Earlier this month, Sarah Ball at Newsweek’s Pop Vox blog took to dispelling the idea that zombies are the new vampires, arguing that they’ll never be as popular — basically because they’re not as sexually appealing. Jessica Barnes at Cinematical later responded with favor towards the living dead over the undead. But zombies are not a trend; they’ll always be around, at least in the background via low-budget horror cinema. The real question lately should be whether or not werewolves are the new vampires.

Werewolves do have some level of sex appeal, at least to those people who like hairy men (and/or women). And the fact that Twilight fans are divided over preference for bloodsucker Edward Cullen (Robert Pattinson) or lupine Jacob Black (Taylor Lautner) proves there’s a debate to be had about which creature is better. More importantly, though, is the presence of cinematic werewolves on the web this week, first with a much-derided clip from the Twilight installment New Moon, followed by a new trailer for Universal’s new version of The Wolfman (which features part of Marilyn Manson’s “If I Was Your Vampire,” interestingly enough) — Ryan Adams at Awards Daily posts them side by side for comparison.

I’d even like to somehow qualify the trailer for Serious Moonlight, which in addition to having a werewolf-friendly title features Meg Ryan displaying plastic surgery that looks like something applied by make-up artist Rick Baker (An American Werewolf in London; Wolf; Cursed; The Wolfman) for the transition effects used in werewolf movies.

S.T. VanAirsdale at Movieline has already claimed this “Werewolf Week” as a result of all the lycanthropy. But here’s hoping the trend appropriately lasts at least a full lunar cycle. So come on MTV, you’ve got a month to get us at least some set photos ffrom your upcoming Teen Wolf TV series.

Check out what the other film blogs are saying about the werewolf invasion after the jump:

Responses to the New Moon clip:

• Gabe Delahaye at Videogum recognizes that werewolves are hotter than vampires now:
  

  OMG, u guyz. There should be some kind of SEXTING shorthand for the feeling you get when you realize that all of these years of being crazy in love with vampires have been a mistake when really it was werewolves that you should have been in love with all along. [...] OMGILWNIHVTSLOLGISUATMOSR. (Oh My God I Love Werewolves Now, I Hate Vampires, They Suck, Lots Of Love, Get It? See U At The Mall On Saturday, RIIIIIITE?) Something just short and easy like that.

• Anne Thompson at Thompson on Hollywood prefers the vampire in this franchise to the werewolf:
  

  The marketing folks at Summit are trying to turn Taylor Lautner into the next Rob Pattinson. He’s the new romantic interest for depressed Bella (Kristen Stewart) while her vampire lover has fled the scene (to save her life, natch). Well, while Lautner worked out like crazy to give himself some physical heft for his role as a werewolf, and has developed a following—he’s no Pattinson.

• S.T. VanAirsdale at Movieline compares this clip to the footage of the scene we saw in the trailer:
  

  Entitled “Jacob’s Transformation” and running a lean 53 seconds, only about half of its material is new; if you’ve seen Taylor Lautner’s midair wolfcake morph once, you’ve seen it a hundred times. Unless, that is, you watch it and his lupine nemesis in hi-def on iTunes, in which case you might start to see it as a comedy.

• Vince Mancini at FilmDrunk is suddenly interested in the Twilight Saga:
  

  To be honest, I’m actually thinking of seeing this movie now, it looks kind of awesome.  It has wolves the size of buffalo.  The only thing that could make it better?  You guessed it, bearsharktopus.

• Adam Rosenberg at MTV Movies Blog is left intrigued:
  

  I’m not blown away by the CG wolves, but the intensity of the showdown leaves me curious to see how it all turns out. I think Bella’s (Kristen Stewart) going to be okay. Just a hunch.

• Dan Hopper at Best Week Ever likens the trailer to a video game and another werewolf movie:
  

  Aaand it’s official, New Moon looks like a Nintendo game based on the movie Wolf.

• Michael Adams at Movieline came up with a list of “9 Werewolves Lamer Than New Moon’s Wimpwolf.” Here’s a comparative sample:
  

  8. Van Helsing (2004)
  The bare chest of The Sexiest Man Alive and a bear-sized, entirely weightless CGI were-beastie? New Moon’s sexy-manimal is probably directly related to the similarly lackluster lycanthrope of Stephen Sommers’ misbegotten monster mash.

Here’s that New Moon clip:

Responses to the Wolfman trailer:

• S.T. VanAirsdale at Movieline prefers this werewolf:
  

  The big, lugubrious period trappings of the original Wolfman trailer now take a back seat to the title character himself, whose man-to-beast transition was glimpsed previously but now works more aggressively as The Big Sell. [...] Whether this is a reaction to yesterday’s New Moon clip or simply the new Universal regime aggressively slamming its marketing cards on the table for the first time, all that matters is: We have a winner.

• Mali Elfman at ScreenCrave isn’t certain that everyone will prefer this werewolf:
  

  Oh Wolf Man, what will your fate be? At the moment it seems to be undetermined. People don’t know whether to love you or loath you. [...] They’ve definitely cut out the haunting, subtle feel that the first trailer had and went for a much more in your face action trailer. I’m guessing this one is aimed at all the teens out their they’re hoping to rope in.

