The 411 Top 5: Week 85
Posted by Trevor Snyder on 11.02.2007
The Top 5 Werewolf Movies
Not that you asked, but here's my opinion of werewolves:
They're scary as shit.
No, I don't mean scary in the same way the threat of global warfare or staph infection is scary. I do know that werewolves don't exist. But in terms of fictional monsters, werewolves are about as frightening as it gets.
Think about it. Vampires might be more popular, but at the end of the day, most of them are just pretentious Goth pretty-boys with fangs, and can often be defeated just by following some simple rules ("Sorry, bloodsucker, but I didn't invite you into my house. I win!"). Ghosts might seem a little terrifying at first, but I'm not gonna get too worked up by any creature that can be defeated by the likes of Dan Aykroyd and Rick Moranis. And zombies, much as I love ‘em, can usually be avoided just by simply walking a little faster.
If you're being chased by a werewolf, though, you're pretty much screwed. Take the idea of being chased by a mean dog (which many of us can actually relate to), and multiply it by about a thousand. There is no negotiating with a werewolf, no convenient rules to keep it out of your house. If that thing wants you dead, you're pretty much a goner.
And yet, for as scary as they are, werewolves have never quite enjoyed the cinematic glory of their horror monster peers. It's not that the world is lacking for werewolf movies or anything, but the genre is certainly not as prolific as other kinds of horror movies. And of those that have been made, there's really only a little more than a handful that I would consider worth noting.
With that in mind, I figured it was time to give our hairy friends the spotlight, and take a look at our picks for:
THE TOP 5 WEREWOLF MOVIES
Trevor Snyder
5.Ginger Snaps
I doubt anyone was expecting anything too special from this low-budget Canadian werewolf flick, and yet it would go on to become a massive cult hit, and spawn two sequels (well, a sequel and a prequel, actually). And while neither of the follow-ups came close to matching the quality of the original, they were OK enough to cement Ginger Snaps' place as one of the few memorable werewolf franchises. Chalk it up to the awesome performances of Katherine Isabelle and Emily Perkins, as two young sisters both affected by the werewolf curse (one moreso than the other, but I don't want to give too much away).
4.Dog Soldiers
The army vs. werewolves in the forest. That either sounds amazingly lame or incredibly awesome, depending on your own personal tastes. For those of who do think it sounds stupid, I'd still recommend checking it out - I guarantee it's better than you think. And you can thank one man for that: Neil Marshall. Before directing The Descent (one of the best horror films of the last 10 years, in my opinion), Marshall first splashed onto the horror scene with this, his debut film. I've seen it described as Aliens with werewolves, and I suppose that's as good a comparison as any. Still, it's awesome enough that maybe someday, people will be comparing future horror movies to Dog Soldiers.
3.The Wolf Man
Much like Lugosi's Dracula and vampire movies, The Wolf Man isn't technically the first werewolf movie, but it might as well be. It pretty much created the majority of the mythology we know today, and Lon Chaney remains the most iconic werewolf of all time. The flick still holds up surprisingly well, too. I personally enjoy Frankenstein vs. The Wolf Man a little bit more, but this is the one that has to make the list, because it basically set the bar for all werewolf movies to come.
2.The Howling
The early ‘80s were a particularly good time for the werewolf film, as they gave us the two best films the genre has ever seen. First up was this great horror-comedy, a film which signaled Joe Dante as a director to watch (a designation he would definitely live up to once Gremlins rolled around). If you think one werewolf is scary, imagine a whole resort full of them. A pretty terrifying idea, but Dante manages to keep the laughs coming just as much as the scares…and the blood – the flick has great FX work by Rob Bottin. The only bad news for The Howling was that it would only enjoy one brief reign atop the werewolf film food chain, because soon after came:
1.An American Werewolf in London
Will we ever get a better werewolf movie than this one? It seems highly unlikely. This John Landis classic might just be the all-time greatest example of blending horror with comedy. I remember that it was the first movie I ever saw that presented the beast side of a werewolf as an actual wolf, instead of a half-man/half-wolf, and that was cool enough to make it one of my favorites. Plus, of course, it has the best transformation scene ever, one that guaranteed FX master Rick Baker a permanent spot in the horror-geek hall of fame. The one thing that has always suprised about An American Werewolf in London is that it created a really cool addition to the werewolf mythos - the idea of the victim's ghost following the werewolf around - that no future werewolf movies seemed to pick up on. I guess they all knew there was no point trying to top this one, and they were probably right.
