Get Your Teeth into This! – Best Werewolf Movies from the Past 40 Years (plus, some awesome books and graphic novels)

Movies

Dog Soldiers (2002) 

Director: Neil Marshall

Writer: Neil Marshall

Cast: Kevin McKidd, Sean Pertwee, Liam Cunningham, Emma Cleasby

First off, let me say this is my absolute favourite werewolf movie ever made, and I’ve watched a lot of them.

A bunch of ‘double-hard bastard’ soldiers from Northern England are sent on a training mission to the Highlands of Scotland where they discover not only are werewolves indeed real, one of them has been chowing down on a rival Special Ops Squad. When the full moon rises and the pack closes in, the platoon must put their differences aside and work together to survive. 

This is the absolute dogs’ bollocks of werewolf movies. Mixing black humour with fun special effects (by Image FX) it puts a unique spin on the werewolf genre, and pokes a cheeky dig at the British class system too. 

Le Pacte des Loups or The Brotherhood of the Wolf (2001)

Director: Christophe Gans

Writers: Stéphane Cabel, Christophe Gans

Cast: Samuel Le Bihan, Mark Dacascos, Monica Bellucci, Jérémie Renier, Vincent Cassel, Émilie Dequenne

Loosely based on the myth of the Beast of Gevaudan and set in 18th century France, this movie follows Chevalier de Fronsac (Le Bihan) and his friend Mani (Dacascos) as they are sent by the king to investigate a number of brutal slayings in the region. 

It’s a supernatural-horror, martial-arts period-drama, and werewolf creature-feature all in one, which sounds ridiculous on paper but somehow works brilliantly on screen. Its plot drives home a political point — a common staple in good horror — but also includes two incredibly well-cast, strong female characters, great special effects by the Creature Workshop and some bloody brilliant, artistic fight sequences. 

An American Werewolf in London (1981)

Director: John Landis

Writer: John Landis

Cast: David Naughton, Griffin Dunne, Jenny Agutter, Joe Belcher,

David and Jack, two American college students, are savagely attacked by a wild animal while on a walking holiday across Northern England. Jack is killed and David is terribly wounded. Subsequently, he is plagued by terrible nightmares and visits from his dead (and slowly decomposing) friend who tells him he is now a werewolf and that he should commit suicide before he hurts anyone else. But all is not completely terrible, as Nurse Price is on hand to kiss more than just his boo-boos. 

While John Landis cut his teeth on comedies such as Blues Brothers and National Lampoon, this bloody, black comedy made it clear he could make movies that could scare us as much as they made us laugh. And with creature-effects master Rick Baker in change of special effects, the movie won a well-deserved Oscar for David’s beastly transformation. 

Wolf (1994)

Director: Mike Nichols

Writers: Jim Harrison, Wesley Strick

Cast: Jack Nicholson, Michelle Pfieffer, Christopher Plummer, James Spader

Will Randall (Nicholson) is a publisher who is losing his edge and, if he isn’t careful, his job. After being bitten by a wolf he finds himself changing — he becomes more energised, stronger and focused — but he also gains a thirst for blood. 

While an ancient amulet prevents him from changing completely, he has other pressing concerns: the police believe he has killed his wife; he’s embroiled in a complex new relationship with another woman; and an annoying little upstart (Spader) wants to steal his job. 

All of this makes Wolf a surprisingly nuanced and thoughtful horror/thriller. It suggests being a werewolf is not necessarily a curse, and we could all benefit from allowing some wildness into our lives. 

The Howling (1981) based on The Howling by Gary Brandner

Director: Joe Dante

Writers:  John Sayles, Terence H. Winkless, Gary Bradner

Serial killer Eddie Quist is obsessed with newscaster Karen White. While helping the police with their investigation, Karen has a near-fatal encounter with Eddie and loses her memory from shock. 

In an attempt to quell her inner demons, she heads to Colony, a community living in the woods, and where Eddie initially came from. What Karen doesn’t know is that Colony is home to a community of werewolves and they’re not happy about the press coming to town. 

The tone is tense and claustrophobic and the werewolves themselves are some of the best ever seen onscreen. The Howling is a cult classic for a reason. 

The Company of Wolves (1984) based on the short story by Angela Carter

Director: Neil Jordan

Writers: Angela Carter, Neil Jordan

Cast: Sarah Patterson, Angela Lansbury

A modern-day retelling of a classic fairy-tale (Little Red Riding Hood) wrapped up in Freudian symbolism. 

Rosaleen is an English teenager having nightmares about wolves and werewolves in the Middle Ages. In her dreams, her Granny dispenses three crucial pieces of advice which foreshadow the events to come. 

The movie itself is more fantasy than horror, with the werewolves themselves obvious metaphors for the ‘wildness’ of men, the loss of innocence and the onset of puberty and sexuality. 

Cursed (2005)

Director: Wes Craven

Writer: Kevin Williamson

Cast: Christina Ricci, Jesse Eisenberg, Portia de Rossi, Mya 

Orphans Ellie and Jimmy are involved in a car accident and are attacked by a “huge man-like wolf” while trying to help the woman in the other vehicle. After noticing changes in the both of them, they quickly realise that they’ve been bitten by a werewolf, and the only way to beat the curse is to find out who has infected them. 

As you might expect from a PG-13 Horror flick, the blood and gore are strongly toned down, and the movie is aimed at a slightly younger teen audience than Wes Craven’s other offerings (Scream, A Nightmare on Elm Street). Cursed is not a serious horror movie, nor is it really a comedy, in fact it can’t really seem to decide what it is, but if you want Beautiful Teenaged Werewolves Let Loose in Los Angeles, Cursed certainly delivers. 

