Werewolves have made their return to cinemas with the release of 2025’s Wolf Man, Blumhouse’s remake of the 1941 classic, The Wolf Man. Alongside vampires and zombies, werewolves have remained some of the most popular monsters to appear in cinema, particularly in the horror genre.
While these creatures are used to create dark, tragic Gothic stories, other films have used werewolves in parodies or in genres like action or comedy. Now that Wolf Man is finally in theaters, here’s a rundown of the all-time seven best werewolf movies across all genres.
7. Wolf Man (2025)
The most recent remake of Wolf Man shows a man taking his family to his childhood home in the mountains, only to get infected by a werewolf prowling in the wilderness. Just as he did with The Invisible Man, director Leigh Whannell took a classic movie monster and reimagined it for modern cinema, presenting the werewolf’s curse more as a virus than a mystical curse.
While it lacks subtle dialogue and the kind of social commentary found in The Invisible Man, it does deliver the gripping suspense and gut-wrenching body horror associated with werewolf stories.
6. What We Do In the Shadows (2014)
Fans of the hit FX series of the same name likely know this comedy-horror classic. Though What We Do in the Shadows centers around a group of vampires living together in a flat in New Zealand, it features the funniest pack of werewolves ever to howl on the silver screen.
Their hilarious catchphrase, “We’re werewolves, not swearwolves,” immediately cemented them as fan favorites in a film filled with unique and hilarious characters. Fingers crossed (hiss) that they’ll finally do that spinoff, We’re Wolves, now that the TV show adaptation has ended.
5. The Howling (1981)
1981 was the year of the werewolves, thanks to popular Hollywood films such as The Howling. From Gremlins director Joe Dante, The Howling follows a traumatized news reporter traveling to an isolated resort to recover, only to discover the place is populated by a cabal of werewolves.
Though the story can be a bit too campy at times, The Howling boasts some terrific visuals and scares, as well as some terrifying monster effects. It also allows werewolves to explore the dark side of human nature with its emphasis on sex, violence, and the media’s obsession with them both. In the end, The Howling helped repopularize movie monsters at the time of its release, eventually spawning seven sequels and a remake of its own on the way.
4. Dog Soldiers (2002)
In Neil Marshall’s directorial debut, a squad of soldiers is forced to fight off a pack of werewolves while training in the Scottish wilderness. Harkening back to beloved films like Aliens and Predator, this macho-horror film features a healthy blend of action, humor, suspense, and gore.
To top it all off, Dog Soldiers features some incredible and terrifying creature designs, especially for a low-budget movie. Those who want a break away from the traditionally slow and morose werewolf films will want to sink their teeth into this exhilarating cult classic.
3. The Wolf Man (1941)
It’s only fair that audiences who see Wolf Man watch the movie that inspired it. This classic Universal Monster movie provided the template for several werewolf movies since its premiere. Not everything has aged well, considering it’s a movie from the 1940s.
Nevertheless, The Wolf Man crafts a beautifully tragic narrative with equally gorgeous visuals, presenting an eerie Gothic atmosphere that gives it a timeless, cinematic charm. Additionally, Lon Chaney Jr.’s performance and the iconic makeup used to bring his Wolf Man to life make this horror movie especially memorable.
2. Werewolf by Night (2022)
Werewolf by Night follows a group of monster hunters competing for a magical relic, facing off against some frightening and powerful creatures from the darkest corners of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. This film from director/composer Michael Giacchino was Marvel Studios’s first TV special on Disney+, and it made a lasting impression as a superhero horror movie.
Werewolf by Night pays homage to classic monster movies, including The Wolf Man, with its gorgeous black-and-white visuals and Gothic story, making it a treat to fans of horror and comic books alike.
1. An American Werewolf in London (1981)
This 1980s classic from Animal House director John Landis depicts an American graduate student who gets attacked and cursed by a werewolf while backpacking through the English countryside. The film’s award-winning makeup effects single-handedly raised the bar for horror movies as a whole.
Featuring a terrific blend of horror, tragedy, and comedy, An American Werewolf in London set itself apart from traditional werewolf movies while setting a whole new standard for the subgenre.
