The Company of Wolves is one of only two Angela Carter stories to make it to the big screen so far (which is a shame, since so much of her work is wonderful and eminently filmable). Wolves is a horror movie in the same sense that Legend and Labyrinth are -- which is to say, not at all.

Which is why this movie failed at U.S. box offices. The American distributors didn't know what to do with a fairy tale movie that dealt with werewolves and adult sexual themes. So, they tried to market it as a horror movie, and those going in expecting something like The Howling or An American Werewolf in London were bound to be disappointed.

In fact, the only really gory scenes in the movie are the two where Stephen Rea and Micha Bergese turn from men into wolves -- and these were added post-production at the U.S. studio's demand. Director Neil Jordan never intended them to be in there. And while the animatronics and makeup work is impressive in those two sequences, they really don't seem to "fit" with the rest of the film. When you watch them, you'll see reaction shots from the other characters, but they aren't involved in the sequences at all.

Without these two added-in scenes, there'd be nothing about Wolves to call it anything but what it is: an exploration and deconstruction of several fairy tales in light of the werewolf myth.

At its core is a retelling of "Little Red Riding Hood", but it also alludes to tales written by the Brothers Grimm and Charles Perault such as "The Constant Tin Soldier", "Hansel and Gretel", and "Deerskin". The movie also contains elements of other Angela Carter stories from the short story collection In The Bloody Chamber, where her story "The Company of Wolves" was originally published. The collection is out of print, but all those stories can be found in a recent Carter collection called Burning Your Boats.





I loved this movie, where Granny is a wicked, bloodless creature, and the Big Bad Wolf and the heroic Huntsman are one in the same. It recently came out on DVD, and should be an excellent addition to any fantasy movie fan's collection.

Movie Information

Running Time: 95 minutes

Rating: R

Director: Neil Jordan

Writer: Angela Carter

Music: George Fenton

Cinematography: Bryan Loftus


Sarah Patterson: Rosaleen
Angela Lansbury: Granny
Micha Bergese: The Huntsman
David Warner: Father
Tusse Silberg: Mother
Stephen Rea: Young Groom
Kathryn Pogson: Young Bride
Graham Crowden: Old Priest
Georgia Slowe: Alice (Rosanleen's sister, who is killed by wolves)
Brian Glover: Amorous Boy's father
Susan Porrett: Amorous Boy's mother
Shane Johnstone: Amorous Boy
Dawn Archibald: Witch Woman
Richard Morant: Wealthy Groom
Danielle Dax: Wolf Girl
Terence Stamp: The Devil

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