Conversations About Wolves: Dr Hannah Priest
On The Company of Wolves and how it presents the figure of the female werewolf: For me, The Company of Wolves is very much of its time, both in terms of style and message. However, as far as female werewolves go, I think there's a case for arguing that it was very influential on later texts (or, perhaps, on ideas more generally). The relationship between female werewolves and sexuality is really cemented in the 19th century, though there are hints of an association in earlier texts (particularly in some reports of witchcraft). The Company of Wolves undoubtedly draws on that (via Carter's short stories), as well as on the association of the Little Red Riding Hood story with burgeoning female sexual identity (which really only happens in the late 20th century). What The Company of Wolves does that is different is to draw a direct parallel between adolescence, developing sexual identity and the female werewolf - and this is an idea that has really become embedded in the popular imagination. Again, much of this is derived from Carter's reimagining of folk and fairy tales, but the film's aesthetic develops the association even further (e.g. the visual linking of Rosalie's red lipstick and spotted nightshirt with the red flowers and red clock, and - by association - with menstrual blood). This association has proved to be highly influential.
On the figure of the werewolf as metaphor: In terms of a werewolf text, The Company of Wolves is a bit tricky, as the metaphorical nature of the story and imagery is rather heavy-handed. It's hard to argue that there's really a 'werewolf' in The Company of Wolves, as so much of what we see is a thinly-veiled allegory for something else. However, that's not a criticism, as werewolves - particularly female werewolves - have been used as the vehicle to discuss various 'human' anxieties for many centuries. Sometimes a werewolf is just a werewolf, but quite often it's a metaphor!
There are a couple of 'werewolf' things that I really love about The Company of Wolves though. It's hard not to appreciate the knowledge of werewolf folklore (again, via Carter's short stories) that appears on screen. Many of the tales referenced - my favourite is the story of the wedding party turned into wolves - are lesser known Eastern European stories and some - like the cut-off paw story - have a very long history in literature. This gives the film more variety in its werewolves, but also means the 'types' of werewolves shown differ greatly from those familiar from horror cinema. I also like the wolf-girl who appears as a sort of 'dark double' to Rosalie, as the relationship between the feral child and the werewolf is an interesting one, not often used in popular cinema.
All in all, I think the heavy-handedness of the film's message (it's hardly 'subtext', is it?) is balanced by a deep and often quite affectionate knowledge of werewolf history and lore, which I appreciate. I did once see a 'scratch and sniff' screening of the film... which actually really worked. The Company of Wolves plays around with so much sensory imagery, adding smell to the experience felt rather appropriate.
Stay tuned for more news about my forthcoming monograph on The Company of Wolves.
