Masquerading Werewolves: Du Riechst So Gut

Werewolves are a common staple in horror stories and choice in Halloween costumes, and for good reason: they're a classic. Between the mythology and romanticism, they've been engrained in Western culture well since the Middle Ages. And when a storyteller can put their own original spin on the tale that catches our interest, as we're sure it does with yours. So with that in mind we're sharing this music video, "Du Riechst So Gut" by industrial, Berlin metal band Rammstein. Even if you aren't versed in the German language, or necessarily a fan of the musical genre, horror fans can at least appreciate the narrative that is visually told, if nothing else. And given that there is a masquerade party held in this music video, it seemed rather appropriate in light of the season when costumes are customary.

Wolf Man sketch card

When rendering The Wolf Man, how can you not have him howling at the full moon, I ask you? Purchase this original art for $20 USD, which comes in a plastic protector and includes no additional mailing costs. Contact me if interested.

BitG: new post label and High Moon vol. 1

Like the recent addition of "Zombies on the Brain", we've created a another post label for comic-related news and reviews: Blood in the Gutter. ("Gutter" is the term that refers to the spacing between panels.) We've taken the liberty of using this title, which was coined by Scott McCloud in the third chapter of his educational book Understanding Comics: The Invisible Art. A very good read, by the way, along with his other works. So when you read "BitG", like in this current post's title, that's what the abbreviation stands for.

High Moon, volume one cover

Created by writer David Gallaher and artist Steve Ellis, High Moon is an on-going webcomic which debuted back in 2007 through Zuda Comics, a branch off of DC Comics, as part of its initial launch. Volume one contains the first three chapters of the series. Granted, you can read High Moon for free online, however there's something to be said about having a printed edition to hold in your hands. The graphic novel runs for $14.99 USD, but I managed to buy it for about a third of the original cost at a comic convention, so attending these shows can pay off.

Here's the synopsis given on the back of the book:

"An investigation into a series of strange happenings in a small Texas town explodes into a breakneck chase across American plains, chock full of cowboys, werewolves, vampires, bullets... and more bullets. The first winner of Zuda Comics' monthly online competition and Harvey Award nominee for Best New Series, HIGH MOON is a riveting horror adventure set amid the blood and banditry of the Old West."

The beginning of High Moon has a lone stranger by the name of Matthew Macgregor breeze into said "small Texas town" searching for Eddie Conroy of the Sullivan Gang, an outlaw with a bounty on his head. As it happens, the young daughter of Mister Hunter, the town moneybags, has been kidnapped and with the sheriff gone a "gentlemen's agreement" is made: find the girl, and they'll find his man. Well, needless to say things go up sh*t creek, especially when Macgregor and simpleton Deputy Jeb come across the mutilated remains of cattle and local miners. Macgregor and Conroy, who are both werewolves (Gallaher and Ellis aren't coy about keeping this a secret), become entangled in a town conspiracy with vampires at the heart of it all and the kidnapping, as it turns out, was an attempt to save the girl's life.


After the bloodshed is over the vampires are ultimately beaten, but (WARNING: spoiler alert) Macgregor has his throat slashed open and bleeds to death. This turns the entire story on its ear and Conroy, who we assumed was not an especially significant character, suddenly becomes our protagonist. After tending to Matthew's body, he scavenges the dead man's belongings and from then on goes by the name Macgregor. While I respect High Moon for throwing us a curve ball, I can't help but feeling a little cheated. The Scotsman bounty hunter was the big draw to the book, speaking for just myself. Although I'm not sure what to make of the red-haired wolf seen at the end of chapter three, one that resembles werewolf Macgregor with its similarly colored fur and jags of bone spurs. Perhaps he makes a return, but this was my main beef with the story thus far.

Tristan Macgregor, sketch

For those of you with a fondness for steampunk, chapter two is an especial treat with the introduction of another character, sporting a top hat and goggles, eloquent speech with an English propriety about it... Oh, and a fully mechanical right arm as well. Hard to not notice that. Adding further to the mystique, his name is Tristan Macgregor, brother of the late Matthew Macgregor from the previous chapter. Aside for working as Nikola Tesla's (an historical figure used in popular culture, often encroaching his inventions into science fiction territory -- ex. 'The Prestige') special envoy, he's searching for the man who killed his brother. And it just so happens there's a man using his dead brother's name... Awkward.

