News

10 Of The Best Werewolf Movies This Side Of The Moon

Published

9 years ago

September 21, 2015

Written by Patti Pauley

It has occurred to me that the iconic werewolf in horror movies seems to be in rather short supply these past years. The love for zombies. slashers and vampires know no bounds, yet the beautiful werewolf creature seems to hide in the shadows of the industry. I say this because, with the exception to 2 or 3 underground films such as Wolfcop, we haven’t really seen a good werewolf film in what seems to be over a decade. Why is this? Well, it could be for a plethora of reasons:

Budgets for a proper transformation alone could be an issue and studios would rather take a safe route, or it could be a certain sparkly vampire movie- whose name I dare not utter for fear of my flesh burning- that slightly tarnished the image that was once remarkably horrifying. I’m not saying it ruined the image completely because that is ludacris, but I believe it put a dent in the fright factor for the impressionable bunch. Another point to look at; 2010 gave us a dismal reboot of the original universal film The Wolfman. Regardless of Del Toro’s and Perkins‘ strong presence in the movie, the flick fell flat on the magic of the original, or for that matter, many other successful werewolf films before it. Possibly scaring off writers and execs into re-inventing the creature with a fresh take on it for a while. With the absence of such a magnificent monster in a worthy film for so long, I really think it’s time to show the beloved mythological creature some overdue love and do it the right way.

All that being said, I’m here to honor my absolute favorite monster in the horror universe with what I think are the absolute 10 best werewolf movies this side of the moon! I encourage you readers if you haven’t seen one or all, to check them out immediately and witness the tried and true glorious splendor of this gorgeous, murderous animal. Let’s get to it.

10. Ginger Snaps

2000’s Ginger Snaps tells the story of 2 awkwardly morbid sisters (Ginger and Brigitte) dealing with puberty, adolescence and a rash of strange animal murders plaguing the small town they reside in. When Ginger starts her period, the creature- sniffing out Aunt Flo- attacks her and is injured. However, her wounds heal quite quickly and soon thereafter she begins to change. It’s a fun and extremely gory film directed by John Fawcett, and definitely one worth looking at.

[youtube id=”Zoa1A987A_k” align=”center” mode=”normal” autoplay=”no”]

9. Frankenstein Meets The Wolfman

The Universal movies are unforgettable classics, and this gem is no exception. I will never pass up a chance to give these old goodies a mention because without them, who knows where we would be today with the genre?! The tale of the two monsters clashing head on certainly isn’t the best of the series but well worth a watch. Starting as a direct sequel to The Wolfman and picking up where The Ghost Of Frankenstein ended; the sad story of Lawrence Talbot ( Lon Chaney Jr.) in the search of ending his life ends up with an unexpected discovery of the Monster (Bela Lugosi) made by Victor Frankenstein. All bets are off when the moon goes full.

[youtube id=”_Kaa88LIwJo” align=”center” mode=”normal” autoplay=”no”]

8. Cursed

Wes Craven’s attempt at a werewolf film is nothing short of entertaining- I mean just look at the glorious image above. Starring Christina Ricci and Jesse Eisenberg as siblings who are bestowed the mark the of the beast by an unfortunate accident in the Hollywood Hills, they learn that they must find the beast that attacked them to change their cursed fate. Despite negative reviews from critics, I rather enjoyed this one. The film has a lot of parody in it and if you’re a horror fan with a good sense of humor, you’ll get it.

[youtube id=”QKa9EMxwIQU” align=”center” mode=”normal” autoplay=”no”]

7. Trick R Treat

I know what you’re thinking. Trick r Treat isn’t a werewolf movie, right? Wrong. At least one third of it is, and that’s enough for me to include it! The stunning little story that intertwines with the film is a treat to watch. The transformation scenes are beautifully shot and terrifyingly fun to look at. Also, witnessing Laurie pop her werewolf cherry on that scumbag is one of the highlights of that movie for sure.

