The beast side of man unleashed, early body horror, and an ancient curse are all found in The Wolfman (1941)! The werewolf is a fascinating creature of horror and the populization of it was in the Universal Monsters classic! Of course, there were legends of werewolves, lycanthorpes. It was basically transformations from man to wolf and not the wolfman creature. The first werewolf on film was also from Universal Studios, Werewolf of London (1935). The movie is currently streaming on Peacock. It had the wolfman form, makeup would probably be easier than a transformation into wolf, and easier to use an actor than an actual wolf. Werewolf of London had Henry Hull transform via Jack Pierce’s makeup effects. It had fangs, pointed ears, and furry eyebrows.
Pierce was able to fulfill his werewolf vision in The Wolfman. The first film led to a classic, An American Werewolf in London (1981). It was groundbreaking with Rick Baker’s effects, which won him the first Academy Award for Best Makeup, it is the best transformation on film! Also director, John Landis, combined horror and comedy which made the genre popular. Baker returned to win another Academy Award for the remake The Wolfman (2010) One of the best werewolf shows was Wolf Lake (2001) which was created by John Leekley who also created the best vampire series, Kindred: The Embraced. Next year, January 17th, Leigh Whannell co-writes and directs Wolf Man. It looks to focus on a family and uncontrollable violence from a father as a werewolf.
The cinematic werewolf really hit screens with the 1941 film directed by George Waggner. He also directed the horror film, Man-Made Monster (1941) that was the debut of Lon Chaney, Jr. The movie is written by Curt Siodmak who also co-wrote, The Invisible Man Returns (1940). It is streaming on Amazon Prime. From a bookshelf, a mysterious person takes out a book to open to page on “Lycnathorpy (Werewolfism).” The definition notes that it is a “disease of the mind”, but that a legend says a person could take on “physical characteristics” of the animal. Then, goes on to tell about a village by Talbot Castle. A man, Larry Talbot (Lon Chaney, Jr.) and his driver (Eric Wilton) are going through the village and see the castle, “obviously a model.” Chaney is the son of The Man of a Thousand Faces, Lon Chaney, who starred in The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1923). I think he had a distinguished performance as Lennie in the John Steinbeck adaptation, Of Mice and Men (1939). He also starred in Son of Dracula (1943) as Count Dracula.
They drive up to the castle and Larry is greeted by his father, Sir John Talbot (Claude Rains). The actor also played Dr. Jack Griffin, the lead in the Invisible Man (1933). He is also known for playing Senator Joseph Payne in Mr. Smith Goes to Washington (1939) and Captain Louis Renault in Casablanca (1942). Rains brings an authenticity to the role with a British accent, most of the cast has American accents. His father mentions that the castle hasn’t changed in 300 years. He introduces Larry to Paul Montford (Ralph Bellamy), the chief constable. Paul excuses himself and Larry points out the portrait of his brother, John, above the fireplace. Sir John says that it took John’s hunting accident to have Larry to return to the castle. They shake hands and Sir John notes Larry has been away 18 years. Workers bring in a wooden case which one says is parts for a telescope.
They head to the attic which has been made into an observatory. We see the same library of books from the opening, above it is the giant telescope, and windows that show the village and mountains. Larry adjusts the telescope. Sir John looks through the telescope to see a car and a bicyclist in the village. He is impressed at Larry’s work who says he worked on the Mount Wilson observatory in Los Angeles. Larry looks through the telescope, he scans across the village which does look like European Street at Universal Studios Hollywood. He finds a beautiful woman in the window. This is Gwen Conliffe (Evelyn Ankers). He’s a Peeping Tom! Ankers played Elsa Frankenstein in the Ghost of Frankenstein (1942). She is checking on her dress suit when Larry sees that she is in the room above Charles Conliffe Antiques.
Larry walks into the store and welcomed by Gwen. He says he is looking for earrings and she takes out a box of earrings for him. Larry says he is looking for gold, half-moon shaped earrings. She says they don’t have any and he says it is on a dressing table in her room. Kinda creepy meet cute, but there is a gosh everyman quality to Lon Chaney, Jr. He decides to buy a cane and she asks how did he know about the earrings. Larry says he’s psychic when there is a beautiful woman. Now starting off a relationship with a lie or joke? The film's period really makes it that this is just a meet cute. He finds a cane that has on its end a wolf. Gwen explains that the tip is a wolf made of silver with a pentagram, the sign of the werewolf! He jokes at the legend. She tells about the poem, “Even a man who is pure in heart/And says his prayers by Night/May become a wolf/When the wolfsbane blooms/And the autumn moon is bright.” Gwen says the pentagram shows up on the palm of the werewolf's next victim. Some cool werewolf lore injected into their conversation.
He says he will tell how he saw her on a walk at night. She refuses and then walks outside to see the arrival of fortune tellers on horse and wagon. Larry asks his father about werewolves. Rains’ delivery of the poem just has the right hint of the sinister. Sir John brings up Gwen’s name and wants his son to know all of the villagers since he will be in charge of the estate. A foggy night, Gwen leaves the shop waiting expectantly and Larry walks up to her. She introduces him to Jenny Williams (Fay Helm) who also wants her fortune read. It is a spooky night with the fog and Jenny points out the bush with the wolfsbane. She picks out a few even though the wolfsbane is poisonous to the touch! The camp of the Romani, gypsies is now a slur, Jenny speaks to a Romani man. He is played by Bela Lugosi, Dracula himself!, and his character’s name is Bela.
