World of Darkness fans rejoice: White Wolf Publishing has officially released the much-anticipated core rule book for the tabletop role-playing game Werewolf: The Apocalypse 5th Edition. After the publication of the books for Hunter: The Reckoning and Vampire: The Masquerade, community members have long awaited a werewolf book to complete the classic unholy trinity of games.
Now that it's here, players may be looking for some werewolf-centered media from which to draw inspiration for their shape-shifting player characters. There are, of course, plenty of classic werewolf movies to look to if one wants content of the mainly aesthetic variety, but more role-play-focused gamers might want something a little more cerebral. The following list of films has been compiled to scratch that itch.
Underworld: Rise of the Lycans (2019)
The Underworld series is a well-loved but sometimes overlooked franchise in the world of vampires and werewolves. It has its fair share of followers to be sure, but its name doesn't quite hold the weight of Blade or True Blood. People also don't typically think of werewolves when they think Underworld; vampires are really the franchise's main attraction. Yet, Underworld: Rise of the Lycans presents an incredibly tragic, sympathetic depiction of a werewolf, the likes of which viewers won't find in many other places. The medieval setting, too, provides a nice change of pace from the usual 19th-century or contemporary werewolf stories. Additionally, Rise of the Lycans provides some vital context for and is a prequel to the rest of the Underworld series, to boot. Werewolf fans looking for a lycanthropic champion to rally behind need look no further than this 2019 flick.
Silver Bullet (1985)
Of the many Stephen King novels that have found their way onto the silver screen, 1985's Silver Bullet isn't necessarily the first to come to mind. However, it has a lot to offer fans of werewolves and horror more broadly, complete with an entertaining performance by Gary Busey and that signature Stephen King coming-of-age element. Silver Bullet tells the story of Marty Coslaw (Corey Haim), a young boy who suspects that someone in his sleepy hometown might be a murderous werewolf. The protagonist of this film might not be a werewolf himself, but King's focus on interiority and the pains of boyhood—vis-à-vis a werewolf plot line—still has a lot in store for role-players looking for some touchstones and adversaries.
Wolf (1994)
Wolf is probably the film on this list that centers most prominently on the personal horror of living as a werewolf—something absolutely essential to the Werewolf: The Apocalypse experience. Jack Nicholson gives his chilling best as Will Randall, a publishing house editor undergoing a monstrous bodily transformation. Fans of The Shining will surely enjoy seeing Nicholson in another role that lets him really get his psycho-killer on. More importantly, though, Werewolf: The Apocalypse will get much fuel for their character forging fires, should they wish to play on the "tortured soul" werewolf trope. The film focuses almost exclusively on Will's psychology as he changes into a monster internally, rather than gore and outward wolf transformations, making this one a true slow burn, cerebral werewolf story.
Late Phases (2014)
Late Phases (also titled Night of the Wolf) is probably the most traditional title on this list, at least in terms of plot structure and common tropes. Unlike most horror movies, however, it refreshingly features an aging protagonist—a blind veteran named Ambrose McKinley (Nick Damici)—settling into his later years (get the title?). He has moved to a retirement community where he discovers that some of the residents have suffered death at the hands of "dogs," which of course turn out to be something decidedly more supernatural. It's a fun and thrilling murder mystery-style werewolf flick that harkens back to the best that monster horror has to offer. Sure, Late Phases may not be the most "cerebral" title listed here, but viewers would be hard-pressed to find another well-made movie about elderly werewolves. Gamers wanting to make themselves a gray-maned garou will want to check this one out.
The Company of Wolves (1984)
The last title on this list is The Company of Wolves, and it is without a doubt the most peculiar title listed here. It's another medieval-set film (albeit in a dream), this time with a strong fairytale motif. The protagonist Rosaleen (Sarah Patterson) fills the role of a Little Red Riding Hood character in this semi-familiar story about a young girl going to visit her grandmother (Dame Angela Lansbury). The Company of Wolves takes the classic fairytale into the world of horror proper, rendering The Big Bad Wolf through the lense of modern werewolf horror. It's been done in other ways, but perhaps not quite so strangely and delightfully 1980s as this film does it. Players who want a more charismatic, deceiving model for their werewolf character may want to look to this film for some shape-shifting trickery.