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25 Best Werewolf movies of all time…

25. Werewolf Hunter: The Legend of Romasanta (2004)

From Paco Plaza, director of [REC] (the movie that inspired Quarantine), comes this artsy and ambitiously ambiguous tale based on the true story of Manuel Romasanta, the so-called “Wolfman of Allariz.” Arrested for killing 13 people in the 19th century, Romasanta was Spain’s first documented serial killer; his defense consisted of his claim that he suffered from a curse that turned him into a wolf.

24. The Night of the Werewolf (1981)

© BCIKnown as the Spanish Lon Chaney, Paul Naschy (Jacinto Molina) has played the tormented werewolf character Waldemar Daninsky in a dozen films, and The Night of the Werewolf (AKA El Returno del Hombre Lobo) — about Daninsky battling his former vampire master — might be the best of the bunch. In true Naschy fashion, it features a silly story full of hammy melodrama, cheesy effects and gratuitous nudity, but the quick pace and prolific, bloody action make this more enjoyable than most.

23. Moon of the Wolf (1972)

© AlphaThis smart, character-driven made-for-TV movie about a killer werewolf loose in a small Louisiana town plays like a murder mystery, with intriguing characters and twists, before the big reveal in the final 10 minutes.

22. An American Werewolf in Paris (1997)

© Buena VistaWhile it pales in comparison to the original — in part because the wonderfully constructed makeup effects are reduced to cheesy computer graphics — An American Werewolf in Paris maintains An American Werewolf in London’s sense of humor and actually provides a more in-depth storyline.

21. Blood and Chocolate (2007)

© MGMAs much romantic drama as horror, Blood and Chocolate is unusually refined and mature for a film based on a teen novel. This was Twilight before Twilight and succeeds where that more popular vampire film falters: with strong writing, dreamy cinematography and likable, well-rounded characters.

20. Ginger Snaps 2: Unleashed (2004)

© LionsgateThe second film in the Ginger Snaps trilogy barely features sister Ginger, instead focusing on Brigitte, as she’s locked in a rehab facility for her addiction to wolfsbane, which is keeping her growing lycanthropy at bay. The film’s tone is kept light by Brigitte’s new oddball sidekick, fellow patient Ghost, who helps provide a powerful twist ending.

19. Underworld: Evolution (2006)

© SonyThe continuation of the werewolves-versus-vampires epic Underworld features a less cohesive plot but maintains the original’s style and hectic action.

17. Wild Country (2005)

© LionsgatePoor lighting hinders an otherwise strong low-budget effort from Scotland with a simple yet effective plot about a group of teens camping in the Scottish Highlands who discover an abandoned baby and end up being pursued by werewolves. The unorthodox, bear-like creatures are designed by the same man responsible for the werewolves in Dog Soldiers.

16. Howling V: The Rebirth (1989)

© Live/ArtisanBy far the best of the Howling sequels (granted, that’s not high praise), Rebirth is atmospheric and plays like a classic murder mystery, with guests in an ancient Romanian castle trying to figure out which one of them is a murderous werewolf.

15. Big Bad Wolf (2006)

© Screen MediaThis fun tale of a teen who suspects that his new stepfather might be a werewolf makes up for its budgetary limitations with humor and over-the-top gore.

14. Wolfen (1981)

© Warner Bros.1981 was a great year for werewolf movies, with Wolfen the first of three from that year on this list. The most unique of the three, Wolfen is methodically paced and unusually introspective, featuring commentary on modernism, urban sprawl, race and class struggles. (Technically, the creatures aren’t werewolves, but rather reeeaaally smart wolves.)

13. Wolf (1994)

© ColumbiaA mild-mannered book publisher (Jack Nicholson) who’s down on his luck finds his life changed — for better and worse — when he’s bitten by a werewolf. Stellar performances by Nicholson, Michelle Pfeiffer and James Spader and engrossing character interaction propel the relatively run-of-the-mill werewolf portion (although it does differ from most of its ilk in that the werewolf turns nightly until the full moon, at which point he turns completely and permanently into a wolf).

12. Ginger Snaps Back: The Beginning (2004)

© LionsgateThe third and final entry in the Ginger Snaps franchise steps out of the established storyline by transporting sisters Brigitte and Ginger back in time to 1815, where they take refuge in a frontier fort that’s being besieged by werewolves. The re-teaming of the sisters is a refreshing change of pace from Ginger Snaps 2, in which Ginger had only a small role.

