History Film / Wolfen

The film was released the same year as ''Film/AnAmericanWerewolfInLondon'' and ''Film/TheHowling''. While ''Wolfen'' didn't meet the success of those films, it was well received by critics and is somewhat of a CultClassic.

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'''''Wolfen''''' is a 1981 horror-mystery film [[TheFilmOfTheBook based]] upon the novel '' Literature/{{Wolfen}}'' by Whitley Strieber. The plot follows NYPD Detective Dewey Wilson, who is assigned to solve a bizarre series of violent murders in which it appears the victims were killed by animals. In his investigation, Wilson learns of an Indian legend about wolf spirits, and that there may be predatory shapeshifters living in the vicinity.

* DangerTakesABackSeat: At one point, a wolfen is shown to be hiding in the backseat of a detectives car.

* RealAfterAll: The characters get to have a moment where it seems the whole big to-do was a hoax, then they walk outside and they learn just how dangerous the wolfen are.

* AdaptationSpeciesChange: The book Wolfen are smarter, more human-like wolves that hunt smartly to avoid detection. In the movie Wolfen are blatant supernatural wolves and labeled an UltimateLifeForm as a result.

* KarmaHoudini: The original novel ends with the detectives presenting positive proof of the existence of the Wolfen and the city getting ready to hunt them. On the movie, there is no evidence so the detectives are forced to lie that it was terrorists, allowing the Wolfen to run free.

* SomewhereAMammalogistIsCrying: Wolves apparently have thermographic vision in this Verse. Not just wolfen, but ''regular'' wolves.

* ThisIsWhatTheBuildingWillLookLike: Dewey smashes the model of the building that was going to be build on wolfen's land, so that they'll realizes that he isn't a threat and stop attacking.

'''''Wolfen''''' is a 1981 horror-mystery film [[TheFilmOfTheBook based]] upon '' the novel Literature/{{Wolfen}}'' by Whitley Strieber. The plot follows NYPD Detective Dewey Wilson, who is assigned to solve a bizarre series of violent murders in which it appears the victims were killed by animals. In his investigation, Wilson learns of an Indian legend about wolf spirits, and that there may be predatory shapeshifters living in the vicinity.

'''''Wolfen''''' is a 1981 horror-mystery film [[TheFilmOfTheBook based]] upon '' the novel''Literature/{{Wolfen}}'' by Whitley Strieber. The plot follows NYPD Detective Dewey Wilson, who is assigned to solve a bizarre series of violent murders in which it appears the victims were killed by animals. In his investigation, Wilson learns of an Indian legend about wolf spirits, and that there may be predatory shapeshifters living in the vicinity.

'''''Wolfen''''' is a 1981 horror-mystery film [[TheFilmOfTheBook based]] upon the novel by Whitley Strieber. The plot follows NYPD Detective Dewey Wilson, who is assigned to solve a bizarre series of violent murders in which it appears the victims were killed by animals. In his investigation, Wilson learns of an Indian legend about wolf spirits, and that there may be predatory shapeshifters living in the vicinity.

* AdaptationNameChange: George Wilson from the book is now Dewey Wilson.

* AdaptationNameChange: George Wilson from the book is now Dewey Wilson

* AdaptationSpeciesChange: The book Wolfen are smarter more human like wolves that hunt smartly to avoid detection. In the movie Wolfen are blatant super-natural wolves and labeled an UltimateLifeForm as a result.

* CulturalPosturing: The film is pretty low key in this regard until the last act, when the protagonist arrives shell shocked at a Native American bar after his friend was mauled by a wolf. The Native American characters (one of whom is a Latino) begin rapid fire exposition/cultural posturing as they affirm their way of life is better, the wolf spirits are above our morality, white man's technology has failed him, and he's basically facing gods dishing out divine punishment.

* AdaptationSpeciesChange: The book Wolfen are smarter more human like wolves that hunt smartly to avoid detection. In the movie Wolfen are blatant super natural wolves.
* AliensInCardiff: The "wolfen" (hyper-intelligent, near-mystical (if not ''actually'' mystical) wolves) have made their den in a derelict church in a run-down neighborhood of Queens, and don't take kindly to people coming to demolish their stomping grounds in an attempt to gentrify the borough...

* LosingYourHead: Near the end one character's throat is torn out by a wolf, resulting in his head ending up separate from his body. When it's obvious from the attempted mouthing of words and blinking that the head is still functional, [[ShoottheFuelTank a colleague shoots the car he's next to,]] [[MercyKill putting him out of his misery]].

* SparedByTheAdaptation: Several of the Wolfen pack

* SparedbytheAdaptation: Several of the Wolfen pack