On their own, wolves are frightening to humans, but even wolves cower at the sight of a legendary werewolf in full battle mode. Werewolves have been an integral part of dozens, if not hundreds, of horror movies over the years, and remain as terrifying as ever, as this brief sampling makes clear.
Underworld: Awakening (2012)
Kate Beckinsale returned for the fourth installment of the series about a centuries-long war between vampires and lycans (werewolves). Beckinsale's character, Selene, is a vampire warrior who must face off against an "uber lycan," a truly frightening sight.
Red Riding Hood (2011)
Chiefly concerned with a love triangle revolving around Amanda Seyfried, this reworking of the familiar fairy tale pauses occasionally for appearances by a classic werewolf, fully capable of striking terror into the inhabitants of a small village.
The Wolfman (2010)
Benicio Del Toro made for an unusually troubled Lawrence Talbot, who is bitten and transforms into a fearsome creature who strikes terror into the hearts of all unfortunate souls who cross his bedeviled path.
Cursed (2005)
Director Wes Craven reteamed with Scream writer Kevin Williamson for a modern werewolf movie set in Hollywood. Christina Ricci and Jesse Eisenberg play siblings who get bitten early and then must deal with the consequences of (possibly) becoming full-fledged, ferocious beasts intent on slicing and dicing hapless victims.
Van Helsing (2004)
The movie as a whole may not stand up, but this early scene does. There is something inately terrifying about a werewolf who is thinking about his next meal.
The Howling (1981)
The first of three great, and very different, werewolf movies that redefined the sub-genre in 1981, Joe Dante's fright flick features a great cast and multiple scenes of bloody werewolf carnage.
Wolfen (1981)
Providing an environmentally-sensitive urban take, Michael Wadleigh's suspense thriller stars Albert Finney as a New York City police detective investigating a series of savage crimes. Are the culprits humans that transform into wolves? Or is something more sinister afoot?
An American Werewolf in London (1981)
While backpacking through the English countryside, best friends David Naughton and Griffin Dunne take refuge from the cold in an isolated village pub with a very unusual symbol on the wall. They soon discover that it is a harbringer of an intense werewolf scene to come - one of several in this frightening and funny horror-comedy.
