When I discovered that one of the most famous werewolves of all time is played by Taylor Lautner in Twilight, I knew I had an important job ahead of me. I needed to raise awareness for the honorable werewolves that have been terrorizing innocent people in horror films for decades now. Not all werewolves are fuzzy love creatures fighting a family of sexually frustrated vampires in the Portland suburbs. Some of them are downright gruesome. And wondrously cheesy! Werewolves are some of the most underrated creatures in the horror genre, but today, I’m hoping to change that.
Here are the Top Ten Werewolf Movies on Amazon Prime.
10. Howling 2: Your Sister is a Werewolf
When we think of the undead, we tend to think of zombies. But in this 1985 sequel to The Howling, journalist Karen White emerges from her grave as none other than a werewolf. Bet when Karen’s brother Ben said he wished his sister was still alive, he didn’t mean in the form of a human eating man-dog. Tough luck for Ben. Complete with a classic 80’s punk rock theme song, corny lines like “Party Time!” and an actual werewolf…uh…orgy, this movie is little bit on the bizarre side. Still, it’s worth the watch for the cheesy one liner’s alone. There’s a definite lack of actual werewolf action, though, so I’ll rank this movie as “pretty
good.” Worth the watch if you want some insight into the 1980’s horror punk scene.
9. Howling 3: The Marsupials
The only PG-13 movie in the Howling series, this film is a little bit cheesy, but has a really interesting take on werewolves. In Howling 3, female werewolves are actually marsupials who carry their babies in pouches. So, you know, basically werewolf kangaroos, which is as horrifying as it is adorable. And, to add to the Kangaroo-ness, the movie actually takes place in Sydney, Australia. In this film, a young werewolf is asked to act in an independent horror film, Shape Shifters Part 8 by an American filmmaker who sees her taking a snooze on a park bench. The werewolf has problems with the film’s accuracy, though, and finds the whole thing a little bit cheesy. Gotta love the irony. A horror love story complete with a town of werewolves and a werewolf birth, this movie is worth the watch for its unique and creative depiction of werewolf motherhood.
8. Wolfen
If you thought this list was just going to be a ranking of the Howling franchise, you were wrong. There are only 8 of those films, not 10, so…you know, wouldn’t have worked out. Still,
we’re keeping the 80’s vibe going with this next film. Wolfen, released in 1981 and based on Whitley Strieber’s 1978 novel The Wolfen, is a horror cop film, which is always an exciting combination. A string of murders have plagued New York City, which isn’t really a problem for the NYPD until a super-rich and powerful family is found dead in Battery Park. Luckily for the terrified New Yorkers, NYPD Captain Dewey Wilson is on the case! The werewolves in this movie are known as “wolf spirits” and look a lot more like dogs than human-dog hybrids, but that’s okay. The 80’s New York City backdrop and Captain Wilson’s flowy haircut make it all worthwhile. Wolfen is pretty good. Worth watching if you’re into 80’s horror.
7. Cursed
Jumping up a decade or two, Cursed was released in 2005. Written and directed by Scream duo Kevin Williamson and Wes Craven, this flick stars Christina Ricci and a teenage Jesse Eisenberg, who are attacked by a werewolf that’s terrorizing Los Angeles. Oh, also, Joshua Jackson from Dawson’s Creek plays Ricci’s boyfriend, so if any of my horror fanatic followers also have a soft spot for 90’s teen romance soaps, you’re not gonna want to miss this. The computerized werewolf looks sort of like a wolf- bear-Chewbacca kind of thing, but his sharp teeth and yellow eyes are definitely spooky. Cursed was, well, a little bit
cursed from the getgo. The film fell victim to a series of studio demands, including rewrites and the firing of renowned makeup artist Rick Baker in place of computer-generated werewolves. In the end, it was released two years after it was planned to be, and Craven and Williamson were unhappy with the final result. This movie’s got a less than perfect rep among horror fans, but I think it’s seriously underrated. I mean, this movie has got a decapitation for god’s sake! That alone earns its rank among the best Werewolf movies. Plus, there’s a sweet little subplot about enemies turned friends, which gives this horror film some mega heart.
6. Underworld Rise of the Lycans
The Underworld franchise as a whole is worth watching, but this one made the list because of its focus on werewolves over vampires. This movie offers a unique origin story of the werewolf, telling the story of Lucian, the very first werewolf to be able to take on human form. Oh, and Lucian is raised by the vampire elder Viktor, which is a pretty rad take. Lucian wears shackles that prevent him from turning into his werewolf form, but in a world that has been savaged by out of control blood thirsty werewolves, Lucian finally breaks free when he has to free his girlfriend from their wrath. The werewolves are downright scary looking, with blood-dripping, knife-sharp teeth,
and the leather warrior costumes are pretty awesome. This is a great werewolf movie that is absolutely worth catching if you haven’t seen it yet.
