The Wolf Man (1941)

"You think I don't know the difference between a wolf and a man?", 29 October 2005

The Wolf Man is one of the most iconic figures of horror. Volumes have been written on Lon Chaney's Larry Talbot, so there's not much more for me to add. I'll just say that I find Talbot's attitude toward his fate in The Wolf Man refreshing. It's not until the later sequels that I find Talbot's continued and repeated bemoaning of his condition tiresome. Unlike other movie "monsters", he doesn't desire or relish the idea of killing. Just compare Talbot with some of the other movie "monsters" of the period. Take Dracula for instance. He relished the idea of drinking blood and had absolutely no qualms about killing. Dr. Frankenstein, while a tragic figure in his own right, was responsible for his fate and knew exactly what he was doing. Karloff's I'm-Ho-Tep is a being that doesn't mind committing murder to get what he wants. In comparison, Talbot is a victim and a very tragic character. It makes the character more human and, therefore, easier to feel sympathy for.

The cast of The Wolf Man may actually be one of the best that Universal ever assembled. The acting is first-rate. In fact, the iconic Chaney may be the weak link. Evelyn Ankers is solid as the target of Talbot's affection. Maria Ouspenskaya steals every scene in which she appears with her understated performance. Claude Rains was a four-time Oscar-nominated actor. Bela Lugosi gives a nice, although too brief, performance as the gypsy, Bela. Few movies, horror or otherwise, can boast of a cast like this.

Finally, I just love these older movies and their non-CGI effects. It took real makeup and camera craftsmen to change Chaney into a werewolf. The stop motion transformation is almost as effective today as it was in 1941. And, there's a reason Jack Pierce's makeup from The Wolf Man is so well known – it works.

9/10