Racing through the darkness, only to be stopped by the fading light of the full moon above. Feral eyes wide, long, bloody claws out, jaws and fangs snapping; the werewolf is truly a creature of fear. From the madness of The Wolfman by Jonathan Maberry, to the gothic beauty of the Full Moon series by Ellen Schreiber, the werewolf has entertained people for decades. It has made its impact on the horror genre and, to aspiring horror novelists, the werewolf is a rich source of humanity’s most basic instincts.

But what makes the werewolf so appealing? What is it about these beautiful creatures that causes all of us to pause, to try to make connections with these monsters?

Human nature For a lot of supernatural books, especially in the paranormal romance genre, werewolves tend to live in packs. Friends, family, lovers; their society typically revolves around pack life. Werewolves, just like their real world counterparts, are social creatures, and this correlation tends to be exploited more often than not. To have a pack alpha and follow a specific set of rules introduces some form of civilization to these otherwise animalistic monsters, and as humans, it’s something we can relate to. This, of course, contrasts with the stereotype of “the lone wolf.” Typically speaking, just like in humanity, werewolves who act on their own are viewed as abnormal, though only because a lone werewolf can’t survive on their own. But whether they choose to live alone, or were kicked out of a pack, this stereotype has continued to thrive in popular culture.

Animal nature Needless to say, the werewolf isn’t just connected with humanity; it’s also a symptom of Mother Nature’s madness. As I’ve said before, humans are social creatures, and if we’re isolated enough, say in a forest, with no civilization around, of course we’ll go a little crazy. This aspect of humanity is found in books such as The Feral Sentence by G.C. Julien, but it’s not hard to see these characteristics in werewolves. In a lot of cultures, the werewolf was, in fact, used as a symbol of insanity. To gaze at the hypnotic moon and succumb to whatever demons are inside was something to be feared, so much so there were rituals performed to stop people from turning. It’s that very fear that has led writers to speculate about what happens when we go too far into our instincts, what happens when all our humanity is stripped away. 

To be honest, I prefer vampires to werewolves in literature. There’s a dark elegance that radiates with those bloodsuckers, but nevertheless, werewolves certainly have their appeal. The werewolf is more savage, though also more vulnerable to societal pressures. They are also connected to the world around them, civilized and uncivilized. They show us just how more intuitive they are with, ironically enough, their sense of family, as well as their primitive natures. It is the werewolf that reflects most accurately on humanity, and it is this creature that holds up the mirror to humanity, while succumbing to all our flaws.