Ben Moser
5.The Curse
This movie is hilarious, sometimes intentionally, sometimes not. Here we follow a girl named Frida who gets PMS so bad she becomes a werewolf. Not kidding. That's the plot of the movie. You don't need more, because once you hear that description, anything else that's said is for naught. You've already decided you either have to see this flick or you can live without it.
4.I Was a Teenage Werewolf
A James Dean-esque kid goes to a therapist who turns out to be a mad scientist for help. Unfortunately, what with the whole mad scientist as a therapist thing going against him, this kid gets turned into a werewolf. The kicker? That kid is played by a young Michael Landon. Screw Little House on the Prairie. Bite me, Highway to Heaven. This is Landon's best role, and I'm not even kidding.
3.Teen Wolf
Michael J. Fox comes of age in a family of werewolves and uses his newfound transformation to achieve WICKED SWEET SKILLZ ON THE BASKETBALL COURT. Beyond that, it's every 80's teenage romantic comedy complete with the title character realizing that he doesn't want the popular girl but rather the girl who liked him before he made whatever heinous change to himself(in this case, of course, that change was into a werewolf).
2.An American Werewolf in London
What's worse than getting bitten by an animal and having your friend killed while overseas? Having that dead friend come back telling you to kill yourself before the next full moon because you're a werewolf. This movie is really, really good. It goes right up there with John Landis' other legendary flicks.
1.Blood
Horror legend Andy Milligan's gore-filled awesome-fest hasn't necessarily aged well, but is still always fun to watch. A werewolf falls for and then teams with Dracula's daughter to do some over-the-top killing. If you've never watched any of Milligan's stuff, this is actually a great place to start and I highly recommend it.
Owain J. Brimfield
5.Brotherhood of the Wolf (2001)
Christophe Gans making a bearable film? You'd better believe it. A modern French take on the werewolf legend tells the story of a lycanthropic monster terrorizing 18th century provincial France. The knight Gregoire is tasked with leading the hunt for the monster, stopping only occasionally so his sidekick Mani (the irrepressible Mark Dacascos) can indulge in some kung fu sessions with the local peasantry. Of course, once the monster itself is discovered it's a disappointing CGI creation, but the search is fun and the film has a surprisingly epic feel to it. Plus, Dacascos is always good value, as evidenced in his earlier collaboration with Gans, Crying Freeman.
4.The Howling (1980)
Although The Howling has gone on to take a life of its own as a tack straight-to-video franchise, the original is still a standout piece of black-as-night comedy, courtesy of one of the genre's masters Joe Dante. It's evident that this is the filmmaker who would go on to unleash Gremlins on the world, as the film drips with wit, in-jokes and a surprising level of gore - the latter courtesy of SFX guru Rob Bottin, who arguably set the trend for werewolf effects (at least until the following year - see the number one choice for more). The story of hairy goings-on at a Californian coastal retreat is still worthwhile viewing today, and was a bit of a landmark for werewolf movies, bringing the theme somewhat to the fore for the 1980s.
3.The Wolf Man (1941)
The original werewolf movie, starring the legendary Lon Chaney in the title role, takes credit for giving us much of the conception of werewolf mythology that is prevalent today (despite what you might think, the idea of transformations at full moon wasn't a common notion before Wolf Man, or possibly its sequel). It's pretty much a standard Universal Studios horror movie of the time, although it certainly belongs in the higher echelons and is always a treat to come across as a daytime movie on TV. Of course, Wolfy himself went on to become one of Universal's marquee monsters during its horror phase, and deservedly so. Apparently it's being remade with Benicio Del Toro in the lead - decent casting, but I can't imagine it'll be as influential as its daddy.
2.Teen Wolf (1985)
That's right, there's room for a bit of camp in this list. Who knows what would have happened to Michael J. Fox's reputation if this had been released, as intended, before Back To The Future? As it was, Fox had already established a winning rapport with audiences, and the teen-oriented guff of Teen Wolf merely solidified his position as one of America's newest heartthrobs. It still stands up, too, as an enjoyable kid-friendly werewolf flick, with Fox's Scott Howard learning to embrace the lycanthropic curse in order to win basketball games and the hearts of his fellow pupils. Of course, there's the obligatory moral ending, but it doesn't dampen the spirit and vigor of this prime eighties teen flick.
1.An American Werewolf in London (1981)
Couldn't be anything else really, could it? Jenny Agutter and John Naughton ostensibly take lead billing, but it's Rick Baker's majestic special effects that steal the show. The werewolf transformation scene has, rightly, gone down in cinematic lore as a defining visual moment, and it's still unnerving to watch today. The movie itself is arguably director John Landis' finest effort, and remains one of the most original and striking horror movies of its time. Not even the CGI werewolves of poorly-received sequel American Werewolf in Paris could dampen this one's reputation.
