The legend of the werewolf has persisted for centuries largely on account of its capacity to tap into our most deep-seated and primordial fears – most notably, the dread of the untamed wilderness, the horrifying prospect of being consumed by our own bestial and primitive impulses, and the paralyzing terror of coming face to face with a monstrous manifestation of humanity driven by an insatiable hunger for blood and destruction. Unlike, say, the archetypal suave and seductive vampire, who typically retains some semblance of their former humanity, the werewolf is a creature of pure, unrestrained savagery, embodying the darkest, most primal aspects of our nature.
Yet, while the core legend of the werewolf remains a fixture of horror storytelling, the specific depictions and interpretations of these lycanthropic creatures have evolved considerably over time. Just as the vampire has been reimagined to suit the tastes of each new generation of filmmakers and authors, the werewolf myth has been adapted and subverted in countless ways. Some portrayals present the werewolf as a tragic figure, a cursed individual struggling to contain the beast within, while others lean into the raw, animalistic savagery of the transformation. And in a particularly striking twist, the werewolf has even been recast in the role of the hero, with stories exploring lycanthropic characters who use their powers to protect the innocent or pursue justice as shapeshifting cops, athletes or vigilantes.
And now, another werewolf movie is about to join the pack that looks set to provide a whole new take on the werewolf genre. We’re talking about Steven C. Miller‘s forthcoming film, Werewolves which releases in theaters on December 6, 2024. The film depicts a hair-raising supermoon event that triggered a dormant genetic switch in every human. Anyone who ventured into the moonlight was transformed into a savage, bloodthirsty werewolf for that fateful night. As the newly-minted werewolves surrendered to their primal instincts, their feral howls pierced the darkness, leading to the deaths of nearly a billion people before the rising sun reversed the transformation.
Now, one year on, as the ominous supermoon once again looms large, the remaining survivors brace themselves in perpetual dread. They hunker down, reinforcing their barricades, steeling themselves for the inevitable return of the werewolves and the unstoppable tide of death and destruction.
To celebrate the upcoming film’s release, we’ve handpicked a selection of 5 hidden werewolf gems that are sure to satisfy even the most voracious appetites for shapeshifting, fur-covered horror. Rather than rehashing well-worn werewolf tropes, this carefully selected collection showcases a diverse array of films that offer a welcome respite from the usual werewolf fare, challenging audiences to reconsider their preconceptions about the “beast within” while still delivering the hair-raising thrills and chills that fans crave from this popular horror niche.
Over the years, werewolves have taken on a wide range of forms – from American backpackers to squads of Scottish Highlands soldiers to high school basketball players. However, one profession that has rarely been associated with werewolf tropes is that of the singer-songwriter. That is, until the release of the female-driven and directed werewolf thriller Bloodthirsty, which offers a sharp and authentic spin on lycanthrope lore.
Directed by Amelia Moses (Bleed with Me), written by mother-daughter duo Wendy Hill-Tout and singer-songwriter Lowell, and featuring Lowell’s original music, Bloodthirsty offers a biting and authentic take on lycanthrope lore by delving into the darker side of the music industry.
The film follows vegan singer-songwriter Grey (Lauren Beatty) as she collaborates with notorious music producer Vaughn Daniels (Greg Bryk) at his remote woodland studio to work on her second album. But as the recording progresses, Grey’s hunger for meat and the hunt grows, and she begins to transform into a werewolf, gradually uncovering her true identity in the process.
William Brent Bell‘s WER is a hybrid film that combines the realism of a found-footage police procedural with the excitement of a classic werewolf creature feature.
The story revolves around a team of defense lawyers, led by A.J. Cook (Final Destination 2), who are working to prove their client’s innocence in the aftermath of a brutal murder. Challenged by an eyewitness placing the suspect at the crime scene, the lawyers are forced to dig deeper into the mystery, uncovering unsettling evidence that points to a supernatural explanation for the killings.
Rather than relying on traditional werewolf tropes, WER takes a grounded approach to the legend, using the aforementioned found-footage style to add authenticity and immediacy to the unfolding events. Bell weaves a tightly-plotted narrative that keeps the audience engaged as the defense team’s investigation leads to startling revelations and unsettling discoveries. And, Rather than relying on traditional werewolf tropes, WER takes a grounded approach to the legend, using the aforementioned found-footage style to add authenticity and immediacy to the unfolding events. Bell weaves a tightly-plotted narrative that keeps the audience engaged as the defense team’s investigation leads to startling revelations and unsettling discoveries. And, while the film’s amateur aesthetic has its ups and downs, it ultimately enhances the sense of realism, drawing viewers deeper into the eerie world presented.
