Wolf Man frames its horror story as a tragic romance, but a different werewolf movie already did that much more effectively — despite being a tongue-in-cheek parody of the genre. Christopher Abbott stars in the Wolf Man cast as Blake Lovell, a loving husband and father who gets scratched by a werewolf and gradually transforms into a bloodthirsty monster while holing up with his family on an isolated farm. Like the previous Wolf Man movies, this reboot tells its werewolf tale through the lens of a doomed love story.

Unfortunately, as Wolf Man’s mixed reviews would suggest, it doesn’t work nearly as well as its predecessors. The characters are one-dimensional, the drama doesn’t land, it’s not very scary, and the werewolf design is disappointing after all the build-up. But there is a great werewolf movie out there that has three-dimensional characters, terrifying scares, compelling drama, and an unforgettable werewolf design — and it’s primarily a spoof of werewolf movies.

An American Werewolf In London Is More Effective As A Tragic Werewolf Love Story Than Wolf Man

An American Werewolf In London Is A Great Comedy, But It’s Also A Great Horror Movie & Romantic Drama

Thanks to an underdeveloped script and a lack of chemistry between the lead actors, Wolf Man’s tragic romance doesn’t work. Thankfully, there is a werewolf movie out there that tells a tragic werewolf love story perfectly. John Landis’ An American Werewolf in London may have been conceived as a satire of werewolf films, but it also works beautifully as a straightforward horror movie — and a drama. The love story between David Kessler, an American tourist recovering from a werewolf attack (and soon to become one), and his nurse, Alex Price, is much more convincing than Wolf Man’s boring love story.

The ending of Wolf Man is awfully similar to the ending of An American Werewolf in London. In both cases, the werewolf shows a glimmer of recognition as they gaze at the woman they love before being sH๏τ ᴅᴇᴀᴅ. The difference is that An American Werewolf in London put in the time to develop the couple’s relationship and build chemistry between them, so their tragic ending hits hard. Wolf Man’s couple has no chemistry, so their tragic ending isn’t so tragic.

An American Werewolf In London Might Be The Greatest Werewolf Movie Ever Made (Despite Being A Parody Of Them)

An American Werewolf In London Puts All Other Werewolf Movies To Shame

Despite being a parody of werewolf movies, An American Werewolf in London just might be the greatest werewolf movie ever made. It’s similar to how Shaun of the ᴅᴇᴀᴅ is a spoof of zombie movies that happens to be one of the best zombie movies of all time. An American Werewolf in London has an unnerving atmosphere, relatable character dynamics, and a perfectly paced narrative. Plus, thanks to the great Rick Baker, it has the most breathtaking werewolf transformation sequence ever committed to film. It puts all other werewolf movies — including Wolf Man — to shame.