Werewolves? Are they real? Or just a product of man’s creative mind. The idea that werewolves live among humans has always been a fascinating story to tell during drunken nights, while out camping in the woods, or as macabre as it may sound, as a bedtime story for children.
The suggestion that these creatures can co-exist among the human population is scary albeit intriguing at the same time. Of course, what we know about them are limited to things we’ve read in books, from folklore stories passed down from generation to generation, and in movies.
There has never really been a true and confirmed account of sighting. As such, their existence remains a myth. Werewolves are, after all, mythological creatures. Shapeshifters who take the form of a vicious animal or morph into part human and wolf during a full moon.
The oldest werewolf story comes in a form of the Western prose The Epic of Gilgamesh from around 2,100 BC. But the werewolf as we now know it debuted in ancient Greek mythology with the Legend of Lycaon. Suffice to say, werewolves are not real as it is scientifically and biologically impossible for a person to undergo a man-to-animal metamorphosis. The idea makes great book and movie premise, nonetheless, especially in the early years since they opened viewers’ eyes to a new kind of unseen terror. So get your silver bullets ready as we go through the list of the best werewolf movies ever made.
An American Werewolf in London (1981)
Two American college students backpacking in London gets attacked by a werewolf. One dies and the other, David (David Naughton) lives albeit badly injured. He soon starts having nightmares of hunting in four feet and seeing his dead friend Jack (Griffin Dunne). In true lycanthrope myth, David has become cursed with the blood of the beast following the attack. Thus, the transformation begins and a terrifying, gnarly, painful, and traumatic one at that.
This film is very gruesome in its treatment of the practical effects. So much so, that it took home the very first Oscar for Rick Baker’s astounding makeup effects. Outside of the scare factor, this movie also contains comedy. After all, what else can you expect from the director famous for Animal House, Coming to America, and The Blues Brothers. Suffice to say, this movie is a must-watch for everyone.
Director: John Landis – Screenplay: John Landis – Cast: David Naughton, Jenny Agutter, Griffin Dunne, Joe Belcher, David Schofield, Frank Oz – Run Time: 1h 37m
The Howling (1981)
The 1980s birthed to some of the best werewolf movies with this Joe Dante film one of them. Although it doesn’t really compete with the dark humor of John Landis’ werewolf classic, it still ranks as one of the best lycanthrope films of all time. It has the gritty, dark, and painful transformation splashed with offbeat humor.
The story revolves around a TV anchor, Karen White (Dee Wallace) who heads to a retreat center following a traumatizing encounter with a serial killer during a sting operation. In a bid to get rid of her recurring nightmares of that moment, she engages in cult therapy where she ends up getting terrorized by werewolves.
Director: Joe Dante – Screenplay: John Sayles, Terence H. Winkless, Gary Bradner – Cast: Dee Wallace, Patrick Macnee, Dennis Dugan, Belinda Balaski, Kevin McCarthy, Christopher Stone – Run Time: 1h 31m
Wolfen (1981)
Based on the novel by Whitley Strieber comes another one of the best werewolf movies in the 1980s. Although this is a horror film, it is also rooted in history and tells of the plight of Native Americans to protect their land from corporate monstrosity.
This movie shows scenes from the point of view of the predator so viewers can feel the tension, the hunger, and the excitement radiate from them as they pounce on their victims. It follows a detective (Albert Finney) who is hired to investigate a series of wolf-related murders in New York City. It lacks in the transformation format, but it still manages to scare and thrill while trying to make an ecological point.
Director: Michael Wadleigh – Screenplay: David Eyre, Michael Wadleigh – Cast: Albert Finney, Diane Venora, Gregory Hines, Edward James Olmos, Tom Noonan, Dick O’Neill – Run Time: 1h 55m
Silver Bullet (1985)
Another great werewolf classic from the macabre and dark mind of horror writer Stephen King. This movie is nostalgic as it evokes that coming-of-age quality inherent with King’s Stand By Me. More so, when it has The Lost Boy’s Corey Haim playing the paraplegic hero in the story.
The events unfold in the small, quiet town of Tarker’s Mills where nothing extraordinary ever happens. Not until brutal killings start to plague the neighborhood. The community believes they are the works of a maniacal killer. But Marty Coslaw (Corey Haim) thinks otherwise and is convinced the killer is no man at all. A run-in with the beast leads him and his sister Jane (Megan Follows) on a hunt for the man who transforms into a werewolf.
