With his new film The Wolf Man, Lee Whannell becomes the latest director to tackle Universal's classic shape-shifting monster on screen. In his review of Whannell's reimaginingThe film's Jeremy Matai noted that the film "restores the title character and his accompanying curse as a moody, atmospheric thriller that cares as much (if not more) for the family at the center of this tragedy as it scares."

Part of what makes werewolf movies unique is that these aren't just monsters, but humans who transform back and forth between being a monster and being human. This allows the werewolf film to be versatile; instead of having to rely on their characters to keep coming around to meet the monster for the convenience of the plot, the monster stays with the characters throughout these films, hiding among them, until it's too late. Werewolf movies make great fantasy films, horror comedies, body horror films, dramas, westerns and more - as evidenced by our very own list of the best werewolf movies ever. It's not just R-rated genre films for adult audiences; in fact, there is plenty of children's media that tackles the werewolf with whimsy and playfulness, with Goosebumps, Scooby-Doo, and the Ghostbusters cartoon series addressing the concept for children.

Indeed, one of the more curious and unexpected takes on the horror subgenre combines the classic werewolf story with the beloved singing rodent franchise. That's right, Alvin and the squirrels meet the Wolfman at one point, and it's as freakishly fun as you can imagine.

In Alvin and the Chipmunks Meet the Wolfman, Alvin is convinced that his neighbor is a werewolf and is having nightmares about him. While searching for proof, he and his brother Simon do not forget the fact that their neighbor is innocent, but that there is a werewolf among them—namely, Theodore. Yes, this is a children's cartoon about a rodent who turns into a cute wolf (chip wolf, if you will). It's very silly and cute, and a fun take on the classic monster.

It's also not the first time Alvin and his siblings have encountered a classic Universal monster. Much like Abbott and CostelloThe Chipmunks were on their way to meet every major Universal monster at one point, starting with Frankenstein in 1999's Alvin and the Chipmunks Meet Frankenstein before their 2000 crossover The Walkman. (Unfortunately, none of the Chipmunks turned into Frankenstein's monster during the first one.) Unfortunately, the chipmunks never met Dracula. A third Meet movie was proposed after Alvin and the Chipmunks Meet the Wolf, but it was canceled after franchise creators Ross Baghdasarian Jr. and Janice Carman sued Universal for breach of contract and won the rights to the characters in 2000. meaning, Universal can no longer make any more direct-to-home animated Chipmunks movies. It is to be seen.