Movie Review: The Wolf Man (1941)

The Wolf Man (1941) directed by George Waggner

Estranged younger son Larry Talbot (Lon Chaney Jr.) returns to his ancestral estate when his older brother dies. His father (Claude Rains) welcomes him back with open arms, hoping to reunite with his eighteen-year absent son. Larry even takes a shine to one of the local girls, Gwen (Evelyn Ankers), though she is engaged to someone else. The whole village by Talbot Castle is steeped in werewolf lore. Everybody knows the old rhyme: "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." His dad chalks it up to superstition, though he admits there's probably some basis in reality, like the dual personality in people. Larry gets an actually dual personality after he's bitten by a wolf that turns out to be a werewolf, the son of a gypsy woman who is traveling through the village. The woman warns Larry that he will turn into the wolf and gives him an amulet for protection. Larry gives Gwen the amulet since he's more worried about her. He does turn into a wolf and starts murdering people (mostly randomly) at night.

The story moves along at a good pace and is the origin for a lot of the mythology that's generally accepted about werewolves: they need to be killed by a silver weapon; they change in moonlight; the curse is passed through biting. The characters in the movie assume this lore is ancient and accepted, making it seem like it originated somewhere else. Chaney does a great job playing the conflicted, good man who slowly comes to accept that he's been cursed. Everyone around him thinks there's some scientific explanation for what's wrong with him (though most boil down to him being insane) and that there's an actual wolf wandering around in the woods causing the troubles. Their enlightened view leads to a wolf hunt which is the ultimate downfall of Larry. 

The special effects were state-of-the-art for the time and still look decent. Part of the success is that the effects are used sparingly and a lot of the action takes place in a foggy forrest. The actors do a great job taking the story seriously and giving their characters more depth than in the average horror film.

Recommended.