13 best werewolf movies

2024 Author: Malcolm Clapton | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 03:44

A drama starring Jack Nicholson, a teenage comedy starring Back to the Future and the first crossover ever.

In popular culture, werewolves are most often understood as werewolves (they are also wolves or lycanthropes) - people who can turn into wolves. These characters from classic myths and legends were among the first monsters to hit the movie screens.

However, over time, their popularity began to fade. Most of the films about werewolves came out in the 80s - in the era of youth horror. In the 21st century, they returned to the screens, but still remained within the framework of not too well-known paintings.

13. Teen Wolf

• USA, 1985.
• Horror, comedy.
• Duration: 91 minutes.
• IMDb: 6, 1.

Teenage Scott Howard feels like a failure and is desperate to win the girl he likes. But one day he discovers a change in himself. It turns out that Scott, like his father, is a werewolf. And that is what makes him the star of the school. However, there are also more problems.

This film was released in the same year with the legendary film "Back to the Future", instantly making the leading actor Michael J. Fox an idol of young people. The secret is that Teen Wolf combines the story of a werewolf and a typical teenage comedy about the problems of schoolchildren. And in 2011, MTV began releasing a remake series of the same name, which made Tyler Posey famous.

12. Wolf

• USA, 1994.
• Horror, thriller, drama.
• Duration: 125 minutes.
• IMDb: 6, 2.

Will Randall works for a major publishing house. Over time, many problems accumulate in his business, and his young colleague Stuart Swinton is already organizing a conspiracy behind his back. After Randall is bitten by a downed wolf, he begins to transform into a werewolf. The hero becomes tougher and more decisive, but he is pursued by detectives who suspect him of murders.

The director of this film, Mike Nichols, is better known as the author of drama, not horror. That is why "The Wolf" talks more about the relationship between the characters and changes in the character of the protagonist, and does not focus on horror. And great actors Jack Nicholson and Michelle Pfeiffer help in this.

11. Silver bullet

• USA, Netherlands, 1985.
• Horror.
• Duration: 95 minutes.
• IMDb: 6, 4.

A series of murders takes place in a small American town. Volunteers who go in search of a maniac also become victims. And only young Marty, confined to a wheelchair, is convinced that all this is the work of a werewolf. And anyone can be a monster.

This film by aspiring director Daniel Attias, who later switched to television series, is based on the very small novel by Stephen King, The Werewolf Cycle. Unfortunately, the picture, like the book, did not become very popular. But in "Silver Bullet" he played one of his first roles as Corey Haim, who later became one of the most popular teenage actors in the world.

10. Frankenstein Meets the Wolf Man

• USA, 1943.
• Horror, fantasy.
• Duration: 74 minutes.
• IMDb: 6, 5.

Everyone believed that Lawrence Talbot was dead. But he rises from the grave and tries to get rid of the curse that made him a werewolf. Together with the gypsy, Talbot goes to Dr. Frankenstein in search of a cure. But there they have to face a monster created by the professor.

This film from the classic horror series from Universal Studios became the first crossover in history. Realizing that the popularity of Frankenstein's monster and the Wolf-Man is falling, the authors decided to push them together in a common storyline.

9. Howl

• USA, 1981.
• Horror.
• Duration: 91 minutes.
• IMDb: 6, 6.

Journalist Karen White comes to a meeting with a certain Eddie, who turns out to be a maniac who killed many girls. The villain suddenly turns into a terrible monster, and the police arrive in time. After experiencing a nightmare, Karen is sent for treatment to a mysterious commune. And it soon becomes clear that something is wrong with its inhabitants.

This film glorified director Joe Dante, who had previously only directed Piranhas. Subsequently, successful horror films allowed him to tackle "The Twilight Zone" with Steven Spielberg, and then shoot the legendary "Gremlins". And the painting "Howl", based on the novel of the same name by Gary Brandner, came out with three more sequels. And it is ironic that the fourth part is an adaptation of the same book, only more accurate.

8. Curse of the werewolf

• Great Britain, 1961.
• Horror.
• Duration: 93 minutes.
• IMDb: 6, 6

The film is set in 18th century Spain. A deaf and dumb maid in the dungeon is raped by a strange vagrant. After a while, the girl gives birth to a child and dies. When the boy named Leon grows up, he realizes that with the onset of the full moon he turns into a werewolf and unknowingly kills people.

Hammer Studios and director Terence Fisher, who directed this film, were at the forefront of classic horror films. The same company owns the legendary "Curse of Frankenstein" and "Dracula". As a result, the picture for those times came out very gloomy and cruel: the makeup of the leading actor frightened even the members of the film crew. And at the box office, some scenes had to be cut out of the film.

