There were a handful of werewolf movies in the 1970s, but none that I feel were truly of great note. But the 1980s? That’s a whole different story. In the 80s, werewolf fiction became all the rage again, hitting with full force in 1981 most especially. In that year, in a span of fewer than 12 months, four major werewolf films released, a couple of which at least are now considered to be perennial classics of the genre. I’m here today to talk about some of the more notable werewolf films of the 1980s and 1990s. I will mainly be covering films that specifically focus on werewolves, and don’t merely feature one. And for the interests of space and redundancy, I also won’t be covering individual sequels. So without further adieu, let’s dive into it!
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Film: The Howling
Year: 1981
Director: Joe Dante
First up, on the trail of his cheeseball satire of Jaws, the Roger Corman produced Piranha (1978), but before the smash hit that truly launched his career in Gremlins (1984), Joe Dante helmed this, the first major mainstream werewolf thriller to come along in many years. An adaptation of a novel of the same name by author Gary Brandner, the story, at least at first, plays out more like a murder mystery. A television reporter, played by Dee Wallace of (later) E.T. and Cujo fame, is investigating a series of murders, and trying to get close to the killer by setting up a private meeting (like an idiot) at a local porn shop. During the encounter, she briefly sees the killer’s “true form”, that of a werewolf, though she and the audience naturally don’t get a good look. She screams, the police barge in and shoot him, and that’s that. Except that the reporter, Karen White, is now traumatized and amnesiac. She sees psychiatrist Dr. Waggner, played by Patrick Macnee of Avengers (60s TV show) fame, who recommends she go to a private retreat he runs to recover from her ordeal. And of course, everything gets crazier from there.
The film also stars a young Dennis Duggan, a fairly unknown actor who would go on to become a pretty successful comedy director, of such films as Problem Child (1990), Happy Gilmore (1996), Beverly Hills Ninja (1997), and Saving Silverman (2001). One way in which this film stands out from most werewolf fiction is that the werewolves within it, do not conform to the established “rule” of only transforming during full moons. Without spoiling the whole plot, it turns out that this “retreat” called “The Colony”, is, in fact, a colony of werewolves, of which the serial killer, Eddie Quist, had been a member. And as the heroes come to learn, these werewolves can apparently transform at will, day or night. In point of fact, that was the one outstanding thing about this film upon release, was that for its time, the werewolf effects, and in particular the transformation effects, were some of the best practical effects yet seen. As a movie, it works for the most part. It grabs your interest with the mystery of the main plot, and as most good horror films do, gradually ramps up the weird, creepy, and horrific, until the final climax.
It is not one of my personal favorites, as far as horror films or Joe Dante films go, though he is one of my favorite directors of all time. But it is a very well made film, for the most part, and if you like werewolf or murder mystery fare, it’s got everything you could want in that genre of film. The success of this movie also went on to spawn seven (yes seven) sequels or prequels, etc. Although none of them are really quite of the quality of Dante’s original.
Film: Wolfen
Year: 1981Director: Michael Wadleigh
Another film based on a late 70s novel, this time written by Whitley Strieber, better known for his 1987 alien story “Communion”. This film also plays out like a murder mystery, though this time the main character trying to solve the case is a retired police officer named Dewey Wilson, played by veteran actor Albert Finney. This story, however, unfolds on the East Coast, vs. The Howling’s California setting, specifically, New York City. The basic plot is that Captain Wilson has been brought back to active duty to help solve a series of murders that is stumping local law enforcement. The investigation eventually leads Wilson to contact a militant Native American activist he once arrested, Eddie Holt, played by Edward James Olmos. Through Holt and other Natives, it is learned that the killings are being committed by “Wolfen”, which they regard as wolf spirits, who “only kill to protect their hunting ground.”