Gwen walks with Larry into the thick fog and admits he used a telescope to watch her. I really like the fog and the trees, in England, the fog can get thick you couldn’t see in front of you. She says she is engaged, but Larry doesn't give up. Jenny wants to know when she will be married. Bela moves the wolfsbane aside, weary, and then takes her right hand. He says the right hand which shows the future and sees a pentacle! Bela sends her away. I really like Lugosi's performance even as a cameo. In a tent is the elderly woman, Maleva (Maria Ouspenskaya) who watches a restless horse. The actress also appeared as the character in Frankenstein Meets the Wolf Man (1943). Jenny runs and then hears a wolf howl! Larry and Gwen hear the howl and then Jenny screams! Larry runs to help with his cane. He sees the wolf and pulls it off Jenny’s body. Larry begins to struggle with it and the wolf bites him. He starts striking it with the cane, repeatedly beating it off camera. Larry staggers away.
Gwen finds Larry who has fallen and she calls for help as a wagon rolls in with Maleva. She asks what happened and Gwen says a wolf bit him. Maleva says they should take him back home. Sir John and Captain Montford are chatting about Larry when he is brought in by Gwen. Maleva steps away and Gwen tells them about the wolf bite. Then,the butler, Kendall (Leyland Hodson) reports that Jenny was killed! Captain Montford leaves with Kendall to see the murder scene. Doctor Lloyd (Warren William) has examined the body and reports her throat was bitten. A reporter, Twiddle (Forrester Harvey) nervously takes notes. He is also the other actor with an English accent. A dog and its owner, Frank Andrews (Patric Knowles), find another body, Bela! Dr. Lloyd says he was killed by “heavy blows.” Montford points out Bela’s bare feet. Frank finds the wolf’s head cane. In the morning, Larry wakes up, Sir John, Captain Montford, and Dr. Lloyd enter, and Montford asks if Larry owns the cane.
He says he killed the wolf with the cane and is told that the body of Bela was found next to the cane. Larry says that the wolf bit him, he shows Dr. Lloyd, but there is no mark! The others leave Sir John and Larry who rushes over to see the cane. Later, Sir John explains that Bela and Larry went to help Jenny. He says in the confusion, Larry killed Bela, and that the wolf tore his coat which led Larry to thinking it bit him. Montford says he won’t question Larry. Night, two women, see the casket of Bela and Larry, whom they call “the man that killed him.” The coffin is taken to a room at a cemetary. Larry wants to see the body, but hears voices. It is Maleva. He doesn’t want a Romani celebration and she says it is a custom. Maleva says words of condolence over Bela’s coffin as Larry watches. He seems to have a problem looking at women who are in private. Larry is grief stricken, almost angry, at Bela in his coffin.
Gwen’s father, Charles (J.M. Kerrigan) is trying to reassure his daughter, but she is still traumatized seeing Jenny’s face. Mrs. Williams (Doris Lloyd), Jenny’s mother, blames Gwen for her daughter’s death. Larry enters the store as Mrs. Williams says she knows what Gwen was doing when Jenny died. He angrily slams the door and confronts Mrs. Williams and her friends. They all leave as Larry holds the wolf head cane! Larry apologizes to Charles and asks her permission to see Gwen in the parlor. Now, he acts like a gentleman. Larry also apologizes to Gwen especially with the argument of the ladies. Frank Andrews enters the store with his dog who barks at Larry. He takes away his dog and Gwen explains that Frank, her fiancee, is the estate gamekeeper. Larry awkwardly leaves and Frank says he was staring at his cane. He warns Gwen about Larry and says there is something tragic about him. At the celebration for Bela, there is music with violinists and a woman dancer, Frank has taken Gwen there.
He sees Larry and takes her to say hello to him. At a shooting game, Larry has a rifle, shoots, while Sir John and Montford watch him. Larry pauses at a wolf target. Frank shoots it. Maleva sees Larr , tells him to go inside her tent, and says that the wolf was Bela! She says a werewolf can only be killed with silver. Maleva gives him a charm, necklace with the pentagram. He is about to leave when she says whoever is bitten by werewolf becomes a werewolf. Maleva says he has to have the charm over his heart. Montford watches as Maleva spreads word around the camp. The celebration ends and Larry runs into Gwen who had an argument with Frank. He tells her that he is a werewolf and gives her the charm! Larry kisses her and then sees the Romani break camp and she leaves. Good closeup as we see Larry’s conflicted face as he holds a tree branch. This leads to psychedelic swirl of images of Larry’s eyes, Maleva’s face, and Bela. Then, the transformation which must be early body horror. Besides the cool, wavy hair and beard, he has a bestial, furred face and fangs. Brilliant work by Jack Arnold! The Wolf Man has Larry’s kinda romance with Gwen, the bizarre transformation, and the savagery the werewolf!
Four Charms out of Five!
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