The Wolfman Returneth : Essential Werewolf Movies
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A promising young director named Joe Dante was set to burst his way into the popular consciousness with "Gremlins" in 1984, but before then he cut his teeth with this clever little werewolf classic. It's a dark, brooding piece of work, packed full of genuine horror and subtle references to werewolf movie folklore which will appease the most discerning of genre fans. Often regarded as a cult classic, this is essential viewing for werewolf movie buffs. Mention of course must be made of the six sequels it spawned, some of which are considered among the worst films ever made. See my article Just Keep Howling ... And Howling ... And Howling ... for a complete list and more information. |
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This isn't just an essential werewolf movie - it's the essential werewolf movie. If you only see one movie on this list in your whole life, it should be this one. Watching it recently I was somewhat surprised to note that in over twenty years nobody has really even begun to equal the transformation scene. It's still easily the best one ever filmed, not only for its originality but for its lasting impact. And there are plenty of other reasons to see it, such as the groundbreaking horror/comedy approach and the tight, well-written screenplay. You can add the belated sequel An American Werewolf in Paris (1996) to your list, though it by no means comes close to matching the original. |
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A wonderful, surreal, magical journey right to the heart of werewolf folklore here - director Neil Jordan weaves together an artistic tapestry which really cuts right to the heart of the mythological beliefs surrounding the werewolf phenomenon. Forget silver bullets, full moons and so on, this is what it's really about. Movies such as "Company of Wolves" are aware of the fact that for hundreds of years, long before Lon Chaney Jr first donned his Wolf Man makeup on the silver screen, people did believe in werewolves. This allows the filmmaker to explore why they are still such a huge part of our psyche, free of the shackles of Hollywood re-interpretation. This one should rank highly on your viewing list. |
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Again, not a conventional werewolf movie by any means, but this has long been a favourite of mine. No silver bullets or full moons to be seen, just a simple tale in which Rutger Hauer plays a cursed knight who every night undergoes a transformation into a black wolf. The love of his life, played by Michelle Pfeiffer, changes into a hawk during the day which means that the two of them can never be together in human form. This is worth seeing in its own right as an entertaining fantasy romp with some big names and great performances, and of course it adds some more welcome variation to the genre. |
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This deserves its place on the list purely as the most well-known incarnation of the lycanthropy/adolescence metaphor (I'm going to go ahead and plug my article They Were All Teenage Werewolves! again here). It is also a film that has very much earned itself a place in the popular psyche - for better or worse - though the less said about the absymal sequel, Teen Wolf Too (1987), the better. Michael J Fox places a high school student who starts to undergo some unusual ... changes ... which he soon learns he has inherited from his family. Rather than making him an outcast, it in fact makes him very popular with his peers, but does it all come at a price? |
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"Silver Bullet" is noteable simply as the only Stephen King werewolf movie. Opinions are extremely divided on the movies cinematic and narrative qualities, and it certainly doesn't approach the brilliance of some of the other movies that resulted from the eighties werewolf revival. However, it was very much a part of that revival, and for many people this has served as an introduction to the werewolf genre. Some were unconvinced by the special effects in the movie. Others say that it strayed too far from the book on which it was based, and that perhaps a better and more worthy adaptation could someday be made. No time like the present, you know ... |
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I chose to place this particular movie under the eighties revival heading since it came just before the time when more technical digital effects came to fore and the modern era of werewolf movies was born. This movie consciously avoided the use of extravagant werewolf effects, in order to both highlight the wolfish features of star Jack Nicholson and also as a homage to Lon Chaney Jr's old "Wolf Man" movies. It's a largely successful venture ... a peculiar setting for a werewolf movie but one that actually turns out to be rather interesting. The best feature is obvious; Nicholson was born to play roles like this, and he should certainly make any list of the great 'Wolf Men' of the cinema. |