan of 250 years.)

E: Elf
(Originally thought of as a race of divine or semi-divine beings endowed with magical powers, which they use both for the benefit and the injury of mankind. In pre-Christian mythology, they appear to have been divided into light elves and dark elves. In early modern and modern folklore, they were known to live underground in hills or rocks, or in wells and springs.)

Erinyes
(They are crones with snakes for hair, dogs’ heads, coal-black bodies, bats’ wings, and bloodshot eyes. In their hands they carry brass-studded scourges.)

F: Fairies
(Generally described as human in appearance and having magical powers, in modern culture they are often depicted as young, sometimes winged, humanoids of small stature, they originally were depicted much differently: tall, radiant, angelic beings or short, wizened trolls.)

Fae
(Able to see the future, or touched in the head. In popular culture the fey, if recognized at all, have been reduced to small, winged, humanoid, female creatures that are frequently portrayed in the nude.)

G: Gargoyle
(In contemporary fiction, gargoyles are typically depicted as a winged humanoid creature with demonic features.)

Goblins
(A legendary evil or mischievous creature, described as a grotesquely evil or evil -like phantom, have been classified as constantly annoying little creatures, can come in any color but are mainly depicted as green or brown, and are very crabby.)

Griffins
(A legendary creature with the body of a lion and the head and wings of an eagle. As the lion was traditionally considered the king of the beasts and the eagle was the king of the birds, the griffin was thought to be an especially powerful and majestic creature. Griffins are normally known for guarding treasure.)

H: Hydra
(A many headed monster which terrorized visitors near the lake of Lerna in Greece. Killing the Hydraproved to be quite a challenge, as two heads would grow back whenever one was cut off.)

Harpy
(Mainly winged death-spirits, best known for constantly stealing all food from Phineas, they could also bring life.)

Hobbits
(Are between two and four feet tall, the average height being three feet six inches. They dress in bright colours, favoring yellow and green. Nowadays, they are usually very shy creatures, but are nevertheless capable of great courage and amazing feats under the proper circumstances.)

I: Itcuintlipotzotli
(Better known as the Chupacabra – strange Mexican creature the size of a small dog. It has hairless skin, a wolfish head, no neck, a short tail, and a large hump down the length of its back.)

J: Jack Frost
(Is an elfish creature who personifies crisp, cold weather. Jack is said to leave patterns in the autumn leaves and the patterns in the frost that are left on windows.)

K: Kraken
(Is an enormous sea monster in Norwegian sea folklore, which would sometimes attack ships and feed upon the sailors. It was said to be capable of dragging down the largest ships and when submerging could suck down a vessel by the whirlpool it created. It is described as part octopus and part crab, occasionally as a giant squid or cuttlefish.)

Kampe
(A monstrous centaurine creature who, from the waist up, had the body of a serpentine-haired woman. Below she had the body of a scaly dragon with a thousand vipers for feet and sprouting from her waist the heads of fifty fearsome beasts–lions, boars and other wild animals. Dark wings rose from her shoulders and above her head she lifted a furious scorpion’s tail.)

L: Loch Ness
(A cryptic that is reputed to inhabit Loch Ness in the Scottish Highlands. The most frequent speculation is that the creature represents a line of long-surviving plesiosaurs.)

Lamia
(Lamia was once the beautiful Queen of Lybia and was seduced by the great king of the Greek gods himself – Zeus. His jealous wife, Hera, reacted by killing Lamia’s children and turning her into a hateful monster – a woman above the waist and a serpent below.)

M: Medusa
(Was a monstrous chthonic female character, essentially an extension of an apotropaic mask, whose gaze could turn onlookers to stone. In other versions she was a human with blonde hair and she had no sisters. She slept with Poseidon in Athena’s temple, so Athena punished Medusa by turning her into a monster with hair made of snakes.)

Minotaur
(Was a creature with the head of a bull on the body of a man.)

N: Nymph
(Is any member of a large class of female nature entities, either bound to a particular location or landform or joining the retinue of a god or goddess.)

O: Orcs
(Portrayed as physically stronger or weaker than humans, but always high in numbers. They often ride wolves or wargs. They are also often depicted with pig-like faces.)

Ouroboros
(A self-eating, circular being as the first living thing in the universe—an immortal, perfectly constructed animal. The living being had no need of eyes when there was nothing remaining outside him to be seen; nor of ears when there was nothing to be heard; and there was no surrounding atmosphere to be breathed.)

P: Pegasus
(It is said Pegasus sprang from the blood of the Gorgon Medusa after Perseus beheaded her. Pegasus is described as a winged white horse. They live in the forest and live in small herds. Very rarely one pegasus will befriend a human, or elf and become his/her companion.)

Phoenix
(Is a mythical bird and associated with the Egyptian sun-god Re and the Greek Phoibos)

Pixie
(Are usually depicted as wingless, with pointed ears, and often wearing a green outfit and pointed hat. Sometimes their eyes are described as being pointed upwards at the temple ends.)

