This is a segment of Salon Saturday that aired on October 21. I’m once again pairing wines and spirits to movies and no surprise; we’re covering werewolves, who, unlike vampires do drink wine. Usually with a side of meat, but still, who doesn’t like a thick juicy steak with a glass of Chateauneuf du Pape? Oops, I hope I haven’t put you off your feed? Meanwhile check out this set of 13 scary movies.
Werewolf of London (1935): Dir Stuart Walker, with Henry Hull, Warner Oland, Valerie Hobson
Botanist Wilfred Glendon travels to Tibet in search of a rare flower, the Mariphasa, where he is bitten by a wild beast. Returning to London he’s haunted by murders that could be the work of a werewolf.
While not as impressive as later films it did establish the canon that the werewolf always kills what he loves the most. The main werewolf, there were two, was a dapper London scientist who retained some of his style and most of his human features after his transformation. Jack Pierce used minimal makeup because Hull refused a more elaborate treatment. That’s something most future actors did submit to as horror movies hit the big time.
I’m going with a Bombay Sapphire Gin and Tonic. Stevie Nicks claims she can get you higher – from her song Bombay Sapphire, and I believe her.
The Wolf Man (1941): Dir George Waggener, with Claude Rains, Lon Chaney Jr
Larry Talbot returns to his father’s castle in Wales and meets a beautiful woman. One fateful night, Talbot escorts her to a local carnival where they meet Maleva, a mysterious gypsy fortune teller. This was the first film to show empathy for a werewolf that was cursed and could only seek his own death to escape his fate. It catapulted the werewolf into public consciousness and contained the now-famous rhyme:
Even a man who is pure in heart
And says his prayers by night
May become a wolf
When the wolfbane blooms
And the autumn moon is bright.
This movie draws on elements of traditional folklore and fiction, such as the vulnerability of the werewolf to silver. This comes in the form of a silver wolf-headed cane that Larry gives to his father (Rains) for protection. Unfortunately for Chaney he was cursed to play the wolf man again and again in future Universal horror films.
You can recite the gypsy poem while sipping a 2020 The Gypsy, GSM Blend, Sonoma Valley, ‘Jessica’s Cuvee’ This GSM Blend is made up of 70% Grenache, 28% Syrah and just 2% Mourvèdre.
The Undying Monster (1942): Dir John Brahm with James Ellison, Heather Angel
Columbia Pictures and Fox Studios brought out their own werewolf film a year later. It was adapted from a novel of the same name by Jessie Douglas Kerruish, published in 1936. My family loved this movie because the undying monster was called the Hammond Monster. While closer to British gothic mysteries of the time, with a brief look of the monster near the end, the atmosphere and the location of the Hammond Chateau by the sea was rendered with brilliant cinematography.
It also had its own legend: When stars are bright on a frosty night / Beware thy bane on the rocky lane, which the butler intones when his mistress (Angel) intends to investigate a disturbance on a frosty night. I’ll bet a lot of nights are like that.
I’m going with Angel’s Envy Kentucky Bourbon finished in port wine barrels in honor of Heather Angel (1909-1986), a great English actress.
The Curse of the Werewolf (1961): Dir Terrence Fisher, with Oliver Reed, Yvonne Romain
It was up to Hammer films to revive the werewolf with Oliver Reed’s great portrayal from the Guy Endore novel. It begins with the powerful Marques Siniestro, throwing a servant girl in a cell with a crazed beggar where she is raped. When freed she kills the Marques and flees, later giving birth on Christmas Day to a boy who will be cursed for this insult to God.
The agony of the transformation and Reed’s anguish over those he has killed continued the theme of lycanthropy as a tragic curse from which destruction is the only cure.
How about the Veil Brewing Company’s Cognac Circle of Wolves, an English style Barleywine aged in French Cognac barrels for two years? Intense impressions of raisins soaked in cognac, fine amaro, hard caramel candies, and chocolate covered figs. You might want to chase this with a glass of Cognac.
The Howling (1981): Dir Joe Dante, with Dee Wallace, Patrick Macnee
A new era of special effects spawned a trio of werewolf films that took on different aspects of the curse. In the Howling it was a community of werewolves that we encounter. The sexual element is plumbed for all its worth here. Whether seeing two slavering rutting beasts is your sort of thing or not, getting out of Dodge before the moon is full sounded like a good idea to me. And of course there were sequels.
This should handle a difficult transformation: Jaffe Vineyards Transformation 2019, 14.1% ABV, $68.00. A Bordeaux-inspired red blend, made from 60% Merlot and 40% Cabernet Sauvignon.
An American Werewolf in London (1981): Dir John Landis, with David McNaughton, Jenny Agutter
Two American college students on a walking tour of Britain are attacked by a werewolf on the moors after leaving The Slaughtered Lamb pub. The survivor used to be the spokesperson for Dr. Pepper. That’s as amazing a transformation as the special effects as he becomes a full-on wolf. Rick Baker’s grisly effects are top drawer.
