Widescreen Warrior Presents: Full Moon Rising

Submitted by Rafe Telsch on Tue, 02/09/2010 - 17:17
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This week sees the remake The Wolfman come to theaters, continuing on a long legacy of werewolf movies. Of all of the movie monsters, I probably love werewolves the most. They haven't been twisted around or romanticized over the years. Thematically, werewolf stories tend to stay the same: they're about the inner beast of man (or woman). That beast is uncontrollable and untamable. Once unleashed, trouble is bound to follow.

Movies of this sort tend to be grouped up under horror movies, with a challenge to special effects teams to create some of the most fascinating (and horrific) transformations between man and beast, as well as some of the bloodiest and gory murder scenes, as the inner beast tears apart its prey. At the same time, it's the inner conflict of a man losing control and terrified of that lack of control that appeals to me. In the end, the best thing that can happen to those with the curse is death. If the protagonist realizes that before the hunters do, you not only have a story of inner conflict, but one of redemption, which are almost always a favorite story trait for me.

I'm not the only one who loves werewolf movies around here. I challenged our Widescreen Warrior writers to take cover as the moon started to wax and wane and to revisit some of their favorite werewolf tales. The resulting reviews impressed me, as some of my favorite flicks were brought back up, and surprised me as one or two stories I haven't seen were reviewed as well. I'm curious to know what our readership thinks are some of the best werewolf movies as well. What movies we missed covering or perhaps haven't seen at all. Let us know in the comments section below, and be sure to check back as more titles are added to our list throughout this week.

Widescreen Warrior Presents: Full Moon Rising
The Wolf Man (1941)

Even a man who is pure at heart,
and says his prayers by night,
may become a wolf when the wolfbane blooms
and the autumn moon is bright.
An American Werewolf in London (1981)

It’s pushing thirty years since director John Landis lumped offbeat humor and upbeat horror into An American Werewolf in London.
The Howling (1981)

"You can't change what's meant to be natural, it just ain't right!"
Ginger Snaps (2000)

I have to give this movie credit for one of the most clever titles I’ve ever seen for a wolf movie. The protagonist is named “Ginger” and you know… she snaps… not only emotionally but… you know… like a dog…or a wolf. She SNAPS… get it… Ginger… Snaps….like a cookie…and…umm okay, moving on.
Romasanta (2004)

Romasanta, also known as The Werewolf Hunter, is a new type of werewolf movie. Contrary to most werewolf stories, which are steeped in the fantasy movie realm, this movie is billed as “based on a true story.” I tried to dig up some historical facts to back up the true story claim, but could not find any.
Van Helsing (2004)

Before I get started I want to make something perfectly clear. I am not a monster movie fan, nor is my knowledge of monster movie lore that strong. So, when this assignment came up, Rafe made fun of me for not having a “favorite werewolf movie” but truth be told, I don’t. I cannot name one werewolf film that I have seen in the past ten years.
Cursed (2005)

Cursed was an attempt to modernize and update the traditional werewolf mythos of howling at the moon and silver sensitivity by combining it with the more vampire-like lore of kill-the-sire-and-avoid-the- curse.