My Mom's a Werewolf!

I finally picked up an increasingly hard to find copy of My Mom's a Werewolf (1989) on DVD, from Rhino no less (who became Shout Factory!) and a snap case. The movie is actually hard to watch. It's quite boring, and never quite feels like anything's going to happen at all that we the viewer would care about. And the movie really does not know what it wants to be. Satire, dark comedy, funny horror film? It tries to be all things and succeeds at none of them. It could have done for werewolves what Fright Night or My Best Friends a Vampire did for vampires. But no, it was not to be. Now the movie is mostly forgotten, save for fans like me who want to keep its memory alive if only as a time capsule of a perfect time in Hollywood where anything could get made, especially monster movies.

John Saxon is one of the standout characters in the movie. I mean, he is in everything he's in, right? From some massive hits (maybe his biggest being A Nightmare on Elm Street) to this film, the man is incredibly underrated, and a skilled martial artist, as well. And in this film, he's quite funny as Harry Thropen, or Dennis, the alpha werewolf. He's got this smile that is simply shit-eating. I love it.

The majority of the story is Leslie Shaber, housewife and mother to Jennifer, accidentally (or forcefully, you decide) steps out on her oblivious husband and meets John Saxon's Harry. The werewolf wines and dines her (and dines and dashes, to boot!) and eventually gives Leslie a little nip on her toe. Next thing she knows Leslie starts getting a bit wolfie, and her lycanthropy fully develops during her daughter's Halloween party at their home. The father doesn't have much to do in this movie, at all. He gets lucky once, realizes he's married to a hottie, and expects it every night again. But now he has to unwittingly compete against an alpha werewolf for his wife's attention.

The movie's final climax was a bit unexpected. It goes into this brawl with Harry beating the crap out of Leslie, both in full werewolf mode (it's a full moon, after all). And they utterly trash the Shaber's bedroom. Even the cops arrive and see the weres, including a dead Harry.

The movie ended on a cute little cliffhanger, and I'm assuming there was talk about a sequel at one point. I guess after the final cut of the film they understood that it would be egregious to put their audience through that ever again and canned it. I recommend it because it is cute, it's Halloween, and it's a werewolf movie. Sort of. Perfect for a slow Halloweentober afternoon.

Sad Monday

The Ravens got their asses handed to them. I've been writing the film script all day, trying not to think too much about it. It's just a game, right? Well...

A Small History on Halloween in the States

Here's a link . This is a quick little read about Halloween and its development in the "New World". I've been a stanch believer that Halloween in America today is well and truly crafted here, though very much of traditions from the "Old World". But the conglomeration of the holiday is well and formed here in the States, from the carving of the first jack-o'-lanterns to trick or treating as a homegrown manifestation. A lot of these Halloween traditions were simultaneously developed up north with our Canadian cousins too, I'm sure. But with the bigger population Halloween became larger here in the States. And this story gives us some insight into the idea that while Halloween has some traditions that date back to pre-Christ times, what we celebrate here today in America is very much a melting pot of our own construction. This is important to me as this holiday is very much a part of the American experience and identity. If I have to say it aloud, I hav...

Marketing

Is it ever too early to market your book? This question is retroactive to pre-publishing, too. I know very little about marketing. In fact, I guess I know nothing at all. My plan has always been, from the beginning, to get my story out there . To have people read it - that's the point to all of this. That's why this blog exists. And yet now I find myself searching for new, constructive ways to market this book. So far, I've been searching for an artist for the cover. I have it completely planned out, but I could screw up a stick figure, so I'll leave this to the pros. I'm wondering if it's too soon to design a website. Would a website even work for an unpublished work? I don't know. These are things I am looking into to help market my first novel. I've never had much use for an ego, but is self-promotion really egotistical? Or will it only hasten my prospect for publishing? Hmm.

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