Q: Quanlier
(In Cherokee legend, a Quanlier has the head of a wolf, the torso of a man, the arms of a dog and the legs of a jackal. It feeds on human flesh and most small animals. Living in a small area there are very few, in fact there may be only one. It’s a close relation to a werewolf, only it can’t change into a human and when it’s killed it doesn’t turn into a human. It can run at speeds of up to 300 MPH.)

R: Roc
(A legendary gigantic bird from Arabian legends. These birds were so big that they could carry off elephants for food. The Roc is featured in various stories of the “Thousand and One Nights” and they have also featured in historical texts of Marco Polo on his travels.)

S: Sprite
(A broad term referring to a number of monstrous creatures. The term is generally used in reference to fairies, like the elf or dwarf, and the likes of it; but can also signify various monstrous beings, including ghosts.)

Sphinx
(Was the riddler who was part woman part lion. She killed anyone who couldn’t answer her riddles, but wouldn’t let anyone through the gates she stood in front of unless they could.)

Succubus
(Is a demon who takes the form of a woman to seduce men in dreams to have sexual intercourse.)

Selkie
(Are able to transform to human form by shedding their seal skins and can revert to seal form by putting their selkie skin back on. When in human form, both sex are described as handsome and seductive. Male selkies typically seek those who are dissatisfied with their romantic life. This includes married women waiting for their fishermen husbands.)

Satyr
(Are a troop of male companions of Pan and Dionysus.)

Skin Walker
(In some Native American legends, a skin-walker is a person with the supernatural ability to turn into any animal he or she desires)

T: Troll
(Is a fearsome member of a mythical anthropomorph race from Scandinavia. Their role ranges from fiendish giants – similar to the ogres of England – to a devious, dwarf-like folk of the wilderness, living underground in hills, caves or mounds.

U: Unicorn
(A legendary creature usually depicted with the body of a horse, but with a single – usually spiral – horn growing out of its forehead. The unicorn’s blood and horn supposedly have mystical healing properties. A unicorn’s horn also is known as the “bane of evil” in that it has the ability to dispel anything malignant in water and can also kill most truly evil creatures it comes in to contact with.)

V: Vampires
(A preternatural being, commonly believed to be a reanimated corpse, that is said to suck the blood of sleeping persons at night. Or according to Eastern European folklore, a corpse, animated by an undeparted soul or demon, that periodically leaves the grave and disturbs the living, until it is exhumed and impaled or burned. Or  alternatively a person who has made a pact with the devil, selling his soul to him in exchange for nearly eternal life as long as the person sucks the blood from other people.)

W: Werewolves
(Love to eat babies and corpses. Only silver bullets or arrows can kill a werewolf. After death, a werewolf resumes his human identity.)

X: Xelhua
(Always female, she is a fairy nymph of extraordinary beauty believed to live in fountains, rivers, waterfalls or forested regions with pure water.)

Xing Tian
(Meaning “punished one” or “he who was punished by heaven” is a Pre-Qin Dynasty mythological headless giant.)

Y: Yale
(The Yale is a four legged beast from Ethiopia and India, its colour is a tawny brown or black. It is about the size of a horse; it looks much like a deer but has the lower jaws of a boar with its tusks. The Yale has movable horns that it can control.)

Yeti
(A hybrid of man and ape, standing well over two meters tall and having a fur of a dark brown to black color. Or to some they’re described as smaller than an average man with a reddish-brown pelt.)

Z: Zombies
(The living dead – reanimated corpses brought back to serve a sorcerer. Once given salt, they realize what’s happening, and return to their grave. Once the touch they dirt of their grave, they go back to being dead.)

Join us on the Forum and give us your opinions on our A-Z list of today and be sure to check back next month for more OBS A to Z editions!

via Book Trade: Two-Book World Rights Deal For YA Fantasy Novelist
Puffin are very excited to announce that we have acquired two fantasy novels in a new series entitled Wereworld by British author and artist Curtis Jobling. Shannon Park, Executive Editor at Puffin secured world rights for the series from the John Jarrold Literary Agency, for an undisclosed five-figure sum. The Wereworld novels are due for publication in 2011 and 2012 respectively.

WEREWORLD follows the story of fifteen-year-old Drew, a shepherd’s son, as he comes of age and discovers he’s the last of the long line of Werewolves, and rightful (yet reluctant) ruler of the land of Lyssia, where lycanthrope ‘Werelords’ reign. Before long he’s hurtling headlong into an epic journey of fantasy and horror, from one deadly encounter to the next, meeting exotic Werelords at every turn as he’s drawn inexorably towards his destiny.

More Details here

Cover Exclusive: FULL STEAM AHEAD by Nathalie Gray

by Heather Massey at The Galaxy Express
Regarding the cover for Nathalie Gray’s forthcoming erotic steampunk romance novel, FULL STEAM AHEAD, nothing can express my reaction better than OMG!* Feast your eyes on this striking cover, an exclusive made possible for you by the combined generosity of the author and Red Sage Managing Editor Theresa Stevens.

This cover is a super science fiction romance cover for a number of reasons. First, the airship is eye-catching and prominent. Sleek. It’s above the clouds so I’m anticipating the story will promise loads of adventure and airship battles. There’s not just one, either—two of them grace the cover. Those convey the science fictional aspects with aplomb. But what about the romance?

