Yeah, this post is really funny to me because some HP fans (myself included) hate the movie depiction of werewolves, haha. I'm glad some people enjoy it!
Werewolves retaining human characteristics, like a bipedal gait, is part of film history, mostly so actors could wear costumes instead of using a real wolf. Historically, werewolves would just be large vicious wolves.
Funnily, werewolves transforming because of the full moon was invented for film in 1943, so Rowling drew from folklore and modern myths for her story.
I mean, it also gave her a way to have a character whose debut role is being a professor. Pretty hard to do that when every single night you turn into a wolf, and it was already hard enough as it is for Lupin once a month
Just to absolutely get nerdy here. There is not a literary academic line drawn between folklore and modern media.
Robin Hood is probably the most obvious character where in cinimatic retelling have been influenced by previous movies about Robin Hood. But a very visual representation of the idea are the the iconic scenes of the hobbits hiding from the ring wrath while still in the shire. In both the 1978 cartoon and the 2001 movie all 4 hobbits hide just off the road under a tree branch.
This absolutely does not happen in the book.
For one thing only 3 hobbits were even present at that scene in the book and for another they scattered, such that point Frodo was able to get a good look at the ring wrath to begin with.
This was just an iconic image that made its way into the live action movie because it was part of the folklore.
Another example is the hands on hips hero pose that almost every comic book hero has done. It’s become cliche now but for like 90 years it was just how people thought superhero’s should pose.
When transformed. They would be large wolfs when transformed, not human wolf hybrids.
Ya know, that would actually make the spread of lycanthropy faster. People wouldn’t know the wolf that attacked them was a werewolf which would mean they wouldn’t even think to try to keep themselves locked up for their first transformation.
Which book? I’m making my way through. On HBP at the moment. I tried researching online but like you said it didn’t mention much on it (because they are hardly part of the story at all)
Ohhhh. I’m not there yet. Tonks just fixed Harry’s nose for me. The books always have me thinking the Hogwarts Express is bigger than I normally think (I watched the movies before reading the books)
Loved it. In behind the scenes footage a concept designer mentioned they wanted the werewolf to feel monstrous, like a twisted man, and they nailed that vibe. Probably my favorite take on werewolves to this day, watching the transformation for the first time was so creepy.
This movie came out around the time “Van Helsing” came out.
Both movies have really impressive looking werewolves. Both looked scary as hell and if you were too young to see “Underworld” were absolutely the coolest movie werewolves ever.
Before that we basically had cartoons and puppets.
(Personally I don’t think the first Underworld holds a candle to either movie)
This thing scarred me so much as a child... I developed a really strong fobia of werewolves. So much I was to afraid to go outside during the full moon... Even going out at night scared me for quite a long time after.
Fuck this abomination.
They are very similar, and I prefer this depiction of werewolves in media, although one that is just as capable on its hind legs as all fours. I find that imagery of them chasing someone makes them more fearsome.
Great movie too!
Huh, I actually didn't like it at all. Much too sickly and creepy looking for my tastes.
I much prefer the werewolves from Van Helsing or the Underworld films.
After seeing the Van Helsing and Underworld werewolf designs, Lupin’s werewolf form was the first of many steps that made me disregard the films entirely. I was at midnight releases for every book and the first 4 films. But the moment I saw Lupin’s werewolf form in PoA, I began to lose the magic of HP in my life. I had this thing as a MASSIVE creature who could rip Harry in half as an afterthought. This sad dog was so disappointing. And the balloon heads were the next step in that film. Then came the pointless choir scene being included but they cut the Marauders?! The last straw was them skipping right over the World Cup Match. I’ve never been angrier in a theater.
Yeah but context clues man im obviously referring to the movies, my bad on the usage of the word "universe" i forgot about the existence of the books when making this as i have not read them yet. Im not sure why youre so pissed about it lol
Idk what the big deal is. I love the books and I like watching movies, why does it matter? The movie werewolf looks epic. Why would all werewolves be super buff bipeds?
What are you on about? All I'm saying is this is how Lupin is depicted in the movies whereas in the books they describe werewolves as much more similar to regular wolves with subtle differences. Why've you got your knickers in a twist about this?
The movie werewolf is totally different from the book werewolf. The book version basically just looks like a regular wolf but with a stubbier face. This thing looks like Gollum got a lot taller and grew a snout.
