Even a man who is pure in heart
And says his prayers by night
May become a wolf when the wolfbane blooms
And the autumn moon is bright.
If you haven't heard this piece of poetry before, you'll never forget it after seeing The Wolf Man for two reasons: it's spooky and just about everybody in the movie recites it at one time or another.Set in a fog-bound studio-built Wales, The Wolf Man tells the doom-laden tale of Larry Talbot (Lon Chaney, Jr.), who returns to the estate of his father (Claude Rains). (Yes, Chaney's American, but the movie explains this, awkwardly.) Bitten by a werewolf, Talbot suffers the classic fate of all victims of lycanthropy. This is a classy horror outing, with strong atmosphere and a thoughtful script by Curt Siodmak-- well, except for the stiff romantic bits between Chaney and Evelyn Ankers. It's also got Bela Lugosi, briefly, and Maria Ouspenskaya, the prune-like Russian actress who foretells doom like nobody's business.
And says his prayers by night
May become a wolf when the wolfbane blooms
And the autumn moon is bright.
If you haven't heard this piece of poetry before, you'll never forget it after seeing The Wolf Man for two reasons: it's spooky and just about everybody in the movie recites it at one time or another.Set in a fog-bound studio-built Wales, The Wolf Man tells the doom-laden tale of Larry Talbot (Lon Chaney, Jr.), who returns to the estate of his father (Claude Rains). (Yes, Chaney's American, but the movie explains this, awkwardly.) Bitten by a werewolf, Talbot suffers the classic fate of all victims of lycanthropy. This is a classy horror outing, with strong atmosphere and a thoughtful script by Curt Siodmak-- well, except for the stiff romantic bits between Chaney and Evelyn Ankers. It's also got Bela Lugosi, briefly, and Maria Ouspenskaya, the prune-like Russian actress who foretells doom like nobody's business.