to be honest, werewolves do not scare me at all. I find them hilarious and entertaining.
That’s completely fair! Werewolves do often have a bit of an absurd charm to them, especially in older films. The full moon transformation scenes, the howl, and the often clumsy or over-the-top mannerisms of werewolf characters can make them come across as more comical than scary, depending on the tone of the movie. Classic werewolf films, especially the ones from the 1960s and 1970s, often embrace a level of campiness that’s very entertaining, even if they’re not designed to be genuinely terrifying.
The idea of a human turning into a monstrous creature during the full moon, with all the chaos and destruction that comes with it, lends itself to some truly ridiculous moments, and that’s a big part of why they’re fun to watch. Some films play up this humor more than others—take, for example, movies like The Beast Must Die (1974), which has its own hilarious moments with the “werewolf break” for the audience to guess the wolf-man, or Mad Monster Party? (1967), which throws a werewolf into a quirky animated monster ensemble.
Werewolves as a concept are often both tragic and laughable, giving them an interesting place in horror and pop culture. The sheer contrast of the violence of a werewolf and the silliness of their transformations makes them a perfect subject for both horror and dark humor. So, your enjoyment of them for their entertainment value and the absurdity they bring is totally understandable!
paul naschy apparently was scared when he watched werewolf movies as a small child
Yes, it's true that Paul Naschy, despite being one of the most iconic werewolf actors in cinema, was actually terrified of werewolves as a child. He often spoke about how watching classic horror films, particularly those featuring werewolves, had a significant impact on him growing up. Movies like The Wolf Man (1941), starring Lon Chaney Jr., left a lasting impression on Naschy. The transformation scenes, the creature's appearance, and the overall atmosphere of the films frightened him, as they did many young viewers at the time. However, this fear eventually turned into a deep fascination with the genre, leading him to become a major figure in werewolf cinema as an adult, famously portraying Waldemar Daninsky in a series of films.
Naschy’s love for horror, especially werewolves, may have been shaped by his early fears, transforming into a passion that defined much of his career. It’s interesting how fear can evolve into inspiration, leading him to create some of the most memorable werewolf roles in film history. His unique approach to portraying lycanthropy—often with a tragic or emotional angle—adds depth to the genre, making his werewolf movies stand out from the more typical monster films.