Young Raven

Well, after resolving a local family dispute between two brothers over a woman, subsequently cursing their own town, literally, the mix-up is settled and the two become entangled in another plot by the appearance of a young, blue-tinged Native American woman going by the name of Young Raven. Young Raven has premonitions of Sioux Indians slaughtered en masse by nightmarish horsemen, who turn out to be cavalrymen. The soldiers are headed by Commander Prescott, whose agenda of genocide involves an interest in the elusive Ghost Dance of the natives. Matters become further complicated when Tristan's wife, Dierdre, has gotten into bed literally and figuratively with the enemy.

More follows as the third and final chapter of volume one wraps up, including an intense dream sequence with Conroy and a colossal, raven-man entity. But in any case the series was continued, so volume one is left inconclusive. While the story itself is a little confusing at times, the premise of High Moon and Ellis' spectacular artwork warrant much praise for the first book. I give it four-and-a-half out of five Macgregors.
See also: The High Moon Rises

ZotB: new post label and Zombie Majority

After some thought, due to the consistency of zombie-related "randomness" posts on the Niche, we've decided that it would be better to give them their own label: Zombies on the Brain. So when you read "ZotB", like in this current post's title, that's what the abbreviation stands for. Keep in mind that the content is essentially the same, simply set apart because of their subject matter. Posts that are more in-depth and lengthy, though they may be addressing something zombie-related, won't fall into the "Zombies on the Brain" category.

Occasionally these are personal finds, but more often than not these posts are derived from other horror blogs that we follow, such as The Zed Word and The Zombie Nation. It's only fair that credit is given where credit is due. If we don't happen to mention where we found said post material by name, chances are two-out-of-three that we were tipped off by another horror blog.

So to get the ball rolling for this new post label, here's ThoseArentMuskets' zombie survivor parody, "Zombie Majority".

DirectTV Christmas horror commercial

Don, our co-conspirator in the Darkley comic, shared this video with me recently. Sure the Christmas season has come and gone, but nevertheless it's an amusing little commercial. Where else would you find Jason Voorhees chopping down a Christmas tree or Hannibal Lecter helping cook Christmas supper?

randomness: a case of the werewolves

Guess the joke is on him, huh? If you were expecting werewolves when you read the post title, then I suppose I've had a little fun with you, too. On that note, happy April Fool's Day!

Also, if anyone could tell me the original source of this comic, I would appreciate it. Giving credit where it's due is always a nice gesture. Found this on lolbot, but any acknowledgments were not given.

Easter at the Niche, part II

Here's the continuation of "Easter at the Niche". To read the previous post, click here.

'Night of the Lepus'

Likewise, 'Night of the Lepus' (1972) is another film that I haven't seen. For some reason, though, I am familiar with the running giant rabbits scene. Seems like it was playing in the background at some point during 'The Matrix', though I can't say for certain. Maybe it's a subtle play on the Alice in Wonderland theme in the movie. Hard to say.

The premise is that the rabbit population has grown out of control in a small Arizona town, so an experimental hormonal serum is used in the hopes of causing birth defects and thus dwindle down the populace. This, of course, does not go according to plan. Instead, the serum creates a horde of huge, carnivorous rabbits.

Cheesy? Most likely. But '[...] Lepus' just might be what you're looking for if mutant rabbits sounds appealing.

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'Resurrection'

Perhaps just as obscure as 'Night of the Lepus', 'Resurrection' (1999) is a murder mystery thriller that I haven't even heard of up until now. Here's an IMDB plot summary:

"Detective John Prudhomme, a Cajun transplanted to Chicago, is assigned to investigate the savage murder of a man who has bled to death from a severed arm. A message, "He Is Coming", written in blood on the victim's window is a dark, forboding clue of his task. After two more victims with missing body parts are discovered, Prudhomme realizes he is on the trail of a serial killer who is using the missing body parts to reconstruct the body of Christ...just in time for Easter. As Prudhomme struggles to catch the zealot-murderer, he is haunted by the death of his son, his continued estrangement from his wife, and his wavering faith in God."

