The Horror Show Reviews: The Wolf-Man (1941)

The greatest werewolf movie of all time, The Wolfman stars Lon Chaney Jr as the pitiful Larry Talbot who, after an encounter with a werewolf, becomes the titular Wolfman. Responsible for the second wave of Universal Monster movies released in the 1940’s, this is the werewolf film that inspired many more decades later. This is in no small part due to the outstanding performance given by Lon Chaney Jr, son of Lon Chaney (who starred in Hunchback of Notre dame and Phantom of the Opera). Like his father, Lon Chaney Jr was born to star in horror films and this is the film that cemented his place alongside his father as a Horror Icon as famous as the roles he played.

The film opens up with Larry Talbot returning home after the death of his older brother, reuniting with his estranged father after leaving thirteen years prior. A soft spoken, kindly man, Larry marks himself as a rather tragic and unwilling figure early on as he’s now expected to inherit the very large Talbot Estate from his father. After meeting a beautiful woman and getting their fortunes told by a gipsy teller (played by the legendary Bela Lugosi), the couple are attacked by a werewolf (who later turns out to be the gypsy). Larry manages to beat off the werewolf using the silver handle on his cane, killing it, but gets bitten in the process. The rest of the film focuses even more on the tragic side of the young Talbot, who unwillingly becomes a monster that kills several people before he himself is killed.

As I said, Lon Chaney Jr perfectly shows us the most tragic elements of a soft spoken man who unwillingly becomes a blood thirsty monster. Like his father, he excels at the sort of body language only the most skilled actors could pull off, reinforcing the character as someone to be pitied. That’s not to say the rest f the film is bad. Far from it, the entire cast excel in their individual roles. But all of them, even legendary Bela Lugosi himself, are overshadowed by Lon Chaney Jr.

Unlike the horror moves of the 50’s, there is no greater message to this film, no dire warning or hope for the future. Instead it’s more of a modern day tragedy, much like many of its peers. In a way, it’s a lot like An American Werewolf in London where the protagonist doesn’t even believe in werewolves, only to unwillingly be forced into becoming one and going on a murder spree. Of course, compared to the film it would go on to influence, the special effects don’t seem all that impressive. Yet they show just enough of the man that we can see through the animalistic beats and wonder, what is Larry Talbot going through? Is he aware of what the monster is doing, the people it’s killing? Is he even conscious? The horror isn’t the werewolf itself, but the questions it makes us the audience ask. After all, the film opens with a medical dictionary describing Lycanthropy: a mental illness that makes a person believe they’re turning into a wolf (or some other animal). Is the werewolf real, or just the delusions of the main character? Mental illness is rarely talked about, and in horror often used to justify the actions of madmen who are themselves monsters. Here, it could be seen as more of an affliction, a person who we can sympathise with but is driven to do things he would never normally do were it not for the mental illness he’s suffering from. What if, Larry Talbot was never estranged. Just a man, sent to get the help he needs by the father who cared about him, whose demons come back to haunt him and which ultimately take his life. After all, mental illness itself inflicts damage to many who unwillingly suffer from it. The film gives a rather simple series of events, drawing us into what we believe is happening is clear. Or perhaps it’s just another werewolf movie. Either way, go give it a watch.