The Wolf Man

"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."

I love all the classic Universal monster movies but The Wolf Man from 1941 is probably my favorite (with 1931's Frankenstein being a close second). It's a movie I've referenced in numerous blog post, including '10 Movies to Watch in October' but interestingly enough I've never written anything in-depth about it.

 The film stars Lon Chaney Jr. as Larry Talbot, a man who returns to his family's estate after learning that his brother has passed away. While back in town Larry becomes interested in a woman named Gwen (played by Evelyn Ankers), who runs an antique shop. One afternoon while visiting her shop, he purchases a walking stick decorated with a silver wolf on the top. Later that night, Larry attempts to rescue Gwen's friend Jenny from what he believes to be an ordinary wolf. He kills the wolf with his new walking stick, but Larry was bitten during the encounter. Soon After, a gypsy tells Larry that the wolf that bit him was actually her son Bela (played by Bela Lugosi) in the form of a wolf. She also tells Larry that since he was bitten by a werewolf and lived, he will turn into one himself. From there Larry struggles to control his condition, occasionally turning into the Wolf Man and lurking in the foggy woods outside the village. In the end he's killed by his own father, with the silver-topped walking stick. 

While so many modern horror films rely on jump-scares and gore, The Wolf Man is engaging because it's a well made film with a good story, and an atmospheric score. Lon Chaney Jr. is great in the movie and every time I watch it I feel bad for Larry Talbot. He was just trying to do the right thing, he didn't ask to become a werewolf and he never turns into a stereotypical evil monster. He's just a regular guy with an unfortunate curse he can't control. 

Overall, it's a pretty short movie, with a runtime of only about an hour and ten minutes, but that doesn't make the story feel any less developed. Film critic Leonard Maltin once called it "One of the finest horror films ever made", and I couldn't agree more. I definitely recommend this film to any one interested in going back to check out some classic horror flicks, and it's a perfect film to pop in if you're looking to for a movie to get yourself into the Halloween spirit. 

5 out of 5