Bryan Kristopowitz
HONORABLE MENTIONS
Wolfen (1981): A great sort of "anti-urban sprawl" werewolf movie where creatures like werewolves attack rich people because the wolfen werewolves don't have anywhere to live. That's the basic concept anyway. Albert Finney is great as the NYPD detective charged with finding out who or what killed the rich land developer that starts off the flick. This movie isn't on TV enough, because I haven't seen it in years (I seem to remember it being on all of the time). And watch out for the great Gregory Hines. He's got one of the greatest afros in movie history.
Dog Soldiers (2002): I remember when just about everyone in the horror movie world crapped themselves when this came out. No CGI werewolves, everything done practically, and it's a story about soldiers being attacked by already mentioned werewolves. How cool is that? This flick is decent enough, with some great action set piece hooey, some outstanding gore moments, and the wolves look cool, but it's not that great. I think my overall opinion of the movie changed when I finished watching the DVD documentary where, I think it was Kevin McKidd, said that "this movie is different from other horror movies because this one has characters in it" or something like that. What the heck ever, dude. And when the heck is the sequel coming out?
Silver Bullet (1985): All you really need to know about this movie is that Gary Busey is in it. That alone should be good enough for at least a look if you haven't already seen it. It's also got Corey Haim in it as a kid in a wheelchair. As I remember it, the actual werewolf that's attacking people in this flick isn't that impressive (he's not corny or anything like that), but then again it doesn't have to be. It is what it is.
THE TOP 5
5.Teen Wolf (1985)
Michael J. Fox, being a teen (naturally, hence the name of the flick), finds out that the males in his family are all werewolves. And while it's somewhat of a shock to dang near everyone at school, eventually everyone accepts it and Fox's character becomes the "coolest" guy in school and a star basketball player. The best part of the flick, besides the basketball coach and this three rules to life ("never get less than twelve hours sleep; never play cards with a guy who has the same first name as a city; and never get involved with a woman with a tattoo of a dagger on her body," all good advice I'd say), is Fox's father, played by James Hampton. The scene where Fox transforms in the bathroom, opens the door, and finds out that his father, too, is a werewolf. The look on Hampton's face, even under the heavy make up, is hilarious.
4.Full Eclipse (1993)
Mario Van Peebles stars in this HBO made-for-cable movie about a super elite group of LAPD officers that deal with crime in an "unconventional" way. The elite unit is comprised of werewolves. The flick is kind of cheap looking, and it's slow at times, but the bits where the werewolf cops lay siege to the bad guys are top notch, and the werewolf make up is pretty cool. Heck, the whole idea of werewolf cops is enough, I think, to get people to watch. They certainly don't make them like this anymore.
3.The Howling (1981)
The flick that got Joe Dante into the big time, and we're all grateful for that. I remember this flick being more funny than scary, although that could be just bad memory (I haven't seen it in a long time). I do remember Robert Picardo and his disfigured face, though. And the whole bit where the town, which is a rehab type place, is filled with werewolves and they can't figure out if the reporter character should become one of them, classic. I need to see this again.
2.The Wolf Man (1941)
I was torn about not putting this flick at the top of the list because, like Lugosi's Dracula, it's the first movie of the old Universal monster movies that deals with werewolves. It deserves a certain level of respect in that regard. And the work of Lon Chaney as the Wolf Man is, well, he is the Wolf Man. And to a certain degree the flick still holds up after 65 years. And it's still plenty of fun to sit through.
1.An American Werewolf in London (1981)
The David Naughton werewolf transformation scene. Probably the best ever filmed. The story is nifty enough, hilarious at points (the whole bit where Griffin Dunne, dead, still talks to Naughton is brilliant because it's so ridiculous), but the make up effects make this movie. The werewolf is a freaking werewolf. Much like The Wolf Man, AAWIL is a classic that needs to be seen, preferably more than the one time I saw it. What the heck is the matter with me?
You don't often see this much agreement in the Top 5, so I guess it just goes to show that if you're at-all interested in werewolf films, you really need to check out The Wolf Man, The Howling, and An American Werewolf in London. C'mon, 411 wouldn't steer you wrong.
Next week, we keep the Halloween themed Top 5's coming. Yeah, I know it's not October anymore, but I'm a horror-nerd. Sue me! Anyway, in seven days we'll offer up our take on The Top 5 Slasher Films. Check it out.
