The Wolf Man (1941)

DIRECTED BY

George Wagnner 

STARRING

Lon Chaney Jr. - Lawrence “Larry” Talbot/ The Wolf Man

Claude Rains - Sir John Talbot

Warren William - Dr. Lloyd

Evelyn Ankers - Gwen Conliffe

Ralph Bellamy - Captain Paul Montford

Patric Knowles - Frank Andrews

Bela Lugosi - Bela

Maria Ouspenskaya - Maleva

Genre - Horror/Supernatural/Werewolves

Running Time - 70 Minutes

PLOT

After his brother’s death, Larry Talbot returns home to his father and the family estate. Events soon take a turn for the worse when Larry is bitten by a werewolf.

REVIEW

Considering the first big horror film of 2025 is Leigh Whannell’s adaptation of THE WOLF MAN, I figured it was the perfect time to go back to when the werewolf film became mainstream. While Universal Studios’ WEREWOLF OF LONDON from 1935 was officially the first feature-length werewolf flick, that film bombed at the box office at the time although it has now gained a cult following and even a hit song inspired by it. It took six years for werewolves to be cool and engaging for moviegoers, with 1941’s THE WOLF MAN becoming a huge hit and inspiring multiple sequels, spin-offs and even remakes along the way.

While the 1941 WOLF MAN is definitely a product of its time, the film still holds up for the most part and continues to inspire werewolf lore to this day. Probably the most iconic aspect of this classic horror film is the make-up of the title character. While very primitive compared to what would come along much later in films like 1981’s AN AMERICAN WEREWOLF IN LONDON and THE HOWLING, the prototype for those later looks begin here. Yes, the Wolf Man looks less like a real wolf, and more like a regular man who hasn’t shaved for years and probably in good need of a dentist. But for the time, this was pretty impressive make-up work and probably horrified audiences.

THE WOLF MAN also has some thick atmosphere and cool locations going for it. Director George Wagnner does a nice job visualizing the story, using the setting quite well, especially at the end where the Wolf Man is hunting within the forest as he chases his love interest while others [including his father] chase him down. Even during the daytime scenes, there always seems to be a sense of dread and bleakness that the characters can’t overcome. Wagnner showcases through the use of fog and mist at night, while main character Larry Talbot encounters strange characters who deal in the mystical arts. There’s a level of spook all around THE WOLF MAN.

And while it may look goofy to many today, the transformation scene is still quite impressive considering this was done in 1941. It’s just a simple series of dissolves with actor Lon Chaney Jr. being shown with more werewolf makeup on in each frame. But again, 1941 audiences probably ate this up and were terrified by this metamorphosis. I honestly prefer this to much of the CGI transformations we get today, as I would rather have a werewolf look like this than look like a cartoon character. But that’s just me, I guess. 

Also quite simple is the story written by Curt Siodmak. The narrative is easy to understand on paper, as it’s pretty much a man’s struggle to deal with his animal instincts when he’s bitten by a werewolf. Larry Talbot is already treated as somewhat of a black sheep within his own family, struggling with relationships with his father and those close with the Talbot family. His issues are made worse when he has no control over his new werewolf persona, killing people and stalking an engaged young woman who has refused his advances.

While Larry is a problematic character in a lot of ways, especially in how he doesn’t listen to his love interest Gwen [who is an engaged woman in love with another man], he’s really the only character we follow throughout. He’s the only character we care about because he has depth and is the only one who struggles with anything major in THE WOLF MAN. You want him to reconcile with his father. You get upset when people tell him he’s mentally ill because he believes in werewolves, to the point where he claims to be one himself. You wish he could have a chance with Gwen, who is sweet on Larry but faithful to Frank. Larry is a complex character in a simple narrative. Unfortunately, none of the other characters come close to having any depth or interesting arcs besides maybe fortune teller Maleva, who pops up whenever she needs to bail Larry out of a werewolf situation. Most of the other classic Universal Monsters films have supporting characters you can identify with, but THE WOLF MAN suffers from not having many. Pretty tough to do that when your movie is only 70 minutes.

And while the story is simple, you can take a lot of thematic subtext from THE WOLF MAN. Is this film about male puberty and sexual repression? Are we dealing with topics of duality, like a Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde situation? Is this a story about mental health and mental illness? Is Larry dealing with paranoia, anxiety, depression with everyone around him treating him feel lesser because of it, to the point where he has to transform and take it out on people as a mindless animal? Is this just a film about good and evil, or love and rejection leading to terrible things? There’s so much psychological analysis you can make out of this film, which makes it timeless in a way. THE WOLF MAN may be a monster film on the surface, but there’s a much deeper interpretation of the narrative underneath it all.

Siodmak’s biggest contribution to werewolf lore are all the elements he brings to the table here that quickly become incorporated in other mainstream werewolf movies. We have the weakness of silver. Werewolves have the mark of a pentagram once they’ve been bitten. There’s even the famous quote about men turning into wolves as “wolfsbane blooms and the autumn moon is bright.” Like George A. Romero would do with zombies in the late 1960s, Siodmak formed the werewolf tropes as we know them today. 

The acting is perfectly fine here. The biggest impression is obviously Lon Chaney Jr. as Larry Talbot, aka the Wolf Man. At times, his performance is a bit awkward. But for the most part, he carries himself quite well and makes Larry a sympathetic character with goofy charm. Chaney Jr. also looks great in makeup, which makes him ideal for this dual role. Even better is Claude Rains as Sir John Talbot, Larry’s father. His performances are always top notch whether it’s in horror or something like CASABLANCA. The man brings class to every movie he’s a part of and here’s no exception. I liked his chemistry with Chaney Jr. Cool to see Ralph Bellamy here, even though he doesn’t really get a whole lot to do. Same for Bela Lugosi, who is gone as quickly as he appears. Maria Ouspenskaya is pretty great as Maleva though, bringing an air of mysticism to the proceedings. A good cast, even though a lot of them aren’t given much material to work with.

THE FINAL HOWL

While not the best Universal Monsters film ever made [my nod goes to 1935’s THE BRIDE OF FRANKENSTEIN], the original WOLF MAN is still pretty damn good all these decades later. Curt Siodmak crafts a simple [maybe too simple?] story that introduces a lot of the werewolf tropes that would continue to be implemented in werewolf movies to this very day. Director George Wagnner does a nice job visualizing the narrative with nice atmosphere and a spooky mood in the last half, while highlighting the use of makeup and dissolves to showcase the werewolf transformation. It may look hokey now, but it probably wowed audiences back in 1941. The actors are fine, mainly Lon Chaney Jr., Claude Rains and Maria Ouspenskaya. I wish the supporting characters had more depth because you don’t really care for them [Chaney Jr.’s Larry Talbot has the only real arc]. And the film may be a bit too short at seventy minutes to give the actors more to do. But THE WOLF MAN is a classic for a reason and still maintains a charm that will continue to make it resonate for many moons to come.

SCORE

3 Howls Outta 4

(8 out of 10)