25 Best Werewolf Horror Movies

From Paco Plaza, director of [REC] (the movie that inspired Quarantine), comes this artsy and ambitiously ambiguous tale based on the true story of Manuel Romasanta, the so-called "Wolfman of Allariz." Arrested for killing 13 people in the 19th century, Romasanta was Spain's first documented serial killer; his defense consisted of his claim that he suffered from a curse that turned him into a wolf.

Known as the Spanish Lon Chaney, Paul Naschy (Jacinto Molina) has played the tormented werewolf character Waldemar Daninsky in a dozen films, and The Night of the Werewolf (AKA El Returno del Hombre Lobo) -- about Daninsky battling his former vampire master -- might be the best of the bunch. In true Naschy fashion, it features a silly story full of hammy melodrama, cheesy effects and gratuitous nudity, but the quick pace and prolific, bloody action make this more enjoyable than most.

This smart, character-driven made-for-TV movie about a killer werewolf loose in a small Louisiana town plays like a murder mystery, with intriguing characters and twists, before the big reveal in the final 10 minutes.

While it pales in comparison to the original -- in part because the wonderfully constructed makeup effects are reduced to cheesy computer graphics -- An American Werewolf in Paris maintains An American Werewolf in London's sense of humor and actually provides a more in-depth storyline.

As much romantic drama as horror, Blood and Chocolate is unusually refined and mature for a film based on a teen novel. This was Twilight before Twilight and succeeds where that more popular vampire film falters: with strong writing, dreamy cinematography and likable, well-rounded characters.

The second film in the Ginger Snaps trilogy barely features sister Ginger, instead focusing on Brigitte, as she's locked in a rehab facility for her addiction to wolfsbane, which is keeping her growing lycanthropy at bay. The film's tone is kept light by Brigitte's new oddball sidekick, fellow patient Ghost, who helps provide a powerful twist ending.

The continuation of the werewolves-versus-vampires epic Underworld features a less cohesive plot but maintains the original's style and hectic action.

An early entry in Britain's legendary Hammer Films' gothic horror entries of the mid-20th century, The Curse of the Werewolf is unusual in that the werewolf (Oliver Reed) isn't bitten but rather was conceived as a werewolf. The movie spends an inordinate amount of time on the werewolf's childhood and upbringing, providing for a dramatic story with strong characters and acting that make up for a lack of action.

Poor lighting hinders an otherwise strong low-budget effort from Scotland with a simple yet effective plot about a group of teens camping in the Scottish Highlands who discover an abandoned baby and end up being pursued by werewolves. The unorthodox, bear-like creatures are designed by the same man responsible for the werewolves in Dog Soldiers.

By far the best of the Howling sequels (granted, that's not high praise), Rebirth is atmospheric and plays like a classic murder mystery, with guests in an ancient Romanian castle trying to figure out which one of them is a murderous werewolf.