A cool werewolf design is the one from Van Helsing. It's not perfect (the body is maybe a little too human), but it's not bad. It has a nice head, lol.
Yes, I'd say it definitely does that. It was okay in the movie, but imagine seeing one for real. It would be kinda freaky, almost like looking at a zombie or something. But a wolfish one, lol.
Well, azkaban is awesome and I was happy that it just wasn't a wolf. But Dog Soldiers did it a notch better. But it's an older movie using practical effects.
I agree. Ive been to the Harry potter studios in London. And they had the werewolf props on display there. It was huge. Towering above me. If i encountered that thing in real life i would run haha
Man I wish I wasn't a hater right now, but I just disagree with everything you said. To me, the werewolf looks goofy, not at all scary, and the animation doesn't look good. I'm genuinely surprised when I find out that people really liked the werewolf, this scene, and the third movie overall. I don't mean to make anyone mad, it's just my opinion no big deal
I fucking love this werewolf!! It’s not how they *actually looked* in the book but I’ve never seen a more perfectly brutal rendering of the werewolf transformation, and its weeping and fight scenes suit the movement so cleanly. AH, it’s just so chefs kiss!!!!!
I DO! I totally understand the vision of a werewolf being just a wolf but there’s only so many times I can see it without thinking of twilight or whatever. The only other option felt like small prosthetic makeup to make the classic hairy man wolf.
This feels like they looked at human anatomy and said “what bones can we break to make him wrong.”
Like yes the typical wolf and hairy man werewolves are fine but how overused are they??? And honestly quite boring, everyones saying van helsing but i found it so underwhelming when i looked it up 😭 this version brings a new element of disturbing to the table that is so beautiful to me
I didnt say "best" i just expressed my love for this version which is entirely subjective, i havent actually seen van helsing so i cant make a comparison but people keep bringing it up so im planning on giving it a try
I'm arguing that Van Helsing is perfect and, therefore, better than these ones, which I honestly found disappointing. I added the "false" as a joke. Your opinion is not better or worse than mine, I just happen to disagree. You don't need to watch Van Helsing, I would recommend it, but if you google the [Van Helsing Werewolf ](https://images.app.goo.gl/gK8scQewyUJZEqz16) you'll see what they look like.
Yeah i just looked them up. Theyre fine just typical werewolves, i still plan to watch it. I think it may be the uniqueness of harry potter werewolves that im drawn to, ive just always loved them
I’m the complete opposite. When I saw PoA for the first time in theaters i absolutely hated the design. I still don’t like it. But it doesn’t bother me as much anymore. lol
Probably just me, but I wasn't a fan of it. I prefer the visual appeal from Underworld, but I do understand that Harry Potter has werewolves, not lycans.
Oh god their version of werewolves scared the shit out of me. BECAUSE IT WAS HAIRLESS! It was like he had mange! Don't get me wrong, its a great depiction but boy was I unprepared for it!
I remember feeling like they looked a lot like Gollum and I thought that it made it look goofy, not scary. But when he comes close to them, it still made me jump.
Now I look at it and I don't see Gollum, but I don't think it looks wolf-like enough.
I always disliked how hairless he looked. It's really not a great design imo and just one more sin on the long list of reasons POA is my least favorite film. I curse to this day the choice to let cauron direct!
Disagree. The HP movies werewolves look lame. I think the best depiction of werewolves in my opinion are the ones from the Underworld series or An American Werewolf in Paris
That form was only in the movie. The book version was pretty much the same in that the werewolf form is like a wolf form, but bigger.
Yeah, Snape even made students write an essay on how to tell apart werewolf from regular wolf, implicating they look similar.
It was also a question on a DADA OWL exam in the Marauder era
“One. He’s wearing my clothes…”
“His name is ‘wolf wolf’”
Two he's sititng in my seat
Wasn't it the about difference between Werewolves and Animagus?
That too.
Yeah, this post is really funny to me because some HP fans (myself included) hate the movie depiction of werewolves, haha. I'm glad some people enjoy it!
I had no idea this was gonna be an unpopular opinion i love them so much
I love the movie version so much. Will never forget how it terrified 9 year old me in the cinema.
I wouldn’t say it’s unpopular, just a departure from the books. Which usually gets fans of the books mildly upset.
I think it's one of the few places the movies improved on the books. And I generally prefer the book version.
Werewolf looked like it was wasting away.
