Review – The Wolf Man

Here’s the one that put werewolves on the pop culture map (though there were werewolf movies before this one and more than a couple of better ones that came later). With this picture, Universal Studios added shapeshifting to the Dracula / Frankenstein / Mummy pantheon. To aid the flick in its quest for success, the studio brought in seasoned horror veteran Bela Lugosi for a supporting role and Lon Chaney’s ill-fated son in the lead. By modern standards, this is something of a dud. The effects are cheesy (though state of the art back in 1941), the plot hackneyed and the protagonist nearly completely charmless (though again he probably seemed suave and debonair by the standards of yesteryear). Still, it’s worth a look as either a historical point in the evolution of the horror genre or as an at least somewhat entertaining exploration of the lycanthropy myth. Mildly amusing