• Rob Bricken at Topless Robot is disappointed with the singularity of this werewolf after seeing the New Moon clip:
  

  Although this trailer is better than the last one, I’m still not sure that I can maintain interest in a movie that only has one wolfman in it. I think I need more, or a vampire or a gill-man, or something, you know? I hate to knock would appears to be a good movie, but it’s 2009, man. We’re a multiple wolfman society now.

• The Playlist agrees this trailer is better than the last:
  

  Though it does look like one extended music video for AFI or [insert spooky metal band] here, the new Joe Johnston trailer for “The Wolfman,” starring Benicio del Toro, Anthony Hopkins, Emily Blunt, Hugo Weaving and the great Geraldine Chaplin is a significant improvement from the last, fairly corny trailer, is high on the dark gothic atmosphere, and actually gives off whiffs of hope that the picture could turn into decent escapist entertainment come February.

• Alex Billington at FirstShowing thinks the trailer is better but still has concern (and suggestion) for the final product:
  

  This trailer is considerably different from the first trailer from July, featuring less dialogue, one contemporary rock song running throughout, and a focus more on the monster and the intensity (and less on the story). I just really hope this is going to be rated R in the end, because after watching this trailer, I want as intense of a frickin’ Wolfman movie as I can get.

• Logan Hill at Vulture is relieved this werewolf looks better than Rick Baker’s last:
  

  Baker’s last werewolf — the unintentionally funny one in Cursed — was so lousy that the film was nearly shelved due to reported (and later, justified) concerns over the “look of the film’s lead lupine.” We’re not worried anymore. In this trailer (even if we’re uncertain about the way the Disneyfied Johnston seems to be aping Romanek’s aggressive, bass-heavy style), the slimmed-down, sleek, and mean Del Toro doesn’t just look like a man with a wolf head, but like some creature that is truly caught halfway between and is altogether unholy.

• Peter Hall at Horror Squad believes many people will still take issue with the effects:
  

  Sure, purists can complain, perhaps rightly so, that there is an over use of CGI and that Rick Baker should have been more involved in creating practical, on-set transformation effects. But I think there is little denying that this looks like a total, maniacal blast.

• Quint at Ain’t It Cool News, for instance, has such a complaint:
  

  But the CGI shots don’t seem to be much improved from what we’ve seen before. The bendy fingers thing looks cool, but knowing they replaced all of Rick Baker’s transformation effects with computer effects has me worried.

  CG is a great tool and could be used very effectively in this movie… there are some shots that look pretty great in the new trailer, like the hand transforming against the cobblestones, but there’s a bit of inconsistency with the effects. Some of the later CG shots in the trailer look VAN HELSING level bad.

• Kofi Outlaw at Screen Rant wonders if we’re seeing too much of the effects too soon:
  

  It’s a hard question to answer. On the one hand, I need to see some hair-raising Wolfman action if I’m going to plant my butt in that theater seat; on the other hand (as some have been mumbling around the Screen Rant offices), the amount of transformation sequences (the money shot of any werewolf film) featured in the two trailers might have “given away the farm” too early.

• Katey Rich at Cinema Blend would rather have more info about the werewolf than a better look at the effects:
  

  Of course, there are a lot more effects shots, particularly of Benicio del Toro transformed into the titular furry character, and maybe they’re just trying to approve that their effects are up to snuff after a long series of delays. But I’d rather learn more about who this guy is and where this whole werewolf thing comes from than see an endless series of unrelated shots. Am I crazy?

• Mark at I Watch Stuff notes the double-pleasure of werewolf movies:
  

  No more choosing between watching a movie about a man or a movie about a wolf. Thanks to modern technology machines, enjoy both fantastic genres with The Wolfman

• Vince Mancini at FilmDrunk wishes there were more werewolf movies:
  

  How come there aren’t more people-turning-into-wolves movies?  Personally, I could do with a lot more wolf-person movies and a lot fewer zombie movies.  Asked what would make his wolf man different from previous wolf men, Benicio Del Toro answered, “He flip you,” in a strange accent, then took a drag of his cigarette.

• Adam Rosenberg at MTV Movies Blog shares a gallery of Wolfman stills, which make him excited for the film:
  

  I’m pretty darn excited to see “The Wolfman.” The numerous delays don’t necessarily bode well, nor does the February release window, but reports from the few screenings have been mostly positive. Plus, is there anyone better for the role of the titular werewolf than Benicio del Toro? So yes… my hopes remain high.

• The folks at Screen Junkies are less impressed these days:
  

  Every new image or clip of The Wolfman gets me less and less excited for the film’s release… and now comes the second full trailer, which ends up playing out like some sort of Victorian version of The Fast & The Furious.

Here’s that trailer:

Finally, here’s a reaction to the Serious Moonlight trailer:

• Kyle Buchanan at Movieline addresses the problem with Meg Ryan:
  

  It’s just become too difficult — and disconcerting — to ignore Ryan’s plastic surgery anymore, and while Hollywood can be awfully rough on women over forty, I don’t think it’s going to help matters when those women don’t look like women after forty anymore. Meg Ryan’s chief asset has always been her relatability to women. How will they recognize themselves in her when they don’t even recognize her?

And that trailer: