Vampires and zombies have always held a special place in the entertainment industry, starting with landmarks likeNosferatu(1922),Dracula(1931),I Walked with a Zombie(1943), andNight of the Living Dead(1968), to blockbuster franchises likeTwilightand highly rated series likeThe Vampire DiariesandThe Walking Dead. A source of both threat and fascination to humans,supernatural creatures stem from international mythology, folklore, art, and literature, and werewolves are among the most familiar species.
The name itself comes from an Old English term meaning man-wolf, and it is sometimes used interchangeably with lycanthrope, which is Greek for wolf-human. Legend says that if you’re bitten or scratched by one, you, too, would shapeshift into a wolf on the full moon and go on a killing rampage. The Indian variant is condemned to roam and protect the biggest forest in the vicinity.Greek mythology featuresKing Lycaon of Arcadia, who was cursed and transformed into a wolf because he had sacrificed a child to Zeus Lycaeus. The 11th-century Belarusian Prince Vseslav of Polotsk was suspected of being a werewolf with superspeed. And in Medieval and Renaissance Europe, witch hunts were often coupled with accusations of lycanthropy.
All that to say that these creatures have long been a part of our lives, lurking in the shadows and depicted in movies in various manners. WhileVan Helsing,Underworld: The Rise of the Lycans, andThe Howlingare some of the most popular productions tackling the subject, the following titles may be less known to you and warrant a closer look.
11She-Wolf of London (1946)
She-Wolf of Londonis a mystery and horror film directed by Jean Yarbrough and starring June Lockhart and Don Porter. Set in London in the early 20th century, the story begins with a number of gruesome, unsolved murders, until young Phyllis Allenby’s aunt informs her that werewolf blood may be running through her veins, and she starts suspecting herself. Horrified and paranoid, Phyllis breaks off her engagement to Barry, and he has no choice but to begin an investigation of his own, especially following supposed sightings of the “Wolf-Woman.”
10Night of the Howling Beast (1975)
Also known asThe Werewolf and the YetiandHall of the Mountain King,Night of the Howling Beastis a Spanish horror film that is the eighth installment in a series about the werewolf Count Waldemar Daninsky, played by Paul Naschy. The plot centers on an expedition in Tibet to find the legendary Yeti and features two cannibalistic werewolf women in a cave, sadistic Tibetan pirates, and a magical flower that can cure lycanthropy. Also starring are Mercedes Molina as Sylvia, Silvia Solar as Wandessa, Gil Vidal as Larry, and Josep Castillo Escalona as Professor Lacombe.
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9The Beast Must Die (1974)
Starring Calvin Lockhart as Tom Newcliffe, Peter Cushing as Professor Christopher Lundgren, Marlene Clark as Caroline Newcliffe, and Charles Gray as Arthur Bennington, Paul Annett’sThe Beast Must Dieis an interactive British horror film that invites both the characters and the audience to guess the identity of the werewolf during a gathering at a millionaire’s mansion. It’s the full moon and there is wolfsbane pollen in the air, so it shouldn’t take long to draw the beast out. The suspect could be any of the guests: an archaeology and lycanthropy expert, a scandalous diplomat, a pianist, or an ex-con.
8Legend of the Werewolf (1975)
Legend of the Werewolfis a British period flick directed by Freddie Francis andstarring Peter Cushingas forensic pathologist Paul Cataflanque, Ron Moody as the Zookeeper, Lynn Dalby as Christine, and David Rintoul as Etoile/Wolf Boy. It centers on the son of Russian fugitives in the 19th century who is raised in the wild by wolves and is later taken in by the circus as a star attraction. When he becomes an adult, Etoile moves to Paris, where he falls in love with Christine, a prostitute. Since Professor Cataflanque and the police suspect he is the one turning into a werewolf every full moon and going on a killing spree in the city, they decide to keep a closer eye on Christine.
Critics on Rotten Tomatoeshave labeled the film “A well-paced, blackly humorous, creepy, and oh-so-very British slice of rough-around-the-edges, modestly budgeted Gothic horror.” It may not quite “Feel like classic Hammer, but Cushing is a perfect center.”
