I can't praise this movie highly enough, it is not only the best of the universal monsters series and one of the greatest werewolf films ever made certainly the definitive treatment, but also one of my all time favourite movies. Lon Chaney turns in an outstanding credible performance worthy of his father the legendary man of a thousand faces, actually the entire cast is outstanding, Claude Rains, Maria Ouspenskaya and Bela Lugosi.
The script by Curt Siodmak is marvellous, borrowing from genuine werewolf folklore and adding its own. The plot device of having the werewolf see the pentagram on the palm of it's next victim is truly ingenious and I don't know why it was never utilised in any of the sequels or any other werewolf films for that matter.
The score by Frank Skinner and Han J Salter is so haunting, and has a nice rich romantic sound to it, especially the cues used in the gypsy camp, if only The Wolf Man weren't a b movie it probably would have won an Oscar.
Lastly it must be said that Jack Pierce's make up and John P Faulton's werewolf transformations really go along way in making this film, who could ever forget the image of the wolf man walking through the fog shrouded forest in search of fresh victims.
The script by Curt Siodmak is marvellous, borrowing from genuine werewolf folklore and adding its own. The plot device of having the werewolf see the pentagram on the palm of it's next victim is truly ingenious and I don't know why it was never utilised in any of the sequels or any other werewolf films for that matter.
The score by Frank Skinner and Han J Salter is so haunting, and has a nice rich romantic sound to it, especially the cues used in the gypsy camp, if only The Wolf Man weren't a b movie it probably would have won an Oscar.
Lastly it must be said that Jack Pierce's make up and John P Faulton's werewolf transformations really go along way in making this film, who could ever forget the image of the wolf man walking through the fog shrouded forest in search of fresh victims.