The Beast Within: The Top 10 Werewolf Movies
There's a monster inside every one of us, just waiting for the chance to get out. Few films illustrate this quite like a good werewolf movie, which are often rather tragic affairs in which a regular man (or woman) typically finds themselves at the mercy of an unearthly curse which transforms them into a bloodthirsty predator. There aren't as many werewolf films as there are vampire movies, but even so there are more than a few quality examples of lycanthropic cinema. Below is my top 10, though there are certainly other good ones that didn't quite make the cut. Honorable mentions include Silver Bullet, Moon of the Wolf, Bad Moon, The Beast of Bray Road, The Feeding, and Werewolf: The Beast Among Us.
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- DirectorNeil MarshallStarsSean PertweeKevin McKiddEmma CleasbyA routine military exercise turns into a nightmare in the Scottish wilderness.Unquestionably the finest of its breed. The dark wilderness setting, the element of mystery and the manipulation of the unseen, and the nailbiting suspense and action make this the alpha of all werewolf movies.
- DirectorJohn LandisStarsDavid NaughtonJenny AgutterJoe BelcherTwo American college students on a walking tour of Britain are attacked by a werewolf that none of the locals will admit exists.Extremely effective combination of horror, drama, and comedy. Well-written, directed, and performed, with a terrific Everyman protagonist suffering the curse of the wolf. Good specieal effects, featuring the greatest onscreen man-into-wolf transformation yet filmed.
- DirectorStuart WalkerStarsHenry HullWarner OlandValerie HobsonAfter botanist Wilfred Glendon travels to Tibet in search of a rare flower, the Mariphasa, he returns to a London haunted by murders that can only be the work of bloodthirsty werewolves.Though not as well known as Universal's other werewolf movie, The Wolf Man, this film was actually produced first and IMO is in some ways a better movie. The monster makeup is subtle but extremely effective and the camera work highly creative.
- DirectorGeorge WaggnerStarsClaude RainsWarren WilliamLon Chaney Jr.Larry Talbot returns to his father's castle in Wales and meets a beautiful woman. One fateful night, Talbot escorts her to a local carnival where they meet a mysterious gypsy fortune teller.Probably the most famous and universally respected of all werewolf movies, and not without reason. The script creates many of the tropes and stereotypes that still define werewolves of all types. Lon Chaney's performance is excellent, and he gets a lot of help from a talented cast and some great direction. Makeup and the transformation scenes don't hold up to the scrutiny of some modern viewers, but all the same this is a tremendous story with all the power and imagination of a dark fairy tale.
- DirectorTerence FisherStarsClifford EvansOliver ReedYvonne RomainIn eighteenth-century Spain, an adopted boy becomes a werewolf and terrorizes the inhabitants of his town.A bit slow, and there's no denying a little more werewolf mayhem would have helped this movie out a great deal, but overall this is still a tremendous movie with a lot of heart. Oliver Reed is a great lead and the climax is very moving.
- DirectorJoe JohnstonStarsBenicio Del ToroAnthony HopkinsEmily BluntUpon his return to his ancestral homeland, an American man is bitten and subsequently cursed by a werewolf.Much maligned in some quarters, this remake of the 1941 original is a fine movie on its own terms. The Gothic sets are gloomy yet majestic and the plot unfailingly involving. Fine special effects and a wild climax.
- DirectorGene Fowler Jr.StarsMichael LandonYvonne LimeWhit BissellA hypnotherapist uses a temperamental teenager as a guinea pig for a serum which transforms him into a vicious werewolf.Michael Landon is the eponymous character, a young misfit whose troubles are only beginning when his inner beast is unleashed. Despite a somewhat sketchy reputation, this is actually a really fine film. The script hits on some real hot spots and there are a few genuine thrills, including a frenzied chase through the woods. The scene were Landon wolfs out while watching a comely young girl doing her gymnastics is fantasy genius.
- DirectorLen WisemanStarsKate BeckinsaleScott SpeedmanShane BrollySelene, a vampire warrior, is entrenched in a conflict between vampires and werewolves, while falling in love with Michael, a human who is sought by werewolves for unknown reasons.Highly stylized action movie about an ongling guerilla war between vampires and werewolves. Outstanding effects and a cool, kinetic look and pace makes this one of the most fun movies on the list.
- DirectorMike NicholsStarsJack NicholsonMichelle PfeifferJames SpaderPublisher Will Randall becomes a demon wolf and has to fight to keep his job.The inimitable Jack Nicholson plays an editor whose life changes radically after a chance encounter with a strange wolf on the highway. Takes some liberties with the lycanthropic tradition but succeeds because of the literate script. In some ways more of a drama than a horror story, but nonetheless makes for an outstanding dark fantasy.
- DirectorDouglas AarniokoskiStarsMarc BlucasNaveen AndrewsNicki AycoxAn unsuspecting, down-and-out man in a washed-up hick town has his life turned upside down when a drop-dead gorgeous stranger walks through the door of the local bar.Well-crafted morality tale doesn't boast any "name" peformers and the special effects are decidedly low-budget, but there's a lot to like about this movie anyway. The cast does a good job of playing out the fantastic plot and the villains really are despicable. The werewolves are very stylistically portrayed (probably to compensate for the FX department's lack of funds) but it works, making for some highly creative werewolf attack scenes. The female leads are both outrageously gorgeous and make this a very sexy werewolf movie.