For fans of werewolf stories, WER provides a captivating cinematic experience, skillfully blending genres to create an engrossing portrayal of lycan-infused thrills.
Writer, director, and star Jim Cummings puts a refreshingly unique spin on the classic werewolf sub-genre with The Wolf of Snow Hollow. Cummings’ sharp, darkly comedic sensibilities shine as he skillfully blends elements of horror, thriller, and offbeat humor to craft a compellingly unconventional werewolf story.
At the heart of the film is John Marshall, a small-town sheriff (played by Cummings), who grapples with a host of personal and professional struggles – a crumbling marriage, a rebellious teenage daughter, and a chronically understaffed and underappreciated police department. When a series of brutal murders begin occurring in the community on the night of the full moon, the increasingly unstable John becomes consumed by the hunt for the killer, even as he tries to convince himself that the supernatural explanation of a werewolf simply can’t be true.
Featuring a strong final on-screen performance from the late, great Robert Forster as John’s aging, cranky father, The Wolf of Snow Hollow is a wonderfully strange and satisfying addition to the werewolf canon, delivering both thrilling, gory set pieces and delightfully off-kilter sensibilities in equal measure.
LAST TRAIN. FULL MOON. ALL CHANGE.
The very thought of boarding a crowded train can unsettle the senses – the cramped quarters, the uncertainty of fellow passengers, the threat of delays. Director Paul Hyett‘s horror thriller Howl taps directly into these anxieties, amplifying the inherent unease of the train setting to a fever pitch. Drawing on his background in makeup and special effects (The Descent, Doomsday, Attack the Block), Hyett masterfully crafts a claustrophobic, foreboding atmosphere that results in a taut, suspenseful werewolf tale. His keen understanding of what makes the train setting so inherently unsettling allows him to tap into our most basic fears about dangers that lurk, even in the most ordinary and ostensibly safe of environments.
Starring Ed Speleers (“You”, “Outlander”), Shauna Macdonald (The Descent, Filth), Rosie Day (The Seasoning House, “Outlander”), Brett Goldstein (“Ted Lasso”, “Shrinking”) and Sean Pertwee (Dog Soldiers, Wilderness), Howl follows a group of train passengers who find themselves in grave danger when their train unexpectedly stops due to trouble on the tracks. After the driver leaves to investigate and never returns, ticket inspector Joe (Speleers) must lead the stranded passengers to safety. However, in the remote, rural setting, a menacing presence lurks in the darkness, attacking the train and its occupants. Forced to band together, the passengers must fight for survival until daybreak.
In 1957, American International Pictures (AIP) produced Gene Folwer Jr.‘s massively popular I Was a Teenage Werewolf that combined adolescent angst and supernatural horror. The low-budget $125,000 production, which starred a young Michael Landon, told the story of a troubled youth who seeks help through hypnotherapy, only to have the well-intentioned treatment modified by an opportunistic doctor, transforming the boy into a rampaging werewolf unleashed on an unsuspecting town.
This blend of teenage drama and lycanthropic terror struck a strong chord, particularly with younger audiences, and went on to generate a whopping $2 million – an astronomical figure for an AIP B-movie at the time.
Interestingly, the role of the tormented teen werewolf was originally offered to a young Jack Nicholson, but the producers deemed him unsuitable. Nicholson would later portray a werewolf himself in the 1994 film Wolf. Meanwhile, Landon revisited the lycanthropic theme years later as the writer and director of I Was a Middle Aged Werewolf in 1987.
Whilt it may not be the stuff of cinematic legend, Michel Levesque‘s 1971 B-movie oddity is nonetheless a true masterpiece of the trash cinema genre. Emerging from the gritty, grounded world of early 1970s filmmaking, the movie cultivates an almost ethereal, dreamlike atmosphere that perfectly complements its more grounded elements, resulting in an engaging and entertaining viewing experience.
This grindhouse horror tale plunges the viewer into a world of pure, unadulterated mayhem, as a group of rough-and-tumble bikers stumble upon a remote monastery where dark satanic rituals are taking place. When the monks try to persuade one of the female bikers, Helen, to become a satanic sacrifice the bikers smash up the monastery and leave. The monks have the last laugh, though, as the monks have unleashed an unholy curse – one that transforms Helen into a savage werewolf under the sway of the devil’s influence.
Curiously, when this movie was first released there was a rumor going round that Dennis Hopper had directed it under a pseudonym.
