THE WOLFMAN (1941)

The original Universal classic.......

I remember buying this film about a decade ago. I hadn't seen it in years and remembered nothing. Nothing will ever allow me to forget that great night, when I first saw (and comprehended) The Wolfman.

The original and beautiful poster art.

     Larry Talbot (Lon Chaney jr.) returns to his father's (Claude Rains) castle in Wales after being away for 18 years. But after a jolly fifteen minutes, he finds himself in trouble. Having asked Gwen Conliffe (Evelyn Ankers) out to have her fortune told, an uncomfortable Gwen is accompanied by friend Jenny Williams. Jenny has her fortune told by the gypsy Bela (Lugosi himself) but when he sees a pentegram in Jenny's hand he tells her to go. He ends up being a werewolf and murders Jenny only to be struck down by Talbot himself, but not before biting him!

There is unrest in the village over the killings. Most people suspect Talbot. After explaining what happened to Maleva the gypsy (Maria Ouspenskaya) he finds out that he too, will become a werewolf whenever the moon is full. That night he undergoes his first transformation and kills a gravedigger. Soon he sees the pentegram in Gwen's hand, and knowing she will be his next victim, he must flee!

There is quite a lot of subtle plotline in the Wolfman. It is never really elaborated on, but the Talbot family is hinted at being corrupt and thus able to do as they please. Sir John Talbot (Rains) is severley pompous regarding his family's history and seems to value family prestige above all else. Wisely, it is not discussed in any great detail.

Despite great chemistry, and their appearance together in several Universal horror films, lon Chaney and Evelyn Ankers did not get along. At all. She called him "the mad ghoul" and he would call her "shankers". A funny little sidenote for a hardcore fan who must know everything as myself. Even stranger than the good onscreen/bad offscreen relationship was the fact Talbot fought a bear in this movie! The scene was deleted and probably for the good of the film.

The opening credits set the atmospheric tone.

The Wolfman is an hour and ten minutes of eye candy. Set after set after set of gorgeous atmosphere keeps the viewer inside the world of the film. There is no shortage of fog either which should please the atmosphere hounds such as myself. One might go as far as to say it's one of the most atmospheric films of all time. I know I would. Talbot Castle, the forest, the graveyard, the town, everything is impressive down to the last detail. The Werewolf legend is presented very well and the plot moves along at perfect pace for a film of this type. The greatest Werewolf film of all time. FIVE STARS OUT OF FIVE.