Though 1941's The Wolf Man, is not the original werewolf movie,
it is more than likely, the most famous. Most depictions of werewolves in
Halloween decorations directly reference this version of the character. Until
the 1980's, The Wolf Man was more or less the only reference on how werewolves
act, their weaknesses, etc (until American Werewolf in London and The Howling).
Now there are entire franchises with werewolves in them (Twilight, Underworld,
Being Human), but how does the original stack up to the movies that have
followed it?
The movie sets the tone with Lon Chaney, Jr. as Lawrence Talbot.
Larry returns to his home town due to the death of his brother. There are
scenes that foreshadow things to come, mostly in the form of a poem that is
repeated several times that references the werewolf's transformation as well as
a walking stick Larry buys with a silver wolf's head at the top. Larry starts
to become romantically involved with a woman who owns an antique shop. While
strolling in the woods near a gypsy camp, the two are attacked by a normal
looking wolf that Larry kills with his silver walking stick. He didn't know
that silver was a werewolf's weakness or that he was even fighting a werewolf,
but as fate would have it, he was bitten during the struggle.
The beast turns into a man upon death. Larry isn't arrested, but
during the night (not when the moon is full) he turns into a wolf like man,
instead of a full on wolf. Larry in his wolf form has no control over his
actions and is purely running off of animal instinct. He also has no real
memory of what happens when he is The Wolf Man. The ending is a heart breaking
when someone close to Larry unknowingly kills him as the Wolf Man, only to have
it revert into some they love.
The tale is one of a man struggling to fight an evil that he
cannot control. This concept is still used from time to time, but many
werewolves can not only control themselves while transformed, but can choose
when to change. Larry Talbot would have given anything for that ability.
The full moon concept was used in later sequels. This is also
true in the Frankenstein series that ran at the same time. The monster only
held its arms out when it was blind in a much later movie, but is depicted
walking around with its arms outstretched in most modern media.
The special effects were good for its time and still entertains
today. Though not as impressive as the scene from the more current Wolf Man,
there is still a transformation sequence in this movie. The make up was
gradually put on and the film shot frame by frame to achieve the effect.
If you haven't seen the original Universal monster movies, then
this would be a good one to start with. There isn't a ton of gore, profanity,
or nudity, but in the dark, the movie can still be creepy and fun.
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