The film also features Diane Venora, Gregory Hines, and Dick O’Neill. One major thing of note is that this was apparently the director’s only fictional film, as he was more known as a cinematographer and director of documentaries, the most famous of which being Woodstock (1970). For his only shot at a fictional film, let alone a supernatural horror story, it’s actually pretty impressive. As far as the film itself goes, unlike perhaps any of the others on this list, the story actually plays out more like a gritty crime drama with supernatural elements. And the “werewolves” in question, are either literally spirits, or they are more like how werewolves were depicted in the earliest werewolf movies, as humans who could transform fully into wolves, instead of the more transitory “Wolf Man” hybrid-like state. Either way, it deserves recognition for being a very unique entry in the genre.
Film: An American Werewolf in London
Year: 1981
Director: John Landis
Now we come to both the first at least semi-comedic entry on this list, as well as being the first to not be based on a book. Written and Directed by John Landis, a longtime friend of Joe Dante, this is not only most likely the most well known of the films on the list, but it’s also arguably the weirdest. This movie also had the benefit of having veteran special effects man Rick Baker in charge of the (again for the time) rather lavish and complicated practical effects, which actually won multiple awards. As far as John Landis goes, he’s definitely known more as a comedy director, not the least of which were the two prior films of his that had already established him as a big name in the business: Animal House (1978) and The Blues Brothers (1980). He would mostly stick to comedy again after this, though he did take a stab at it (pun intended) with 1992’s vampire flick Innocent Blood. But while you could argue that this is more of a “dark comedy”, Landis’ first foray into the horror genre must have been pretty good for its time, as it’s still one of the most iconic and remembered werewolf films, even today.
The plot sees friends David Kessler and Jack Goodman (played by David Naughton and Griffin Dunne) traveling to England on a backpacking trip. While walking across the Yorkshire moors at night (against the advice of somewhat hostile locals), they accidentally wander off the road and are attacked by a huge wolf-life beast, and Jack winds up dead. David is taken to a hospital in London, and from there things only get stranger. One of the signature things people remember about this film, is the very disturbing and surreal visions and dreams of the dead that the character David keeps on having. For one thing, he keeps seeing his friend Jack’s ghost, who informs him he is now a werewolf, and is something of a gruesome comedy relief. As he transforms and kills local Londoners, their ghosts also appear to him, urging him that he must kill himself before he transforms again. But perhaps the weirdest, most disturbing, and most memorable scene from the entire film is the so-called “Mutant Nazi Nightmare” scene, where he dreams that he is back home in America with his family, only to have grotesque undead Nazis break into their house and slaughter his family while he watches. A very random scene, arguably out of place, but it fits with both Landis’ style and the odd tone of the film in general.
Film: Full Moon High
Year: 1981
Director: Larry Cohen
The fourth, certainly silliest, and probably most obscure of the “Big 4” 1981 werewolf films, is Full Moon High. Directed by Larry Cohen, previously known for both exploitation films like Black Caesar, and horror films like It’s Alive!, this was his first real attempt at a pure comedy film. In fact, it’s an outright goofy film, which is a welcome departure from the typical sombre mood of werewolf stories. It is in part a send-up to the 1957 film I Was a Teenage Werewolf, itself a more serious and for its time somewhat groundbreaking work. But it also, ironically, shares a lot of similarities with the later mid-80s hit film Teen Wolf. Both feature a boy who becomes a werewolf but tries to live a normal life in spite of that, and both have a focus of a werewolf trying to make it on his local high school sports team, though in this case, the main character Tony Walker, is trying to play football.
Both are comedy films, even farcical ones, but I’d have to say Full Moon High has a more blatantly silly tone. The werewolf of this story is portrayed as being more of a “town nuisance” than a dangerous threat, even going so far as having a gag where he keeps biting people on the ass, instead of killing them. Though the film also provides some more subtle social commentary on how America had changed since the 1960s when Tony had become an “ageless” werewolf, and the 80s, where all of his friends have also grown up and changed.
One thing to note about this movie is that it features both the main star, Adam Arkin (Tony), as well as his brother and famous actor/director father, Anthony Arkin and Alan Arkin. The movie also stars comedian Ed McMahon, most well known for his long stint on the The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson. It also has appearances by Pat Morita, Elizabeth Hartman, Kenneth Mars, Desmond Wilson, and a young Bob Saget.
