Great Performances in Horror. Antony Sher (Dr. Hoenneger) in The Wolf Man (2010). By Brian Kirst
Knighted for his dedication to the arts, actor/writer Antony Sher makes his horror film debut with 2010’s The Wolf Man and this established actor makes quite a vile and delicious entry into the scare film sweepstakes- especially considering he is only given a couple of scenes to make his mark in such a blood filled trade.
As Dr. Hoenneger, Sher torments Benicio Del Toro’s Lawrence Talbot with a grand glee grounded in true acting prowess. Just past the film’s gypsy strewn mid-point, Talbot condemned to Hoenneger’s asylum for the murders he committed as an unwitting werewolf and pawn, finds himself not only encapsulated in bitterly cold water and decorated in icicle shards, but a prisoner of Sher’s devilishly icy glare, as well.
Long regarded as a proficiently skilled theater actor (and the author of several memoirs and the incisive fictional The Indoor Boy, as well), Sher uses all his skills here to give Dr. Hoenneger a monstrous effect while keeping him glued in the realm of the believable. Of course, even with his electrically grounded performance, Sher can’t escape being the eventual recipient of one of Del Toro as beast’s most calculated and bloody deaths. Still, Sher, the actor, shines far above his imminent splatter crossed demise, eventually helping to make the film, as a whole, a truly hairy ‘n enjoyable experience.
