Larry Talbot, a prodigal son, returns to his father's country estate. Following a visit with a friend to a gypsy fortune-teller, he is bitten by a werewolf and cursed to become one himself. Confused, frightened and unsure of what is happening to him, tragedy awaits ...
The Wolf Man is a classic Universal horror movie, every bit as influential as Dracula or Frankenstein, with a great gloomy script by Curt Siodmak and memorable performances from Chaney, the gorgeous Ankers, Lugosi and especially Ouspenskaya. Although it is predated by another film (Stuart Walker's 1935 Werewolf Of London), it pretty much invented the cinematic werewolf legend, which for me has always been one of horror's most interesting themes, both visually in terms of special effects and tricks and emotionally - the duality of man, only with scares. The movie works wonderfully on both levels; it's full of terrific moody fog-filled sets and shadows and Jack Pierce's famous makeup job on Chaney is tremendous, but it also deals with the tragedy on a grand Shakespearian level - Larry is doomed from the moment he is bitten and is as much an empathetic victim as a prowling monster. The film spawned three direct sequels and has influenced literally hundreds of horror films since (particularly An American Werewolf In London). A great old scary movie.
The Wolf Man is a classic Universal horror movie, every bit as influential as Dracula or Frankenstein, with a great gloomy script by Curt Siodmak and memorable performances from Chaney, the gorgeous Ankers, Lugosi and especially Ouspenskaya. Although it is predated by another film (Stuart Walker's 1935 Werewolf Of London), it pretty much invented the cinematic werewolf legend, which for me has always been one of horror's most interesting themes, both visually in terms of special effects and tricks and emotionally - the duality of man, only with scares. The movie works wonderfully on both levels; it's full of terrific moody fog-filled sets and shadows and Jack Pierce's famous makeup job on Chaney is tremendous, but it also deals with the tragedy on a grand Shakespearian level - Larry is doomed from the moment he is bitten and is as much an empathetic victim as a prowling monster. The film spawned three direct sequels and has influenced literally hundreds of horror films since (particularly An American Werewolf In London). A great old scary movie.