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The werewolf movie. A genre that has stuttered its way through the decades with films ranging from the sublime (An American Werewolf In London) to the distinctly average (Cursed) to the ridiculous (My Mom’s A Werewolf).
While An American Werewolf In London remains the touchstone by which every other werewolf movie is rightly judged, the genre has managed to churn out some fascinating films every now and again.
The best werewolf movies
There has always been something more terrifying about the werewolf than its more popular mythological cousin, the vampire. But whereas the bloodsuckers have been shown in all manner of lights (from comedy to character study to postmodern revision) the werewolf has comparatively been badly served by filmmakers.
But a handful of werewolf movies have managed to find something unique. Be that an interesting quirk within the mythical beast’s established traditions, or the introduction of the creature into genres not limited to the conventions of traditional horror.
Here we check out some of the best.
10. Curse Of The Werewolf
Dir. Terence Fisher (1961)
Hammer Films’ attempt at the werewolf movie sees Oliver Reed grow a hairy beard and stomp around Bray Studios trying to eat human flesh. This convoluted tale isn’t without its highlights, especially Reed’s performance as the cursed Leon.
9. Teen Wolf
Dir. Rob Daniel (1985)
Michael J. Fox becomes a hairy beast in this family friendly coming-of-age story that arrived at a time when teen comedy was at the heights of its power. Amidst the John Hughes and Savage Steve Holland movies, Teen Wolf snuck in to show high school life from the point of view of a teen who can’t help but howl at the moon.
Teen Wolf steps on similar ground as Ginger Snaps but has a much lighter tone in that the werewolf curse afflicts the boy when he reaches a certain age thanks to his Dad being a werewolf too. It’s silly stuff and diverts into a sports movie by the end but it remains a favourite of audiences who enjoy a dose of 1980s high school comedy.
8. The Company Of Wolves
Dir. Neil Jordan (1984)
Based on Angela Carter’s short story, Neil Jordan’s dreamlike fantasy film takes on a fairytale narrative that concludes with a very moralistic message. The Company of Wolves is like none of the other werewolf movies on this list but its influence can be seen in the teenage turmoil that resurfaces in Ginger Snaps.
7. Wolfen
Dir. Michael Wadleigh (1981)
1981 was a great year for werewolf movies. Wolfen takes a different stance on the werewolf myth, shedding much of the traditional conventions for a more modern look at the beast. Indeed, some critics say it isn’t a werewolf movie at all but if you like the genre you’ll like this great film.
Significantly, it features one of the earlier uses of an in-camera effect similar to that used in Predator to display the perspective of the werewolves themselves. Wolfen is essentially a murder-mystery detective story set in New York. Albert Finney is great as detective Dewey Wilson who is given the unenviable task of unearthing the culprit behind a series of bizarre murders.
6. The Wolf Man
Dir. George Waggner (1941)
One of the earliest werewolf movies and still one of the best, The Wolf Man takes the werewolf myth established six years earlier in Universal’s Werewolf of London and adds the silver bullet element to the story.
With a fantastic cast that included Lon Chaney Jr., Claude Rains, Ralph Bellamy and Bela Lugosi, The Wolf Man is a classic werewolf movie which has had a major influence on the genre ever since.
5. Silver Bullet
Dir. Dan Attias (1985)
Renowned horror writer Stephen King tries his hand at the werewolf genre and creates an original story that borrows from werewolf traditions while finding some new ones.
Corey Haim is a paraplegic child living in the small town of Tarker’s Mills. A spate of murders have been occurring and the townsfolk are sniffing blood. But Haim thinks he’s onto something when he gets attacked by the werewolf, escaping thanks to firing one of his fireworks into the creatures eye. Now all he has to do is find the person in town with one eye to reveal the werewolf’s identity.
Silver Bullet mixes humour with horror to great effect. One super scene – that was nicked by Neil Marshall for Dog Soldiers – sees a burly beer guzzler searching the forest with his trusty baseball bat. When he happens across the werewolf he tries to attack in vain. We see a haze of murky smoke and the frantic shuffle of trees as a hairy werewolf arm reaches into the night air, the baseball bat in its clutches, and brings it down on the man with a bone breaking thud.
