Indian werewolf in Hybrid

Hybrid is apparently a made-for-TV horror movie on the Sci-Fi Channel. Here's the scoop:

Hybrid (2007)Product Description

The eight installment in the "Maneater Series," Hybrid introduces a whole new maneating beast that howls under the moonlight and is eager to bite. When a young man is blinded in an explosion, he becomes the first human subject to undergo a cross-species transplant. Receiving the eyes of a wolf, he can now see in the dark. Unfortunately, he also starts seeing other humans as prey. Ordered to be hunted down and destroyed, he seeks shelter with a mysterious museum curator--a half-breed female herself. Hybrid delivers a snarling twist on the werewolf genre for an all new generation of animal lovers.

More Energy Efficient Werewolves, July 22, 2008
By Zekeriyah (Chicago, IL)

This is the latest release in the 'Man-Eaters' series, this time around about a werewolf. When I first heard about this flick, I joked to my girlfriend that its probably about 'energy efficient werewolves.' Oh how right I was. See, the main plot revolves around an evil medical corporation that implants a wolf's eyes into a blind man, inadvertently turning him into a werewolf. Well, sort of. He just kind of runs around at night with a pack of wolves (or in one case, feral dogs). Naturally, he runs away, with the military-industrial complex chasing after him. During the course of this, he falls in love with a Native American woman and undergoes a 'spiritual quest' to make peace with the wolf-half of himself.

Yeah, there's more than a little New Age-y spiritualism going on in there. But that said, its not a bad movie really. They actually hired Native American actors, for one, and had real wolves. And, unlike other movies, they didn't portray the wolves as especially evil or anything. The main thrust of this movie really seems to be man vs. nature, and while it wasn't especially scary or gorey as far as werewolf movies go, it at least was able to keep my interest. It also features Justine Bateman, who does a great job as the head of the hospital, trying to get our protagonist back. Its probably not the high point for the Man-Eater movies, but its still worth watching.Comment:  Tinsel Korey, who plays the mysterious curator/love interest, is apparently Native. She's played Native characters a few times, anyway. The ubiquitous Gordon Tootoosis plays her shaman friend, who apparently guides the wolf-man on his spiritual quest.

Indians as werewolves...ho-hum. That's been done only a dozen or two times. The latest example being Twilight, of course.

Funny that Indians are constantly associated with animals, but every time someone does it, the apologists say, "They're not implying Indians are savage or bestial in nature. There's no message there at all. It's just a coincidence that they're the 10th or 20th creators to envision Indians as werewolves.

"So what if most Americans think Indians were inhuman killers who scalped and mutilated their victims? That's totally different from thinking of Indians as nonhuman killers who rip and claw their victims. Totally!"

Just curious, but how many times do you have see an Indian portrayed as a savage beast before you get the message? 25? 50? 100? Give me a number, someone. That way, when we reach this magic number, you won't be able to deny that some serious stereotyping is going on here.

For more on the subject, see Native Things That Go Bump in the Night and The Best Indian Movies.

Below:  "No, I'm not a Quileute werewolf. I'm another kind of Indian werewolf."