Read More here

Over Fifteen Pounds of Book!!–Knowing Darkness: Artists Inspired by Stephen King

by Jeff VanderMeer at Omnivoracious
Some books make you feel like Captain Ahab pursuing the white whale. They come smashing through the door, so heavy that because it’s a book and you’ve forgotten books can be huge, you almost hurt yourself lugging it through the house to the livingroom. Knowing Darkness: Artists Inspired by Stephen King is one of those books. It’s the brainchild of Centipede Press and its founder Jerad Walters, who has established a reputation for doing the impossible, with such juggernauts as A Lovecraft Retrospective: Artists Inspired by Lovecraft (which my wife and I covered for io9 in this feature).

Covering King’s entire career, this oversized monster features over 500 illustrations in almost every artistic medium imaginable, including 30 double-page foldouts. Not only have obscure reprints been included, but the 11 x 15 book also features commissioned works that will never appear anywhere else.

Read More here

Happy Valentine’s Day!

Shutter Island: A Thriller Out Of Time?
by Damon Wise at Empire Online

It’s been interesting watching the reactions to Martin Scorsese’s Shutter Island, from the trailer alone. People seem to forget that artists have a fractious relationship with their times, that sometimes their work arrives out of synch with public taste, and that sometimes their art takes chances that even their most loyal followers won’t accept. The irony, of course, is that nobody knows this better than Scorsese, who has conducted a personal journey through the film cultures of three very cine-literate countries (Italy and the US, with Britain on its way) and directed a milestone documentary (No Direction Home) about the musician, poet and electric folklorist Bob Dylan, himself no stranger to controversy and public questioning. Along the way, the song remains the same; sometimes a contemporary audience isn’t always sitting in the right seats to judge.

Well, the arguments over Shutter Island appear to be raging over Scorsese’s decision to embrace high melodrama: thrashing winds; crashing waves; thundering rain; a detective dressed like a tsunami-drenched Dana Andrews; an insane asylum right out of Dickens; a score with more threat and bombast than Bernard Herrmann’s original theme for Cape Fear…

Read More here.

Here’s Why Most Werewolf Movies Suck
by Scott Weinberg at Horror Squad

Werewolf of London (1935), The Wolf Man (1941), Curse of the Werewolf (1961). An American Werewolf in London, The Howling, and Wolfen all showed up in 1981. Later we got Ginger Snaps and Dog Soldiers. I’ve skipped over stuff like Silver Bullet, Bad Moon, and Underworld because even if you think they’re half-decent werewolf movies — you probably don’t think they’re fantastic werewolf movies. Hell, I only included the very dry Wolfen up top because it’s weird that three werewolf movies came out in 1981!

Clearly my assertion is that there aren’t really all that many GOOD werewolf movies. I will now take that assertion and stretch it like so much bubble gum … and there: I now have a specious piece of logic that says MOST werewolf movies are crap. (Wolf? Blood and Chocolate? I Was a Teenage Werewolf? Cursed? Don’t make me laugh. And the name of that witless “Paris” sequel will go unmentioned on this website.) Actually that’s not entirely accurate either because, really, we don’t really GET all that many werewolf movies these days. And I think I know why…

Read More here.

Will We See The Riddler, Robin And More In Dark Knight Sequel?
by Graeme McMillan at io9

Now that we know that Christopher Nolan’s third Batman movie is getting underway, rumors about the choice of villain and plot are beginning to trickle online. Surprisingly, they don’t seem entirely impossible…

According to an anonymous source to ComicBookMovie.com, the third movie will feature not only the Riddler as the main villain – figuring out Batman’s secret identity, in a move swiped from the comics – but also cameos from other villains within Arkham Asylum, as well as appearances by Barbara Gordon and Dick Grayson and mentions of Lex Luthor and Metropolis, setting up a cross-continuity with any future Superman movie.

Ignoring the fact that Barbara Gordon would be too young to be Batgirl in the movie continuity, all of this seems potentially legit, especially considering that The Dark Knight featured villain cameos, Nolan is overseeing a Superman movie reboot and the non-powered-but-mentally-troubled Riddler seems a particularly strong choice for villain.

Read More here.

Penelope Cruz eyes ‘Pirates of the Caribbean’ sequel
by Borys Kit at Heat Vision Blog

Penelope Cruz is in negotiations to join Johnny Depp and sail the seven seas in “Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides,” the fourth installment of the movie series being directed by Rob Marshall.

Depp is reprising his popular role of Captain Jack Sparrow, and while plot details are buried deeper than Blackbeard’s treasure, it is known the tale revolves around the Fountain of Youth.

Cruz’s character details are also being kept secret, though she is to be Sparrow’s foil and equal in many ways.

Read More here.

If I liked horror movies, I’d go see Shutter Island, the plot actually sounds good. I just don’t like being scared. And I think the Riddler would be a better choice than Catwoman for the next Batman movie, but the way the characters are adapted for Nolan’s version anyone might work.

What do you think about the new Batman villain ideas? Are you looking forward to the new Pirates movie?