Top 10 Werewolf Movies
#10 – “Twilight” Series (2008-2012)
Kicking off our list is the teen angst-ridden series in which a girl is caught up in a love triangle with a vampire and a werewolf. Abandoning established mythology, its werewolves are super-buff teens from a Native American tribe who possess shape-shifting powers. Okay, so they’re not conventional werewolves, but this is the best movie since “Underworld” to pit these creatures against vamps, both physically and romantically. Yeah, we said it.
#9 – “Dog Soldiers” (2002)
Now that we’ve pleased the Twihards, let’s showcase a werewolf flick that’s strictly for the boys! This horror-comedy takes everything we love about werewolves and combines it with the standard zombie genre setup. We follow some British soldiers as they take refuge in a farmhouse when the beasts come looking for chew toys. Packed with murderous and unrelenting monsters, this film never lets up on the tension, or the laughs.
#8 – “Bad Moon” (1996)
It’s “Lassie” meets “Terminator 2:” a family’s insanely loyal German Shepherd discovers a werewolf and protects his owners at all costs as the *cough* underdog. We’re pretty sure no other film features an all-out brawl between canine and wolf-man. We dig the entire beast versus beast theme, and love how the mother jumps in to save her son by taking cues from Sarah Connor!
#7 – “Teen Wolf” (1985)
Michael J. Fox stars as a dorky teen who dreams of dominating the basketball court and getting the girl in the most family-friendly werewolf flick ever. His affliction is hereditary and is triggered by puberty, but instead of ripping people apart like he should, he uses his powers to score. Yes, it’s corny, but we love it – so sue us.
#6 – “Ginger Snaps” (2000)
It’s another werewolf film that ties puberty with Lycanthropy. But this time, the focus is two sisters, one of whom is pretty messed up even before she’s bitten. Packed with gore, this horror flick respects the mythology, but devilishly uses the werewolf genre to explore the themes of conformity and alienation. Plus, it has tons of gore. Wait, did we already mention that? Well, it totally does!
#5 – “The Howling” (1981)
This loosely-based-on-a-novel story follows a woman who has selective amnesia as she decides to stay at a psychiatric cabin resort. Once there, she hears howls, and begins to suspect that a werewolf is lurking about. With a twist ending that M. Night Shyamalan probably wishes he wrote, this is a memorable werewolf flick as it was the first to fully discard Hollywood’s standard Wolf Man tale.
#4 – “Wolf” (1994)
In this film, a book publisher, played by Jack Nicholson, gets bitten and uses his new heightened senses and strength to regain control of his life… and eat muggers. Only after falling in love does he realize that his gift is a curse. Unlike most werewolf movies, it features strong acting and a star who doesn’t even need any makeup to play a convincing movie monster!
#3 – “Silver Bullet” (1985)
This Stephen King adaptation has become a beloved horror classic: it centers on a small town besieged by mysterious murders. Corey Haim plays a paraplegic who discovers the truth, and ends up on a quest to stop the hairy killer! Sure, the werewolf effects are pretty lame, but this is a movie with the right mix of ‘80s camp, humor, anticipation, and of course, Gary Busey!
#2 – “The Wolf Man” (1941)
This wasn’t the first ever werewolf film, but it was the first to make the moon monster as universally recognized as Universal Studios’ other creatures, Dracula and Frankenstein. It also introduced the vulnerability to silver. While it seems clichéd now, the tragic story of Lawrence Talbot remains the archetype of the genre, and the film still thrills with convincing acting by Lon Chaney Jr., a memorable musical score and its haunting atmosphere.
#1 – “An American Werewolf in London” (1981)
Taking the top spot on our list is the unforgettable tale of an American tourist who’s bitten by a werewolf, and is urged by the ghost of his dead friend to off himself before he becomes an unstoppable murder machine. The greatest werewolf movie ever made, it expertly balances comedy with horror, and features the greatest and most gruesome werewolf transformation ever put to film! Just listen to those bones crunch!
Do you agree with our list? Which is your favorite werewolf movie? For more entertaining Top 10s, be sure to subscribe to WatchMojo.com.