4. The Howling
Dir. Joe Dante (1981)
Joe Dante’s fun werewolf movie finds time to satirise the media and there’s some genuinely frightening moments. The opening sequence in which a news reporter (Dee Wallace) tries to trap a psychotic is nail-biting stuff.
The incident leads the woman to seek time away from the TV cameras at a remote mountain resort but the residents aren’t exactly who they appear to be.
3. Dog Soldiers
Dir. Neil Marshall (2002)
Neil Marshall’s high energy werewolf movie sees a bunch of British soldiers face-off against a family of man-hungry werewolves in the Scottish Highlands. Dog Soldiers puts its own unique spin on the werewolf genre while celebrating the great exponents of action-horror Aliens and Predator.
2. Ginger Snaps
Dir. John Fawcett (2000)
Werewolf lore meets teenager hormones in John Fawcett’s modern day take on the genre. Sisters Ginger and Brigitte find themselves in a spot of trouble after Ginger gets attacked by a werewolf and begins to slowly change into the bloodthirsty beast.
Brigitte frantically tries to find a cure but Ginger’s appetite for human flesh is growing and time is running out. Ginger Snaps offers an original look at the coming of age teen drama through the trappings of a werewolf curse. It makes for a interesting and suitably gory horror film that is a cut above the teen horror movies of the late 1990s and 2000s.
1. An American Werewolf In London
Dir. John Landis (1981)
John Landis’ 1981 werewolf movie sits at the top of most lists about lycanthropes on screen for good reason. Aside from anything else, it’s scary. Damn scary!
The initial werewolf mauling of Jack and David when they’re hiking in the Yorkshire Moors is a lesson in developing tension and visceral screen terror. Writer-director John Landis might be better known for comedy but here he shows an expert’s grasp of chilling horror.
But there’s so much more to An American Werewolf in London. Not least, the special makeup effects and prosthetics from the genius mind of Rick Baker. The initial transformation of David into a werewolf is an extraordinary feat of physical in-camera effects. His work led to the creation of the Academy Award for Best Makeup for which Baker obviously won.
The film is also distinguished by its seamless combination of horror and comedy. There wasn’t a film before it that managed to capture these two genres so harmoniously. It is therefore lauded for its influence on the horror-comedy genre and filmmakers, such as Sam Raimi and Edgar Wright.
There’s so much to love about An American Werewolf in London. From Landis’ foreboding, icy cold rural setting juxtaposed with the urban dynamism of London after dark, to Griffin Dunne’s slowly decaying corpse (who turns up to scare both Naughton and the audience throughout the film), and the inspired use of moon-related rock and blues songs for the soundtrack.
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FAQ: The Werewolf Movie
1. What is considered the best werewolf movie of all time?
While subjective, An American Werewolf in London (1981) is almost universally cited by critics and fans as the gold standard. It famously won the first-ever Academy Award for Best Makeup due to Rick Baker’s groundbreaking transformation effects. Its ability to balance pitch-black comedy with genuine terror remains unmatched in the genre.
2. Why are there fewer werewolf movies than vampire movies?
Werewolves are notoriously difficult and expensive to get right on screen. While a vampire only requires fangs and a cape, a werewolf requires complex practical suits or high-end CGI to look convincing. Historically, many werewolf films have suffered from bad suit syndrome, which often relegated the genre to B-movie status compared to the more elegant vampire film.
3. Which werewolf movie has the best transformation scene?
Most fans point to the scene in Alex’s London flat in An American Werewolf in London or the excruciatingly slow, painful transformation in Joe Dante’s The Howling (1981). Both films relied on practical effects, creating a visceral sense of bone-breaking reality that many modern CGI transformations struggle to replicate.
4. Are there any good modern werewolf movies?
Absolutely. If you’ve seen the classics, look for Ginger Snaps (2000) for a clever metaphor on adolescence, Dog Soldiers (2002) for high-octane action, or the more recent The Wolf of Snow Hollow (2020) which blends a murder mystery with quirky indie comedy. The 2025/2026 revival of the genre, led by directors like Robert Eggers, suggests a move back toward elevated folk-horror werewolves.
