Werewolf movies are not an easy thing to get right.
Werewolf Movies
Ginger Snaps 1, 2, & 3
Ginger Snaps has to be one of my favourite werewolf movies, the first one introduces us to the sisters, Ginger and Brigitte, who have to deal with a particularly hairy puberty problem. It’s not a typical werewolf movie and there’s the love hate relationship of the siblings to contend with too as one tries to save the other from a similar fate. The second, Ginger Snaps 2: Unleashed, sees Brigitte in a rehabilitation clinic for teen girls where she has to go to extremes to keep her lycanthropy under control in the highly controlled environment. And the 3rd, Ginger Snaps Back: The Beginning, which takes the orphaned sisters back to the 19th Century and in Fort Bailey where the few remaining settlers are hiding something from their guests.
Red Riding Hood
We all know the story of Little Red Riding Hood right? She’s this beautiful young woman whose Grandmother gives her a red cloak and is in love. But her parents want her to marry another and so the couple plan to run away. Then her little sister is killed and she begins to suspect she knows who the werewolf is that the villagers make their yearly sacrifice to. Set in the dead of winter in a small village, the setting is darkly magical and a pleasing watch.
The Wolfman
This movie is dark and has Anthony Hopkins as Lawrence Talbot’s estranged father, whose home he returns to when his brother goes missing. As villagers meet gruesome ends and an Inspector from Scotland Yard begins to investigate, Lawrence learns about an ancient curse and discovers a side to himself that he never imagined existed. I found this movie to be a long watch, but I was glad I stuck with it.
Dog Soldiers
Set in the Scottish Highlands, a squad of British soldiers on a training
Werewolf: The Beast Among Us
Okay, I haven’t seen this one yet but it looks interesting. A mysterious, ancient and deadly, beast terrifies a village and a band of specialist hunters set out to track it down. As the villagers start to turn on each other and into beasts the hunters realised their foe is far deadlier than they imagined.
Howl
The Brits do horror movies well don’t they? When a train of late-night commuters breaks down between stations and when the driver goes out to investigate and fails to return, the passengers and a young guard are forced into a fight for their lives.
Underworld 1, 2, 3, 4, & 5
Okay, so these ones are vampires versus werewolves but they’re fun and dark. Underworld introduces us to Selene, a vampire trained to kill known as a Death Dealer, and Michael, a mortal doctor, whose paths are forced together by the interest of the werewolves. Then we get Underworld: Evolution where the pair are in love (and Michael is now a werewolf) which goes against their clan’s beliefs. They hunt for clues to repair the rift but not everyone wants vampires and werewolves to get along.
Leading us to Underworld: Rise of the Lycans, the prequel we didn’t really need, which shows us the cruel king of the vampires and his centuries-old persecution of the
Werewolf TV Series
Teen-Wolf –although this series is now officially over it’s fun to re-watch. When a teen gets bitten by a werewolf he has to learn to control the strange new urges as he figures out whether the bite is a gift or a curse. With more than just werewolves, this series evolves to include many other creatures and those trying to put an end to their existence.
Bitten –I have a bit of a take it or leave it relationship with this one. I can sit and binge it for a few hours or leave it for weeks. It’s interesting but the story just isn’t compelling enough to make me want to keep coming back. It’s about the only female werewolf in existenceb whose more of a loner than a pack animal. But when bodies start appearing in her packs back yard she is pulled back into the world she’s tried so hard to leave.
Being Human – What do you get when a vampire and werewolf and a ghost live together? Another one that’s been and gone but good to revisit. And if you’ve only seen one version of it you can also watch the other. American or British, the choice is yours.
The Originals –Werewolves, vampires, witches, and New Orleans. A shame it’s finished but the legacy continues in Legacies. And when Klaus, a vampire-werewolf hybrid, returns to investigate a threat against him he finds his protege has been running the city in his absence. And after his vampire brother joins him they discover the werewolf carrying Klaus’s child has been captured by witches.
Hemlock Grove – A peculiar series available on Netflix and produced by Eli Roth. Based on the book by Brian McGreevy, this series is set in a dilapidated former steel town and focuses on the peculiar residents and killer creatures.
I think that should be enough to get your werewolf fix but if you’re looking for something to read there’s always Moon.
Horror and Fantasy Author – Also writing as K.T. McQueen. Love Western Horror, cowboy boots, my cactus Collin, & my Demon Cat.
Moths – I hate moths, the way they flutter at your face!