Teen Wolf (1985)

Director: Rod Daniel

Writers: Jeph Loeb, Matthew Weisman

Cast: Cast: Michael J. Fox, James Hampton, Susan Ursitti, Jerry Levine, Matt Adler

No werewolf movie list would be complete without the addition of the coming-of-age comedy, Teen Wolf. 

A PG werewolf movie that is brimming with metaphors for the average teenage experience. Teen Wolf is an awkward movie in that it never seems to know where it really wants to go. But that’s okay. What it does do is explore the physical changes our teen bodies go through, preaches acceptance and learning to love yourself, and gives a little bit of a nod to queerness and being different in the 1980’s

Honourable mentions

Ginger Snaps (2000) Death-obsessed teenage girl is bitten by a werewolf at the same time she gets her first period. Chaos abounds! The werewolf is a metaphor for the onset of menses.  

The Wolfman (2010) A remake of the 1941 original, and possibly even better. Yes, I said it. A man returns to his ancestral home and is bitten by a werewolf. Benicio del Toro is brilliant in the Wolfman role. 

Late Phases (2014) Grumpy old man moves into a retirement community which is plagued by terrible animal attacks. Yup, you guessed it, the animal is a werewolf. Actually, a pretty decent movie with some excellent SFX. 

Bad Moon (1996) Photojournalist/scientist dude is bitten by a werewolf and struggles to keep his secret hidden from his family, but their love might be his only cure.  

Silver Bullet (1985) Based on Cycle of the Werewolf by Stephen King. A small-town community is thrown into turmoil when its members are attacked and killed, apparently by a serial killer, but one young boy believes a werewolf is behind the murders. 

Red Riding Hood (2011) A young woman’s sister is tragically killed by a werewolf and she falls in love with the orphan woodcutter who... *yawn*. It’s not great. Probably best avoid this one. 

The Underworld franchise (2003) It’s vampires versus werewolves across the ages as one species strives to be Number One. Bonus vampire/werewolf/human love-triangle thrown in for good measure. Much better than the Twilight movies. 

What We Do in the Shadows (2014) Yes, it focuses on vampires, but there are werewolves too. Quite importantly, they are “werewolves, not swear-wolves”. 

Books

Mongrels Stephen Graham Jones (2016)

A coming-of-age werewolf novel of a young boy whose life is spent always on the run from the law. It explores what it means to be human while accepting werewolf heritage. A fantastic twist on the usual werewolf tropes. 

Leaders of the Pack: A Werewolf Anthology (2010)

Excellent, lycanthrope-themed anthology from twelve masters of the craft. A solid mixture of unique werewolf tales.

Carnivorous Lunar Activities Max Booth III (2019) 

Two best friends, who were once inseparable, have grown apart as they’ve grown older. But when one of them believes he might be a werewolf, he turns to his friend to help save him. 

Much more than just a horror novel, this is a tale about true friendship, changing relationships, and how we turn to others to help us through the worst of times. 

Sharp Teeth Toby Barlow (2008) 

Like no werewolf story you’ve read before. An ancient race of vicious lycanthropes is threatening modern day society. Sex, death and longing are all strong themes, and it’s written entirely in free verse. 

Shapeshifter J. F. Gonzalez (2008) 

A werewolf, who has his curse well under control, is blackmailed by his influential boss to kill all those who oppose him. But when one of his victims manages to survive, the tables are dramatically turned.

The Bloody Chamber and Other Stories Angela Carter (includes The Company of Wolves) (1979) 

A masterful collection of dark, subversive fairy-tale retellings that bring a gothic and feminist edge to the childhood stories of our past. 

Graphic Novels

Ferals David Lapham & Gabriel Andrade (2013) 

This violent, supernatural horror/intriguing, crime thriller focuses on a jaded lawman investigating some gruesome deaths in a sleepy, small American town. The killers are revealed to be a pack of werewolves who aren’t much keen on his unwelcome intrusion. Blood, guts, gore and graphic sex form the staples of this R-rated horror comic. 

Harbor Moon Ryan Colucci (2010) 

Professional soldier Timothy Vance is searching for his long-lost father and finds himself in small-town Harbor Moon, Maine. Unfortunately, the entire place is populated by werewolves and Vance might just be one too. When a band of werewolf hunters come to town, Vance must make a choice — stay and fight and help the town or turn his back on who and what he really is.

High Moon David Gallaher & Steve Ellis (2007) 

Wild West werewolves and bounty hunters abound in the fictional Texas town of Blest. Drought, famine and general poverty have affected almost all of the townspeople, and their nights are plagued by werewolves. Former detective, Matthew MacGregor, seeks to find out what’s really going on, while hiding his own secret past steeped in witchcraft and the supernatural. 

How to be a Werewolf Shaun Lenore (2015) 

https://www.howtobeawerewolf.com

Malaya Walters is a werewolf, albeit one who has her curse well under control, mostly thanks to the help of her family. That is, until a strange man enters her life and throws her emotions into turmoil. 

This is a coming-of-age comic with fantastic POC and queer representation throughout, which focuses less on the horror of being the wolf and more on how family has the power to support you or tear you completely apart. 

The Astounding Wolf-Man Robert Kirkman & Jason Howard (2005)

The Walking Dead creator turns to werewolves instead of zombies in this action/horror comic. Mild-mannered CEO, Gary Hampton, is bitten by a werewolf and left for dead while on vacation with his family. But Gary is not dead, and instead decides to use his new-found powers to become an unusual, Lycan superhero. 

World War Wolves Jean-Luc Istin & Ellem (2017)

America has been devastated by a virus and much of the population are now werewolves. A new nation has arisen — one which feeds on any surviving humans. John Marshall is a novelist who is woefully unprepared for such an unexpected, dystopian future. He needs to do everything he can to find the strength and skills to keep his family alive in this brutal new dog-eat-man world.

By Tabatha Wood