Film: The Company of Wolves
Year: 1984
Director: Neil Jordan
Perhaps the most obscure movie on this list, this is more of a “Gothic Fantasy” from the UK, by director Neil Jordan, who would a decade later go on to direct his biggest hit, Interview With a Vampire (1994). The film is unique for its very odd narrative structure, which sees a young girl from the modern day, dreaming that she lives in a “fairytale forest” of earlier centuries. In fact, her character Rosaleen is basically “Little Red Riding Hood”, complete with red cloak, and a granny who lives in the forest. During the course of the film, which is already established as a dream, there are several “anthology” style shorter stories told, from one character in the film to another, all of them dealing with wolves or werewolves. While the main framing tale is a direct analog to “Little Red Riding Hood”, the overall story winds up being something of a “cautionary tale”, albeit a bit of a contrived one. Not a great movie, but a decent one, notable for being a British entry into the genre, and more a fairytale take on werewolves, instead of straight horror.
The film stars Angela Lansbury as the girl’s grandmother, as well as David Warner and Terrance Stamp, among others.
Film: Teen Wolf
Year: 1985
Director: Rod Daniel
1985 was arguably the year of Michael J. Fox. He was not only starring in the hit television comedy Family Ties, but he had two films that took the box office by storm that year as well: Back to the Future and Teen Wolf. Both films were comedic and unique twists on other genres (science fiction and horror), and both films were definitely high school-centric, coming of age stories. And both just so happened to also turn out being a couple of THE most quintessentially “80s” films of the decade.
The film Teen Wolf itself, is a story, much like Full Moon High, about a boy who becomes a werewolf, but tries to cope and continue having as “normal” a high school existence as possible. In this particular case, Fox plays the character Scott Howard, a kid who is tired of being bland and “average”, in his life, on his high school basketball team, with the girls, etc. Things most teenage boys could probably relate to on some level, making the story very relatable. But the Howard family has a secret: the condition known as “Lycanthropy”, or werewolfism, runs back into their history, but sometimes it skips a generation. Meaning that Scott’s father Harold (played by James Hampton), is also a werewolf. Scott tries to live his regular life, dealing with normal teenage things, like trying to make it on the basketball team, trying to impress a girl, and trying to fit in. But because of his werewolfism, he also does things like, say, accidentally claw a girl he’s making out with, or using his now super-sense of smell to help his friend find pot. Because why not? While far from a horror film, it’s still a dumb, fun 80s movie, and watching it, it’s easy to see why Fox became such a likable star.
The movie was a big box office success, in fact the biggest of director Rod Daniel’s career, along with Beethoven’s 2nd (1993). It was written by Jeph Loeb, who went on to become a well-known television and comic book writer, among his works are runs on Superman, Captain America, and Cable. There would be one loosely related sequel, titled Teen Wolf Too (1987), which follows Scott’s cousin Todd Howard.
Film: Silver Bullet
Year: 1985
Director: Dan Attias
Also released in 1985, Silver Bullet has a couple of major distinctions that set it apart. The first of which being, that it is one of the only films, let alone horror films, that features a physically disabled central hero. And the other, of course, being that it’s the only one based on a story written by the “Master of Horror” himself, author Stephen King.
An adaptation of the novella “Cycle of the Werewolf”, the story is set in the small town of Tarker’s Mills, Maine. Marty Coslaw (played by Corey Haim) is a paraplegic 10-year old, who still tries to live a fairly normal life, in spite of his malady. His family consists of his older sister Jane, father Bob and mother Nan, as well as his “black sheep” uncle, Red (played by Gary Busey). A series of murders rock the town, occurring over several months, but they are all either explained away as accidental deaths, or left unexplained. Eventually, when Marty’s best friend becomes the latest victim, not only do the town’s people form a vigilante force to go out and “hunt the killer”, but Marty himself becomes determined to solve it once and for all, for his friend. His Uncle Red gives him a custom built wheelchair/motorcycle, called the “Silver Bullet”, which he rides around town on his quest. Marty eventually discovers that it is the town’s religious leader, Reverend Lowe (played by Everette McGill), who is not only the (somewhat reluctant/remorseful) killer, but is of course a werewolf. He and his sister Jane become determined to fight the werewolf and enlist their uncle’s aid in doing so.
