Three Movies That Changed Wing’s Life (and Why Devil’s Elbow Wouldn’t Exist Without Them)

Three movies we’ve recapped that changed Wing’s life. From least to most important to Devil’s Elbow (and, okay, to Wing too).

Number three: Jurassic Park! Okay, technically the book first caught my attention, but the movie cemented my love of creature features and for science women saving the day. I did not become a scientist myself, but to this day, Dr. Ellie Sattler and Lex Murphy (and Kelly Malcolm, from the second movie) influence how I write the adventures of girls and women.

Devil’s Elbow might exist without them, but I would approach characters in a very different way.

Number two: The Howling! Baby’s first werewolf movie! Baby’s first horror movie! And I mean that almost literally. I was far too young when I watched it the first time. On the road with my dad, a long-haul trucker. Stopped to rest at a truck stop. Chilling in the truckers’ lounge. Dad apparently fell asleep, though I don’t remember that part, and I watched the entirety of The Howling, then spent the rest of the summer looking for werewolves on top of big rigs and running through the rural places we passed.

Obvious impact is obvious, but still: Werewolves. I love them. I wouldn’t be here without that love leading me further into horror.

Number one: The Lost Boys! I probably would have found horror movies even without The Howling. (Probably.) We weren’t allowed to watch horror, but were allowed to read pretty much anything, so I would have eventually started watching things.

However, I wouldn’t be here and Devil’s Elbow wouldn’t exist without The Lost Boys. Watching it literally led me to my friendship with Dove and bat, friendships that are decades old now. Devil’s Elbow wouldn’t exist without The Lost Boys, and my life would be indescribably worse for not knowing these amazing people and all the other friends I’ve made, here and elsewhere, because of it.