Since I am winding down this blog, I am not doing my usual October Challenge this year. It’s a lot of content to put out, just for it to go offline in November. However, I can’t just ignore the final Halloween this blog will be active for. If you’ve been following my blog, you will know I am a fan of werewolf movies, yet also very critical of them. I’ve also not done any top tens, so time to remedy that with my list of top ten werewolf movies. So join me and lets howl at the moon together!
This list doesn’t include movies marketed as if they were werewolf movies, yet turned out to be something different. The most controversial of those exclusions will be “Wolfen” (1981), because the creatures do have both wolf and human form, but they aren’t really werewolves. Had I included it, it would have made the list, (Around eighth). It’s a good film and worth checking out, but I don’t think of it as a werewolf movie. Other notables includes “Brotherhood of the Wolf” (2001) and “The Wolf of Snow Hollow” (2020). I’ve also excluded crossover monster movies such as “Underworld” (2003).
Honourable Mentions
Werewolf of London (1935) – This is effectively the oldest Werewolf movie. Wolfblood (1925) is an older silent movie but would be excluded from my list due to the “Werewolf” just being a regular human. There were around three silent Werewolf movies from before that, but all lost to time. So, “Werewolf of London” is really the start of the genre as we know it. As such, it’s where the idea of transferring the curse through a bite comes from (Later this included scratches as well). It’s a short, but reasonable early Universal monster movie.
The Beast Must Die (1974)– This is a surprisingly solid werewolf mystery featuring Peter Cushing. It follows the murder mystery trope of inviting a group of people to a remote mansion. Usually the purpose it to kill someone, but here it is to catch a killer, or more specifically a Werewolf. It’s an interesting approach and one of the first movies to really go all in on the mystery aspect of who is the werewolf. It even provides an on screen plea not to spoil the ending for others, much like the 1957 movie “Witness for the Prosecution”.
Wer (2013) – Another Werewolf movie with an interesting approach. Here we are looking at something closer to the “Wolf Man” than a more modern werewolf. The effects are updated and they take a less mythical and more scientific approach to the monster. The plot is a bit all over the place. But this is easily the best updated “Wolf Man” style monster and as such worthy of a shout out.
More Honourable Mentions
Teen Wolf (1985) – This is an outright comedy and a fun movie. It’s a little too family friendly to make the cut, but it’s enjoyable. Michael J Fox was always great for this kind of movie. Unlike most of the horrors this film doesn’t have the werewolves lose control when they change, instead they basically just have superpowers and look like the wolf man.
Silver Bullet (1985) – Stephen King’s Werewolf story is a fairly straight forward affair and features a lot of the standard King tropes as well as Werewolf tropes. It’s a solid movie though with a mixture of laughs, gore, Gary Busey and Corey Haim. Worth watching, but not really interesting enough for the top ten.
Bad Moon (1996) – Long before “Good Boy” (2025), “Bad Moon” was a horror film where the family dog is the protagonist. Based on the novel “Thor”, this adaptation doesn’t go all in on the canine perspective, but it’s clear who the hero of the story is. This alone makes this a pretty unique werewolf story. However it’s a another solid movie in general, with all the right elements and solid visual effects. The execution wasn’t perfect, but still this one was closest to my top ten.
10. Wolfcop (2014)
Let’s start with my most controversial inclusion. This low budget Canadian horror comedy is far better than you would expect with a name like “Wolfcop”. The movie doesn’t take itself too seriously, but avoids the trap of celebrating it’s own cheapness. Unlike Teen Wolf it’s definitely not a family movie and maintains the horror aspects despite the comedy. Like Teen Wolf though, this uses the more human “Wolf Man” type of werewolf, but the effects are very well done (Given the rock bottom budget anyway). It features a unique werewolf transformation (If you know, you know). As a more human werewolf, this one drops one liners and occasionally shoots people.
Werewolf comedies tend to be far more miss than hit, but while this isn’t going to change the genre it definitely finds a balance that works. The movie is a lot of fun, ultra violent and has enough of a plot to feel like a real story and not an excuse for the comedy/gore. It’s also one of the more original Werewolf films out there. There was a sequel in 2017 which is fairly well regarded, though I’ve not seen it yet myself.