While the movie apparently differs in some key ways from the novella,
it’s still classic King, probably one of the better King story
adaptations. It can be rather dark and gruesome (again, King), but it
also has a lot of heart, and there is a really nice relationship
displayed between the siblings, and with their Uncle Red. I would
definitely say it’s one of the strongest werewolf films out there. In fact I would say it's my favorite on the list, as far as straight werewolf movies go. Though my TOP favorite on the list, is the following entry...
Film: The Monster Squad
Year: 1987
Director: Fred Dekker
The one film that I will break my rule for, I am including this in the list purely on the basis that it happens to feature one of the better werewolves ever committed to film. Written and Directed by Fred Dekker, who previously wrote the story for House (1986), and directed the cult classic Night of the Creeps (1986), the film is a love letter to the classic Universal monsters of the 1930s-50s. It was also co-written by Shane Black, a good friend of Dekker’s, who would have a solid career as a writer in Hollywood, before finally becoming a director himself, with his big hit thus far being Iron Man 3 (2013). In fact, Dekker and Black again collaborated on the film The Predator (2018), which represents the first feature film Dekker has worked on since 1993 (sadly, as he’s a great talent).
But as for the movie itself, if you’re unfamiliar, it has been described as “The Goonies with Monsters”, which is not an unfair or inaccurate statement. I would say Monster Squad has a bit more “attitude” (though I love The Goonies), but it really is its own unique entity as well. I’ve never seen another film quite like it, and it is another one of those movies that are, in part, so great specifically because it is totally a product of its decade. All of the monsters, Dracula, Frankenstein’s Monster, The Creature (From the Black Lagoon), The Mummy and The Wolf Man, all get 80s updates, and the designs for each actually exceptionally good.
They definitely spent money and care for detail. And the werewolf is no exception, as it definitely pays homage to the classic Chaney look for the monster, but it also manages to look a bit more organic and lupine. Still not “perfect”, but for a lower budget 80s movie, it’s pretty damn good. Actor Jonathan Gries also does an excellent, and very sympathetic portrayal of the human version of the Wolf Man, probably the most compelling of the bunch, outside of good ol’ Frankenstein. If you love monsters, love the 80s, and love good movies, and have never seen The Monster Squad, please do yourself a favor and see it. You’ll thank me.
Film: My Mom’s a Werewolf
Year: 1989
Director: Michael Fischer
Possibly the most obscure film on this list, next to The Company of Wolves, this is a very “80s” movie, very much in the same mold as something like Teen Witch (1989). For all I know they might have both been part of a late 80s trend to have supernatural comedies with a focus on teen female characters. But I will say, while this one isn’t a great movie by any means, it’s definitely better than Teen Witch.
The basic premise, and what makes this film stand out and worth including, is that, as the title suggests, it’s about an “everyday housewife” who becomes a werewolf. Played by Susan Blakely, said mom Leslie Shaber is your typical put upon housewife, whose well-meaning but oblivious husband doesn’t pay her enough attention, her teen daughter sasses her, etc. Fed up, she goes shopping (what else?), and remembering their dog needs a flea collar, she drops into a downtown pet store to get one. While there, she meets the curious shop owner, Harry Thropen (played by John Saxon of Enter the Dragon fame), who seems to have a hypnotic gaze, and she becomes fascinated with him.
Through a series of events, he eventually uses his “mysterious gaze” to seduce her, basically making out with her in a public restaurant, all while her teenage daughter, who was coming to find her, sees the whole thing. The daughter Jennifer decides to try and follow her mom around town to see what’s really going on, and they wind up back at the pet shop, where ol’ Harry tries to get mom into bed. Just barely failing because of biting her toe (yes really), Leslie slips away back home, but the dastardly home-wrecking werewolf remains determined. Meanwhile, ol’ mom starts showing signs of becoming a werewolf herself, like growing apparently unbreakable fangs and displaying a more aggressive attitude, which her husband Howard (played by character actor John Schuck), finds out in bed later that night.
