With the recent news of Leigh Whannell’s possible attachment to the Wolfman reboot, Issa Lopez’s planned werewolf western, and Josh Ruben’s horror-comedy adaptation of Werewolves Within, it seems safe to say there’s a werewolf revival on the horizon. The more, the merrier, as this subgenre of horror remains untapped for its full potential. There have been a significant number of entries over the decades that keep us clamoring for more lycanthropic heroes and villains, but they seem to come few and far between.
This week, if you haven’t gathered by now, belongs to the werewolf.
Because you’ve likely seen The Wolf Man, An American Werewolf in London, The Howling, Ginger Snaps, Dog Soldiers, and Silver Bullet dozens of times already, this week’s picks are for those looking to expand their werewolf horizons. Wolfen is a must if you have Starz, as it’s the oft-overlooked werewolf film of 1981, and The Company of Wolves is on Max Go for a fairy tale twist.
Along with this week’s movies to stream, you should be all set for a fantastic werewolf marathon.
Curse of the Devil – Flix Fling
When it comes to werewolf movies, we don’t talk about Paul Naschy’s expansive “El Hombre Lobo” series enough. Since 1968’s Frankenstein’s Bloody Terror (aka The Mark of the Wolfman), Naschy has portrayed the sympathetic werewolf Waldemar Daninsky in over a dozen films. The sheer volume of titles can be overwhelming, and that many of these titles aren’t easily accessible through streaming further adds to this particular werewolf remaining underseen and underappreciated. While Curse of the Devil comes halfway into the franchise, it offers a prequel story that gives insight into how the Daninski family line came to be cursed. Centuries ago, a great inquisitor condemned a witch to death at the stake, and she curses his bloodline before perishing. In the present day, the curse activates thanks to a hunting mishap. Both prequel and a reboot of sorts, Curse of the Devil provides a great litmus test on how well you’ll enjoy the series as a whole.
WolfCop – Hulu, Tubi, Shudder
Horror comedies are always welcome these days, and WolfCop brings silly fun. The aptly named title tells you all you need to know; it features a werewolf cop. It’s about a small town, alcoholic cop named Lou Garou (get it?) discovering how to cope with his recent lycanthropy amidst a crimewave. Writer/director Lowell Dean created a love letter to Canada and B-movie horror with this endearingly cheesy take on the werewolf. Leo Farard’s Lou makes for the perfect antihero, and Amy Matysio’s Tina is the perfect straight woman. Look for Jonathan Cherry to steal scenes as sidekick Willie. If you’re lucky enough to have a Hoopla subscription, look for the even better sequel Another WolfCop.
Howl – Prime Video, Vudu, Tubi, Shudder
If you’re in the mood for straightforward werewolf carnage, this is for you. Directed by Paul Hyett, the special makeup effects designer for films like Attack the Block and The Descent, Howl sees a group of passengers on a train under siege by a werewolf while traveling through the countryside. That’s it. It’s a simple setup for a survive-the-night creature feature that goes heavy on the action-horror. Look for The Descent’s Shauna Macdonald as passenger Kate, and Dog Soldiers‘ Sean Pertwee as the train driver. Howl doesn’t forge any new ground in the werewolf subgenre, but that’s okay; sometimes, you just want an easily digestible thrill ride. This is that movie.
Bad Moon – Vudu, Tubi, Shudder
After a work trip that resulted in the grisly death of his girlfriend, photojournalist Ted Harrison (Michael Paré) returns home. He attempts to reconnect with his sister Janet (Mariel Hemingway) and her son Brett. His return happens to coincide with a string of gruesome murders, and Ted’s family are oblivious to the strange changes in Ted’s behavior or that they may be in danger. Directed and adapted for the screen by Eric Red, Bad Moon isn’t your average werewolf movie. That’s because the protagonist, as far as I’m concerned, is Brett’s dog, Thor. From the get-go, Thor senses Ted’s no longer human, and he intends to protect his family no matter what. That’s right, this is essentially a werewolf versus family pet story, and it works. The icing on the lycanthropic cake is the fantastic opening attack sequence.
Ginger Snaps 2: Unleashed – Tubi
Ginger Snaps understandably gets a lot of love, but its sequel deserves more attention, too. Mainly because it fearlessly takes a very different approach than expected, going for a unique continuation instead of a rehash. Picking up where the previous film left off, Brigitte (Emily Perkins) is trying to fend off her lycanthropy by injecting monkshood extract into her veins, increasing the dosage as it becomes harder to ward off her inner werewolf. It lands her in a rehab center, locking her in with another werewolf in pursuit. What Ginger Snaps did for puberty, Ginger Snaps 2 does for addiction. That means it’s much darker in both tone and subject matter.
source https://bloody-disgusting.com/movie/3623184/stay-home-watch-horror-5-werewolf-movies-stream-week/
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