Full Moon - July 3 2012
A full moon Discovery News

There will be more than one full moon in August 2012, with the first occurring on Aug 1 and the second on Aug 31 as reported by Discovery News. The second full moon of the month is called a blue moon, and its an excuse to sit down with some great werewolf movies.

None of these lycanthropes is trying to stand between Kristen Stewart and Robert Pattinson, especially not after their very public breakup. These are films featuring creative variations on the classic monster who transforms from a man or woman to a ferocious beast during a full moon.

The Wolf Man (1941)

Neither the first werewolf movie nor the first movie titled "The Wolf Ma," the 1941 Universal horror film has been the standard in classic werewolf cinema. When Larry Talbot (Lon Chaney, Jr.) returns home to Wales after his brother's death, he encounters more than grieving family.

After Talbot is bitten by what he thinks is a wolf, gypsy fortuneteller Maleva (Maria Ouspenskaya) tell him that he will turn into a werewolf. He starts to transform into a murderous creature at night, and is left with vague memories of his urges and attacks.

The film's plot is something of a cliché at this point, but for all the right reasons. The film has been retold, remade and parodied over the past seven decades, and it has even been nominated for placement on the American Film Institute lists, like "100 Years...100 Thrills," "100 Years...100 Heroes and Villains" for The Wolf Man (Larry Talbot) and "100 Years of Film Scores," according to AFI.com.

An American WereWolf In London

With a very different tone from classic monster werewolf movies, "An American Werewolf in London" cracks jokes between scares. The horror-comedy follows David Kessler (David Kessler) who is attacked by a werewolf while backpacking through Europe with his friend Jack, who is killed by the creature.

After David wakes up in a hospital, he becomes involved with Nurse Alex Price (Jenny Agutter) who lets him stay in her London apartment. Their relationship gets complex when David starts to see the ghost of Jack, who warns David that he'll begin to change into a werewolf himself.

With amazing makeup affects for the time, sharp wit and a brutal transformation sequence, "American Werewolf" gave lycanthropes a modern makeover for the 1980's. The film has been nominated for AFI's "100 Laughs" list and placed 42nd Bravo's "The 100 Scariest Movie Moments" for the transformation scene according to ListAfterList.com.

Teen Wolf

1985 was a great time for Michael J. Fox, and less than two months after the release of "Back to the Future" came another beloved Fox film, "Teen Wolf." The teen comedy doesn't have a single scare to offer, but it does have Fox as a werewolf who plays basketball, car surfs and get the girl.

Campy is definitely the word to use to describe this one. Average teen Scott Howard (Fox) who becomes popular after he becomes a werewolf and learns that he is better off just being himself.

Some people don't react well to the tongue-in-cheek nature of the film, as seen with the film's 53 percent fresh Rotten Tomatoes score. The film has still gained a cult following from viewers who appreciate its simple and goofy style.

The Monster Squad

This isn't as much of a werewolf movie as it is a monster movie for kids. If you're the type of person who loves to watch "The Goonies" or old "Little Rascals" reruns, and you love the classic Universal monsters, then this is the movie for you.

A mismatched group of kids who all love horror movies have to stop a group of the classic Universal monsters from taking over the world. The film includes Dracula, Frankenstein, a Mummy, Gill-Mann (a take on The Creature from the Black Lagoon), and of course, a Wolfman.

Even though he isn't the main villain in the film, the Wolfman has one of the most memorable lines in the film, "Wolfman's got nards." This might not be the most sophisticated choice on the list, but it's a contender for the most fun.

Ginger Snaps

Here's one for the ladies. Taking werewolf folklore and twisting it into a story about two sisters growing apart after one gets her period might seem like a stretch, but "Ginger Snaps" does the unlikely by making a great film with this concept.

Brigitte (Emily Perkins) and Ginger Fitzgerald (Katharine Isabelle) are inseparable and anti-social sisters, at least until Ginger is attacked by a monstrous creature. After her encounter she finds hair growing form her quickly heeling wound, starts having sex, and becomes extremely emotional; she also starts killing people.

Writing down the things that happen doesn't do the film's subtlety justice. The screenplay is well thought out, gaining the film a cult following along with an 87 percent fresh score on Rotten Tomatoes.

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