Top 10 Favorite Werewolves

BLANK MEME HERE

Sticking to movie and TV werewolves. 

Top row, L-R

An American Werewolf in London
Just one of the best werewolf movies ever made. The story was the pretty basic, what made it work were the charming characters and weird juxtaposition of humor, extreme gore, and some moments of real pathos (David's call home to his family is heartwrenching). And of course there's groundbreaking transformation sequence, slavishly ripped off again and again, ending in Rick Baker's amazing wolf, which he sculpted with an intentionally over-the-top expression because he knew it would only be seen in brief glimpses - the gaping maw, oversized fangs and glaring, psychotic eyes are iconic. One of my all time favorite designs.

The Howling
The other classic werewolf movie, which is best known for its bone-snapping, muscle-twisting transformation but also had humor and interesting characters, so it wasn't merely a gorefest or a glorified special effects reel. The animated cartoon and stop motion versions were a bit . . . odd . . . but the practical effects still look better than most CGI werewolves today.

Skinwalkers
Terrible, boring movie. I'm listing it purely because love the designs, a perfect wolfman type werewolf. The subtle use of CGI to make the eyes large and slanted and stretch the mouths wider than is possible for humans perfectly complemented the subtly lupine faces. And I just like Elias Koteas, so sue me.

Teen Wolf
The original, obviously. The first werewolf movie I saw in theaters - I'd seen American Werewolf and the Howling on tv (heavily edited) and I was disappointed at the mini-sasquatch make-up as a kid, but then what did I know, I was 11. In retrospect, he obviously couldn't have functioned if he looked like Eddie Quist so the style fit the needs of the script. As an adult, it's nostalgia fuel, an enjoyable quintessential formulaic 80's cheese festival. Also, I still need to write that epic fanfic crossing this over with BTTF . . . 

The Howling 2: Your Sister is a Werewolf / Stirba: Werewolf Bitch
Is this a godawful movie? Only if you take it seriously. If you watch it expecting a surreal comedy, you'll love it. It's so fucking weird. What can you say about a werewolf movie with a scene where the characters are attacked by a zombie little person in a clown costume? Or a priest is killed when a pterodactyl sculpture comes to life and crams itself down his throat? And then there's the werewolf orgy, and the werewolf queen shooting animated lazer beams, and the creepy puppet show, and Christopher "I'm Only Here For the Paycheck" Lee - it's a glorious mess. 

Bottom row, L-R

Werewolf
As a kid, this was my idea of the perfect werewolf, design-wise (except those bat ears, maybe). It wasn't a technically sophisticated suit, but the stories were usually pretty good, and I wish they could get this sucker back out on DVD so I could see it again.

Ginger Snaps and Ginger Snaps: Unleashed
The first movie was terrifically written and compelling, with that perfect blend of social commentary, gore and humor that marks a great horror movie. I liked Ginger's unusual slow transformation, although I didn't care for the final wolf design with its weird botched-plastic-surgery eyes and droopy flews. The second movie had an improved wolf design and I enjoyed the creeptastic Ghost, who managed to be much scarier than the werewolf. The third movie left me cold, I'm afraid.

Wolf Cop
No, I haven't actually seen it yet - it wins on concept. But all the supporting material shows the filmmakers know their chops, so I have high expectations.

Cursed
Again, a really disappointing movie (and some mangy CGI) but damn do I like that werewolf suit. It's pretty much the female, bipedal version of the American Werewolf. The transformation was rather well done, too, in my opinion.

Waxwork
The werewolf suit wasn't super-amazing, but I got a laugh when a panicking werewolf hunter hit it over the head with a chair, and the werewolf, not even flinching, casually brushed the splinters off himself like a sarcastic bastard. That scene never fails to make me laugh.

Honorable mentions: The massive pack of classic-style wolfmen in Lobos de Arga. Evil Ed in Fright Night, who was technically a vampire, not a werewolf. Ian in The Howling 6: The Freaks, a rare werewolf in control of his feral side. This movie featured the first leg-extending stilts in the costume but awful face prosthetics. The were-jackal in Disney's Aladdin tv series, which was a really cool design (quad with humanlike arms and hands). Winnie the werewolf in Scooby Doo and the Ghoul School, an adorable ginger tomboy werewolf. The Young Husband from The Company of Wolves which has the most vomit-inducing transformation I've ever seen. Wilbur the vet in Fear Itself: Something With Bite, another really great werewolf suit by KNB (which shows up in a few other things - thanks, Bitter!).