Below is not an exhaustive list of werewolf movies. It’s not meant to be. I wanted to get ready to see the newest version of Wolf Man which is the newest film in the Universal Dark Universe (2017’s the Mummy and 2020 Invisible Man are the others). There are quite a few
The Wolf Man (1941) – starring Lon Chaney as The Wolf Man but Bela Lugosi is in it. Other big names are Claude Raines, Ralph Bellamy. the first one and still a classic. Uses storytelling to create the horror. We don’t see Lon Chaney completely turning into the Wolf Man, most of it happens off camera. They also don’t focus on showing him, which, I feel, adds to the believability. I would definitely recommend this one for anyone looking to watch the new Blumhouse version.
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Frankenstein meets the Wolf Man (1943) – I wasn’t going to watch this – just seems a silly monster mashup. It’s not. They make a believable story of how the Wolf Man lived and why he would meet the Monster. And its not a bad story. While not a Wolf Man story solely, there is of course the obligatory battle. Its a nice addition to the original Wolf Man origin.
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Curse of the werewolf (1961) – pretty typical Hammer horror film. How they lycanthropy starts is a bit muddled. Feels a bit like a Frankenstein movie near the end.
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An American Werewolf in London (1981) – Great classic horror movie. This is one of the top watches from my mis-spent youth. The turning may not be as great nowadays, but doesn’t look as bad as you’d think from a 40+ year old movie. The feel is like the classic horror movies. The mention of Universal Wolf Man is a nice touch. There are some pretty horrific moments for the gore crowd.
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The Howling (1981) – Not an actual Wolf Man movie or remake of the original, but a classic werewolf movie. It actually holds up better than I feared Cheesy story with cheesy effects, though it does have Dee Wallace, John Carradine. Few other interesting names: Slim Pickens, Robert Picardo (for the Star Trek fans), Noble Willingham. I remember this one as being scary, but now it just seems like they go for a bunch of bad jump scares. They did incorporate the 1941 Wolf Man on the television. Still a good ending and it was good enough to spawn a long line of sequels.
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Teen Wolf (1985) – a fun movie. Family comedy, though some sexual references that may be best for the older teens. Michael J Fox, who has always been a favorite, and many others that were more well known in the 80’s. If looking for something more light heated, you can’t go wrong with this one, though the story is nowhere near the ‘normal’ Wolf Man story.
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Wolf (1994) – A good entry, if a bit slow. Seems like the typical Wolf Man movie until it isn’t. Jack Nicholson, Michelle Pfeiffer, James Spader, Christopher Plummer, David Hyde Pierce. A bit modernized, even if that modernization is 30 years old now.
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The Wolfman (2010) – You can’t go wrong with Anthony Hopkins, Hugo Weaving and Benecio Del Toro. this is a remake for a few years ago, and it’s pretty good. They even have a nice nod by putting Max Von Sydow as a passenger on the train. Nice atmosphere, settings look good, and the Wolf Man looks great. A worthy film to watch if you want to catch up on Wolf Man before watching the newest. They use the same characters and even the same rhyme as the original, so I like that they didn’t try to make it something completely different, but were still able to achieve their own version without being a flat remake.
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Silver Bullet (1985) – This one’s a bit different. Based on a Stephen King story, it is definitely different than the other Wolf Man stories. I still like Stephen King’s writing better than most of the movies, but this one isn’t bad – probably because it’s a short story that the movie is based upon. Gary Busey, Corey Haim, Terry O’Quinn, and a few other names from the past. Harder to find, but this one should satisfy most any horror lover.
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Scooby-Doo and the Reluctant Werewolf (1988)- How can you ever go wrong with Scooby-Doo? Want to share the Wolf Man experience with younger kids, this is the pick. While I’m not as big a fan as I am of the earliest cartoons – I remember watching this one with my kids. I still enjoy Scooby-Doo cartoons. Not much needs said – you either will watch a Scooby-Doo cartoon or you won’t.
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