[youtube id=”vMoiNyyXSwU” align=”center” mode=”normal” autoplay=”no”]

6. Wolf

Jack Nicholson as a werewolf is just as irresistible as it sounds. A man bitten by a wolf makes the slow transformation throughout the movie, marking his territory along the way, until a thrilling finale involving a whole lot of teeth, claws and wolf wars with a fellow hairy enemy. Those this one is a bit more on the slow side, for those who require immediate action, but it’s a great story with a satisfying ending.

[youtube id=”sAycSRYz1DY” align=”center” mode=”normal” autoplay=”no”]

5. Teen Wolf

If you can’t appreciate the top of the wolfmobile dancing, basketball playing, awkwardly adorable legacy of Scott Wolf, then I certainly don’t want to know you. I’d hate to think someone out there even exists! The basically invisible teen ( Michael J. Fox) get’s the surprise of his life one fateful night, when he learns his family secret. Scott learns to embrace his wolf getup and uses it to his advantage. Ok seriously enough, if you haven’t seen it stop reading this and go watch.

[youtube id=”P6htehZchW0″ align=”center” mode=”normal” autoplay=”no”]

4. The Howling

The Howling directed by the wonderful Joe Dante and starring the beautiful Dee Wallace, is a stunning example of a horrifying werewolf film. Dee plays Karen White, a news anchor being stalked by a serial killer. After conspiring with the police to set up and capture the deadly stalker, Karen is injured in the process and is set away with her husband to a strange colony of sorts to recover. However, a restful recovery is far from the cards when events take a insane 360 and she discovers they are in the company of werewolves and Karen’s serial killer nightmare.

[youtube id=”fU_rnrt4I8E” align=”center” mode=”normal” autoplay=”no”]

3. An American Werewolf In London

The groundbreaking film by John Landis is considered not only one of the best werewolf films of all time, but as one of the greatest in horror period. One of the most basic reasons being the mind blowing transformation sequence which is both gruesome and compelling to watch. The tale of two American friends back packing through London and, resulting in a run in with a ferocious creature of the night, sets up the story that many consider as one of their all time favorites. Landis was 19 years old when he penned American Werewolf and the special effects won a rare acadamy award in the world of horror. The atmosphere of the film is unsettling, and a clever mix of horror and humor.

[youtube id=”3uw6QPThCqE” align=”center” mode=”normal” autoplay=”no”]

2. Silver Bullet

I’m certain I may get some shit for putting this ahead of American Werewolf In London; however that’s the beauty in seeing alternate perspectives on how each horror fan’s taste can differ. I for one am #TeamBusey. The absolute perfect film that was adapted from Stephen King‘s novelette, Cycle Of The Werewolf, is so beautifully done I can barely contain my thrill for this movie. The late Corey Haim, plays Marty: A crippled 11 year old boy who stumbles onto his small town pastor’s deadly secret. This was the first film that absolutely 100% scared the living crap out of when I was a child to the point of recurrent nightmares. Everett McGill’s performance as Reverend Werewolf is criminally underrated and downright chilling. The score that coincides with the movie, is breathtakingly scary and really sets you up for those scares and the anxiety waiting for them. And- can we just take a moment to appreciate Gary Busey? Busey, who plays Marty’s Uncle Red, brings a solid performance and comedy where it’s needed in the film, filling in the piece to the perfect werewolf movie puzzle. I can honestly talk about this film for hours so I’ll make this short- See it. Now. In the case you haven’t. You’re welcome in advance.

[youtube id=”PzsRLmOnXkM” align=”center” mode=”normal” autoplay=”no”]

1.The Wolfman (1941)

Obviously the 1941 universal classic tops them all! Lon Chaney Jr. takes on the daunting role of Lawrence Talbot in the massive achievement- The Wolfman. Chaney’s depressing expressions and naturally dark features make him the perfect example of a cursed man living in torment. His story continues in Universal sequels later, and although are fun to watch, they nowhere near measure up to the majesty of this feature. This is one that started it all folks. So let’s tip our hats to Lon Chaney Jr. and his performance for paving the way for the above films.

[youtube id=”AsrFMBWRC1M” align=”center” mode=”normal” autoplay=”no”]

Now the question stands: What is YOUR favorite werewolf film? While you’re thinking about that, enjoy one of my favorite music videos, by one of my favorite bands, parodying my favorite mythological creature.

