Werewolf stories have evolved and transformed throughout cinematic history in accordance with the trends and topics of each era, with their adaptability making them the perfect jumping-off point for powerful stories and symbolic themes. While initially simply being a symbol of villainy and wrath, werewolves as a whole have shifted in the zeitgeist from malevolent creatures to tortured anti-heroes.
Werewolves have quickly become one of the most immediately recognizable and highly beloved monster archetypes of all time, rivaling even vampires in their popularity and usage in media. From 80s cult classics to immersive supernatural teen dramas, streaming services are chock-full of lycanthrope content, with the best werewolf movies and shows being perfect combinations of creep and camp.
10 'Teen Wolf' (1985)
Director: Rod Daniel
It's impossible to mention werewolf media without mentioning one of the first and most iconic teen movies of the 80s, Teen Wolf. The coming-of-age comedy stars Michael J. Fox as a teen who discovers he is a werewolf. Unlike the series, Fox's Scott Howard uses his newfound werewolf abilities to increase his popularity and win basketball games.
The film was met with a mixed critical response, but since has become a cult classic. It earned an animated series and a sequel in 1987, Teen Wolf Too before getting the massively popular 2011 reboot series. Part of the reason that Teen Wolf became such a phenomenon was that it was able to show and transform the werewolf character outside of horror and translate it into a coming-of-age story. Teen Wolf proved to many audiences that flexibility and creativity could allow for endless possibilities when it comes to werewolf stories and the poignant themes surrounding them.
teen wolf
PG Release Date August 23, 1985 Director Rod Daniel Cast Michael J. Fox , James Hampton , Susan Ursitti , Jerry Levine , Matt Adler , Lorie Griffin Runtime 91
Watch on Max
9 'Wolf Pack' (2023 - )
Creator: Jeff Davis
Based on the 2004 book of the same name, Wolf Pack stars Sarah Michelle Gellar as a detective investigating a wildfire. What she believes to be a straightforward arson investigation leads her onto the path of a supernatural mystery. The series follows two teens who are bitten by a mysterious creature while trying to escape the wildfire. They soon discover they have become werewolves and befriend two adopted siblings who have had the same experience sixteen years earlier. The pack embarks on their own investigations into their new abilities.
Wolf Pack harkens back to some of the great werewolf stories of yesteryear while also including an effective mystery angle that keeps audiences and fans engaged throughout the series. With only one season in and more on the way, Wolf Pack is easily setting itself up to be the premiere werewolf series of the 2020s, especially thanks to creator Jeff Davis's previous experience and work as the creator of the Teen Wolf TV series.
Watch on Paramount+
8 'The Order' (2019 - 2020)
Creators: Dennis Heaton, Shelley Eriksen
College freshman, Jack (Jake Manley), joins a magical secret society in hopes of avenging his late mother. He soon discovers there is a war brewing between werewolves and the magical dark arts. Though his allegiance lies with the dark arts, he finds himself drawn to the other side, finding it more and more difficult to make a choice between the two as the series continues.
More than simply being another teen drama about werewolves, the implementation and addition of a rivalry between werewolves and practitioners of dark magic adds additional layers of depth and intrigue to the tried and true werewolf teen premise. The Order effectively builds upon the veiled mystery and secrets surrounding its premise as the series goes on, as it hooks audiences in a way that few series have been able to do. While the show only lasted for 2 seasons, it made its mark as one of the most exciting and unique shows that Netflix ever created.
The Order
TV-MA Release Date March 7, 2019 Cast Jake Manley , Sarah Grey , Adam DiMarco , Louriza Tronco Seasons 2
Watch on Netflix
7 'Werewolves Within' (2021)
Director: Josh Ruben
Based on the video of the same name, Werewolves Within is a comedy movie that feels like the movie adaptation of a Werewolf social deduction game. Residents of a small Vermont town are stuck in a snowstorm when they start to suspect one of them might be a werewolf. Paranoia rises and the body count gets higher, as the new forest ranger attempts to keep order.