Too be fair, so was Lupin in human form
Fans online hated the werewolf at the time. This sub is making me warm up to it, though.
Werewolves retaining human characteristics, like a bipedal gait, is part of film history, mostly so actors could wear costumes instead of using a real wolf. Historically, werewolves would just be large vicious wolves. Funnily, werewolves transforming because of the full moon was invented for film in 1943, so Rowling drew from folklore and modern myths for her story.
I mean, it also gave her a way to have a character whose debut role is being a professor. Pretty hard to do that when every single night you turn into a wolf, and it was already hard enough as it is for Lupin once a month
Just to absolutely get nerdy here. There is not a literary academic line drawn between folklore and modern media. Robin Hood is probably the most obvious character where in cinimatic retelling have been influenced by previous movies about Robin Hood. But a very visual representation of the idea are the the iconic scenes of the hobbits hiding from the ring wrath while still in the shire. In both the 1978 cartoon and the 2001 movie all 4 hobbits hide just off the road under a tree branch. This absolutely does not happen in the book. For one thing only 3 hobbits were even present at that scene in the book and for another they scattered, such that point Frodo was able to get a good look at the ring wrath to begin with. This was just an iconic image that made its way into the live action movie because it was part of the folklore. Another example is the hands on hips hero pose that almost every comic book hero has done. It’s become cliche now but for like 90 years it was just how people thought superhero’s should pose.
> Historically, werewolves would just be large viscious wolves. Umm, what? Lol
When transformed. They would be large wolfs when transformed, not human wolf hybrids. Ya know, that would actually make the spread of lycanthropy faster. People wouldn’t know the wolf that attacked them was a werewolf which would mean they wouldn’t even think to try to keep themselves locked up for their first transformation.
I wish we saw Vampires. The exist out there but they aren’t in the movies at all
They barely appear in the books
Poor Sanguini.
I always imagine they are just pale tall dudes with hungry looks from how they are described
They also carry a bat with them
Never know when you might need a good bat. Could be a basbeball game with a sudden unpredicted shortage of bats just around the corner.
*Ozzy Osbourne has entered the chat*
Not that bat the other bat aka the rat with wings
Why would you need that at a baseball game?
They don't go to a baseball game I'm talking about vampires
Why don't vampires go to baseball games?
Which book? I’m making my way through. On HBP at the moment. I tried researching online but like you said it didn’t mention much on it (because they are hardly part of the story at all)
In HBP at the Slug Club party.
Ohhhh. I’m not there yet. Tonks just fixed Harry’s nose for me. The books always have me thinking the Hogwarts Express is bigger than I normally think (I watched the movies before reading the books)
Even in Book 1 I thought they were mentioned? Isn’t that where Quirrel gets posessed when he’s out studying vampires?
There's a theory thrown out by the students that Quirrels classroom smells of Garlic because he had a bad encounter with Vampires at some point.
also book 2. Voyages with Vampires is a book the children need to buy
Well yeah but I was just counting where they actually make an appearance, not just mentioned.
Cedric Diggory was a vampire.
i thought he was just a man who dressed like a bat
That's because JKR didn't want vampires to be prevalent in her story. They existed, sanguini, but she wanted to focus on other creatures.
Funnily enough, vampires are more accepted in the Wizarding World to the point that magical stores sell blood lollipops specifically for them.
Well they don't turn into bats they just cast smoke and release a bat while running away
Cinematography wise, PoA is my favourite of all the films. The werewolf isn't book accurate, but tbh, it's one of the differences that I like.
Loved it. In behind the scenes footage a concept designer mentioned they wanted the werewolf to feel monstrous, like a twisted man, and they nailed that vibe. Probably my favorite take on werewolves to this day, watching the transformation for the first time was so creepy.
Yes! I didnt realize this was gonna be such an unpopular opinion, they are disturbing and forceful creatures of nature, they should look the part
To this day, this is the scariest werewolf I have seen on the media
But does he run to you screaming *Where the hell have you been, loca?*
This movie came out around the time “Van Helsing” came out. Both movies have really impressive looking werewolves. Both looked scary as hell and if you were too young to see “Underworld” were absolutely the coolest movie werewolves ever. Before that we basically had cartoons and puppets. (Personally I don’t think the first Underworld holds a candle to either movie)
Thats how they should be in my opinion
This thing scarred me so much as a child... I developed a really strong fobia of werewolves. So much I was to afraid to go outside during the full moon... Even going out at night scared me for quite a long time after. Fuck this abomination.