9. Curse of the Werewolf (1961)
Cure of the Werewolf is an easily overlooked werewolf story from Hammer Films and their most famous director, Terence Fisher. By the time Fisher took on the werewolf sub-genre he had already tackled Frankenstein, Dracula and The Mummy. While Christopher Lee and Peter Cushing stared in those previous movies, this one was a chance to launch the career of a relatively unknown actor – Oliver Reed. The story is a bit of an odd one though as Reed doesn’t even show up until half way through. Instead we see the character’s birth and childhood, before he heads forth to find his fortune. Unfortunately for this young man he was born with the Werewolf’s curse.
If you focus too much on Oliver Reed the film seems to drag before he turns up, but then also feels rushed after. However this is really three tales in one, showing a Werewolf’s origin (From pain and torment), how a loving family deal with the affliction on their (Adopted) child and then finally the story of the grown man unable to escape his fate. The story heavily plays up the tragedy of the curse and Reed does a good job as the tragic lead, good at heart but cursed with evil. Despite it’s quirkiness, the movie is rather good and very much a Hammer horror.
8. Wolf (1994)
“Wolf” is perhaps the most unique movie on the list, since it is barely a horror. The movie plays out as more of a drama and yet it has all the horror elements. It is almost a subversion of a subversion, where the viewer begins to doubt if this even is a werewolf movie. But yes, it is, he does indeed turn into a wolf. But the movies is pulled into a more human perspective, focusing heavily on the psychological changes our protagonist goes through as he becomes more wolf. The other things that make this stand out are the incredible cast (Jack Nicholson, Michelle Pfeiffer and James Spader) and the score by Ennio Morricone. So while the horror elements are light, there is a lot of polish applied to this one.
The movie had a very mixed reception originally. Drama fans didn’t like the horror part, while horror fans felt disappointed at how light they were. Outside of those biases, this is actually a good movie and one of the more original entries. Something that probably shouldn’t have worked and without such a strong cast probably wouldn’t have. I would say though that the first half of the movie is the stronger half. As the horror elements become more prominent the movie struggles, but never falls apart. The ending is perhaps a bit divisive, but I liked it it. It earned it’s spot on the list.
7. The Wolf Man (1941)
This was the gold standard for Werewolf movies all the way until 1981. A fairly late entry to the full set of Universal Monsters, but one that would become just as prominent as Dracula and Frankenstein (At least through the 40’s). The Wolf Man introduced the largest amount of lore to the werewolf myths, these include: Silver as the primary weakness, especially silver bullets; The Full moon bringing out the wolf; and the association with the pentagram symbol. The truth is if you dig you can find sources for a lot of this in old folk law, but what director/writer Curt Siodmak did was a little like what Tolkein did in creating modern fantasy. Deep researched compiled and constructed into a compelling narrative.
Despite it’s short length (Standard for Universal horrors of the day), the movie heavily focused on the tragic aspect of becoming a werewolf. Lon Cheaney Jr. played this to perfection, leaving you feeling for the character even while you know he must be stopped. The Jack Pierce designed makeup was also groundbreaking for it’s time and largely defined what we expected from the monster until the big changes of the 1980’s. The visuals in this film are among the best of the Universal monsters era. Some effects are a little dated though as you would expect. The very obviously fake wolf that attacks Cheaney to pass the curse is a low point. Still, 85 years later and it still deserves a spot in the top ten.
6. Late Phases/Night of the Wolf (2014)
Along with “Wolf Cop”, “Late Phases” (Also known as “Night of the Wolf”), is both the most recent and least well know entry on this list. Also much like that movie, it is a low budget independent film that punches far about it’s weight class. According to IMDb, Late Phases is director Adrian Garcia Bogliano’s best film by a clear margin. The same goes for writer Eric Stolze. The movie was produced under a micro-budget and though this occasionally shows in the effects, it looks better than some Hollywood werewolf movies. The story is fairly straight forward, with the added complexity of our hero being a blind army veteran and retiree.
