The werewolf genre is a favorable subset of monster films and is definitive in the horror genre. With Universal’s The Wolf Man being the most memorable kickstart of the genre, it has spawned a long, love affair between cinema and exploring the mysticism of lycanthropy. The beauty of this monster is not only the films that are gory and violent but also the ones that are campy and comedic.

In the 1980s, more werewolf films were produced than perhaps any other decade. The reason for this could be attributed to the Reagan era politics, where the lycanthropic trope symbolizes sexual awakening and the decade’s break away from traditional values. Here are the best 80s werewolf films and how they are remembered now.

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5 Teen Wolf

     Atlantic Releasing

While Teen Wolf doesn’t correspond with some of the fellow entries, it is beloved for everything it is. The comical, coming-of-age fantasy film follows Scott McCall, an awkward teenager who achieves popularity when he realizes he can transform into a werewolf. Filled with fun basketball scenes, werewolf transformations, and the lessons of an after-school special, the film is now favored as a cult classic.

MOVIEWEB VIDEO OF THE DAY

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MOVIEWEB VIDEO OF THE DAY

In its day, Teen Wolf was commercially successful though it received many negative reviews. Michael J. Fox was often praised for his charismatic performance, though Scott McCall may arguably be his most underrated role to date. Nevertheless, Teen Wolf spawned the Saturday morning cartoon of the same name and even inspired a 2011 teen drama on MTV.

4 Silver Bullet

     Dino De Laurentiis

Silver Bullet is based on the 1983 novella, Cycle of the Werewolf by Stephen King. It is a horror thriller movie that focuses on a small town plagued by the murders of a lurking werewolf. When a young, handicapped oy named Marty starts uncovering the identity of the creature, it attracts trouble for his family.

Silver Bullet is one of many Stephen King movies that were adapted from his books and was panned by critics from The New York Times, The Chicago Tribune, The Los Angeles Times, and The Washington Post. All things considered, the late Corey Haim is beloved for his performance in this role and the film’s “multi-faceted horror” earns its place as a cult classic. Moreover, it seems many Stephen King fans regard it as a great werewolf film and would like to see it remade along with other classics.

3 Wolfen

     Warner Bros. Pictures

The crime horror film, Wolfen, is a little unique to some of the other werewolf genre films. Rather than explicitly center on a ravaging werewolf, Wolfen is centered on a city cop who is attempting to uncover a string of murders that lead him to an indigenous legend of wolf spirits located in South Bronx.

Roger Ebert praised the film for its “plausible” premise, stating that, “This is not sci-fi, fantasy or violent escapism. It’s a provoking speculation on the terms by which we share this earth with other creatures.” Furthermore, what makes Wolfen unique is its connection with Native American mysticism, utilizing lycanthropy to discuss real-world, social problems.

2 The Howling

     Embassy Pictures

Based on the 1977 novel by Gary Brandner, The Howling is one of the three major werewolf movies alongside Wolfen and An American Werewolf in London. The story follows television journalist, Karen, who is sent to a psychiatric retreat after witnessing a traumatizing arrest. However, her therapy goes awry when the supernatural, horrific presence of werewolves is made known.

The film has been praised for its visual effects and made it on Bravo’s “100 Scariest Movie Moments” for the transformation sequence. The Howling has since been praised for revitalizing, as Kim Newman put it, the “prowling-through-misty-forests genre” and for exceptional work on the werewolf makeup. Furthermore, it is celebrated for kicking off an era that modernized gore and sexuality, ushering in films such as The Lost Boys, Cat People, and Near Dark.

1 An American Werewolf in London

     Universal Pictures

An American Werewolf in London is perhaps one of the most iconic werewolf movies in a long line of horror films. Premiering in 1981, the film is set in England, where two American backpackers, David and Jack, are attacked by a werewolf. With Jack dead and being bit, David begins to question if he will undergo the werewolf transformation come the next full moon.

Landis’ script for the film was originally shelved in 1969 but eventually garnered the attention it needed, becoming commercially and critically successful. Moreover, An American Werewolf in London has been heralded from its premiere to this very day, with Tom Huddleston of Time Out saying: “Not just gory but actually frightening, not just funny but clever, ‘American Werewolf…’ has its flaws, but these are outweighed by the film’s many, mighty strengths[.]” The film also won the first-ever Academy Award for Best Makeup and is recognized in Entertainment Weekly’s 1996 list, “Greatest Movies Ever Made.”