Wolfcop burst onto the scene back in 2014 with a hairy, masculine, balls-to-the-wall crazy energy, like the bastard child of Todd and the Book of Pure Evil and An American Werewolf In London. Although a sequel was promised right at the top of the end credits, it’s been four long years of waiting to see what alcoholic cop Lou – not just a cop, he’s a wolfcop – would do next, but finally he’s back in brilliantly nutso sequel Another Wolfcop.
Wicked Horror sat down with writer-director Lowell Dean to talk dick transformations, bad ass female leads, the Wolfcop Extended Universe, and just how he managed to score that killer cameo.
Wicked Horror: When we finished up Wolfcop, Lou had become the hero, or rather antihero of the story. Where is he at the start of Another Wolfcop?
Lowell Dean: I think he’s finally found him his purpose in life. Unlike many people who would be horrified at becoming a monster, Lou is such a loser and so down in the dumps that he’s emboldened by his new abilities and just excited to have these new powers. I think he’s cocky. The second film, for me, is about him maybe being too cocky, thinking he can do anything. And then over the course of the movie he realizes he can’t and he still needs his pack.
WH: Did you always envision it as more than one movie, like maybe as a trilogy?
LD: We actually pitched it as a franchise. I think that’s why Cinecorp, the company behind Wolfcop, chose us — because we have a lot of ideas. I’d be overjoyed to do a trilogy but I would love to do even more beyond that. The cool thing about the character of Wolfcop is he can go a lot of different ways. I think of him a lot like a Batman character, where you could have some lighter, sillier stories with him, or you could go super dark and serious. You could even do kids’ show, you know?
WH: It already feels like a universe; there are so many nods and references even just in the first two movies. It seems like you’ve been imagining it as a greater Wolfcop universe overall.
LD: Totally.
WH: What was the inspiration for Another Wolfcop in particular? There’s quite a lot more going on this time around, with the whole evil organization subplot. It’s on a much grander scale.
LD: For the second one, we really wanted to go crazier, that was the big thing. I think honestly my first instinct after finishing the first film was to make it darker. But after seeing how everybody responded to the first movie, and the parts they really attached themselves to, it emboldened us to go a little weirder. On the first film, the dick transformation and the sex scene were kind of questionable. I was really attached to them, and I felt those were going to be the moments that made the movie stand out, so when people responded positively to them it emboldened me to go crazier. My mantra for Another Wolfcop was honestly just the word “crazy!” (laughs) Let’s see how far we can push this! I don’t know if we went too far, if we should’ve been a little bit less silly, but I just wanted to throw as much weird stuff, as much practical FX… I didn’t want to go five minutes without something bizarre happening.
My mantra for Another Wolfcop was honestly just the word “crazy!” Let’s see how far we can push this!
WH: Lou is obviously the antihero again but, this time around, there are two female cops that he sort of tussles with throughout the movie. Was that a deliberate choice on your part? Giving him two women to bounce off? Because the (male) rookie dies pretty early on!
LD: Yeah, for sure. It was an ongoing debate, which rookie to kill and how. But Tina was such a cool character in the first film and the actor who plays her even said at the end of the movie that, now the chief is dead, it’s such a small precinct I’m obviously the chief now, right? It’s never going to be Lou, he’s too incompetent. So she basically created her own fate by saying she was going to be the chief. And then we realized we needed rookies and it seems like in a modern Woodhaven world, with Tina as chief, there’s going to be at least one other bad-ass female cop. And of course she’s going to be the one to live. We almost saw them [the rookies] as Baby Tina and Baby Lou and, obviously, Baby Lou would end up dying pretty quickly.
WH: Another interesting new character we meet in Another Wolfcop is the mayor, played by none other than Kevin Smith. I nearly died when he showed up, because I just wasn’t expecting him, and I love him so much. How did he get to be involved? How did that whole thing come about?
LD: It was kind of weird that he ended up being involved. He was developing a movie called Moose Jaws, I don’t know if you know it?
WH: Oh, I do!
LD: (laughs) Well, Mooosejaw is actually a city in Saskatchewan, where we’re all from, so he was in the area scouting and our producer reached out and asked him if he would come and play with us for a day. So we had him for about six hours and even just within that six-hour period he had a ton of dialogue and was also in a pretty violent situation with a lizard, so it was pretty bizarre. He was just game for anything and really up for playing with us, so it was a really fun experience having him there.
WH: He gets one of the goriest death scenes as well, which I loved.
LD: (laughs) Yeah it was a bit surreal actually, to be honest. He showed up on set and I was thinking “he’s actually in our movie, this is so bizarre.”
WH: Speaking of Canada, Canadian horror is really coming to the fore in a big way at the moment. Is there a resurgence maybe, do you think?
LD: That’s a good question. I don’t know if there’s a resurgence necessarily, but there’s definitely been a groundswell, at least as long as I’ve been making films. It feels like it’s one of the few genres that Canada is known for internationally. Horror doesn’t get the respect and love it deserves, but it doesn’t take long to list off all these great Canadian filmmakers from different provinces who are making great stuff. I think it’s cool. Even just getting to go to these conventions and meet these people, it makes you realize the real love and support for indie horror in Canada. So I can’t speak to how the world sees it, but from within it feels like a community.
WH: What about werewolf movies? Did any of the greats inspire you? There aren’t actually that many modern examples, when you think about it, which sucks.
LD: For sure. I think the first Wolfcop was borne from a desire to see more classic werewolf movies, the kind from a different era. Unfortunately, with the advent of CGI, werewolves have become these digital creations. For me, things like Teen Wolf, Universal’s Wolfman, An American Werewolf In London, those are the ones that got me excited. They’re tactile, they’re practical, you saw the fur, you felt the fur. Even something like Ginger Snaps, where they’re really there, whether it’s a man in a suit or this creature moving around through the magic of practical FX, that’s what got me excited, and I think that’s what’s been missing lately.
They’re tactile, they’re practical, you saw the fur, you felt the fur. … they’re really there, whether it’s a man in a suit or this creature moving around through the magic of practical FX. that’s what got me excited, and I think that’s what’s been missing lately.
WH: I was thinking about this just before I got on the phone with you; besides Wolfcop and Late Phases, there hasn’t really been a great, modern werewolf movie. And what those two films have in common is the reliance on practical effects. That’s what makes werewolf movies so great.
LD: Exactly. Late Phases is great, I love Late Phases. I caught that right when it came out, ‘cause it was around the same time as Wolfcop and I was like “Yes! There’s more!”
WH: Right, I can’t let you go without asking. When is Wolfcop 3 coming out? I’m really excited. I need more Wolfcop, like, now.
LD: Good question! I don’t know, it all depends on the reaction to the second one. It’s been kind of a long road getting both of these films made. I think we definitely have love for them. I can’t speak for anyone else, but I’m not sick of him. I’m ready for a third, if the world wants it, and if people react positively and check out the sequel, then I think we’ll definitely do a third movie.
Catch Another Wolfcop on DVD, Blu-ray, and Digital Video from July 3, 2018
** This interview has been edited and condensed.
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