[youtube id=”eDe7HoOzoZA” align=”center” mode=”normal” autoplay=”no”]

'Civil War' Review: Is It Worth Watching?

Click to comment

You must be logged in to post a comment Login

You must be logged in to post a comment.

Lists

Radio Silence Movies Ranked

Published

4 hours ago

April 23, 2024

Timothy Rawles

Matt Bettinelli-Olpin, Tyler Gillett, and Chad Villella are all filmmakers under the collective label called Radio Silence. Bettinelli-Olpin and Gillett are the primary directors under that moniker while Villella produces.

They have gained popularity over the past 13 years and their films have become known as having a certain Radio Silence “signature.” They are bloody, usually contain monsters, and have breakneck action sequences. Their recent film Abigail exemplifies that signature and is perhaps their best film yet. They are currently working on a reboot of John Carpenter’s Escape From New York.

We thought we would go through the list of projects they have directed and rank them from high to low. None of the movies and shorts on this list are bad, they all have their merits. These rankings from top to bottom are just ones we felt showcased their talents the best.

We didn’t include movies they produced but didn’t direct.

Abigail

An update to the second film on this list, Abagail is the natural progression of Radio Silence’s love of lockdown horror. It follows in pretty much the same footsteps of Ready or Not, but manages to go one better — make it about vampires.

Abigail

Ready or Not

This film put Radio Silence on the map. While not as successful at the box office as some of their other films, Ready or Not proved that the team could step outside their limited anthology space and create a fun, thrilling, and bloody adventure-length film.

Ready or Not

Scream (2022)

While Scream will always be a polarizing franchise, this prequel, sequel, reboot — however you want to label it showed just how much Radio Silence knew the source material. It wasn’t lazy or cash-grabby, just a good time with legendary characters we love and new ones who grew on us.

Scream (2022)

Southbound (The Way Out)

Radio Silence tosses their found footage modus operandi for this anthology film. Responsible for the bookend stories, they create a terrifying world in their segment titled The Way Out, which involves strange floating beings and some sort of time loop. It’s kind of the first time we see their work without a shaky cam. If we were to rank this entire film, it would remain at this position on the list.

Southbound

V/H/S (10/31/98)

The film that started it all for Radio Silence. Or should we say the segment that started it all. Even though this isn’t feature-length what they managed to do with the time they had was very good. Their chapter was titled 10/31/98, a found-footage short involving a group of friends who crash what they think is a staged exorcism only to learn not to assume things on Halloween night.

V/H/S

Scream VI

Cranking up the action, moving to the big city and letting Ghostface use a shotgun, Scream VI turned the franchise on its head. Like their first one, this film played with canon and managed to win over a lot of fans in its direction, but alienated others for coloring too far outside the lines of Wes Craven’s beloved series. If any sequel was showing how the trope was going stale it was Scream VI, but it managed to squeeze some fresh blood out of this nearly three-decade mainstay.

Scream VI

Devil’s Due

Fairly underrated, this, Radio Silence’s first feature-length film, is a sampler of things they took from V/H/S. It was filmed in an omnipresent found footage style, showcasing a form of possession, and features clueless men. Since this was their first bonafide major studio job it’s a wonderful touchstone to see how far they have come with their storytelling.

Devil’s Due

'Civil War' Review: Is It Worth Watching?

News

Perhaps the Scariest, Most Disturbing Series of The Year

Published

4 hours ago

April 23, 2024

Timothy Rawles

You may have never heard of Richard Gadd, but that will probably change after this month. His mini-series Baby Reindeer just hit Netflix and it’s a terrifying deep dive into abuse, addiction, and mental illness. What is even scarier is that it’s based on Gadd’s real-life hardships.

The crux of the story is about a man named Donny Dunn played by Gadd who wants to be a stand-up comedian, but it’s not working out so well thanks to stage fright stemming from his insecurity.

One day at his day job he meets a woman named Martha, played to unhinged perfection by Jessica Gunning, who is instantly charmed by Donny’s kindness and good looks. It doesn’t take long before she nicknames him “Baby Reindeer” and begins to relentlessly stalk him. But that is just the apex of Donny’s problems, he has his own incredibly disturbing issues.

