Published Feb 1, 2026, 5:55 PM EST
Dalton is a freelance writer, novelist, and filmmaker from Orlando Florida. He currently lives in Charlotte, North Carolina, and pursues writing full-time. He is an avid reader, film buff, and amateur historian who also publishes novels on the side. Dalton graduated from the University of Central Florida with a BFA in Film and he often applies his industry-specific knowledge when writing about film and television. Along with his blog, Dalton's critical essays on film have been published in various places online.
1981 was the year of the werewolf at the movies, but which of the four films released that year is the best of the legendary lycanthropes? Starting with Universal's The Wolf Man back in 1941, horror audiences have been fascinated by werewolves on the big screen. Taken from folklore, the man-turned-monster stories never fail to excite.
It took until the 1980s for the horror subgenre to hit its stride, and there were a ton of werewolf movies released in the decade. More specifically, a handful of werewolf flicks landed in theaters in 1981, including some of the subgenre's all-time greats. However, only one of those films can be the top dog.
4 Full Moon High
Director Larry Cohen was known for his outlandish exploitation films, but Full Moon High wasn't one of his best. The comedy concerns a teen who is bitten by a werewolf and doesn't age. He decides to re-enroll in high school but soon finds his condition causes problems. Elements of the film would be repeated in 1985's Teen Wolf, but better.
Lost somewhere between raucous sex comedy and oddball humor, Full Moon High's jokes only land about a quarter of the time. Werewolf comedy is doable, but the movie's convoluted plot and problematic humor have ruined its staying power. It's good for a lark, but doesn't hold a candle to other werewolf films.
3 Wolfen
Wolfen is an underrated horror film from the 1980s, and it's nearly a classic. On the case of a series of grisly murders in NYC, a detective discovers that a mythical beast might be the culprit. A moody urban werewolf story was a novel concept, and the atmosphere of Wolfen is its greatest strength.
It explores deeper themes of income inequality and discrimination, but it does so without losing touch with its horror roots. It deserves a spot among the great werewolf films, but it misses a few key points. Wolfen's slow pace drags it down, and the payoffs are often weak. Mostly, it's overshadowed by two superior 1981 werewolf movies.
2 The Howling
In another world, The Howling would be the defining werewolf movie of the '80s, but it went up against an all-time classic. A traumatized journalist goes on a wellness retreat, but a deeper look into her trauma reveals a lycanthropic connection. Directed by Joe Dante (with effects by Rob Bottin), The Howling is a horror fan's dream.
The quirky script and interesting characters are supported by stunning werewolf effects and a lot of chills, and it keeps the classic tradition of the bipedal wolf alive. With subtle commentary about mass media, The Howling continued Dante's tongue-in-cheek approach to horror. There's a reason The Howling spawned a franchise.
1 An American Werewolf In London
Hot on the heels of Animal House, director John Landis delivered another type of animal entirely. An American Werewolf in London concerns an American tourist who is turned into a werewolf while backpacking in the UK. While the groundbreaking transformation scene by Rick Baker gets all the attention, the rest of the film is flawless.
Rick Baker won the first ever Best Makeup award at the Oscars for his work on An American Werewolf in London.
Mixing legitimately horrifying moments with tragedy and humor, American Werewolf is a well-rounded cinematic experience. The effects have yet to be topped, and the werewolf revolutionized how lycanthropes were shown onscreen forever. Unlike other '80s werewolf movies which tried so hard to break with tradition, 1981's best horror film embraced them with modern sensibilities.
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