The film boasts an impressive ensemble cast, with the likes of Sam Richardson, Milana Vayntrub, and Harvey Guillen all providing a great deal of comedic moments. Because of the lack of real plot and characters in the original video game, Werewolves Within was able to weave together its own hilarious original whodunnit mystery while still holding onto the core elements of the game. The film is a perfect comedic execution of a classic whodunnit story with a werewolf twist, and by the end, fully delivers on the excitement and danger of a killer werewolf on the loose.
Werewolves Within
Release Date June 25, 2021 Director Josh Ruben Cast Sam Richardson , Milana Vayntrub , George Basil , Sarah Burns , Michael Chernus , Catherine Curtin Runtime 97
Watch on Hulu
6 'Ginger Snaps' (2000)
Director: John Fawcett
Ginger Snaps follows the story of Ginger (Katharine Isabelle) and Brigitte (Emily Perkins), sisters whose bond is tested when Ginger is bitten and becomes a werewolf. Brigitte soon enlists a local drug dealer to help develop a cure for her sister. But as the bodies start stacking up, she finds it harder to keep her sister's condition under wraps. The film is one of the most beloved yet underrated werewolf movies out there, as it has a lot in common with some of the most beloved and successful werewolf stories of the modern era.
The horror film was a critical success despite a limited theatrical run. The film has developed a cult following with audiences praising its feminist themes, which perfectly translated the evolved common werewolf themes to that of growing up as a teenage girl. Ginger Snaps is able to tackle all of these more modern and mature themes while still reveling in aspects that have made werewolf stories so enthralling since their inception, including the danger and destruction that they cause in their path.
Ginger Snaps
R
Ginger Snaps is a Canadian Horror film directed by John Fawcett and starring Emily Perkins and Katharine Isabelle. The plot sees one of two sisters undergoing a transformation into a werewolf as the other attempts to find a cure.
Release Date August 1, 2000 Director John Fawcett Cast Emily Perkins , Katharine Isabelle , Kris Lemche , Mimi Rogers , Jesse Moss , Danielle Hampton Runtime 108 minutes
Watch on Peacock
5 'Being Human' (2011 - 2014)
Creators: Jeremy Carver, Anna Fricke
Being Human is a Canadian drama-comedy about three supernatural friends who live as roommates. Aiden (Sam Witwer), a vampire, Josh (Sam Huntington), a werewolf and Sally (Meagan Rath), a ghost, share an apartment in an effort to keep their powers a secret from the rest of the world. Things get complicated when the supernatural world collides with their desire to live seemingly normal lives.
Based on the hit BBC series of the same name, Being Human ran for four seasons. Being Human was praised for its camp and humor, as it was able to take these normally scary and horror-centric creatures and tell a hilarious and easily digestible story that doesn't take itself nearly as seriously. The show is notoriously easy to watch and features great implementation of not only the main trio of vampires, werewolves, and ghosts, but a wide array of supernatural creatures in its own silly style.
Being Human
Three twenty-somethings share a house and try to live a normal life despite being a ghost, a werewolf, and a vampire.
Release Date January 17, 2011 Cast Sam Witwer , Meaghan Rath , Sam Huntington , Kristen Hager , Gianpaol Venuta , Connor Price , Mark Pellegrino , Deanna Russo Seasons 4
Watch on Amazon Prime
4 'Werewolf by Night' (2022)
Director: Michael Giacchino
A far cry and completely different both tonally and execution-wise from nearly every other project in the MCU, Werewolf by Night stands out as a great individual werewolf story. The special is stylized in black and white, calling back to old studio films, and shares continuity with other MCU films and series. The special has been praised for its practical effects, performances, and cinematography.
Jack Russell (Gael Garcia Bernal) joins a group of monster hunters trying to win the coveted bloodstone and the magical gifts that come with it. Russell's objective, however, is unclear as he makes his way through a deadly maze alongside the rightful heir of the stone, Elsa Bloodstone (Laura Donnelly). When he is captured, his secret is revealed with deadly consequences. The special acts as a perfect love letter to the classic werewolf movies of old, while at the same time transforming the story for modern audiences and including its own MCU-style flair.
