Our Favourite Werewolf Movies

This is sort of a preface to a review of The Wolf Man. The werewolf film is a bit like the vampire film's weird brother. Emotionally complicated, difficult, but often surprisingly interesting and entertaining. I've always had a soft spot for the lycanthropes, so here, in no particular order, are my favourite werewolf films:

1. The Wolf Man (1941)
Dir. George Waggner
The classic Universal film is a pleasure to watch, as Lon Chaney Jr. returns home after the death of his brother, only to be attacked by a savage beast. The transformation is of course dated but remains pretty impressive, and the film itself is excellent, with a wonderful atmosphere and great performances from Chaney and Claude Rains as his father. Bela Lugosi also has a small role as a werewolf gypsy. It might not reach the heights of Bride of Frankenstein, but this is a superb Universal Monster Movie.



2. The Company of Wolves (1984)
Dir. Neil Jordan
This adaptation of Angela Carter's stories is an odd, dreamlike fairytale brimming with menace and sexuality. Young Rosaleen is advised by her Grandmother (Angela Lansbury) to be wary of young men whose eyebrows join in the middle, telling her stories of dark, brooding men with secrets. Before long, Rosaleen is out walking in the woods wearing a red riding hood....It's visually gorgeous, and still boasts one of the most striking transformations with Stephen Rea revealling the wolf within. The cast also includes David Warner, Brian Glover, and Terrence Stamp.



3. Ginger Snaps (2000)
Dir. John Fawcett
Ginger Snaps took the "That time of the month" joke inherent in werewolf movies and turned it into a darkly funny, gory, creepy and actually rather affecting little film. Sisters Ginger (Katherine Isabelle) and Brigitte (Emily Perkins) are the self-styled outcasts of their high school. One night Ginger is attacked by a monster, and starts to change. Brigitte has to step out of the shadow of her big sister and take responsibility, and action. It's geniunely clever and funny, and we care about the characters. Think of it like a good Jennifer's Body. It also spawned a surprisingly good sequel, and, bizarrely, a prequel set in the 19th century.



4. Dog Soldiers (2002)
Dir. Neil Marshall
Marshall's debut film is about a group of squaddies who are caught in the Scottish highlands by a group of werewolves. Far better than it has any right to be, the action is well handled, it's well-cast (Kevin McKidd, Sean Pertwee and Liam Cunningham star), and it's very, very funny. It does occasionally suffer from it's low budget, but anyone looking for a entertaining action movie with a twist won't be disappointed.



5. An American Werewolf in London (1981)
Dir. John Landis
I've already waxed lyrical about this film before on this blog, but it really is excellent. David (David Naughton) and Jack (Griffin Dunne) are hitchhiking around England when they are attacked on the Yorkshire moors. Jack is killed, but David survives, and we all know what happens next. It's Landis' best work: Funny, scary, and surprisingly dark. It also has Rick Baker's creature transformation, that excellent pub scene (Brian Glover again) and Jenny Agutter going for it. It's probably the best film on this list.



6. The Howling (1981)
Dir. Joe Dante
Made at the same time as Landis' film, The Howling always suffers in comparison to the superior film. However, it's a lot of fun nevertheless. After a traumatic encounter with a killer, reporter Karen White (Dee Wallace Stone) and her husband go to an exclusive retreat run by Dr. George Waggner (Patrick Macnee). However, there's more lurking in the woods than rabbits. Filled with pop culture references, it never quite gels as a whole but there are a lot of excellent sequences. The transformation doesn't match up to Rick Baker's creation, but it's good. Oh, and it has Dick Miller.



7. Brotherhood of the Wolf (2001)
Dir. Christophe Gans
Gans' film is a big hodgepodge of wildly different ingredients. It's a werewolf movie, a lush period costume drama, and a martial arts film. It's also very entertaining. It does occasionally threaten to lose the plot completely, but it's always great to look at. It also has good performances from Vincent Cassel, Monica Bellucci, Samuel le Bihan and Marc Dacascos. When it works, it's great. When it doesn't, it's the best kind of big mess.



8. Wolfen (1981)
Dir. Michael Wadleigh
A werewolf film from the director of Woodstock? Well, it's actually pretty good. A mulleted (and apparently very drunk) Albert Finney plays New York detective Dewey Wilson, who is investigating the brutal murder of two yuppies. There's some interesting exploration of Native American mythology, some decent shocks, and solid supporting work from Tom Noonan (as a creepy wolf expert), Edward James Olmos (as the Native American prime suspect) and Gregory Hines (as Dewey's tech friend). It's a little slow-going, but the "wolf-vision" is well designed, and it's got a good ending. Oh, and Tom Waits cameos!