Scariest Werewolf Movies

Key Takeaways

• The werewolf genre offers a wide range of gameplay experiences, from narratives to brutal combat.
• Older werewolf horror movies may have silly aspects, but they remain wondrous and fear-inducing.
• Classic werewolf films, like “An American Werewolf in London,” have aged well and defined the modern werewolf genre.

Although the concept has crossed over into other genres, like romance, over the years, the werewolf genre always returns to horror. The idea of being transformed, possibly against one’s will, into a terrifying beast with no telling what one will do under the influence, has a lot of different parallels to real life. It has been a mainstay of major creature features for many decades now.

Although plenty of older werewolf horror movies have sillier aspects looking back, plenty of these retro fright fests remain wondrous and fear-inducing today. Add to that the recent resurgence of some classic creature feature monsters, and the werewolf genre has plenty of fears and a bright past, present and future.

8 The Wolf Man

The Original Gothic Horror Masterpiece

• Released: December 9th, 1941
• Starring: Claude Rains, Lou Chaney Jr., Bela Lugosi
• Directed By: George Waggner
• Rotten Tomatoes Critic Score: 91%
• Rotten Tomatoes Audience Score: 80%

This classic might not be the first werewolf film, but it is possibly the best-remembered and most fondly rewatched of cinema’s golden age. The Wolf Man has been remade with more modern sensibilities regarding the frightening aspects in particular, but nothing is quite as impressive or fearsome as the original watch. This movie twisted the werewolf mythos once and for all.

A man named Larry returns to Wales from America after his brother’s death and is bitten by a werewolf while trying to help a young girl. Not only did Lou Chaney so perfectly encapsulate this character that he returned for four sequels, he also ensured that his version of the werewolf would remain a terrifying cinematic masterpiece for all time.

7 Wer

What If A Werewolf Needed A Lawyer?

• Released: November 16th, 2013
• Starring: AJ Cook, Brian Scott O’Connor, Simon Quarterman
• Directed By: William Brent Bell
• Rotten Tomatoes Critic Score: N/A
• Rotten Tomatoes Audience Score: 47%

A hidden gem within the werewolf genre, Wer asks some interesting questions, has a fascinating premise, and is downright terrifying at times. An American lawyer, Kate Moore, comes to the aid of a man imprisoned in France who has been accused of a series of grisly murders. It is only after questioning him, and after seeing him bite someone else, that Kate begins to think her client could be a werewolf.

While the premise could make for an amusing film, Brian Scott O’Connor’s chilling performance and the dark, unsettling atmosphere make Wer something else entirely. With a conspiracy over land and surprising depth to the story, and some moments of outright terror that few werewolf films can match, Wer is a hidden gem for horror and werewolf fans.

6 Silver Bullet

Stephen King’s Terrifying Take On Werewolves

• Released: October 11th, 1985
• Starring: Gary Busey, Everett McGill, Corey Haim
• Directed By: Dan Attias
• Rotten Tomatoes Critic Score: 41%
• Rotten Tomatoes Audience Score: 56%

There are certain hallmarks of the Stephen King style in horror, and most are present in Silver Bullet. Based on King’s novella Cycle of the Werewolf, Silver Bullet is a classic 80s story about a werewolf in a small town being chased down by Marty, a young boy using a wheelchair.

A string of gruesome unsolved murders in the town of Tarker’s Mills comes to a head when the townsfolk form a vigilante group, many of whom are also brutally killed. Marty, after surviving an attack by the creature and therefore understanding its nature, sets out to kill it with the help of his sister and alcoholic uncle. Although campy at times, this 80s adventure is filled with frights and feels like the more horror-focused cousin that The Goonies never had. Fans argue about which Stephen King adaptions are the best, but Silver Bullet is one of the most fun.

5 The Company Of Wolves

Red Riding Hood Gone Wrong

• Released: September 15th, 1984
• Starring: Sarah Patterson, Angela Lansbury & David Warner
• Directed By: Neil Jordan
• Rotten Tomatoes Critic Score: 85%
• Rotten Tomatoes Audience Score: 73%

A great director of iconic takes on creatures, Neil Jordan went on to direct Interview With A Vampire, but The Company Of Wolves was his first foray into the horror genre, and his take on the Red Riding Hood fairytale. It featured a young girl dreaming about living in a forest in the 18th Century, where she must go live with her grandmother after her sister is killed by a werewolf.