5. Late Phases
When Crescent Bay, a sweet little retirement community, is ravaged by a series of deadly animal attacks, it’s up to one cranky old blind man to stop them. This is a fun and fascinating movie, and the werewolves themselves are downright terrifying to look at. Their wrinkly faces are part fox, part wolf, part terrifying baby human. The main character, Ambrose Mckinley, is blind, which was a bold choice and a unique element that really adds to the terror and suspense of the film. The movie has comedic elements alongside grotesque and bloody scenes (including another decapitation), making it a highly entertaining viewing. Plus, the setting of a suburban retirement community is deadly even without the added bonus of bands of evil werewolves. I definitely recommend this 2014 movie for any of our serious werewolf lovers out there.
4. Silver Bullet
Time travelling back to the 1980’s real quick, 1985 film Silver Bullet is based off of Stephen King’s novella Cycle of the Werewolf. The movie stars none other than 80’s icon Gary Busey.
This is one of those movies that reminds us of why we should never believe the news when it says, “bad things never happen in small towns.” Murders have been piling up in the little town of Tarker’s Mill, and those who try to stop them are never seen or heard from again. Finally, an eleven-year-old boy, who is confined to a wheelchair, encounters a werewolf, and discovers the horrifying truth behind the murders. The boy, alongside his sister and their dear Uncle Gary Busey, embark on a mission to save their sweet little town from werewolves, once and for all. This campy and suspenseful horror movie has an unbeatable 80’s ambience that will have you reaching for your Walkman in excitement. Pretty much everyone agrees that this horror werewolf film is a fun watch, especially for anyone who just wants to go back to a simpler time, in a simpler town, where the biggest thing to worry about was man-eating werewolves, instead of…I dunno, 2020 politics. You don’t want to miss this one.
3. Ginger Snaps
In this 2000 cult classic, two morbid-minded sisters are completely obsessed with death. They’ve even made a pact to die when they turn 16 if they haven’t escaped their boring small- town existence yet. Taking place over Halloween, the girls inevitably fall prey to a series of dog attacks that have been on the rise in their town. As one of the girls begins to act and
look especially strangely (is that a…tail she’s growing?), they realize that their town might be a little more exciting than they had initially given it credit for – and that, you know, they might die before they reach 16 anyway. This fun and punk- like horror film offers a great take on werewolves that make it well worth the watch.
2. Howl
It’d been a long time since I’d been excited for a movie, but Howl, released in 2015, hooked me right from the trailer. The stakes in this movie are higher than ever because it takes place in the confines of a freakin’ train. I mean, how terrifying would it be if you were trapped inside of a train that was being invaded by werewolves??? You would have NO WAY OUT. Complete with heavy duty action sequences, troves of vicious werewolves, and a sweet lil love story in the midst of it all, this movie is nothing if not a fresh and exciting addition to the werewolf horror niche. The werewolves in this movie look more human than doglike, which honestly makes them quite a bit scarier looking. I mean, it’s just unnatural to see a human with sharp, dog-like teeth and yellow eyes. Between the great concept and the action- packed horror, this movie well earned its spot at number 2 on this list.
1. Dog Soldiers
Well, folks, we’ve made it to the number one spot. In my opinion, this movie is the BEST werewolf movie of ALL TIME. Dog Soldiers has everything – a compelling plot thick with suspense, terrifying and completely unique looking werewolves, and thrilling action. You won’t be able to take your eyes off the screen. Taking place in Wales and Scotland, the movie follows a soldier named Cooper, a sensitive man with a big heart who is denied entry into the special forces after he refuses to shoot an innocent dog. Honestly, good on Coop. I wouldn’t shoot a dog for my dream job, either. Anyway, as the movie goes on, a whole buncha soldiers end up in danger of some vicious and blood thirsty werewolves. Will Coop be able to kill a dog if it’s actually a murderous werewolf? You’ll have to watch to find out. Though, frankly, the werewolves are downright HORRIFYING looking – much less cute than little Rover, so, you know. Truly, though, this is my favorite werewolf movie of all time. From the mystic setting of Wales and Scotland, to the admirable protagonist, to the horrifying werewolves, this movie has it all. You don’t want to miss it.
I’m super curious to hear your thoughts on my list and to see if there are any werewolf movies I’m missing. Remember this is just a list of werewolf movies on Amazon Prime, so it doesn’t include every classic.
