Werewolf by Night is many different genres rolled into one, making it easy to recommend a plethora of movies. The biggest genre to point out would be the monster hunting one, specifically about werewolves. There are tons of great horror and comedy films featuring these moon-fearing beasts, but there aren’t many modern examples.
Werewolf by Night is much more than a werewolf movie though. It is shown in black and white, offering up another artistic style to choose from. Finally, it’s also a bit of a Battle Royale mixed with a who-done-it mystery. These eight films should keep any fan of this latest Marvel project entertained until Elsa Bloodstone returns to the MCU.
8 Werewolves Within
Werewolves Within is a hidden classic that snuck out of 2021. It’s about a mild-mannered park ranger that arrives in a new sleepy little mountain town only to find bodies piling up. Is there a mystical werewolf behind all of these kills and disappearances or is there something else going on?
It’s a horror comedy that has plenty of intrigue as well for a well-rounded experience. The last thirty minutes of the movie are pure chaos and it is brilliant.
7 The Thing
The Thing is like the concept of the video game on which Werewolves Within is based but it premiered decades earlier. A group of researchers in a snowy base are attacked by unknown assailants one afternoon who were chasing after a dog. It turns out this dog was hiding a parasite inside of it.
One by one this parasite kills its victims and then assumes their identity. Who on base is a mutant alien and who is a human? There is only one way to find out and that’s by watching it. The Thing is as classic as Alien as far as sci-fi horror films go.
6 The Mummy
The Mummy is similar to Werewolf by Night as it was a callback to the Universal monster movies of the early years of cinema. It’s also a bit like the Indiana Jones movies in that it follows a group of adventurers who are trying to stop an evil mummy from rising up.
It is a period piece as well, taking place in the 1920s, which fits the vibe of Werewolf by Night even more. They are monster hunters, of a sort, except there is only one monster they primarily fight. The first two movies are worth a go, but the third should be avoided at all costs.
5 Underworld
Underworld seems like the series started yesterday, but it is now decades old. It jumped on top of several trends of the early 2000s, including vampires and werewolves as a genre, as well as carving out an identity from The Matrix. The simple concept begins with a vampire society hunting down werewolves before they can terrorize anyone.
With any good monster story, sometimes the villains are closer to home. The first movie still holds up minus some CG effects, but unfortunately, the sequels following it declined steadily as the franchise trucked on.
4 Hellboy
Hellboy starts as a period piece set during World War 2, with an army unearthing a baby demon born from Hell. This boy grows into a monster hunter they dub Hellboy. He works under a secret organization that hunts down monsters in the dead of night. Even though the World War 2 era is only briefly visited, remnants of the past are dug for some Nazi-like villains. I
t’s a fun, campy movie and the comic on which it is based is killer too. The first two movies are still fun but the somewhat recent reboot is not worth anyone’s time.
3 Silver Bullet
Silver Bullet is a wild ride that may or may not fit the vibe of what fans of Werewolf by Night are feeling afterward. It’s based on a Stephen King novel wherein a young child in a wheelchair starts to notice strange things around town.
Are his suspicions about a werewolf right or is this all in his head due to trauma? Silver Bullet falls into the hilarious category of so bad it’s good. The film should be seen for Gary Busey alone in all his shenanigans.
2 Ed Wood
Ed Wood is a biopic by Tim Burton about an odd filmmaker by the same name. Johnny Depp plays Ed Wood in the film and he’s one of the most genuine filmmakers that ever lived. He wasn’t very talented but wearing his heart in his sheave made him an icon regardless.
The film goes through Ed Wood’s love of classic cinema including monster movies starring Bela Lugosi who helped make Dracula a household name. It’s a comedy-drama that has a meandering plot but entertaining all the way through in all its black-and-white glory.
1 Sin City
Sin City is a great recommendation here for those wishing Werewolf by Night had more action in it. It’s a recommendation on the filming techniques alone as it all takes place in black and white save for a few highlighted objects. Blood, for example, will often show up red just like the Bloodstone in Werewolf by Night.
There are three separate stories exploring characters as they dive into the seedy underbelly of the titular city. It’s an absolute classic and still one of the best comic book film adaptations to this day.