This film has all the thrills, frights, and horror one would expect nothing less from Stephen King. It’s got suspense, action, chills, and intrigue too.
Director: Daniel Attias – Screenplay: Stephen King – Cast: Corey Haim, Gary Busey, Everett McGill, Megan Follows, Robin Groves, Terry O’Quinn, Leon Russom – Run Time: 1h 35m
The Company of Wolves (1984)
This is an ethereal take on the werewolf story with its dreamlike state, rightly so since it begins with a dream. It centers on Rosaleen (Sarah Patterson), a teenager who lives in a country manor in England who starts having nightmares about wolves and werewolves. In it, her sister is dead and although she lives with her parents, she spends most of her time with her grandmother. One day on the way to meet her grandmother, she meets a man in the woods and challenges him to race to her granny’s house. She later finds out who the man truly is.
The premise evokes fairy tale and is reminiscent of the Brothers Grimm’s The Little Red Riding Hood. It is bewitching and odd for a werewolf movie as it relies on the usual fantasy trope involving magical, haunted forests, exuberant wardrobes, lush scenery and vivid colors. It starts off dull and lacking in gory details and feels campy at times. But the surprise comes in the end where it explodes with violent gore and intensity.
Director: Neil Jordan – Screenplay: Angela Carter, Neil Jordan – Cast: Sarah Patterson, Angela Lansbury, David Warner, Graham Crowden, Brian Glover, Georgia Slowe – Run Time: 1h 35m
Teen Wolf (1985)
This is a delightful take on the werewolf genre that starts Back to the Future star Michael J. Fox as 17-year-old Scott. Instead of the bite trope, Scott goes through his lycanthrope transformation thanks to an inherited curse from his father.
He eventually sheds off his Average Joe image as he develops new physical skills that make him one of the popular guys at school and on the basketball team. This is a fun and silly take on the werewolf film with scenes of the teen wolf surfing on the hood of a van and looking good in shades. Plus, his Lycan appearance cannot be taken seriously as he comes out of the curse as a human-wolf hybrid.
Director: Rod Daniel – Screenplay: Matthew Weisman, Jeph Loeb – Cast: Michael J. Fox, Susan Ursitti, James Hampton, Jerry Levine, Matt Adler, Lorie Griffin – Run Time: 1h 31m
Wolf (1994)
Aging publisher Will Randall (Jack Nicholson) is down on his luck. He gets fired from his job and his wife is having an affair with his protégé. Worse, he gets the werewolf curse after a wild animal bit him on the side of the road.
However, he suddenly finds himself energized and with heightened senses. He also finds a new love interest in the beautiful and mysterious Laura Alden (Michelle Pfieffer), the daughter of his shrewd boss Raymond (Christopher Plummer). She too falls for him not realizing that he is slowly turning into the beast who infected him.
Don’t expect supernatural, gory, and painful lycanthrope transformation in this film. On the contrary, Randall tries to restrain himself, which makes for a new spin on conventional werewolf tropes. It may not necessarily fall in the horror genre but is an intriguing and fun watch as is, especially as it’s an unapologetically adult take on the lycanthrope mythos with fantastical satire on sex.
Director: Mike Nichols – Screenplay: Jim Harrison, Wesley Strick – Cast: Jack Nicholson, Michelle Pfieffer, Christopher Plummer, Kate Nelligan, David Hyde Pierce, Richard Jenkins, Eileen Atkins – Run Time: 2h 5m
Ginger Snaps (2000)
Canadian filmmaker John Fawcett explores the intimacies of sisterhood and female coming-of-age in this gender-bending spin on the lycanthrope mythos. The story centers on two co-dependent sisters Ginger (Katharine Isabelle) and Brigitte (Emily Perkins) whose bond gets challenged when one of them gets bitten by a werewolf.
Ginger starts to experience a sexual awakening and gets bolder by the second. Her sister must find a way to reverse the effects of the damages before she leaves destruction in her wake. This movie is a metaphor of the female pubescence and told through the horrific werewolf transformation. There’s the growing interest in the opposite sex, the hormonal changes on the body (especially the unsightly hairs on the legs), and more. But in true horror fashion, this movie impressed viewers, so much so, that it is now a cult classic and even birthed to two more films afterward.
