Wolf Man, The (1941)
Starring: Lon Chaney Jr., Evelyn Ankers, Claude Rains
Director: George Waggner
Synopsis: Another of Universal's classic horror films
Reviewed by: Ali Khan

Universal's classic werewolf tale was their second attempt at the genre but it remains the film that laid down much of the folklore and legend for decades to come.

Lon Chaney Jr. returns to his ancestral village in what Universal's blurb on the DVD states is Wales. We are never actually told the location of this misty land where events start to unfold rapidly. While taking a midnight stroll, Chaney is bitten by a werewolf and soon finds himself transforming into a beast of the night. Worse still he has a strong blood lust which draws him to preying on the unsuspecting villagers. Terror and tragedy ensue as the villagers seek the werewolf out for destruction.

Waggner's direction seeks to portray the werewolf sympathetically - both as hunter and hunted. The werewolf is a Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde character who knows that he is to transform and once that happens inevitably another victim will be found ravaged by the werewolf. Much of the 'tragedy' of the werewolf curse is well depicted. There is also a wonderfully mythical atmosphere to the film. Gypsies and their tales abound, mists creep along the vales and a full moon and a howl close at hand. There is also a fair amount of attention and background given to the legend of the werewolf curse. It all builds up very well and while the director decided to show us the man to wolf transformation, the script writer had originally left it unclear as to whether there ever was a transformation or whether the whole 'werewolf' episode had been imagined by the Lon Chaney character.

The wolf make up is considered to be the classic version of the werewolf. Personally, it's not my favourite. The scenes where the werewolf is actually kept hidden from view appear far more effective than actually seeing the creature tip-toeing around making strange noises. Lon Chaney Jr. despite being far from impressive - the script writer had found it unimaginable that Chaney could play an Englishman with his strong American accent - managed to go and repeat his role in several follow ups.

However, despite these shortcomings, the Wolf Man was the film that set the standard for subsequent wolf films. In today's world where special effects often supersede the importance of the story, the Wolf Man is a reminder of the days when a film would be well written and executed.