The Company Of Wolves is true gothic horror, and the style remains chilling to the bone even today. The story unfolds in what seems like a bizarre way, until viewers pick up on the hidden meanings behind the head-scratching events. Though it doesn’t have as many jumpscares as some horror films today, this is still a deeply unsettling film to rewatch now.

4 Wolf

Jack Nicholson’s Unsettling, Memorable Wolfish Grin

• Released: June 17th, 1994
• Starring: Jack Nicholson, Michelle Pfeiffer, James Spader
• Directed By: Mike Nichols
• Rotten Tomatoes Critic Score: 62%
• Rotten Tomatoes Audience Score: 43%

With a simple title but a complex story, Wolf is about a struggling executive who finds out he is being replaced at his job while being transformed by a werewolf after an attack. Finding himself feeling young and powerful, but struggling with the urges he feels towards the daughter of his boss, Jack Nicholson portrays Will Randall as a man filled with hope and later despair at what his transformation might mean.

Wolf is a great example of many traditional elements of a werewolf story. It’s filled with moments of terror, particularly since Jack Nicholson is a master of playing unsettling leads, and a dark sense of humor as well. Wolf is a great film with many hallmarks of the 90s, and it is ripe for werewolf fans to revisit today.

3 Dog Soldiers

The Closest Thing To British Predator

• Released: May 10th, 2002
• Starring: Sean Pertwee, Liam Cunningham, Kevin McKidd
• Directed By: Neil Marshall
• Rotten Tomatoes Critic Score: 82%
• Rotten Tomatoes Audience Score: 79%

Director Neil Marshall has made some of the best British horror movies of the 21st century. Dog Soldiers is an early work of his, and also one of his best. A group of British SAS soldiers go into the mountains of Scotland for a training exercise and find themselves up against a deadly pack of werewolves.

Though it is campy at times, Dog Soldiers excels both in real horror and memorable action scenes. The no-nonsense soldiers are the perfect sort of group to give a werewolf film the vibe of Predator, making for even more terror as the most capable humans are nevertheless torn apart by the terrifying creatures. The remote location, excellent British cast, and constant fear will leave viewers entertained and coiled tight as a spring, ready to jump at any moment.

2 An American Werewolf In London

The Utmost Classic Of The Werewolf Genre

• Released: August 21st, 1981
• Starring: David Naughton, Jenny Agutter, Griffin Dunne
• Directed By: John Landis
• Rotten Tomatoes Critic Score: 89%
• Rotten Tomatoes Audience Score: 85%

Although it has comedic elements, there is no werewolf film that is more iconic, better known, or more terrifying than An American Werewolf In London. David and Jack are American backpackers who are attacked by a strange creature on the Yorkshire Moors, causing David to transform into a werewolf on the next full moon in what many would call the most iconic scene in the history of cinematic werewolves.

David must contemplate his new existence while being haunted by the decaying spirit of his friend. An American Werewolf In London is amusing and terrifying in equal measures. Most of all, it has managed to age amazingly well. The fantastic cast and tense atmosphere throughout make for many iconic hallmarks of the modern werewolf genre, which was arguably defined by this classic film.

1 The Howling

The Ultimate Fear-Filled Werewolf Adventure

• Released: March 13th, 1981
• Starring: Dee Wallace, Patrick Macnee, Dennis Dugan
• Directed By: Joe Dante
• Rotten Tomatoes Critic Score: 74%
• Rotten Tomatoes Audience Score: 60%

Although it isn’t the single most famous film in the werewolf genre, there is an enduring genius and a huge fear factor to every moment of The Howling. After being stalked by a serial killer, a news anchor goes with her husband on a retreat to “The Colony.” This place turns out to be inhabited by werewolves, including the stalking serial killer she thought had already been killed.

The Howling features all the hallmarks of true terror, and the unique dark comedy of Joe Dante, who later co-created Gremlins. It’s filled with isolation and the realization that everyone is out to get you, and the terrifying transformation of even her own husband into a werewolf. There are few horror films that leave the lead and viewers feeling such mortal despair at the situation, but The Howling is filled with all sorts of terror and remains rewatchable today. It is also due for a remake shortly with director Andy Muschietti, making it an exciting time to watch the original.