11. The Company of Wolves (1984)

© CannonThis surreal, werewolf-centric British fairy tale from Neil Jordan (Interview with the Vampire) features stories within stories, including a twisted take on Little Red Riding Hood. Dreamy direction is buoyed by a strong cast, including Stephen Rea, Angela Landsbury and Terence Stamp, while gruesome transformation scenes provide edge to the softly lit tales.

10. Blood Moon (2001)

© 20th Century FoxAlso known as Wolf Girl, this odd but endearing TV movie, complete with musical numbers and more than its share of full-frontal male nudity, follows a traveling freak show “wolf girl” who begins taking an experimental medicine to rid her of her head-to-toe hair, but it has the unexpected side effect of making her increasingly animalistic.

9. The Wolf Man (1941)

© UniversalThis iconic film set the standard for werewolf movies, introducing the concepts that werewolves are vulnerable to silver and are marked with a pentagram. The story of an American visiting his ancestral home in Wales helped star Lon Chaney, Jr. escape from the shadow of his father, who’d famously portrayed The Phantom of the Opera and The Hunchback of Notre Dame.

8. Underworld (2003)

© Screen GemsA stylish and inventive mix of action and horror, Underworld is, unexpectedly, a Romeo and Juliet tale set amidst a war between werewolves and vampires, featuring great special effects (without thankfully not relying too much on CGI) and one of the most intimidating werewolf designs of all time.

7. The Werewolf of London (1935)

© UniversalAlthough it came from Universal, this first major Hollywood werewolf production is overshadowed by the studio’s monster movie stable of Dracula, Frankenstein, The Mummy and even the later Wolf Man. However, it’s arguably superior to the more well-known Lon Chaney, Jr. film — an excellent blend of horror, drama and even a bit of comedy, with smart, crisp dialogue, strong performances and an engaging mystery about a British scientists who’s bitten by a werewolf in Tibet while researching a plant rumored to be an antidote to lycanthropy (Cruel irony!).

6. An American Werewolf in London (1981)

© UniversalDirector John Landis (Animal House, The Blues Brothers) brought his comedic roots to this tale of an American tourist who’s bitten by a werewolf and is then haunted by violent nightmares and ghosts urging him to kill himself to end the curse. Despite the humor, it’s the groundbreaking, grisly special effects of the transformation scenes that most identify this fan favorite.

5. The Howling (1981)

© AVCO Embassy PicturesScary and suspenseful with outstanding effects, yet still peppered with self-referential comedic touches, The Howling is an absorbing story of a TV news reporter (Dee Wallace) who ventures to a psychiatric resort after suffering amnesia and discovers that it’s overrun by werewolves.

4. Bad Moon (1996)

© Warner Bros.This woefully underrated film from Eric Red, writer of The Hitcher and Near Dark, presents an engrossing “dog-and-mouse” tale of a man (Michael Paré) who comes to visit his sister (Mariel Hemingway) and her young son in their remote home. Only the family’s German Shepherd, however, realizes that the brother is in fact a werewolf, and the dog’s sense of dedication to protecting the family would put Lassie to shame.

3. Ginger Snaps (2000)

© ArtisanA darkly humorous streak colors this Canadian production (which spawned two sequels) that smartly parallels lycanthropy with puberty. Morbid teenaged sisters Ginger and Brigitte find themselves growing apart after Ginger is bitten by a werewolf and begins to undergo unusual “changes.”

2. Silver Bullet (1985)

© ParamountOne of the few Stephen King adaptations in which the script was actually written by King, Silver Bullet captures his rich, nostalgia-strewn portrait of small-town life and the paranoia, anguish and anger caused when a werewolf begins picking off residents right and left. At its heart, though, it’s a good old-fashioned murder mystery with just enough humor to lighten the mood.

1. Dog Soldiers (2002)

© First LookNeil Marshall’s directorial debut is a turbo-charged action bonanza that plays like Night of the Living Dead meets Aliens, with werewolves. A group of British soldiers on a training mission in the Scottish Highlands encounter a pack of werewolves and end up barricading themselves in a farmhouse, not realizing that it’s the wolves’ home. Tongue-in-cheek humor and imposing creature design make this one of the most entertaining monster movies of all time.