Sommerleigh Pollonais, Horror Head Writer
Why is it so hard to find a good werewolf movie?! Well, I have a few theories. Like any monster, once you’ve seen them, they no longer scare you the way they did the first time around. Werewolves in particular are difficult to pull off without making them look fake/hokey. To combat this some writers go the metaphoric route. The wolf isn’t a literal monster but instead stands in for some psychological issue. This popped up recently in a werewolf movie I saw which I won’t name for fear of spoilers.
While this can work it’s my least favourite type of werewolf story. I prefer my monsters to be “real”. I’m also not a fan of the “Twilight” trend of making them giant wolves or wolves in general. Again, I prefer my monsters to be just that – monsters. While it hasn’t been easy being a werewolf fan, there are a few “recent” movies that keep my love of these fantastical creatures alive and my hopes that the next Dog Soldiers is just around the corner.
So, if you’re also a fan of the big bad werewolf, here are a few more movies (you can click on the link here for my first list) you may have missed or maybe you came across them but didn’t really think they were worth it. Whatever the case, these are my picks (in no particular order) for Five More Awesome Werewolf Movies You Haven’t Seen (Probably).
#5 Full Eclipse
I know I said modern in my opening comments and Full Eclipse came out way back in 1993 (when did the 90s become way back? God, I feel old) but this movie holds a special place in my heart as a werewolf movie that tried to do something different.
For better or worse this movie tells the story of a cop named Max (Mario Van Peebles) who is invited to join an elite task force led by a high-ranking officer named Adam Garou (Bruce Payne). Garou and his team have a hundred per cent success rate which Max discovers is due to them injecting themselves with a substance that seemingly makes them impervious to damage. A substance Garou has been personally providing them with. Now if you’re as much of a fan of werewolves as I am, the name “Garou” will be a dead giveaway as the French term for werewolf is loup-garou.
While I haven’t revisited this movie for some time, the concept of a police task force made up of werewolves (with guns no less) was an intriguing one and the different stages of transformation aren’t the worse I’ve seen. Sadly, this movie starts off strong but loses its unique voice as it unfolds with a lot of the story playing out like any other action movie of the era. It’s dated for sure, but it’s also the type of crazy original story you just don’t see anymore. If 90’s era action is your idea of a fun time this movie is cake, and the werewolf angle is the icing on top.
#4 Bad Moon Rising
This short film came out a little over a decade ago and I’m STILL waiting and hoping for it to be turned into a full-length feature!
There are some truly good shorts out there and this one ranks high up there. With a cast of only three, a man is being held hostage and tortured for information. His abductors think they have the upper hand until their prey turns predator.
It’s movies such as these that make me shake my head disapprovingly at CGI wolves. The practical effects here are amazing and the transformation is wonderfully done. Throw in a terrifying sound design and smart use of the small space and you have yourself a short film that is far better than hundreds made for ten times the budget. You can check this one out over on YouTube for yourself and here’s hoping one day we get to see a fully fleshed out version of Bad Moon Rising.
#3 Werewolves Within
A video game adaptation no less, Werewolves Within is something you don’t see often done with the creature because it’s a horror comedy wrapped in a whodunit mystery. A sleazy oil tycoon wants to build a pipeline through a small town; some of the citizens are for this and some against. Throw in a werewolf among them who decides to even the playing field their way and you have Werewolves Within.
Playing on the trope of small towns where everyone has a secret, the strength of this movie lies with its talented cast of comedic actors and smartly written dialogue. The runtime is tight, never dragging, and the movie utilises its werewolf smartly by keeping it hidden for as long as possible. Most of the truly zany kills happens in the final act when things go off the rails and while the movie does lose some of its comedic steam here and there, the overall product is a fun and unique one.
#2 Underworld: Rise of the Lycans
Yes, you’re reading that right, an Underworld movie is making this list even if I admittedly hate CGI werewolves (and yes, most of you would have seen it).
A prequel that focuses on what started the centuries old feud between Vampires and Lycans, this movie instantly rises to the top for me as it’s the only one I can think of that actually tackled the origins of why these monsters hate each other.
The filmmakers took a risk by shifting the focus from the lead breadwinner of their franchise Kate Beckinsale, who plays Selene the leather-clad werewolf hunter, and instead takes us back in time to explore the origins of Lucian the alpha of the Lycans and antagonist of the first film. It was a great idea to shake things up by focusing on the werewolves instead of the vampires and honestly, something they should’ve done more of as we get to see them as more than just furry bodies for Selene to shoot at. Martin Sheen does a wonderful job of making Lucian’s story emotionally touching and his chemistry with Rhona Mitra (who is a good actress but sadly just looks and feels like a stand in for Kate) works well.
The action doesn’t veer too far from the Underworld formula but their design choices for the Lycans and Lucian’s transformation scene are both winners. And as prequels go, this is one of the better ones. So much so I would rank this as my second favourite movie of the franchise.
#1 The Wolf of Snow Hollow
What if Fargo had a werewolf in it? That’s the best way I can describe the darkly comedic movie The Wolf of Snow Hollow. With a snowy isolated back drop and a cabin in the woods, this movie wastes no time getting to the meat of things.
PJ (Jimmy Tatro) and his girlfriend Brianne (Annie Hamilton) are on a romantic vacation at a remote cabin in the woods. PJ is planning to propose but all of his future dreams are dashed when Brianne is brutally (and I mean brutally) torn apart by something that leaves no evidence except for a single large pawprint. The cops think they have a madman on the loose until more bodies start piling up and the word “werewolf” starts getting thrown around.
Not only does this movie look amazing, but it also has a solid mystery at its core. I would hate to spoil this for anyone who hasn’t seen it, but I will say the ending twist might disappoint purists of the creature genre. Still, the tight runtime (which maybe a tad too tight for its own good) and the homages to other monster movies that never feel forced, coupled with themes that explore toxic masculinity all make this a top notch showing for any werewolf enthusiast.
So that’s my list. Which of these have you seen? And you can howl at more werewolf content below:
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. Double Tap Baby! Read More