Of all the Easter related examples listed, this is perhaps the one that might offend Christians most. As far as I see it, however, it boils down to the dillusions of a psychotically disturbed person. I would argue that the premise is on a similar par with stories like Frankenstein, except that these victims were still alive. (Mind you, that isn't a reflection on the quality of the stories, only that their themes are similar. I sincerely doubt that 'Resurrection' comes anywhere within the league of Frankenstein.) So instead of graverobbing we have murder, and instead of creating life we have an attempt at resurrection. Different, but still similar.

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30-Second Bunnies

A Flash-based cartoon series, "30-Second Bunnies" parodies popular films and replaces the actors with bunnies, occasionally even pinning bunny ears on random animals and objects for added humor. As the series title suggests, the episode shorts take thirty seconds to summarize the content of the original movies. Ever wonder what 'Night of the Living Dead', 'The Shining', or 'Freddy vs. Jason' would be like as an animated skit? Well, wonder no more. Watch these and others on the "30-Second Bunnies" horror channel at their website. It may not be outright Easter horror, but it does have bunnies and it does have horror.

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'Wallace & Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit'

More comedy than actual horror, 'Wallace & Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit' takes a playful jab at mad scientists, werewolves, and typical plot devices found in classic horror. While silver bullet are effective against werewolves, they apparently prove useless against were-rabbits. So what is, then? 24-karat gold, according to the town reverend. Yes, an obvious pun on the word "carrot".

While '[...] Were-Rabbit' is not a holiday horror film, like "30-Second Bunnies", it does feature the long-eared animals linked to the Easter-time season. Consider this movie if you're looking for something more light-hearted.

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'Alien' films

Of course what would Easter be without the eggs? Unlike Easter eggs, though, these aren't the kind that you want to find around the house.

'Alien' and the films to follow are infamous for the "facehuggers", which are responsible for laying Xenomorph eggs inside of its victims. But even then these creatures come from eggs of their own. Maybe as a game, watch the 'Alien' movies and see how many facehugger eggs you can count. If you want to include 'Alien vs. Predator' and 'Alien vs. Predator: Requiem', that's your call.

Gruesomestein's Monsters

Learned about these comical cartoon shorts from Frankensteinia and felt like sharing three of the total six episodes. I'll let the videos and Pierre Fournier's post do the speaking.

The Howling II

Sometimes it's funny how coincidences happen. Recently I acquired all seven of 'The Howling' films, the first being directed by Joe Dante, who, as it so happens, also directed 'Gremlins'. Well, last Sunday evening was spent with my good friend Don as we watched the first of its sequels. It's been a while since having seen the original, so my memory's a little hazy on the particulars. Perhaps I'll rewatch it when the mood strikes me. Anyway, as does happen with some sequels, this was a far cry from its forebearer.


The beginning was promising as it opened with horror film icon Christopher Lee ('The Wicker Man', Hammer Horror's 'Dracula' films, 'Corpse Bride', and many others) reciting a passage from Revelation, specifically 17: 2-5, though it's not from any translation that I'm familiar with and seems more abridged than anything else:

"For it is written, the inhabitants of the earth have been made drunk with her blood. And I saw her sit upon a hairy beast and she held forth a golden chalice, full of the filthiness of her fornication. And upon her forehead was written, 'Behold! I am the great mother of harlots and all abominations of the earth'."

It's a good intro thus far, until it brings up the title 'Howling II ...Your Sister is a Werewolf' and cues the hokey, techno-rock eighties music. Looking at each other, Don and myself had the same "oh, boy..." reaction. Would this be a cheesy horror flick? Oh, yes. Yes, indeed. And this uneasy sense didn't lessen any as the introductory montage continued, showing walls painted with imagery found in works by Francisco Goya (ex: Saturn Devouring His Son and Los Caprichos: ¡Linda maestra!), including what are obviously werewolves, meant to mimic his style. Granted, I'll give it some credit for incorporating master artwork into the film. But the inappropriate style of music killed any possible sense of dread.