The film is full of dumb moments and silly hijinks galore, as the mom starts growing fur all over her body etc. The daughter Jennifer is obviously kind of meant to be the main character, palling around with her horror-obsessed best friend Stacey. They even track down the stereotypical gypsy woman (played by comedienne Ruth Buzzi), to discover what to do about their mom (even though she comically gives the wrong advice). John Saxon, good actor that he usually is, turns in a pretty solid performance as the creepy wife-stealing pervert werewolf, and while the movie contains plenty of face-palm worthy moments, it’s also not a horrible way to spend an hour and a half of your life.
Film: Wolf
Year: 1994
Director: Mike Nichols
I remember seeing commercials for this film when I was a kid, thinking that Jack Nicholson (who I was not all that familiar with at the time), certainly seemed pretty scary. Which is a pretty fair assessment. I also was not familiar with werewolves all that much as a kid, as mysteriously it was one genre that my grandmother never really let me watch (the same with vampire, Frankenstein or mummy films). I didn’t actually wind up seeing this movie until a few years later, in my teens, and while I didn’t love it (nor did it scare me much by that time), it’s still pretty solid for what it is. Which is basically a big budget, “mainstream” Wolf Man attempt.
Directed by Mike Nichols, who was previously known for such films as The Graduate (1967) and Catch-22 (1970), this film is more of a drama with horror flavoring than a straight up horror movie. Jack Nicholson (who let’s be honest, is a pretty perfect choice for “crazed werewolf”), plays Will Randall, an editor-in-chief of a big publishing house, plenty of money, big house, hot wife, the “whole nine yards” as they say. One day while driving home, he gets bitten by a wolf, and his life just kind of spirals from there. He loses his position, getting demoted in the process, to rival Stewart Swinton (played by James Spader), who it turns out not only connived behind the scenes for Will’s job, but he’s also having an affair with Will’s wife Charlotte. He tries to move on with his life, getting with the bosses daughter Laura instead (played by Michelle Pfeiffer), but things continue to go awry, as it turns out that maybe Will turned that asshole Stewart into a werewolf also.
Overall, it’s a well-made film, but it’s really not all that much of a horror story. It focuses a lot more on the bestial nature and senses that the werewolf gains, and otherwise is kind of just a rich guy drama story, with supernatural trappings. One thing I will say is that for the (at the time) rather huge budget, the werewolf makeup and effects aren’t all that impressive. I understand that they had one of the top actors in Hollywood as the star and maybe didn’t want to cover up his face all that much. But still, that’s shallow Hollywood reasoning at best. For most of the film, it’s basically just Jack Nicholson with a bit more hair, some claws, some fangs, and yellow eyes. It’s a solid film, but I wouldn’t say it’s essential viewing unless you’re a big fan of Nicholson or Pfeiffer.
Film: Werewolf (aka Arizona Werewolf)
Year: 1996
Director: Tony Zarrindast
Being best known for getting lampooned on an episode of Mystery Science Theater 3000, is probably not the best distinction a movie could have. But hell, it worked pretty well for Manos: The Hands of Fate (1966), right? There really isn’t a ton to say about this one, but I felt I should include it just for its infamous badness. I am not one of those who really subscribes to the “so bad it’s good” philosophy, but regardless, this movie is just bad. The only thing that actually makes it bearable to view, is the hilarious ribbing it gets by the MST3K guys. So if you’ve never seen it, and want to, PLEASE watch that version.
