1) The Howling (1981)
A controversial first choice perhaps? Possibly. While The Howling is rightly revered by many as a classic of the werewolf genre, it’s just hard to shake the nagging doubt that it could be a whole lot better. With a budget of just $1 million, it’s worth emphasizing that horror legend Joe Dante did a fantastic job at the helm, but he was surely casting envious glances across at the other lycanthropic tale being made at the same time by John Landis.
An American Werewolf In London had ten times the funding of The Howling and it shows. The transformation scene featuring Robert Picardo is good, but looks incredibly dated now when compared to Rick Baker’s legendary and timeless work on Werewolf.
With the right director (perhaps Dante again?) and a few more pennies in the pot, a remake could be exactly what’s needed to reinvigorate a genre recently exhibiting more fleas than fun. Plus, the film’s witty take on indulgent self-help retreats begs to be expanded upon.