The Wolf Man

Starring: Lon Chaney, Jr., Claude Rains, Ralph Bellamy, Warren William, Bela Lugosi, Patric Knowles, Maria Ouspenskaya, Evelyn Ankers
Directed by: George Waggner
Rating: Not rated
Genre: Drama, Horror
1941

Times Seen:
Tim: 1

Summary: Larry Talbot (Lon Chaney, Jr.) visits his home, where he is bit by wolf during a violent attack. A gypsy woman warns him that he was in fact bitten by a werewolf, and will turn into one at the next full moon.

Review:

Tim: I liked The Wolf Man, although not quite as much as I expected. When I read up about the early Universal monster movies, I learned a few things. The first major Hollywood werewolf movie was 1935's Werewolf of London. That film wasn't a commercial success, and isn't highly regarded. I actually enjoyed that film quite a bit. Six years later, Universal tries to restart a franchise with The Wolf Man. This film is a huge success, and launches the werewolf into American consciousness. I would have expected to like this movie quite a bit, but I felt like it was a little redundant. It's still a good movie, though.

While there are some differences, this is basically a rehash of Werewolf of London. The differences really separate these two films, but much of the story and atmosphere is the same. Maybe it's because they are quite similar stories, but I didn't love this as much as I expected. Yes, this is the classic werewolf movie, but it had been done before.

While discussing negatives, I should mention that I was not very impressed with Lon Chaney, Jr. I know he became very popular, but I just did not find him a very engaging or interesting actor. His performance quite frankly bored me a bit. I suppose he did have a bit of an everyman quality to him, but I did not love him in this film.

So far, I've been pretty negative. The Wolf Man, however, is a very good movie. It learned from some of the mistakes made in the earlier film, and it creates some of the iconic aspects of werewolf movies that are still used today. The makeup effects are pretty astounding. This werewolf really looks great and the image of the werewolf here has been burned into audiences. It's an iconic, unforgettable look.

The story is interesting- I really liked how they weaved in the subplot around the gypsies. It gave the whole story a feeling of mysticism and danger. The film does a good job of establishing interesting characters. I also think the supporting cast is quite impressive. You have Claude Rains, who played The Invisible Man, and Bela Lugosi, who made Count Dracula such an iconic character. The horror movie pedigree of the supporting cast is outstanding. I also really enjoyed the creepy, atmospheric look to the film. I understand that pumping in the fog was a difficult process that negatively impacted the cast, but the look it created was quite memorable.

I'm definitely a fan of the classic Universal monster movies. While I might not think The Wolf Man is the classic that many people claim it to be, I definitely recognize the care and skill that went into making this film. It's incredibly influential, and all werewolf movies that came after it owe this film. It's certainly a movie that is worth seeing, and it's quite an enjoyable film.

Rating 1-10
Tim's Rating: 7



If You Enjoyed This Movie, We Recommend: Werewolf of London, Dracula, Frankenstein, The Invisible Man