Fairy tales may never be the same again... now that Mezco Toyz have gotten ahold of them. Mezco's Scary Tales action figures are new interpretations of fairy tale characters.

The RTM Spotlight has previously examined Red, Mezco's version of Lil' Red Riding Hood, and found that while her theme was a bit eerie, the figure itself was appealing to the eye. The Wolf (Big Bad Wolf, that is), on the other hand, is downright scary. But please allow us a quick aside about Scary Tales in general before we delve into the Wolf:

The first series of Scary Tales consists of:

• Red - Lil' Red Riding Hood
• Wolf - the Big Bad Wolf
• Alice - Alice in Wonderland
• White Rabbit
• Mad Hatter

The packaging for Scary Tales is rather clever: a fifth panel box which looks like an old book. Open the front flap to see the figure through the window, with all of the figures pictured on the inside of the flap. The inside of the flap also gives sculptor credits (Varner Studios), while the bottom of the box gives credits for the package design (Design Edge). The back of the box gives a short description of each of the fairy tale characters upon which these Scary Tales figures are based.

The Scary Tales action figures retail in the $9.99 to $12.99 USD price range and can be found at stores such as Musicland, Suncoast, Electronics Boutique and similar stores.

Getting back to discussion the of the Big Bad Wolf, the first thing one notices about the Wolf is the blood. He is dripping in it. It is spattered on his feet and it covers his hands. His mouth appears to still have some in it, and his neck is matted with it. Gore factor aside, the paint application is a nice touch: the "blood" paint details are done with a gloss paint while the other colors on the Wolf are a flat color. That extra shine on the bloody parts is really what makes the Wolf stand out. Once you get past the blood, the Wolf's outfit provides a slight chuckle: he has a pair of glasses perched on his nose and is wearing a nightcap and a ripped nightgown. (The fifth panel packaging hides the gore factor of the Wolf: if you see him in stores, you'll need to open the flap to see more than the Wolf's head.)

The Wolf's articulation is a bit limited, but he's got enough range of motion to be as scary as he needs to be: neck, shoulders, wrist twists, waist, hips and tail. One hand is posed as if he is reaching for Red and the other can hold his cane. The cane has a skull at the top.

The Wolf's diorama is a plastic base with a cardboard background forming two walls of Grandma's bedroom. There is a plastic piece (a "wooden beam") which snaps onto the walls to hold the walls steady. Grandma's choice of decor is a bit on the dark side: a sword and scabbard on display on one wall and a painting of a female in armor on the other. The woman in the painting is holding a sword and appears to holding up her prey, a large wolf, by the scruff of its neck. The small portrait of Lil Red seems lost, but at least it's there to show that Grandma had a sentimental streak.

The room is furnished with a bed and a nighstand, both of which are made from bones and decorated with skulls. The bed is spattered with blood, as is the floor. If you look closely at the floor, you'll see a slipper and a severed leg molded as part of the diorama. (If all of that isn't enough to make you shudder, there are bugs crawling on the bed - bugs that are molded on, not just painted on!)

The instruction sheet for the diorama is the same for all of the Scary Tales action figures: directions for all five are printed on the sheet, along with a membership form for ClubMez.