So influential has this film become that it even earns a prominent cameo in another modern classic – in the infamous motel room scene featuring Butch (Bruce Willis) and Fabianne (Maria de Medeiros) in Quentin Tarantino’s Pulp Fiction, the TV in the background can be seen playing a key sequence from Werewolves on Wheels. And Tarantino’s seal of approval is about as high a recommendation as any movie can get.
This recent, lesser-known horror gem from the UK delivers a wild ride filled with buckets of blood, beautiful countryside scenery, and a stellar cast brought to life by world-class prosthetics. Directed by Dominic Brunt (Bait, Before Dawn), from a script by Pete Wild and Joel Ferrari, the story follows a film crew who set out to shoot a vampire movie in an abandoned manor house, only to find themselves face-to-face with a resident werewolf when the moon turns full.
Renowned special effects artist Shaune Harrison (Star Wars, “Game of Thrones”, Nightbreed) brings something truly special to the lycanthrope table with the creature designs. If you’re a fan of high-octane, gore-drenched werewolf flicks, this full-throttle tale is a must-see.
Adrian Garcia Bogliano‘s 2014 film Late Phases (AKA Night of the Wolf) marked the acclaimed Argentine director’s first foray into the American film industry. Penned by Eric Stolze (who also wrote Steven C. Miller’s monster movie, Under the Bed), Late Phases proved to be a raw, powerful exploration of lycanthropy that also offered a gritty, unflinching dissection of the darker undercurrents of American life – from the isolation and alienation experienced by the elderly to the virulent prejudices that can fester within seemingly idyllic suburban enclaves. This gem is far too often overlooked and is well worth rooting out.
Starring the talented Nick Damici – an actor who has collaborated extensively with fantastic writer/director Jim Mickle since the early days of his career – the film follows a blind Vietnam veteran who moves into a quiet, residential town only to find himself thrust into a terrifying confrontation with a local werewolf. The movie delivers a tense, atmospheric horror thriller that features some truly spectacular moments of sheer terror, despite its modest, handcrafted production values.
This acclaimed Spanish film, boasting a standout cast, was nominated for Best Film at the Sitges Film Festival. Directed by Juan Martínez Moreno (ABCs of Death 2 – Segment “S is for Split”), Game of Werewolves transports viewers to the quaint town of Arga, nestled along the historic Camino de Santiago, or Way of St. James, where, at the beginning of the century, a terrible curse befell the Marquise of Mariño, transforming her son into a werewolf on his tenth birthday.
Fast-forward to the present day, and the last descendant of the cursed lineage, a struggling writer named Tomás, is summoned back to the village to be officially adopted as the town’s son. However, his true purpose is far more ominous – he has been called upon to finally break the ancient werewolf curse that has plagued Arga and the surrounding region for generations.
Blending elements of gothic horror, folklore, and wry humor, the film effortlessly evokes the nostalgic charm of 1980s genre cinema, thanks in large part to the charismatic performances of its talented ensemble cast, including Gorka Otxoa, Carlos Areces, and Secún de la Rosa. The moody, atmospheric setting of the Way of St. James pilgrimage route lends an extra layer of authenticity, while the impressively realized creature effects harken back to classic werewolf movies like the cult favorite Dog Soldiers. With its captivating narrative, memorable characters, and skillful blend of horror and heart, this Spanish gem is a must-see for fans of supernatural thrillers and anyone seeking a fresh, engaging take on timeless lycanthrope lore.
The sleepy rural town of Woodhaven was thrust into the spotlight in 2014 when the story of an alcoholic local cop named Lou Garou went viral. As it turned out, Lou harbored a shocking secret – on nights of the full moon, he would transform into a fearsome werewolf, using his heightened senses and supernatural abilities to protect the townspeople from a nefarious gang of evil reptilian shapeshifters. Director/Writer Lowell Dean‘s (Die Alone, Dark Match) film chronicling Lou’s unexpected journey from hapless drunkard to werewolf hero, simply titled WolfCop, was met with unanimous praise from critics and audiences for its winning blend of raunchy humor, over-the-top gore, and heartwarming small-town charm. Recognizing the massive success and cult following generated by the first film, the production company behind it, Cinecoup, quickly greenlit an eagerly-anticipated sequel.
In the sequel, Another WolfCop, a shady new businessman arrives in Woodhaven, aggressively promoting a peculiar new drink to the oblivious locals. It’s up to the lycanthropic lawman Lou Garou to investigate this suspicious product and uncover the businessman’s sinister plans for the town.
Dean’s winning formula of laugh-out-loud comedy, eye-popping special effects, and thrilling werewolf action is guaranteed to leave werewolf action thriller aficionados howling for more.
To sign off, we’ll leave you with the latest Werewolves trailer, which may convince you to steer clear of the moonlight for your own safety.
