Review of The Wolf Man (1941) by Dylan C — 15 Feb 2010

A movie that popularized the concept of werewolves turning by moonlight and vulnerable to silver, The Wolf Man is a brilliant horror film for its time with a great cast and perfect special effects (for it's time). The Wolf Man was Universal Studio's second attempt at the legend of werewolves, the previous being the less successful Werewolf of London.

Lon Chaney Jr plays Larry Talbot, who returns home after being gone for 18 years when his brother dies. There he reconciles with his father (Claude Rains) and becomes romantically interested in Gwen Conliffe (Evelyn Ankers) whom is already engaged. While out that night her friend Jenny is attacked by what seems to be a wolf and Larry is bitten. From there on is a decent into Larry's own nightmare as people are found dead and he can't seem to remember the night before. Larry struggles to cope with the curse that is upon him as the town itself is gripped in fear and everyone labels him a murderer, as the wolf seems to be a Gypsy fortune teller.

What makes The Wolf Man so unique is its execution into Larry's own psychological struggles. When he killed the wolf that attacked Jenny everyone sees a murdered Gypsy man and the town points their fingers at Larry, whom appears highly delusional. Larry tries to go about life briefly and when you see him in the church and everyone just stares at him, you can see the fear and guilt in his face knowing that he has no control over what's become of him, and Lon Chaney Jr pulls this performance off almost perfectly.

The film knows when to focus on horror as Larr turns into the warewolf, but more importantly the film focuses solely on characterization; something that many modern horror films have abandoned. We see Larry frightened to the core and he wants help but knows that there may not be any, and he discusses the concepts of delusions of the mind with his doctor and ideas of post tramatic stress with his father in between the night sequences where he becomes the wolfman.

Overall, The Wolf Man fits perfectly with other horror films of its time, such as Dracula and Frankenstein. From the opening introductions to the surprisingly suspenseful final minutes, The Wolf Man captures your attention with the things that howl in the moonlight.