What do you do after you have shed all your clothes to become a wolf and you wake up in an animal cage after a night of debauchery? If it was me I’d always bring along a spare change of clothes. One new thing added, which I loved, was after each kill those he’d killed came back, pleading with him to kill himself so they could RIP. His dead buddy keeps showing up more decayed each time with more body parts missing. Dark humor to be sure, but effective.
Neighborhood 2022 Red Blend ‘Full Moon’ 12% ABV, $40, a spellbinding red wine crafted from a unique blend of Lagrein, Teroldego, and Mourvèdre grapes. Drink this before a hike along the moors.
The Company of Wolves (1985): Neil Jordan, with Angela Lansbury, Sarah Patterson
A teenage girl in a country manor falls asleep while reading a magazine, and has a disturbing dream involving wolves prowling the woods below her bedroom window. Here we have a reimagining of the Red Riding Hood fairy tale, with Grandma (Lansbury) in peril and her granddaughter seriously worried about her.
Roger Ebert: The movie has an uncanny, hypnotic force; we always know what is happening, but we rarely know why or how it connects with anything else, or how we can escape from it, or why it seems to correspond so deeply with our guilt and fear. That is, of course, almost a definition of a nightmare.
How about a Staffelter Hof Little Red Riding Wolf 2021 $22 sounds like just the thing and it even has Red riding a wolf on the label. This is from a family winery in Krov, Germany.
An American Werewolf in Paris (1997): Dir Anthony Waller, with Tom Everett Scott, Julie Delpy
Landis was one of the writers for this, not really a sequel, werewolf movie, with more chills and more chilling werewolves who now have a serum to transform into a beast at will. A new twist was that if you kill and eat the heart of the werewolf that bit you, you are home free. It’s important to know that when these French werewolves say they really like Americans, to them it’s as a food group. Beginning with bungee jumping off the Eifel Tower, the pacing is fast and furious and so are wolves.
How about a Werewolf 2021 Cabernet Romania 13% ABV, $7.49, that’s aged in Transylvanian oak, the 100% Cabernet is dark red, with aromas of bell pepper and spice. They say it goes well with red meats.
Ginger Snaps (2000): Dir John Fawcett, with Emily Perkins, Katherine Isobel
Two death-obsessed sisters, outcasts in their suburban neighborhood, must deal with the tragic consequences when one of them is bitten by a werewolf. Woven into this tale of menstruation gone mad, a young woman experiences an unsettling transformation, which is very bad for all her suitors. This is a far different take on werewolves and reminds one of Carrie (1976), which also features the onset of menstruation, in this case, a catalyst for her telekinetic powers.
This one calls out for a Moscow Mule with vodka, ginger beer and lime. Make sure it’s a copper mug, not silver, Ginger doesn’t want chapped lips.
The Wolf of Snow Hollow (2000): Dir Jim Cummings, with Robert Forster, Riki Lindhome
Terror grips a small mountain town as bodies are discovered after each full moon. Losing sleep, raising a teenage daughter, and caring for his ailing father, Officer Marshall (Cummings) struggles to remind himself there’s no such thing as werewolves. Yeah, that’s not going to happen.
The late Forster in his last role as the ailing father to Cummings is always good to see and the film’s short runtime never overstays its welcome.
We’re going to South Africa for a Boekenhoutskloof The Wolftrap Red Blend 2021, a blend of Syrah, Mourvèdre and Viognier.
Dog Soldiers (2002): Dir Neil Marshall, with Sean Pertwee, Kevin McKidd, Emma Cleasby
A routine military exercise turns into a nightmare in the Scottish wilderness. An area filled with lots of very hungry werewolves; really big, nasty-looking ones. This one has lots of gut-munching so save the pizza for comedy and strap yourself in.
I’m going with a Rob Roy with Carlyle blended scotch and Noilly Prat white Vermouth and two olives. I’ll need food along with the numbing effects of the Carlyle to get through this one.
Red Riding Hood (2011): Dir Catherine Hardwicke, with Amanda Seyfried, Lucas Haas, Gary Oldman
Here is another go at the Red Riding Hood tale with Seyfried totally in charge in her role. She and the set design, and cinematography make this a must see. There is also mystery in discovering who the beast is, and tensions are stretched tight as more bodies pile up. Good enough to deserve a second look.
Big Red Monster Cabernet Sauvignon from Bonny Doon, sourcing fruit from Paso Robles. This savage beast, clocking in at 15% ABV, shows aromas of black currant and cedar. The palate is robust, big and bold, full of berry flavors, cracked spice, and oak, finishing with powerful tannin. WE 90 points.
Werewolves Within (2021): Dir Josh Ruben, with Sam Richardson, Milana Vayntrub
Feature adaptation of the video game where werewolves attack a small town. This is a town like Fargo where everyone is odd and at odds because of a proposed pipeline incursion. The storm comes, everyone is camped in the local hotel and the town is cut off from the rest of the world. We’ve seen this setup before and it never augurs well. And there’s a suspicion of what else is out there causing mischief. A horror comedy with a good homey feel.
I’m going to finish with Trader Joes Pumpkin Spice Cream Liqueur, 12.5% ABV, $8.99 and the cheapest pumpkin spice out there.
Just remember, a hairy tale requires the hair of the dog. Ouch!
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