This movie was surprise surprise, a very low budget, direct-to-video affair. And like most such films, it’s just really kind of a mess, from start to finish. Set in the Arizona desert, some archaeologists on a dig, manage to unearth what they just happen to decide must be a werewolf skeleton. Through a series of starkly idiotic events, one of the foremen gets into a fist fight with some of his digging crew, and he just happens to fall on the werewolf bones. Which turns him into a werewolf. Because, you know, that happens. The plot isn’t really worth getting into deeper, if you truly care, then, by all means, watch the film. I haven’t seen every single werewolf related movie ever made (and there are lots), so I can’t say with 100% certainty that this is the very worst werewolf movie ever made. But I can, I think with some authority, state that this is easily the worst werewolf film I’ve personally ever seen. And let’s just leave it at that.
Film: An American Werewolf in Paris
Year: 1997
Director: Anthony Waller
So I figured I might as well bookend this article, finishing where we began, so to speak. This is the one film off of this entire list, that I actually saw in theaters. I had just recently turned 16 at the time, and while it released on Halloween in the UK, apparently they thought it would be a great idea to release this on Christmas Day in the United States. I remember being kind of excited to see this movie, because I thought werewolves were pretty cool, and I saw it with my friend Brian, who was huge into wolves and werewolves himself. I also remember the promotional shit leading up to this, including the Bush song “Mouth”, which Brian also liked. But as enthusiastic as I was to see this, I have to say, it wound up disappointing me.
It is supposed to be a loose sequel of sorts to John Landis’ 1981 film, though he had zero involvement with it, and it shows. It is also listed as being a “comedy horror”, but I don’t remember the movie being very funny. Like at all. It is more of a serious, straight horror film, and as such, it loses the weird, f’ed up charm that the original had. The basic premise is that yet another American middle-class kid named Andy (played by Tom Everette Scott, who was in a lot of things in the late 90s), along with his buddies Brad and Chris, are vacationing in “The City of Love”. They are in fact going to bungee jump from the Eiffel Tower because you know, it’s the late 90s, and everything was all about “EXTREME”. Before Andy jumps, he sees a blonde girl basically trying to jump to her death, and he saves her. Afterward, she disappears, and that’s that. Later Andy and Co. go to a club, because that’s something else extreme young men do, and it turns out, guess what guys, the club is actually a place where a secret society of werewolves lure tourists so they can kill them. Because people totally wouldn’t catch onto that at all.
The blonde Andy saved earlier shows up, and tries to rescue the idiot Americans, though dumbass Brad falls behind and gets killed. Andy also gets bitten, and blacks out. He later finds himself at the girl’s apartment, and it turns out, because why not, she’s the daughter of David from the first film, and Alex Price, the nurse he fell in love with. Because David was her father, she’s also a werewolf, and she’s morose as hell because she accidentally wound up killing her own mom. As I said, the levity and charm form London are completely devoid in Paris (the movies that is), and the entire thing just kind of plays out like a plodding, overly “dark and gritty” horror film. Which is par for the course in the late 90s. So anyway, to save time, the ghost of Brad shows up (because that happened in the first movie too!), and informs Andy that all he has to do to save himself from being a werewolf, is eat the heart of the werewolf that bit him. First off, that’s gross, and secondly, that would have been a super helpful rule to know about for poor David in the first movie.
Long story short, in my opinion at least, this movie sucks. I’ve seen worse, yes. But it’s just dull and lifeless. And worst of all, again, in my opinion, the CGI werewolf designs in this film, are some of the very worst looking werewolf designs I’ve ever seen. Like yeah, it’s partly that it’s the 90s, but there was CGI from Jurassic Park in 1993 that looks a TON better. No, the design is just bad. The film has one advantage (in my book) over the first, in that they gave the main character a saving grace, and he and Wolf Girl (whose name is Serafine for some reason), more or less live happily ever after because they find a way to control her wolfness. But even having a happy-er ending, doesn’t save it from being a lame movie.
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So there you have it. Trust me when I tell you that just in the 80s and 90s alone, there were a lot more werewolf films I could have listed and shared with you all. But I feel like I picked the best or most notable, and it’s a pretty healthy sized list as it is. So if you’re in the mood for some good beastly horror, look one of these up and give it watch! Cheers.