7Frankenstein Meets the Wolf Man (1943)
Frankenstein Meets the Wolf Manis a 72-minute film directed by Roy William Neill and featuring Lon Chaney Jr. as the Wolf Man; Bela Lugosi as Frankenstein’s monster; Ilona Massey as Frankenstein’s descendant, Baroness Elsa; Patric Knowles as Dr. Frank Mannering; and Maria Ouspenskaya as the Romani Maleva. On a full-moon night, two grave robbers accidentally revive Larry Talbot, who was buried with wolfsbane. After a few killings, Larry decides to seek a permanent solution for his werewolf curse through the help of a mad scientist, but the latter is also obsessed with reviving Dr. Frankenstein’s frozen monster.
6The Werewolf (1956)
“Three drops of deadly wolf-serum turn a man into a bloodthirsty, fang-and-claw beast before your very eyes!”
Fred F. Sears’s horror and science-fiction filmThe Werewolfwas released as a double feature withEarth vs. the Flying Saucers. Forget about the full moon. This amnesic and disheveled wandering man (Steven Ritch) transforms into a deadly werewolf whenever he’s under extreme stress or rage. And it’s all because of Doctors Morgan Chambers (George Lynn) and Emery Forrest’s (S. John Launer) unscrupulous experiments, for they have concocted a serum that would give humans immunity from apossible nuclear holocaust, but with a side effect of lycanthropy.
5Werewolf of London (1935)
Directed by Stuart Walker and starring Henry Hull, Warner Oland, Valerie Hobson, and Lester Matthews,Werewolf of Londonis considered the first feature-length werewolf movie. The earliest picture is actually a short from 1913 simply titledThe Werewolf, but it was destroyed in a fire in 1924.
Werewolf of London’s plot centers on a wealthy English botanist, Wilfred Glendon, who journeys to Tibet to find the rare Mariphasa flower, but gets attacked and bitten by a mysterious creature. When in full bloom, the flower is rumored to subdue lycanthropy, albeit temporarily.
4Kibakichi: Bakko-yokaiden (2004)
Directed by Tomoo Haraguchi,Kibakichi: Bakko-yokaidenis a period supernatural drama set in Japan’s Edo period. It stars Ryuji Harada as a troubled, masterless, samurai who can transform into a werewolf at will. His wanderings lead him into a village where Yokai (shapeshifting demons) and hostile humans have trouble coexisting.
Per reviewers on IMDb, it’s a “Stunning film, featuring some amazing swordplay, beautiful photography and lighting,” where “The monsters were very creepy but somehow human at the same time, which was one of the more likable qualities.” It’s a “Reminder of the ’70s and ’80s chambara [*sword-fighting] flicks, where gore and fantasy elements mingled together, creating some ludicrously fun action scenes.”
3Wolfen (1981)
Based on Whitley Strieber’s 1978 novel of the same name,Wolfenis a crime horror film helmed by Michael Wadleigh and starring Albert Finney as former NYPD Captain Dewey Wilson, Diane Venora as criminal psychologist Rebecca Neff, Edward James Olmos as Native American militant Eddie Holt, and Gregory Hines as the coroner Whittington. The story is an intriguing blend of a series of vicious killings, Haitian voodoo practitioners, Native American shapeshifters, a terrorist cell, and the legend of a wolf spirit.
2Silver Bullet (1985)
Adapted from Stephen King’s novellaCycle of the Werewolfand set in 1976,Silver Bulletis directed by Dan Attias and features Gary Busey as Uncle Red, Everett McGill as Reverend Lowe, Corey Haim as Marty Coslaw, Megan Follows as Jane Coslaw, and Terry O’Quinn as Sheriff Joe Haller. The plot centers on a paraplegic boy who is convinced that all the brutal murders plaguing his small town of Tarker’s Mills every month on the full moon are the works of a werewolf hiding in plain sight within their tight-knit community.
Roger Ebert considered it a parody of the novella, unsure whether to label it “The worst movie ever made from a Stephen King story, or the funniest. It is bad in its own awesomely tasteless and bubble-brained way–so bad, I think every laugh was put in lovingly, by hand.”
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