While the movie has found a pretty original set up for the werewolves, the story itself doesn’t try and re-invent the wheel. The werewolves look and act how you would suspect and a large part of the story is built on figuring out who the Werewolf (or Werewolves) are. An element of tragedy is presented, but since our protagonist is not a victim of the curse, that is more of a side story. Ambrose (Played by an excellent Nick Damici), pretty much has a death wish and between that and his army know how, he convinces us a blind man maybe could have a chance in a commune infested with werewolves. This is low budget horror done right.
5. Ginger Snaps (2000)
As we reach the top five, we hit the kinds of films most horror fans will know. One movie that is often mentioned when people talk about great werewolf movies is “Ginger Snaps” from 2000. While female protagonists have always been common in horror, back in 2000 it was still rare for a werewolf movie to feature one, especially as the werewolf. A lot of that is just down to the fact that werewolves are largely a metaphor for unleashing internalized rage. That is something that leans towards men (Hence more recent movies being clumsy “Toxic masculinity” analogies). However here, Director John Fawcett and writer Karren Walton figured out a new metaphor – female puberty. Terrifying indeed!
On top of this unique angle, the movie is actually rather good. The bond between the siblings and the contrast in their attitudes work well. The action is fast and punchy, the effects are good and the characters are compelling. Fawcett was inspired to make the movie by Peter Jackson’s “Heavenly Creatures” and adding the werewolf curse to the mix was a brilliant idea. Over time this movie has perhaps become overrated as feminists latch onto it, and with so many feminist horror movies these days it has lost a lot of what made it stand out. However, it deserves its spot on the list. The sequel and prequel, not so much. A new idea is only new once.
4. The Company of Wolves (1984)
So now we come to the most unusual movie in my top ten. A British Gothic fantasy horror and semi-anthology. The film is presented as a dream/fantasy, with the main story a variation of Red Riding Hood. But within that are four shorter stories told by the lead character or her grandmother. All the stories are about Werewolves, so that makes this is the most Werewolf of all the films on this list. The film explores a lot of Werewolf folklore that isn’t often seen in these movies. Such as an ointment you can rub on your skin to bring about the transformation or the idea that people whose eyebrows meet in the middle are werewolves.
Since the entire movie is effectively a dream, everything is a little bit ethereal and surreal. This of course gives the opportunity to load the movie up with fantastic visual imagery. No doubt it didn’t hurt that these kind of visuals usually aren’t that expensive. While the short stories are very short and to the point, the best visuals come from these (The Wedding is especially notable). The movie is also notable for a more sympathetic view of the werewolf. The movie notes: It’s not those that are a wolf outside and a man within you should fear, it’s those that are a man on the outside and a wolf within. Helping the movie is a strong cast featuring the likes of Angel Lansbury, David Warner and Terence Stamp (In an uncredited role as the devil).
3. Dog Soldiers (2002)
Few horror movies surprised me as much as Dog Soldiers (2002). Neil Marshall was a new director on the scene, having only done a couple of shorts beforehand. The concept sounded like a typical B-movie plot: Squadies versus werewolves. But the execution was where the movie took itself to a new level. For a start the werewolf effects worked well and yet were achieved on a tight budget. It also provided an excellent blend of humour, action and gore. No element got in the way of the other parts and the movie had the edgy, fun feel that was popular in the early 2000’s (Largely thanks to Guy Ritchie). It was the perfect time for this kind of movie and Marshall was the right guy for the job.
Neil would go on to direct “The Descent” in 2005 along with the underrated “Doomsday” (2008) and “Centurion” (2010). But for me this was his best work by far. Sadly these days he’s fallen into the trap of focusing his career around his wife/fiancé that many directors slip into (Especially in their 50’s when their partner is in their 30’s). In most cases that is career suicide (We can’t all marry Kate Beckinsale…sadly). But wherever he ended up, Dog Soldiers was an incredible career launching point. For me it’s the little things that make the movie so good. The attention to detail. The ending and credit sequence for this movie is down right poetic. One day hopefully Neil will do a sequel.