7. In the company of wolves

• Great Britain, 1984.
• Horror, drama.
• Duration: 95 minutes.
• IMDb: 6, 7.

In her dreams, young Rosalyn sees very strange plots - as if her family lives in a village in the middle of the forest. After the death of her sister, the heroine is sent to her grandmother, who tells her stories about werewolves and gives her a red cloak with a hood.

Irish filmmaker Neil Jordan is able to retell classic stories in an amazing and unusual way. He also directed Interview with the Vampire and Ondine. And in the painting "In the Company of Wolves" the author used an excellent technique of a story from dreams. This gives a lot of freedom of imagination, helping to forget about realism.

6. Dogs Warriors

• Great Britain, Luxembourg, USA, 2002.
• Horror, fantasy, action, thriller.
• Duration: 105 minutes.
• IMDb: 6, 8.

British soldiers are sent to training in the forests of Scotland. But soon they discover the destroyed spetsnaz base, and then they come across those who staged the massacre. And these are not people at all.

In the Russian version, the title of this film can easily be confused with the more famous painting "Dogs of War", but in the original they are titled very differently. War Dogs was shot by Neil Marshall, the author of two parts of The Descent. And this director is great at creating a dark, frightening atmosphere.

5. Wallet or life

• USA, 2007.
• Horror, thriller, comedy.
• Duration: 82 minutes.
• IMDb: 6, 8.

The painting consists of four stories set during Halloween. Each plot plays out some classic plot: the adventures of a maniac teacher, zombie children, or even a story about Little Red Riding Hood again. But they are all related to each other.

The debut directorial work of the future creator of the second part of "Godzilla" was released immediately on media, bypassing cinemas. That is why only fans of the genre know about it. Still, a story in the spirit of the classic "Kaleidoscope of Horror" or "Tales from the Crypt" proved to be popular among horror fans.

4. Werewolf

• Canada, 2000.
• Horror, drama.
• Duration: 108 minutes.
• IMDb: 6, 8.

Sisters Ginger and Bridgette love to provoke people. They wear black clothes and are obsessed with stories of death. One day, Ginger is attacked by a huge monster. The wounds heal quickly, but soon the girl begins to change. And now Bridgette needs to figure out how to behave with her sister.

The dark film from the future creator of the series "Dark Child" John Fawceth went almost unnoticed at the box office. But this did not stop the authors from filming the sequel to The Sister of the Werewolf, where it was already discussed, of course, about Bridgette.

3. Brotherhood of the wolf

• France, 2001.
• Horror, action, thriller.
• Duration: 142 minutes.
• IMDb: 7, 0.

The action takes place in the French province of Jevadan in the second half of the 18th century. A certain huge beast terrorizes the inhabitants: bullets do not take him and he easily escapes all roundups. The scientist Gregor de Fronsac and the Indian Mani, who can communicate with wolves, are taken to catch the monster.

Interestingly, the plot of this film is based on a true story. The inhabitants of the province of Jevadan were indeed attacked by some animal, and historians are still arguing about who it was. There are completely different versions: from a wolf or a hyena to a lion.

2. The wolf man

• United States, 1941.
• Horror.
• Duration: 70 minutes.
• IMDb: 7, 3.

Larry Talbot, after a long absence, returns to his native castle in Wales. Soon, while walking with a girl, a wolf attacks him. Larry manages to kill him, but gradually he realizes that he himself is turning into a werewolf.

This classic film has defined the image of a werewolf in popular culture for many years. And it was the "Wolf Man" that many directors referred to in their works on similar topics. Of course, now such filming is unlikely to scare anyone seriously, but as an example of old cinema, the picture certainly deserves attention. You can also watch the 2010 remake of the same name with Benicio del Toro.

1. American werewolf in London

• Great Britain, USA, 1981.
• Horror, comedy.
• Duration: 97 minutes.
• IMDb: 7, 5.

Two American students come to London. At night, they are attacked by a huge wolf, as a result of which one of the friends dies, and the second turns into a werewolf. Now he needs to figure out how to cope with his bestial nature. The ghost of his comrade helps in this.

"American Werewolf in London" perfectly combines the surroundings of a classic horror film with a lot of comedic elements. Therefore, he can be considered both a striking representative of the genre and a parody of typical plots. And more than 15 years later, a sequel to "American Werewolf in Paris" was released, but it failed to achieve the popularity of the original.