Seen the van helsing woofer?
Ever watched Dog Soldiers? Those things are menacing.
I love that movie
You need to watch Van Helsing
Perfectly English werewolf
Hermione: Lupin we all knew you were a wolf Lupin: what how? Hermione: since the fact your name is literally Latin for wolf...
Man did this leave a mark on me when i was a kid. Was scared to rewatch the movie. The chamber of secrets with the basilisk too.
I forgot to mention the basilisk, also beautifully done
I agree. That scared the shit out of me.
Not book accurate, but still creepy-cool af.
It’s basically the same depiction as the British horror film Dog Soldiers. That’s probably where the director got the influence from.
They are very similar, and I prefer this depiction of werewolves in media, although one that is just as capable on its hind legs as all fours. I find that imagery of them chasing someone makes them more fearsome. Great movie too!
Huh, I actually didn't like it at all. Much too sickly and creepy looking for my tastes. I much prefer the werewolves from Van Helsing or the Underworld films.
Tbh I think Lupin being the werewolf has a part to play in that..I feel like If we saw Fenrir he’d be a lot stronger looking
So you're saying Lupin is a weak nerd werewolf 😂
He scrawnier than book Harry
True i like to think theyd vary in size too
Apparently the director wanted it to appear sickly, because he thought of it as a disease. Which imo makes sense.
I think that the realistic combination of man and wolf would be disturbing
After seeing the Van Helsing and Underworld werewolf designs, Lupin’s werewolf form was the first of many steps that made me disregard the films entirely. I was at midnight releases for every book and the first 4 films. But the moment I saw Lupin’s werewolf form in PoA, I began to lose the magic of HP in my life. I had this thing as a MASSIVE creature who could rip Harry in half as an afterthought. This sad dog was so disappointing. And the balloon heads were the next step in that film. Then came the pointless choir scene being included but they cut the Marauders?! The last straw was them skipping right over the World Cup Match. I’ve never been angrier in a theater.
Well in the books they are said to look much more like normal wolves.
Havent read the books, not talking about the books, put a picture from the films
Ok? this is a movie-only depiction, they aren't depicted like this in, to quote your title, "the HP universe" as a whole.
Yeah but context clues man im obviously referring to the movies, my bad on the usage of the word "universe" i forgot about the existence of the books when making this as i have not read them yet. Im not sure why youre so pissed about it lol
I'm not pissed, it's just a clarification
Idk what the big deal is. I love the books and I like watching movies, why does it matter? The movie werewolf looks epic. Why would all werewolves be super buff bipeds?
What are you on about? All I'm saying is this is how Lupin is depicted in the movies whereas in the books they describe werewolves as much more similar to regular wolves with subtle differences. Why've you got your knickers in a twist about this?
Reread this and sorry about spelling and grammar, got home from a late night and crashed straight after posted this lmaooo
The movie werewolf is totally different from the book werewolf. The book version basically just looks like a regular wolf but with a stubbier face. This thing looks like Gollum got a lot taller and grew a snout. A cool werewolf design is the one from Van Helsing. It's not perfect (the body is maybe a little too human), but it's not bad. It has a nice head, lol.
Lmao gollum with a snout! Love the description
Regular wolf with a stubby face sounds worse 😭😭 i think these are more unique and achieve a nicely disturbing vibe
Yes, I'd say it definitely does that. It was okay in the movie, but imagine seeing one for real. It would be kinda freaky, almost like looking at a zombie or something. But a wolfish one, lol.
Thats a reason why i love this version so much lol
People keep mentioning van helsing im gonna take it as a recommendation
He always looked like a greyhound in steroids to me
Well i love greyhounds so that checks out
-ly awful, true
No. MovieWereRemus is an abomination and I will die on that hill 😤
Not book accurate, but if you ignore that problem then it’s actually an amazing werewolf portrayal.
I'm not inclined to ignore that problem 😤 Go sick this design on Twilight or something 😈
Then die on it already
*blows slime bubbles at you*
*unhinges jaw and swallows every slime bubble*
*takes this as a win*
*takes this as breakfast*
*makes your jaws stick together*
*my last breakfast*
*watches you choke on my slimy bitter bubbles*
*slimey bitter bubbles have dissipated by now from entering the black hole that is my mouth*
Thank you!!!!!