Director: John Fawcett – Screenplay: Karen Walton, John Fawcett – Cast: Emily Perkins, Kris Lemche, Katharine Isabelle, Mimi Rogers, Jesse Moss, John Bourgeois – Run Time: 1h 48m
Dog Soldiers (2002)
A squad of soldiers fights for survival against unexpected enemies when they are sent on a mission to the Scottish Highlands. Try as they might to ignore stories about werewolves in the area, they cannot ignore the fierce howling they hear at night. They also cannot forget the bloody remains of the Special Ops Squad.
What begins as a training mission turns into a fight for their lives as they struggle to defeat gigantic, clawed monsters. This film is top-notch with its full body werewolf suits and comes off with the best-looking practical effects that would make any armored man cower in fear.
The werewolves look almost alien-like in their appearance with long, thin limbs and humanoid bodies. But their heads are straight-up wolves and not a mix of man and wolf. The movie also borrows from the Night of the Living Dead setup, wherein the soldiers find themselves surrounded by werewolves while they hole up inside an old farmhouse.
Director: Neil Marshall – Screenplay: Neil Marshall – Cast: Sean Pertwee, Kevin McKidd, Emma Cleasby, Liam Cunningham – Run Time: 1h 45m
Underworld (2003)
This is a werewolf vs. vampire action that catapulted Kate Beckinsale further into stardom. The protagonist is Selene (Beckinsale), a vampire who has dedicated her life to eradicating earth with werewolves. However, she finds herself on the run and fighting against her clan after she unearths a long-standing conspiracy involving the Lycans and the vampires after she encountered the harmless human doctor Michael Corvin (Scott Speedman).
This is an enjoyable watch especially for those who want a mix of bloody action. Mystery, and vampire mayhem in their werewolf movies. Especially if the hero in the story is a sexy, gun-toting woman.
Director: Len Wiseman – Screenplay: Len Wiseman, Kevin Grevioux, Danny McBride – Cast: Kate Beckinsale, Scott Speedman, Shane Brolly, Michael Sheen, Bill Nighy, Wentworth Miller, Sophia Myles, Robbie Gee – Run Time: 2h 1m
The Wolfman (2010)
This remake of Universal’s The Wolf Man deserves more credit than it got. It follows Lawrence (Benecio del Torro) who goes to America following a stint in a mental asylum. There he gets tracked by his brother’s fiancé who pleads for his help after his brother goes missing. He returns to his father’s estate where his brother’s mauled body has been recovered. In his search to catch his brother’s killer, he soon discovers that someone with brute strength and blood lust has been killing the villagers.
Director: Joe Johnston – Screenplay: Andrew Kevin Walker, David Self – Cast: Benecio del Torro, Anthony Hopkins, Emily Blunt, Anthony Hopkins, Gemma Whelan, Asa Butterfield, Simon Merrells, David Schofield – Run Time: 1h 43m
Werewolves Within (2021)
If you’re looking for the jump scares and terrifying wolf transformation to fill most of the scenes in this film, then sadly you’re in for a disappointment. This movie is not really a monster movie but is more on the comedy, mystery genre.
The mystery starts as soon as the people living in a small town try to decipher clues that could help them solve the recent killings in their neighborhood. What ensues is a murder mystery mayhem as they soon start to suspect one another while they are forced to live out a power outage in a local inn.
But the answer was right there, literally staring everyone right in the face. One has to have a keen eye for details to pick out the murderer. Especially since this film relies so much on dialogues to move the story forward.
The story mainly follows Forest Ranger Finn (Sam Richardson) and his postal worker sidekick Cecily (Milana Vayntrub) as they investigate the strange happenings in the small town of Beaverfield. They must do so under the threat of a snowstorm and potentially dangerous creatures lurking in the woods.
Director: Josh Ruben – Screenplay: Mishna Wolff – Cast: Sam Richardson, Milana Vayntrub, George Basil, Sarah Burns, Michael Chernus, Catherine Curtin, Cheyenne Jackson, Patrick M. Walsh – Run Time: 1h 37m
Wer (2013)
The low-budget production may have put this movie out of everyone’s radar but it still deserves a mention in this list. After all, it tells the mythos differently through a mix of mockumentary, found-footage stills, and courtroom drama while managing to bring in horror and fright at the same time.
