The Wolf Man (1941): Reviewed by BRYAN SCHUESSLER
The Wolf Man (1941), directed by George Waggner, is a classic Universal horror film. I enjoyed this film and see why it is considered a classic. It is one of my favorite Universal horror films. I love them all!
The acting in The Wolf Man is what makes this film stand out from the rest of them. Claude Rains (Sir John Talbot), Lon Chaney, Jr. (The Wolf Man/Larry Talbot), and Bela Lugosi (Bela) are all in this film and give excellent performances. Bela Lugosi portrays a gypsy fortune-teller and plays his standard creepy and extremely atmospheric role he has been noted for ever since gracing the screen in Dracula (1931), creeping out horror fans his entire career. Lon Chaney, Jr. is a physically impressive man and was a wise choice for the role of the Wolfman. His domineering size makes him a formidable werewolf indeed.
The scenery and the set of this film was incredible. Universal really knew how to create a mood and atmosphere for their horror films. Maybe not quite as well as Hammer Studios did later on, but quite impressive for its time nonetheless. The transformation of Chaney, Jr. from man to wolf had to be completely revolutionary for its time. Chaney, Jr.’s performance in this film is one of his best, if not his best. He really was the drive behind this whole film, and with excellent supporting actors and actresses, The Wolf Man makes for a very enjoyable walk down memory lane when horror films were very passionate and focused on acting, scripts, and dialogue. I am a huge fan for the gore, blood, babes, and sickness that many horror films are focusing on today, but sometimes one just needs to sit down and enjoy a truly classic horror film that plays on your fears and emotions without all the fluff and muff of the modern-day horror films.
With the upcoming remake of The Wolf Man (2009) in the works, starring Benicio Del Toro, I felt that this classic should be on everyone’s essential viewing list. I read in an interview with Rick Baker (extraordinary award-winning FX artist on the upcoming film) (Fangoria Issue # 279) that Del Toro has a “love of all things monster-movie-related” and Baker wanted the wolf man to be as true to Universal’s Wolf Man as it could be, including “his version of the design owing much to the one designed by Jack P. Pierce nearly 70 years ago “.
That gives me hope that this remake will be worth watching and not another more of the same with no originality or reworking ingenuity. I believe that the Universal Studios horror films are the foundation for the modern monster horror film today. The Wolfman is a shining example of why myself, and many others, first fell in love with horror films.