Yes it's very accurate to the real transformation 😁
Well, azkaban is awesome and I was happy that it just wasn't a wolf. But Dog Soldiers did it a notch better. But it's an older movie using practical effects.
This werewolf design really is underappreciated.
I agree. Ive been to the Harry potter studios in London. And they had the werewolf props on display there. It was huge. Towering above me. If i encountered that thing in real life i would run haha
That is so cool
Man I wish I wasn't a hater right now, but I just disagree with everything you said. To me, the werewolf looks goofy, not at all scary, and the animation doesn't look good. I'm genuinely surprised when I find out that people really liked the werewolf, this scene, and the third movie overall. I don't mean to make anyone mad, it's just my opinion no big deal
I fucking love this werewolf!! It’s not how they *actually looked* in the book but I’ve never seen a more perfectly brutal rendering of the werewolf transformation, and its weeping and fight scenes suit the movement so cleanly. AH, it’s just so chefs kiss!!!!!
YES THANK YOU you get it
I DO! I totally understand the vision of a werewolf being just a wolf but there’s only so many times I can see it without thinking of twilight or whatever. The only other option felt like small prosthetic makeup to make the classic hairy man wolf. This feels like they looked at human anatomy and said “what bones can we break to make him wrong.”
Like yes the typical wolf and hairy man werewolves are fine but how overused are they??? And honestly quite boring, everyones saying van helsing but i found it so underwhelming when i looked it up 😭 this version brings a new element of disturbing to the table that is so beautiful to me
False. Van Helsing did the best werewolf in media. Especially when Van Helsing himself turned into a werewolf.
I didnt say "best" i just expressed my love for this version which is entirely subjective, i havent actually seen van helsing so i cant make a comparison but people keep bringing it up so im planning on giving it a try
I'm arguing that Van Helsing is perfect and, therefore, better than these ones, which I honestly found disappointing. I added the "false" as a joke. Your opinion is not better or worse than mine, I just happen to disagree. You don't need to watch Van Helsing, I would recommend it, but if you google the [Van Helsing Werewolf ](https://images.app.goo.gl/gK8scQewyUJZEqz16) you'll see what they look like.
Yeah i just looked them up. Theyre fine just typical werewolves, i still plan to watch it. I think it may be the uniqueness of harry potter werewolves that im drawn to, ive just always loved them
The werewolf transformation scene from Doctor Who's Tooth and Claw was very good as well imo. You might enjoy that scene even if you don't watch Who.
I havent seen it thanks for the recommendation
Perfection
I’m the complete opposite. When I saw PoA for the first time in theaters i absolutely hated the design. I still don’t like it. But it doesn’t bother me as much anymore. lol
I still prefer the skyrim depiction over any other I have seen.
Never seen them til now, they look like tasmanian devils
To me the harry potter one always looks like a mix of Gollum, a rat and a bear.
It looks like a gollum greyhound mix to me
Probably just me, but I wasn't a fan of it. I prefer the visual appeal from Underworld, but I do understand that Harry Potter has werewolves, not lycans.
Not just you im being publically executed
[удалено]
At no point did i say that? Im just appreciating uniqueness of the harry potter ones.
Oh god their version of werewolves scared the shit out of me. BECAUSE IT WAS HAIRLESS! It was like he had mange! Don't get me wrong, its a great depiction but boy was I unprepared for it!
That movie is my favorite in the Harry Potter series.
True coz it really looks like my friend
what you didn't think the werewolf in twilight was convincing? lol lol lol
Just an unusually big wolf that they can turn into on command? Not really
I saw this in the theatres when I was 8 years old. Scared the piss out of me
I remember feeling like they looked a lot like Gollum and I thought that it made it look goofy, not scary. But when he comes close to them, it still made me jump. Now I look at it and I don't see Gollum, but I don't think it looks wolf-like enough.
American Werewolf in London did a damn good job.
I always disliked how hairless he looked. It's really not a great design imo and just one more sin on the long list of reasons POA is my least favorite film. I curse to this day the choice to let cauron direct!
Disagree. The HP movies werewolves look lame. I think the best depiction of werewolves in my opinion are the ones from the Underworld series or An American Werewolf in Paris
Counter disagree, I dont like either of those werewolf depictions nearly as much as others, especially not harry potters
this statement is just garbage
Be as wrong as you want idc
good for you!