Next, the scene transitions to Los Angeles, "The City of Angels" as the movie tacks on, to a funeral church service for Karen White, the protagonist of the first film. Having seen Stephen King's 'The Silver Bullet', I half hoped that the congregation would turn into werewolves, but sadly no such luck. Among the attendees at the funeral is Ben White (Reb Brown), the late Karen's brother, Jenny Templeton (Annie McEnroe, 'The Hand' 1981), a journalist colleague of Karen's, and standing in the very back of the congregation is Stephan Crosscoe (Christopher Lee), an occult investigator and werewolf expert. After the service, there are a couple of suspicious characters lingering around who, to no surprise, turn out to be werewolves.

These kids will never suspect that Crosscoe is a
man in his sixties if he wears cool shades... Right?

And of course what self-respecting eighties movie would it be if there wasn't a club scene? Keeping tabs on one of the aforementioned werewolves, Mariana (Marsha Hunt), Crosscoe watches at a distance across the collective of clubbers moshing to live music. She picks out a couple of losers and leads them, with a few tagalongs, to an empty warehouse where they become food. What strikes me rather odd is that the werewolves change during the daylight in this particular scene. It should have been a tip off that more inconsistencies would follow.

Jenny and Ben (who we dubbed Jean from this point onward, since his wardrobe is mostly blue denim) visit the occult investigator, who explains that the late Karen cannot be laid to rest, since the silver bullets that killed her were removed during the autopsy. Still incredulous, Crosscoe tries to help persuade him by playing a "missing" video cassette of Karen's last news broadcast, where she turned into a werewolf live on camera. Continuing his explanation, Crosscoe relates to them that the other werewolves won't allow one of their own to remain on consecrated ground and that among them, namely Mariana, there is a more dangerous species of werewolf that cannot be killed with silver. Alright, so what kills a werewolf that's immune to silver, you ask? Titanium. That's right, titanium. And there's also the matter of Stirba (Sybil Danning, 'Werewolf Women of the SS' faux trailer), the leader of all werewolves, whose tenth millennial birthday will be marked by the next full moon and the revealing of all werewolves around the world.

But before they contend with the end of the world, there's the business of laying Karen to rest. To do that, Stephen must drive a metal steak through the body's heart. (As you'll notice, the werewolf mythology becomes more and more muddled with the vampires'.) Ben, not so keen about having his sister's remains violated, tries to stop it from happening. If anyone is going to nail his dead sister, it's going to be him. ... Alright, just kidding about that last part. But after witnessing Karen's remains transforming and werewolves jumping out from behind gravestones and church pillars, well, that sort of thing tends to convert one. Though, quite frankly, I would've mistaken them for sasquatches. Clips of werewolf transformations with complete animal heads are inserted throughout parts of the film, but we never see any actual werewolves like that. All the werewolf actors in costume and make-up look just appear feral, clawed, and covered in hair.

"Yes, a tiny net is a death sentence. It's a net and it's tiny!"
Forgive the 'Kung Pow: Enter The Fist' quote. I couldn't resist.

Wounding and trapping one of the fleeing werewolves, they learn that Stirba is in "dark country", i.e. Transylvania. To make sure that what happened to his sister never happens again, Ben, as well as Jenny, accompany Crosscoe on his mission to find and stop Stirba. As it so happens, Mariana also journeys across the Atlantic to meet Stirba, who is anxious to see her. While Mariana gets a personal escort from her arrival by train, our heroes arrive in a small, rustic village to begin their search (after enduring Jenny's directionless driving, and a couple of rather pointless werewolf encounters to impede them). If you note the "Transylvanian" village and scenery, it's actually Czechoslovakia. The large, astronomical clock is particularly recognizable, being from the city of Prague. It's commendable that they went to film 'The Howling II' in Europe, but would've been better if they actually got the right country.