The story involves a “wolfish” man blamed for the death of a family in the French countryside. The protagonist is a female lawyer who believes that the man has been set up to take the blame and is tasked to represent him in court.
As she digs into his family history and interviews his mother, she learns that he suffers from a strange disease responsible for his wolf-like appearance. She eventually takes him to the hospital for examination and from there, the horror begins.
Director: William Brent Bell – Screenplay: William Brent Bell, Matthew Peterman – Cast: A.J. Cook, Brian Scott O’Connor, Sebastian Roche, Brian Johnson, Simon Quarterman, Vik Sahay, Stephanie Lemelin – Run Time: 1h 33m
Wolfcop (2014)
If you’re looking for something light and funny but involving werewolves, then this comedy horror is right up your alley. The protagonist is Lou, an alcoholic policeman, who often finds himself waking up in unfamiliar surroundings. But strange things suddenly start happening and he soon realizes that he is turning into a werewolf. But his transformation is part of a larger plan and one that he must willing to accept despite his hairy situation.
This is a hilarious movie and a bit ridiculous at times but the gore is still there. People clearly enjoyed making this film as much as viewers had fun watching its absurdity.
Director: Lowell Dean – Screenplay: Lowell Dean – Cast: Leo Fafard, Amy Matysio, Sarah Lind, Corinne Conley, Jesse Moss, Jonathan Cherry, Aidan Devine, Ryland Alexander – Run Time: 1h 19m
The Wolf of Snow Hollow (2020)
This is another horror-comedy about a wolf that goes on a hunting spree every month during a full moon. Sheriff John Marshall (Jim Cummings) is unconvinced that the beast exists in their small mountain town. But his colleagues are adamant which makes the sheriff even more anxious and paranoid, especially when the dead, mutilated bodies continue to pile up. Much like the Werewolves Within, this film also keeps you guessing right until the end. Plus, the wolf effect is on point.
Director: Jim Cummings – Screenplay: Jim Cummings – Cast: Jim Cummings, Riki Lindhome, Robert Forster, Chloe East, Will Madden, Annie Hamilton, Jimmy Tatro, Hannah Elder, Kelsey Edwards – Run Time: 1h 23m
Red Riding Hood (2011)
For the modern viewers, this was a thrilling watch with its suspense and mystery mixed with lycanthrope horror. A werewolf prowls the dark forest of a small village where Valerie (Amanda Seyfried) and her family live. On the night that she agreed to run away with her lover Peter (Shiloh Fernandez) to escape an arranged marriage to the wealthy Henry (Max Irons), the creature kills her older sister.
The village has maintained a truce with the wolf for many years in exchange for monthly animal sacrifices. But the creature broke that pact with her sister’s death. Hungry for revenge, the villagers called on wolf hunter Father Solomon (Gary Oldman) for help in killing the wolf. But as the bodies continue to pile up, he warned the people that the werewolf could be anyone they know as it transforms into a human by day. Valerie fears she knows who this person is as she soon starts to feel a very strong connection to this beast.
Director: Catherine Hardwicke – Screenplay: David Leslie Johnson-McGoldrick – Cast: Amanda Seyfried, Lukas Haas, Gary Oldman, Billy Burke, Max Irons, Shiloh Fernandez, Virginia Madsen, Julie Christie – Run Time: 1h 40m
When Animals Dream/Når dyrene drømmer (2015)
If you’re not a fan of vampire flick Let the Right One In, then steer clear of this Danish thriller. The movie follows shy 16-year-old Marie who lives in a small fishing village with her father and her very ill mother. Macabre things begin to happen around her as she starts to experience strange things with her body. She realizes that her family harbors a dark, monstrous secret that makes her co-workers jumpy and hostile.
Much like Ginger Snaps, When Animals Dream is an allegory for a female coming-of-age story. As Marie goes through her physical transformation, she too experiences social isolation.
Director: Jonas Alexander Arnby – Screenplay: Rasmus Birch, Christoffer Boe, Jonas Alexander Arnby – Cast: Sonia Suhl, Lars Mikkelsen, Sonja Richter, Jackob Oftebro, Gustav Dyekjær Giese, Esben Dalgaard Andersen – Run Time: 1h 24m
