The Wolf Man

My kids kept seeing clips of this movie playing during The Sandlot and wanted to watch it. They loved it!

First time seeing this film, one of the great classic horror films, a film that had an enormous influence on Hollywood depictions of werewolves and was the film that truly popularized the Wolf Man as one of the great Universal Pictures monsters (it isn’t the first werewolf film they did – that would be “Werewolf of London” in 1935, but it is the more famous and influential film).The main character is Larry Talbot (played by Lon Chaney Jr.), who we meet returning to his family home, their ancestral castle in Wales on the death of Larry’s brother and reuniting with his estranged father Sir John Talbot (played by Claude Rains). While in town, getting to know the place and getting reacquainted with his father, Larry falls in love with a woman who with her father runs the local antique shop (who Larry peeps on from a telescope in the family castle, though his credit Larry later owns up to this). This woman, named Gwen Conliffe (Evelyn Ankers), is hit on quite a bit by Larry, Gwen eventually agreeing to go out with him (though she is engaged!).I don’t want to say much more about the story if in you haven’t seen it, but it does involved gypsies (including one played by horror great Bela Lugosi in basically a blink and you miss it cameo) and Larry getting bitten by a werewolf (something everyone except for the locals think is either an old legend or a psychological disorder).Having read that this movie is influential for later incarnations of werewolves in the movies, I saw several things that certainly movies the last three decades or so don’t include, with a lot more emphasis on a werewolf being a magical creature with supernatural qualities rather than purely a disease that people can become inflicted with. That surprised me, though seems much more in line with the older legends of werewolves from European folklore.I liked the village and castle setting, the creepy foggy woods, I liked the characters Gwen and Sir John, the make up looked good when we finally see the Wolf Man, pacing was excellent, and it had a sad ending I didn’t quite expect. We barely see much of the Wolf Man though, mostly towards the end, and I was unclear on one aspect of lycanthropy in the film (it seems one can turn into a wolf…or a Wolf Man…but I was unclear if there was a choice, or certain people became wolves and certain people didn’t).I generally liked the character of Larry Talbot though I thought he came on much too strong to Gwen in trying to win a date with her. Nothing rapey or abusive or sexist, but he was very persistent. I think that is something modern audiences might differ on from how older films portrayed such things, that modern audiences might see him not taking no as an answer, while back then unless it was the “right no” it was permission to try a few more times (that and perhaps as a form of flirting).I understand Lon Chaney Jr reprised the Wolf Man in four sequels. It would be interesting to see one or more of these movies.

Made during the horror movie heyday of the late 1930s and early 1940s, this classic suspenseful thriller introduced audiences to one of the most well-known movie monsters; Lon Chaney Jr.'s "Wolf Man".Chaney plays Larry Talbot, who is returning to his home in Wales after spending eighteen years in the United States. Larry's brother was recently killed in a hunting accident. Claude Rains stars as Larry's father, Sir John Talbot. Upon returning home, Larry helps his father install a new lens in his telescope. While peering through the lens, Larry discovers a beautiful girl in the window across the street. Her name is Gwen Conliffe (Evelyn Ankers). Larry goes over and introduces himself, and the two agree to go for a walk together that evening.Gwen invites her friend Jenny Williams to come along. The three decide to go to have their fortunes told by a group of gypsies who have set up camp in town. Jenny goes first. Gypsy Bela (Bela Lugosi) reads Jenny's fortune. He is immediately disturbed when he sees the shape of a pentagram appear in Jenny's palm. He immediately tells Jenny to leave. Meanwhile, Gwen and Larry have walked off on their own. Minutes later, they hear a blood-curdling scream. Larry runs to investigate and finds a large wolf attacking Jenny. Larry manages to kill the wolf with his silver-handled cane, but he is bitten in the process.Gypsy Maleva (Maria Ouspenskaya) tells Larry about the legend of the werewolf, and if a person is bitten by a werewolf and survives, they too will become a werewolf. Maleva gives Larry a charm to wear around his neck to protect himself, but he gives the charm to Gwen. On the night of the full moon, Maleva's predictions come true, as Larry Talbot is transformed into a werewolf. Will the charm protect Gwen, or will she suffer the same fate as her friend Jenny?This movie has remained a classic for over sixty years, and it takes the viewer back to a time before the blood-and-guts horror films were popular, and movie producers relied on psychological terror to scare audiences. There is no blood in this movie, but the viewer is still scared by the unique movie sets, the fog rolling through the trees, and the haunting musical score. Lon Chaney Jr. made his role as the wolf man famous, and he's the only actor to have ever played the wolf man. Although the character was originally designed for Boris Karloff, Chaney made this his signature role. He will always be remembered as the wolf man. The other actors, especially Maria Ouspenskaya and Claude Rains, give good performances as well.I give this movie my highest recommendation. This film takes me back to when I was a young child, and I used to stay up late on weekends watching the scary movies on television. Remember, "Even a man who is pure in heart and says his prayers by night, may become a wolf when the wolf bane blooms, and the autumn moon is bright".

