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A Guide to Werewolf Cinema
This guide will lead you through all the essential werewolf movies you need watch to fully explore the genre. Unlike the database, it won’t have all werewolf movies, but of course every film you see in the guide can be found in the database above and you can add them to your watchlist. Below it you can find curated lists based on certain topics.
1935-1959
Werewolf of London (1935)
The earliest feature length werewolf movie is Werewolf of London (1935). It was directed by Stuart Walker and stars Henry Hull as Dr. Wilfred Glendon. The Wolf Man (1941) tends to overshadow it, but you shouldn’t overlook it. The film gives a unique lore to its lycanthropes, some of which were never reused despite its great ideas.
It has a mysterious flower called the Mariphasa Lupina Lumina, also known as phosphorescent wolf flower. It has the power to prevent one’s transformation into a werewolf after they have been cursed. It includes other uncommon tropes such as a werewolf will always seek the one they love the most and they must kill at least one human or they be permamently afflicted.
The Wolf Man (1941)
THE werewolf movie that everyone must watch whether or not they want to get deep in to the genre. It introduced many of the werewolf tropes that you see in countless other movies such as weakness to silver and the full moon inducing the transformation. However it has one underutilized trope: the mark of the werewolf, which is a pentagram on a person’s hand that only the werewolf can see, marking them as their next victim.
Frankenstein Meets The Wolf Man (1943)
Unlike its title suggests, Frankenstein doesn’t have much role in this. It’s essentially a sequel to The Wolf Man. The movie is about Larry not able to cope with the curse and wanting a way out even if it means death. The opening of the movie shows Larry in his coffin thats filled with wolfbane and as the moon begins to shine he comes back to life. Wolfbane is not that bad after all. The Wolf Man 2 would have been a more fitting title.
Cry of the Werewolf (1944)
This movie introduces us to the first female werewolf! And that wasn’t the only unique thing about it. Unlike the others, she has full control over her transformation and her wolf form is quadruped. Celeste is a gipsy princess and she inherited the curse from her mother Marie LaToure, she seeks to protect the secret of her mother and tribe.
The Enchanted Village (1955)
Not only Canada’s first animated feature, but also the first animated werewolf movie. Instead of being a tragic monster, like every lycanthrope at the time, the werewolf is a real villain in this story. And thanks to it being an animated movie it was able to do lots of things that were unique in a werewolf movie at the time. The transformation scene features the hands stretching and the werewolf has not one but two forms: a quadruped wolf and also a biped werewolf with a muzzle instead of a wolfman.
I Was a Teenage Werewolf (1957)
Like the others this was still a classic tragic werewolf story, but it's significant, becuase it kickstarted teen oriented monster movies. It used lycanthropy as a metaphore to puberty and repressed adolescent rage.
Honorable Mentions
If you want to see The Wolf Man's full journey, you should also watch House of Frankenstein and House of Dracula. I would also recommend Werewolf (1956) because it's a great and very atmospheric movie.
1960-1979
The Curse of the Werewolf (1961)
This was the first live action werewolf movie to be in color and also Hammer’s only werewolf film. It wasn’t as well received as their other monster movies, so they didn’t produce more, but don’t let that make you think it’s bad. It’s one of the best gothic horror films ever made and one of Guillermo del Toro’s favorites.