2. The Howling (1981)
The Howling was a movie destined to change Werewolf movies forever. In some ways even more so than the top film on this list. While that film is famous for the transformation, this redefined what we expect werewolves to look like. From the 1940’s to the 1970’s Werewolves have pretty much followed the makeup style of “The Wolf Man”. On occasion such as 1974’s “The Beast Must Die” the creature is depicted just like a regular wolf (Which is largely how they appear in folklore too). But in the howling they are towering, monstrous beasts combining elements of the wolf, elements of the human and… well a touch of the Incredible Hulk. This makes sense of course considering that the Hulk, much like Lycanthropy is the manifestation of rage (Especially masculine rage) in a physical, monstrous form.
The difference of course is The Hulk tries to channel that rage to do good. The Werewolves of the Howling however are the opposite, the revel in the chaos and celebrate the beast within. It’s also not strictly a male thing here as the women are all in on their bestial rage too, none more so than Elisabeth Brooks “Marsha”, who is still probably the sexiest werewolf you are likely to come across. The story introduces a lot of new beats, such as the secret Werewolf community and the transformation on live TV. But as well constructed as the story is, it is the effects that really pushed the genre into new territory. These days you are far more likely to come across a Howling style monster than a wolf man or straight wolf.
1. An American Werewolf In London (1981)
I know, not a shocking pick. But that says it all really. When someone says “Best Werewolf movie of all time” the immediate response from the vast majority of horror fans will be to say “An American Werewolf in London”. This is the movie that made horror fans and creators alike realize that the transformation into wolf form is perhaps the coolest and most disturbing part of the genre. It’s an element that had not been well explored before, mostly because the effects just weren’t up to the job until the evolution of animatronics. The utilization of these effects for horror started around the mid 1970s with Jaws and then later Alien. Rick Baker though would take animatronics to a whole new level here. Rick also assisted on The Howling, so if there is a king of Werewolf effects, it’s him.
But it’s not just the effects that makes this top the list. It’s the plot and execution. The story focuses on the tragic aspect, much like The Wolf Man did four decades earlier. I often say this is a key part of what makes the sub-genre work and nailing that is often key to a good werewolf story. This time though there is some solid comedy thrown into the mix too. It doesn’t get in the way of the horror and mostly manifests in the ghostly visitors of past victims, but it is funny. The same ghosts also sport some horrific looking injuries. Adding to the horror side is the infamous subway stalking scene, presenting a masterclass in creating fear without showing an actual monster. When we see the monster at the end it is perhaps a little disappointing (Just a wolf), but for 99.5% of the film, this a masterpiece.
The Wolf Cycle
One interesting thing I find with Werewolf movies is they tend to group together. Werewolf packs you could say. It’s not really that remarkable in itself since success tends to breed copies and in the case of the early 80’s the technical innovations made it finally possible to depict werewolves in their full glory. But what is interesting is they also seem to cycle in and out of fashion in a way that reminds me of the lunar cycle in these movies. To be fair though a lot of this is bang on the 20 and 30 year Nostalgia cycle. Almost exactly 20 years after The Howling and American Werewolf we get Dog Soldiers and Ginger Snaps. Ten years after that, we get Late Phases and Wolf Cop. Maybe there is nothing more to it than that.
The truth is the entire sub-genre is still largely an echo of the genre defining movies. Up until the 1980’s everything was an echo of 1941’s The Wolf Man. After the 80’s it is The Howling and American Werewolf. Not that this is really that unusual for horror, but it does remind us just how trope based and self referential horror genres really are. Zombies aren’t that different with George Romero’s 1968 classic “Night of the Living Dead” largely defining the genre until 2002’s “28 Days Later” introduced running Zombies. There were outliers, but the same is true is Werewolves. Most still fit comfortably in the box. Anyway, we have a new Werewolf movie from Robert Eggers due in December and perhaps a new take on the sub-genre. I’m a fan of Eggers, so my claws are firmly crossed.
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