This mini-series should come with a lot of triggers, so just be warned it is not for the faint of heart. The horrors here don’t come from blood and gore, but from physical and mental abuse that go beyond any physiological thriller you may have ever seen.

“It’s very emotionally true, obviously: I was severely stalked and severely abused,” Gadd said to People, explaining why he changed some aspects of the story. “But we wanted it to exist in the sphere of art, as well as protect the people it’s based on.”

The series has gained momentum thanks to positive word-of-mouth, and Gadd is getting used to the notoriety.

“It’s clearly struck a chord,” he told The Guardian. “I really did believe in it, but it’s taken off so quickly that I do feel a bit windswept.”

You can stream Baby Reindeer on Netflix right now.

If you or someone you know has been sexually assaulted, please contact the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673) or go to rainn.org.

'Civil War' Review: Is It Worth Watching?

Movies

The Original ‘Beetlejuice’ Sequel Had an Interesting Location

Published

10 hours ago

April 23, 2024

Timothy Rawles

Back in the late ’80s and early ’90s sequels to hit movies weren’t as linear as they are today. It was more like “let’s re-do the situation but in a different location.” Remember Speed 2, or National Lampoon’s European Vacation? Even Aliens, as good as it is, follows a lot of the plot points of the original; people stuck on a ship, an android, a little girl in peril instead of a cat. So it makes sense that one of the most popular supernatural comedies of all time, Beetlejuice would follow the same pattern.

In 1991 Tim Burton was interested in doing a sequel to his 1988 original, it was called Beetlejuice Goes Hawaiian:

“The Deetz family moves to Hawaii to develop a resort. Construction begins, and it’s quickly discovered that the hotel will be sitting on top of an ancient burial ground. Beetlejuice comes in to save the day.”

Burton liked the script but wanted some re-writes so he asked then-hot screenwriter Daniel Waters who had just got done contributing to Heathers. He passed on the opportunity so producer David Geffen offered it to Troop Beverly Hills scribe Pamela Norris to no avail.

Eventually, Warner Bros. asked Kevin Smith to punch up Beetlejuice Goes Hawaiian, he scoffed at the idea, saying, “Didn’t we say all we needed to say in the first Beetlejuice? Must we go tropical?”

Nine years later the sequel was killed. The studio said Winona Ryder was now too old for the part and an entire re-cast needed to happen. But Burton never gave up, there were a lot of directions he wanted to take his characters, including a Disney crossover.

“We talked about lots of different things,” the director said in Entertainment Weekly. “That was early on when we were going, Beetlejuice and the Haunted Mansion, Beetlejuice Goes West, whatever. Lots of things came up.”

Fast-forward to 2011 when another script was pitched for a sequel. This time the writer of Burton’s Dark Shadows, Seth Grahame-Smith was hired and he wanted to make sure the story wasn’t a cash-grabbing remake or reboot. Four years later, in 2015, a script was approved with both Ryder and Keaton saying they would return to their respective roles. In 2017 that script was revamped and then eventually shelved in 2019.

During the time the sequel script was being tossed around in Hollywood, in 2016 an artist named Alex Murillo posted what looked like one-sheets for a Beetlejuice sequel. Although they were fabricated and had no affiliation with Warner Bros. people thought they were real.

Perhaps the virality of the artwork sparked interest in a Beetlejuice sequel once again, and finally, it was confirmed in 2022 Beetlejuice 2 had a green light from a script written by Wednesday writers Alfred Gough and Miles Millar. The star of that series Jenna Ortega signed on to the new movie with filming starting in 2023. It was also confirmed that Danny Elfman would return to do the score.

Burton and Keaton agreed that the new film titled Beetlejuice, Beetlejuice wouldn’t rely on CGI or other other forms of technology. They wanted the film to feel “handmade.” The film wrapped in November 2023.

It’s been over three decades to come up with a sequel to Beetlejuice. Hopefully, since they said aloha to Beetlejuice Goes Hawaiian there has been enough time and creativity to ensure Beetlejuice, Beetlejuice will not only honor the characters, but fans of the original.

Beetlejuice, Beetlejuice will open theatrically on September 6.