Top 5 Awesome Werewolf Movies You Haven’t Seen (Probably)

Sommerleigh Pollonais – Horror Head Writer

It’s hard to get vampires wrong, although Stephenie Meyer (author of The Twilight Saga) sure gave it the old college try! The thing is, there are so many blood sucker flicks out there that the ratio of good to bad is about even. Sadly the same can’t be said about my favourite mythical monster, the werewolf.

Good werewolf movies are a rare breed and most days it seems like the best ones are decades behind us (Dog Soldiers came out all the way back in 2002). But I think the problem is not that there aren’t any good werewolf flicks out there, it’s just that they tend to crawl under the radar. Get it? Crawl? You get it.

So for my fellow Lycan lovers out there (Furries need not apply), I queued up my Firestick, did my homework and present to you (drum roll please)…

MY TOP 5 AWESOME WEREWOLF MOVIES YOU HAVEN’T SEEN (PROBABLY):

#5 Wolfcop

Yep, this is a real movie folks and it’s a fun one. This low budget send-up of the 80s is about an alcoholic policeman who becomes a werewolf and uses his new “gift” to serve up some justice, wolf-style! There’s even a sequel, which isn’t as good as the first, but that should tell you just how much fun the original was.

I recommend watching this one with a group of friends, as it’s one of those “so-bad-it’s good” movies that are way more fun with lots of laughter and few drinks…or ten.

#4 Brotherhood of the Wolf

Not many people make period piece horror movies anymore and that’s such a shame. Mythical monsters fit perfectly into those older eras, especially because people tend to believe they existed. Now I’m gonna drop a HUGE SPOILER here, so you won’t say I set you up if you decide to give this movie a look-see. Ready? Okay, here it is. There isn’t an ACTUAL werewolf in this movie! This may disappoint viewers who go in expecting the traditional take on the monster, but Christophe Gans (The man behind the only good Silent Hill movie and the live action anime adaptation of Crying Freeman) more than makes up for this, with an intriguing mystery, likeable leads, extremely well-choreographed fight scenes, and a ton of gorgeous scenery.

This one is a classic and I think you’ll like it.

#3 Wer

I honestly don’t know why this movie didn’t get more love. It tells the story of an American family on vacation in France who are attacked by something emerging from the woods. The police arrest a local man who fits the description (large, hairy, and beast-like) but the lawyer assigned to his case isn’t sure of his guilt.

What intrigued me about this movie is that it is one of the few werewolf films that really digs into the mythology. If you know anything about Lycan lore, you’ll know back in the day when people didn’t understand the concept of serial killings they were inclined to think the killer was some sort of monster. This is where most historians think the werewolf myth came from, and Wer does a brilliant job of touching on this.

It’s not a flashy film but the body count is high, there’s lots of the red stuff, and the cast and their performances are strong. Part legal thriller, part werewolf horror, and most definitely worth a look.

#2 Howl

I loved the setup for this one as it’s not something I’d ever seen before in a werewolf movie. A group of strangers on a train riding through rural England (STAY OFF THE MOORS!) end up in a world of trouble when mechanical issues force them to stop near a desolate fog-filled forest. Bad goes to worse when vicious creatures starts attacking them one by one because c’mon, whose gonna turn down a free lunch!

Finding great looking werewolves in modern-day films seems near impossible, but thank you horror gods because Howl has them in spades! While I’m a huge fan of the classic hairy man-monster hybrid found in movies like The Wolfman, the design choices here were great (less body hair, more muscles and teeth) and added an updated take to the beast that I could get behind.

With a great sense of humour, lots of human cannon fodder and a likeable everyman lead, Howl doesn’t try to be anything more than a fun creature feature that delivers genuine thrills and a lot of entertainment.

Honourable Mention: The Curse of the Werewolf

I freakin’ LOVED this movie! I first saw it as a kid (what? I had cool parents) and even re-watching as an adult this 1961 Hammer Film production, with its fanciful sets and beautiful costumes, still manages to hold a fond place in my werewolf-loving heart. It’s about a mute woman who is raped and later gives birth to a son who grows up to turn into a werewolf every full moon.

Like all the Hammer classics it’s heartbreaking, it’s overly dramatic and it’s a good old fashioned monster romp. You just can’t go wrong with that.

#1 Romasanta: The Werewolf Hunt

Be honest, how many of you have ever even heard of Romasanta? Delivered by one half of the duo that gave us the fantastic Rec and Rec 2 zombie movies, Paco Plaza based this terrific period piece on the true story of Spain’s first serial killer. This one leaves the audience guessing as to the authenticity of the werewolf here. Julian Sands (Warlock) delivers a performance which is perfect for this psychological type of role, and the transformation scene is one of the best ones out there.

So is there a werewolf like the people believe? Or are the authorities right that a man is behind all of these brutal killings? The great thing about this movie, is the answer is up to you.

There are two new werewolf movies dropping soon: The Wolf of Snow Hollow and I Am Lisa. So to all the classic monster fans out there, let’s hope at least one of them, if not both, give us something great to howl for.

For my Top 10 Ugliest/Scariest Movie Vampires you can click here. And for more howlingly-good horror movie lists you can like and follow on Facebook here. 

* And a special shout out to our FUNNY CAPTION FRIDAY winner and RMR Facebook follower Rhianna Mckenzie. Your cola-related joke really hit the spot. Pun very much intended. 

 Sommerleigh of the House Pollonais. First of Her Name. Sushi Lover, Queen of Horror Movies, Comic Books and Binge Watching Netflix. Mother of two beautiful black cats named Vader and Kylo. I think eating Popcorn at the movies should be mandatory, PS4 makes the best games ever and I’ll be talking about movies until the zombie apocalypse comes.

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