Meanwhile at Stirba's castle in Vlklava, "the place where wolves live", the elderly werewolf matriarch rejuvenates herself by inhaling the life essence of a young, sacrificial girl. Around her, a court of werewolves chanting ritualistically. But there's no real rhyme or reason to the werewolves' outfits, most of whom dress like rejects from a bad bondage flick. (That, or from the movie 'Catwoman'. ZING!) As for Stirba, well... just take a look for yourselves. But I would rather that they had worn that for the whole length of the film, just to remove the disturbing werewolf threesome scene that Zirba, her mate Vlad (Judd Omen), and Mariana have. So hairy... So hairy... *shudders* Too bad you can't scrub your mind's eye with bleach afterwards.

Stirba, matriarch of the werewolves -- not how I would have envisioned her

After Ben and Jenny check in to a local hotel, it's pretty apparent that there's something not quite right with this village. If the weird pair of gentlemen staring and smiling at them isn't obvious enough, then getting room number 666 should be. "This hotel doesn't look like it has six floors," says Ben, to which the front desk clerk replies, "I know... Funny, isn't it?" and laughs. But the two get over it quickly, having some passionate sex in their hotel room. (And after watching the werewolf sex previously, this is a rather welcome sight.) Afterward, a midget waiting outside the hotel motions to the couple to follow him, leading them to a church where they reunite with Crosscoe and are introduced to a team of men ready to join their mission, having lost loved ones themselves to werewolves.

As Crosscoe and the men make preparations, Ben and Jenny act as tourists, enjoying the village festival that is in celebration of the approaching full moon. Unfortunately for Jenny, she gets left behind by Ben, who finds his way to the castle by evening with the midget, Vasile (Jiri Krytinar), and is captured by the werewolves. Nice work, Ben. But Vasile actually proves himself quite useful, until he's killed by Stirba's dark magic and brought back as an eyeless effigy. Personally, I would've prefer ed it if he had been turned into a werewolf. This movie was already ridiculous, so why not a midget werewolf?

examples of ridiculousness:

glowing cape

finger lightning

Finding his way back to Crosscoe, Ben arrives just in time to save him from the effigy Vasile. At the church, they meet with the other men and review their arsenal of werewolf weapons, including: "Chrism, a sacred oil. Wax from the sacred candles, to protect our ears. A dagger, forged from titanium. And a chalice, which held the sacred blood of Christ..." So as they -- wait, what? Back that up. They have the Holy Grail, the most revered of relics in Christendom, and it gets downplayed as if it were nothing more than bread and butter on their grocery shopping list? And it seems like it gets lost in the woods later when they trek towards the castle as some of the men are picked off by werewolves. Nice going. Meanwhile at the castle, the werewolves are having some kind of weird orgy, in human form, much to our relief, as earlier clips of the club band playing are interjected for no apparent reason.

Eventually the surviving party comes to the castle itself, followed by more casualties on both sides. Ben splits off and rescues Jenny, though how he knew she was captured by the werewolves we'll never know. And as for Crosscoe, it comes down to a final confrontation between him and Stirba, who have a romantic history together. In an act of self-sacrifice, Crosscoe is able to resist Stirba's hypnotic power enough to stab her with a titanium dagger, causing the two to catch fire, as well as the castle, and are consumed by the flames.


Ben and Jenny manage to escape the fiery inferno and fly back to California, happy living together and having closure with Karen's death. The ending could have left well enough alone here, but they throw in this bit with a mysterious trick-or-treater, who makes us wonder if he was a werewolf or just dressed as one for Halloween. And as the credits role it's just one long stream of clips spliced together, but in particular Stirba's shirt ripping scene, which is repeated at least a dozen times, and the club band playing.

Was it bad? Yes. Was it funny? Also yes, but not intentionally. 'The Howling II' was one of those films that was so awful that you can't help but laugh. And having Christopher Lee in the cast was basically the only other redeemable trait of this movie. Tying this back in with 'Gremlins', Christopher Lee, who later worked with Joe Dante in 'Gremlins 2: The New Batch', actually apologized to the director for being in 'The Howling II'. Ouch... That's pretty bad when you're apologizing for acting in a movie. At any rate, I give it one-and-a-half out of five mace-wielding Vasiles.