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Alongside vampires, ghosts, witches and zombies, werewolves are often seen as a classic monster of Halloween and the horror genre in general, with tales of man grappling with their inner beast having gripped people for centuries.
Yet, in this modern era, it is quite hard to miss that werewolves, be it in books, games or films, are gripping people not so much because of terror and tragedy — but because of how physically attractive they look.
How did this happen? The image of the werewolf is supposed to invoke fear and disgust, not wide grins and sparkling eyes, is it not?
In truth, the werewolf’s journey from supernatural tragedy to eye candy is fascinating indeed, with many likely factors working to make lycanthropes desirable to men and women alike.
The original werewolf
Werewolves and shapeshifting creatures in general have been part of mythologies from across the world for millennia.
The earliest version of a creature that loosely matches modern perceptions of a werewolf appears in ancient Greek mythology, where king Lycaon is cursed by the gods to become a wolf.
Medieval Europe was also rife with tales and myths about werewolves, with the word “werwolf” being coined in Germany during the 11th century.
However, the roots of the modern imagination of the werewolf, including the belief that werewolves transform on full moon nights and are vulnerable to silver, are surprisingly recent inventions.
As per usual, Hollywood holds some responsibility for this, with the 1940s seeing the release of two iconic werewolf films, The Wolf Man (1941) and Frankenstein Meets the Wolf Man (1943).
Interestingly enough, these two films, old as they are, cemented the idea that a werewolf could appear to be an amalgamation of man and wolf, instead of the werewolf simply being an ordinary-looking man who turns into an ordinary-looking wolf.
The modern werewolf
– REDDITPIC
The late 20th century saw a further revival in interest in the werewolf, with films such as The Howling (1981), An American Werewolf in London (1981) and Teen Wolf (1985) all receiving their fair share of fans.
It was not just the realm of movies where the werewolf prowled. Roleplaying games such as Dungeons & Dragons and Werewolf: The Apocalypse allowed players to play as lycanthropes, with all the perks and cons that they offered.
Speaking of Werewolf: The Apocalypse, that particular game of the World of Darkness series actually likely contributed to another pillar of the modern werewolf – namely that werewolves have an age-old hatred of vampires.
Still, at this point in pop culture, werewolves were seen as either scary or goofy creatures, rather than eye candy. That would drastically change after the turn of the century, thanks to a certain book series called Twilight.
That series followed a human girl Bella (Kristen Stewart), who is torn between two romantic interests, the vampire Edward Cullen (Robert Pattinson) and the werewolf Jacob Black (Taylor Lautner). Some readers might remember schoolgirls and housewives picking between Team Edward and Team Jacob.
Regardless, after Twilight’s resounding success with readers and filmgoers, the popular portrayal of the werewolf was captured by hunky men, who would often conveniently lose their clothes when shapeshifting.
Series such as True Blood, The Vampire Diaries and Teen Wolf had werewolves in prominent roles, often played by conventionally attractive actors. The film series Underworld, which preceded Twilight, also started rolling out handsome lycanthropes afterwards, following the trend.
Some credit also has to go to Van Helsing (2004), which saw Hugh Jackman turning into a surprisingly impressive (for the time) CGI werewolf. That particular portrayal of a bipedal creature with a wolf head and fur-covered humanoid body remains quite influential and liked in many werewolf-loving circles.
Why are they hot?
– YOUTUBEPIC
But what is it that makes the werewolf attractive to modern people? In a 2009 interview with The Globe and Mail, The Girl’s Guide to Werewolves author Barb Karg said vampires used to be viewed as the desirable monster, compared with werewolves.
This has changed as people see werewolves as “a direct reflection of man’s inner beast”. She went on to equate werewolves with the classic rebel and bad boy tropes that have always been popular with audiences.
“Instead of leather jackets and tattoos, these hell-raisers are covered in coarse fur,” she said.
In the same article, fellow romance author Bianca D’Arc said while vampires embody the suave, cool male archetype, werewolves are more impulsive and wild, which some people gravitate to more.
“They’re more earthy, they’re more rough and tumble. Men of few words. They’re the big, dark and handsome muscular stereotype,” she said.
There is also the real-world fact that wolves are loyal to their pack and mates, and having a devoted, monogamous werewolf partner is a fantasy for some.
Add to that the emotional angst that tends to follow werewolf characters, as they struggle to rein in the beast for their partner’s safety and well-being.
Future of the werewolf
– VALVEPIC
Though some may lament the current objectified state of the werewolf in pop culture, there is no denying that being attractive has added to the supernatural creature’s overall cultural longevity.
Supernatural dramas and films with werewolves continue to pop up regularly, with the Marvel Cinematic Universe rolling out its own lycanthrope via 2022’s Werewolf by Night.
Video games have also not been left out, with Valve’s upcoming Deadlock featuring the aptly-named werewolf bounty hunter Silver and Telltale’s also upcoming The Wolf Among Us 2 starring a returning Bigby Wolf, the literal Big Bad Wolf of fairy tales.
Though Malaysia does not have werewolf myths, we do have the harimau jadian (weretiger). Perhaps it is high time for local storytellers to give this oft-forgotten creature a makeover – and one abdomen-crunching exercise regimen.
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