Ten Best Werewolf Movies/Books

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ORIGINAL HEADING:

Here’s another blog I made.  Another one?  Really?  Oh well, I like lists so this blog contains lists only.  Unlike my Best/Worst of the Year lists posted on my other blog (one of many), Best and Worst Films Archive, this one will contain top ten lists for specific genres.  Whenever people ask me what my favorite movie is, I never have a definitive answer so these entries will give you a general idea of what some of my favorite films are.  Agree or disagree, I don’t give a ‘eff’ (that’s your right)…

*Read any previous lists in the archive section at the bottom or by clicking on arrow at top left*

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Werewolves may be one of my least favorite movie monsters, but it could also be that there just aren’t that many good films featuring them.  Their design could be a major factor in determining how good the movie is too; case in point---Howl (2015) is a pretty good movie other than the crappy werewolf look.  Normally I try to include ten films on these lists, but since I didn’t want to simply add titles I included four books featuring werewolves to make it an even ten.  Sure, I may have enjoyed films like WolfCop, Cursed (as corny as it may be), and The Wolf of Snow Hollow (even though, SPOILER, it’s technically not a lycanthrope feature), but I don’t like them enough to include them on a ‘best’ list, and I didn’t enjoy any version of The Wolf Man enough to include them.  I also wasn’t going to include ones that feature werewolves but aren’t strictly werewolf films, like Trick ‘r Treat, The Cabin in the Woods, Annabelle Comes Home, and The Monster Squad.  Don’t even get me started on Teen Wolf either; sure, I may not dislike it, but it’s not a movie I would include on one of these lists (I never watched the show of the same name either; there was a show called Wolf Lake I remember somewhat getting into that I’ll have to check out again).  As for the titles I did include, it’s pretty much a given (although opinions are always subjective) for horror fans to be a fan of An American Werewolf in London and The Howling, or at least one of them (more so the former, most likely; none of the sequels to the latter stick out to me either).  I once described Dog Soldiers as “The Evil Dead with werewolves,” and Silver Bullet is a fun Eighties flick based on a Stephen King novel (featuring drawings), Cycle of the Werewolf, which I also included as one of my favorite werewolf books.  Ginger Snaps is a good one that’s also a teen “feminist” movie and was largely unknown upon its initial release; its sequel, Unleashed, may have been a different type of film than its predecessor, but certainly worthy, enough to include it on this list; and I may have somewhat liked the third film, Ginger Snaps Back:  The Beginning, which was also a prequel (of sorts) to the first, but definitely not enough to include it.  You can read my review of all three films in one of my other blogs here---https://vampireclown82-2.blogspot.com/2016/06/lycantrilogy.html.  As for the other books I listed, The Sticks by Andy Deane, also the singer of a band called Bella Morte, is one of my favorite books period; I read it three times and probably will read it again (someone adapt it already!).  I also had to include two titles from one of my favorite authors, R.L. Stine, from one of my favorite series (Goosebumps)---The Werewolf of Fever Swamp (which may have been the first one I purchased if I recall correctly) and Werewolf Skin (which I may have subconsciously included to make an even ten, but I still enjoyed it enough and more than any other lycanthrope title that came to mind); I also remember the former episode on the TV series being worthy enough, but don’t recall the latter adaptation being as good as the book.  Like always, there are definitely countless films featuring the creatures I haven’t seen that may actually be good, and hopefully future films will be released that I could add to this list (I don’t think the subgenre has officially been declared “dead” yet); I do know there’s at least one called Werewolves Within that I look forward to seeing.  Anyway, agree or disagree, here are the alphabetized lists for my ten favorite werewolf films and books…

Six Favorite Werewolf Movies

1.            An American Werewolf in London

2.            Dog Soldiers

3.            Ginger Snaps

4.            Ginger Snaps 2:  Unleashed

5.            The Howling

6.            Silver Bullet

Four Favorite Werewolf Books

1.            Cycle of the Werewolf by Stephen King

2.            The Sticks by Andy Deane

3.            The Werewolf of Fever Swamp (Goosebumps) by R.L. Stine

4.            Werewolf Skin (Goosebumps) by R.L. Stine

---Sean O.

6/10/2021