Top 10 Best Werewolf Movies Ever Made

The absolute masterpiece of the genre. Director John Landis perfectly mixes pitch-black humor with pure horror. When two American backpackers are attacked on the Yorkshire moors, only David survives. While recovering in London, he's visited by the rotting ghost of his friend, who warns him he'll turn into a monster at the next full moon. The transformation scene, with Rick Baker's groundbreaking makeup effects, is still the gold standard. The ultimate werewolf film.

Forget the remakes; the original is where the magic began. Lon Chaney Jr. plays Larry Talbot, a man who returns to his father's estate in Wales and is bitten while trying to save a girl. The film introduced almost everything we now consider standard werewolf lore, like the vulnerability to silver and the curse passed on through a bite. Talbot is a tragic hero fighting a fate he didn't choose, giving the film a deep emotional layer.

This Canadian cult film uses the werewolf transformation as a brilliant metaphor for puberty and female sexuality. Sisters Ginger and Brigitte are inseparable outsiders until Ginger is bitten by a beast. As she changes physically, her personality shifts too, driving a wedge between the sisters. A smart, bloody and quirky film with great chemistry between the actresses and practical effects that keep the horror credible.

What do you get when you drop a group of trained British soldiers in the Scottish Highlands and have them hunted by a pack of hungry werewolves? A massive adrenaline rush. The soldiers have to barricade themselves in a remote farmhouse against huge, genuinely terrifying werewolves: actors in suits, not CGI. Exciting, funny and full of scenes that keep every horror fan on the edge of their seat.

A unique piece of film history. Although it's a comedy, it's also the last great appearance of the classic Universal Monsters: Dracula, Frankenstein's Monster and of course the Wolf Man, again played by Lon Chaney Jr. The monsters are played dead seriously while Abbott and Costello provide the laughs. A beautiful and hilarious tribute to the icons of horror.

Director Neil Jordan created a dark, gothic dream based on Angela Carter's stories. It's a retelling of Little Red Riding Hood full of symbolism, sexuality and folklore, like a dark fairy tale for adults. The visual style is beautiful, and the way the werewolves literally emerge from human bodies is as creative as it is disturbing.

1981 was a great year for werewolves. Alongside American Werewolf came The Howling, in which a TV journalist seeks rest at a remote retreat after a traumatic experience, only to discover the residents share a hairy secret. It features one of the most memorable slow transformations ever filmed, and Rob Bottin's makeup effects are still impressive.

Often overshadowed by The Wolf Man, this is an essential piece of history. A botanist bitten in Tibet searches London for a rare plant that can stop the transformation. A classic Universal horror film with that lovely 1930s atmosphere, and subtler makeup that keeps human features visible, which is unsettling in its own way.

Not a standard werewolf film but a crime horror set in the grim streets of New York. A detective investigating brutal murders discovers creatures that have lived among us for centuries. The film uses a unique visual perspective to show how the creatures see their prey, long before Predator did. A serious, intelligent film linking legend to urban and social themes.

Of course Stephen King couldn't be missing from this list. In a small town, people die every full moon. A boy in a wheelchair (Corey Haim) discovers the truth and must take on the beast with his uncle (Gary Busey). Typical 80s: a bit cheesy, but with a big heart and exciting moments.