"Even a man who is pure at heart and says his prayers by night may become a wolf when the wolfsbane blooms and the autumn moon is bright." So says Curt Sidomak, creator of 1941's The Wolf Man. And so was the fate of Larry Talbot and the mythology of how werewolves are made. And we have not only Curt Sidomak to thank but also Lon Chaney Jr. for his portrayal as the doomed Larry Talbot. And the remaining cast is extraordinary with Claude Rains as Sir John Talbot, Evelyn Ankers as Gwen, Patric Knowles as Gwen's fiancée Frank, Bela Lugosi as Bela the original werewolf, and Maria Ouspenskaya as Maleva, the wise Romani. And despite the film being only 70 minutes long, we get to know the whole cast and the plot in that short time which is something most films cannot do and why it stands out among the Universal Classic Monsters Films.The bonus material includes how the Wolf Man was made, the life of Lon Chaney Jr., and the real life scoop on werewolf folklore including a small tribute to the man who created the Universal Classic Monsters; Jack Pierce. This film is recommended for all horror fans but be wary of the howl you hear at night when the movie ends; could it be a dog? A coyote? A wolf? Or could it be the howl that means death or a fate worse than death?

This was made during the same era as the Classic Dracula and Frankenstein movies and I place this movie in the same class as them. The late Lon Chaney, Jr who plays The Wolf Man was one of Holywoods best horror actors of the day along with his father (Lon Chaney), Bela Lugossi and Boris Karloff.Eventhough this movie is in black and white and the sound quality is not to today's standard, I still find this an enjoyable to watch, and it is a good comparison to the one which came out last year.Lon Chaney, Jr had to spend many hours in the makeup chair each day as they covered his face and visible body in hair to turn him into the part - no CGI them days, only makeup and limited special effects.The story has the mixture of love, gypsy folklore and magic with good background music to make good entertainment.Remember that in the 1940s the film censors where much stricter that today, and the war was raging over in Europe so the content was more limited than what some people would expect.

The Wolfman is a peculiar beast in that yes it is a horror film but it also has a warmth to it, maybe its something about the era that the movie was filmed in.It's certaintly not scary, but is of course one of the great Universal classics.Lon Chaney Jr is superb as the Wolfman, it's interesting to see his character start the movie quite cocky and then turn into a quivering recluse as it dawns on him that he is a wolf.Sure there are some plot holes here and there and the sets do look a little 'creaky' but it's hard to knock such a classic and highly enjoyable film. I did though prefer Frankenstein meets the wolfman to this movie.An essential purchase nonetheless.

A classic that can never be done twice. the cast of characters are quickly introduced and established including the sympathetic and likable lead tortured by supernatural powers brought to life by brilliant werewolf effects for the time. The story reinvented the classic beast of legend into how we know it today including the now famed weakness to silver and the main character Larry Talbot, while not as famous as Dracula or Frankenstein, has essentially become the archetypal werewolf much like the for mentioned characters have for vampires and mad scientists.

Don't make em like they used to

The original and still best incarnation of the man bitten by a wolf and cursed. The transformation from man to beast is well realised and the setting is suitably spooky.Lon Chaney is great and embodies both man and best perfectly. His suave human form brutally gives why to his beast form is style and provides some very tense moments.Not my favourite of the monster movies but certianly a strong addition. Well worth a watch.