Werewolf by Night
TV-14 Release Date October 7, 2022 Director Michael Giacchino Cast Gael García Bernal , Laura Donnelly , Harriet Sansom Harris , Leonardo Nam , Eugenie Bondurant , Kirk R. Thatcher Runtime
Watch on Disney+
3 'Teen Wolf: The Series' (2011 - 2017)
Creator: Jeff Davis
The hit series based on the 1985 film, Teen Wolf: The Series took the source material in a new direction with this supernatural teen thriller. After Scott McCall (Tyler Posey) is bitten by a werewolf, he and his best friend, Stiles (Dylan O'Brien) discover a host of supernatural happenings in their town of Beacon Hills.
Teen Wolf: The Series takes the basis of the original cult classic and is able to tell its own much more personal and powerful story while still following the core themes of coming of age and maturity. The series ran for six seasons and launched the careers of stars like Dylan O'Brien and Colton Haynes. The show was so popular and beloved that eventually Teen Wolf: The Movie, a continuation of the series taking place 15 years after Season 6, was created. Teen Wolf broke Paramount+'s record for the most-watched original movie on the first day of its premiere.
Teen Wolf
Release Date June 5, 2011 Cast Tyler Posey , Dylan O'Brien , Holland Roden , Shelley Hennig , Linden Ashby , jr bourne Seasons 6
Watch on Amazon Prime
2 'Wolfwalkers' (2020)
Directors: Tomm Moore, Ross Stewart
Wolfwalkers follows the story of Robyn, a young apprentice hunter who has arrived in Ireland alongside her father in order to help wipe out the last of a group of mysterious wolves in the surrounding forest. However, while on her quest, she discovers Mehb, a magical and wild girl with the ability to transform into a wolf, and shares her magic and mysterious world with Robyn. Now that the duo has formed an unlikely friendship, Robyn must reevaluate her goals, as her father is still tasked with destroying this entire world, which may just include herself.
Wolfwalkers is able to combine the classic werewolf story with a powerful combination of Irish folklore and legacy with breathtakingly beautiful 2D animation from studio Cartoon Saloon. Wolfwalkers is one of the rare werewolf stories that can be appreciated and loved by the entire family, yet, despite this, it still embraces the fear and strength that have made werewolves such an icon since their inception. – Rob Lee
Wolfwalkers
Release Date October 26, 2020 Director Tomm Moore , Ross Stewart Cast Sean Bean , Honor Kneafsey , Eva Whittaker , Simon McBurney , Tommy Tiernan , Maria Doyle Kennedy Runtime 103
Watch on Apple TV+
1 'An American Werewolf in London' (1981)
Director: John Landis
An American Werewolf in London follows the story of an American backpacker and his friend who are attacked by a wolf outside a Yorkshire pub. He wakes up in a hospital bed in London alone and has visions of his dead friend who explains he has become a werewolf. When the full moon rises, he prowls the streets of London wreaking havoc, and it soon becomes up to his friend to put a stop to it before the body count continues to rise.
The cult classic was director John Landis' first foray into horror after an established career in comedy. The blending of horror and comedy, combined with the special effects make it a milestone in the genre. Even to this day, over 40 years after the film's release, there is arguably no greater werewolf transformation sequence than the one featured in An American Werewolf in London. The film is considered far and wide one of the greatest modern werewolf stories of all time, surmounting a legacy nearly as great as the classic werewolf movies of old.
An American Werewolf In London
R
Release Date August 21, 1981 Director John Landis Cast David Naughton , Jenny Agutter , Griffin Dunne , John Woodvine , Lila Kaye , Joe Belcher Runtime 97
Watch on Tubi
NEXT: Underrated Werewolf Movies of the 21st Century, Ranked
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