Basic Trope: A supernatural creature is confused for a different supernatural creature.
- Straight: A wizard, vampire or other shapeshifter who can voluntarily turn into a wolf is confused for a person cursed or infected with a disease that forces them to become a werewolf or vice versa.
- Exaggerated:
- A zombie is confused for a vampire or a kitsune is confused for a werewolf, despite dramatic physical differences visible even to a layman.
- No matter how many times Bob insists he's actually a vampire, everyone thinks he's a werewolf.
- Downplayed: A kumiho is confused with a kitsune, a wraith is confused with a bodak, an oupire is confused with a vampire, or a revenant is confused with a zombie, due to close outward similarities to non-researchers.
- Justified: The supernatural creatures in question have a lot of similarities and the distinction that they're not just different varieties of the same broad category is simply an example of Insistent Terminology.
- Inverted:
- Subverted: A vampire mistaken for a werewolf is revealed to be a werewolf who practices the vampire lifestyle.
- Double Subverted: But it turns out he's really a genuine vampire who joined the therianthrope subculture.
- Parodied: The point is rendered moot because vampires and werewolves were actually different ethnic groups of the same species all along.
- Zig Zagged: Bob the vampire is mistaken for a werewolf. However, vampires in this setting can also turn into wolves. Then it turns out Bob is half werewolf half vampire. Also, only half-werewolf vampires can turn into wolves. Unless a normal vampire drinks werewolf blood.
- Averted: The different types of creatures that turn into wolves, feed on human life force, cast spells, haunting the living, et cetera fall under the umbrella categories of "werewolves," "vampires," "spellcasters," "ghosts," et cetera, respectively.
- Enforced: "We're not allowed to use werewolves, director hates them." "Okay...but can we use a guy who turns into a wolf?" "Yes..." "What if it's only on the full moon?" "Sure?"
- Lampshaded: "So, you are a man. Who turns into a wolf...but you're not a werewolf?" "Yeah" "Isn't that just German for Man-wolf?" "Yeah?"
- Invoked: An intelligent zombie pretends to be an exceptionally ugly vampire to get into a vampire club. This may or may not end in Pass Fail.
- Exploited: A Classical Movie Vampire covers himself in body glitter and pretends to be a non-existent "twipire" to lure victims.
- Defied: The Only Sane Man among the cast ignores the Insistent Terminology and calls anything that turns into a wolf a werewolf regardless of their monster rules even if everyone else insists he's wrong.
- Discussed: "So, what's the difference between a werewolf, and just a man who turns into a wolf?" "Whether to bring silver bullets, normal bullets, inherited silver, and if you're safe in the daytime." "Makes sense."
- Conversed: "How the hell did they mistake him for a werewolf? He's obviously a vampire!" "Well,
- Played For Laughs: Bob is the definition of a Classical Movie Vampire and everyone mistakes him for a werewolf despite the increasingly ridiculous lengths he goes to to prove his species.
Back to Totally Not a Werewolf.
