Claude Rains, Lon Chaney Jr, Warren William

A practical man returns to his homeland, is attacked by a creature of folklore, and imbued with a malady his disciplined mind tells him can not possibly exist.

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79% liked it

7,081 ratings

Critics

86% liked it

28 critics

Unrated, 1 hr. 10 min.

Directed by: George Waggner

Release Date: December 12, 1941

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DVD Release Date: August 28, 2001

Stats: 462 reviews

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Flixster Reviews (462)


  • October 27, 2009
    I can say in all honestly that The Wolf Man isn't a great movie. It's hokey, dated and generally flawed. But it also has a great cast and is well ahead of its time. The set design is fantastic, the photography is gorgeously eerie and for 1941 the creature design was exquisite. Un...( read more)fortunately The Wolf Man will probably get more laughs than scares from today's audiences but its still one of the classics from the Universal horror den. I'm aware I'm giving The Wolf Man a higher rating than it probably deserves but childhood classics are funny that way...
  • July 20, 2009
    If you contrast Universal's The Wolf Man with Val Lewton's The Cat People you'll see two distinctly different styles that both work extremely well. Where Lewton's "evil" is conveyed in shadowy silhouettes and off-screen transformations, Universal's formula called f...( read more)or extreme close-ups, protruding fangs and loads & loads of yak hair. Where one is artistically sophisticated the other is courageously blatant. Both are horror classics and revered staples of the genre, arriving at the same destination via their own distinct path.
  • April 26, 2009
    This is in my opinion the greatest of the universal cycle. It may not have the spine chilling effect of Dracula nor the character in-depth of Frankenstein but in terms of a true horror movie this rules by far. After the 1935 Werewolf Of London, Universal decided to give Lon Chan...( read more)ey Jr his own signature role as Larry Talbot, the unfortunate young man who is bitten by a previous wolf and now seeks to destroy all those he loves. It is another classic example of horror-noir, with the foggy streets and forests, the stop-motion effects are pretty good in this as well and not to forget the classic dialogue. This has to be one of my top ten favourites.
  • August 19, 2007
    i'm not even gonna quote the verse of folk poem coz everybody has heard it before... for its time this isn't too bad. the best thing about this is the tension it builds and creates throughout. much better than the first frankenstein flick which was a horror abortion... nothing li...( read more)ke the book and worse off for it and just silly and lacking in atmosphere. this is how it should've been done
  • August 12, 2007
    Lon Chaney portrays psychological torment, guilt, and conflict so well in this film. These feelings are so absent in this century. Larry Talbot, in contrast to public officials and corporate executives, wants to do the right thing, and feels remorse at the suffering that he has c...( read more)aused. Chaney also does this in his later Inner Sanctum films. Maria Ouspenskaya is also great as Maleva, the gypsy. And the music is also marvelous. Films as these put contemporary horror films to shame. The former are fun and a pleasure to watch. This one is quite good.
  • November 13, 2009
    Lon Chaney ruled by passion spins out of control.
  • November 12, 2009
    Individuals who look for special effects for rating a movie great truely do not understand what makes a movie. For its time of low budget movies, it (the WOLFMAN) was the best. The mental anguish suffered by the victim (Lon Chaney) was really what the movie was about. It is among...( read more) the best of the Golden Years of TRUE hollywood pictures. WITHOUT COMPUTERS OF TODAY. The acting by Mr. Chaney is shown in his facial/body movements and wreching painful looks on his face. Showing almost becomming mad, yet confused and almost in tears of what he has done. Thats the story, not special computers bloody effects of todays CRAP like the remake of DAY THE EARTH STOOD STILL. Again, it lost the TRUE message that was in the original movie to SPECIAL EFFECTS. The best movie ever made for ground breaking secial effects of its time was the original KING KONG. REMEMBER YOUNGSTERS, making movies was limited, hard and almost un-conceiveable back before the late 60's. Most limited to well under 1 million. Now 1 million is the food and special "TOYS" for the cast. Think about what WAS avalible, NOT what IS NOW..........
  • October 8, 2009
    "Even a man who is pure at heart, and says his prayers by night, may become a wolf when the wolfbane blooms and the autumn moon is bright"
    beware of the wolf man!!!!
  • September 30, 2009
    At least better than the crap films like Dracula and Frankenstein. But it was still hard to sit through cos it was boring.
  • September 23, 2009
    Subtlety is nowhere to be found in this landmark horror film. Although the creature effects are great, this is an extremely dated film. The acting is so wooden that it's impossible to involve yourself beyond admiration for it as a product of its time. George Waggner brings nothin...( read more)g extravagant to the table visually speaking, but some of the foggy sound stages are interesting enough on their own. As far as classic Universal monster movies go, this is far from my favorite. Nevertheless, it's an interesting watch.

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The Wolf Man Trivia


  • In which of the following films does Boris Karloff not appear?  Answer »
  • Which of the classic Universal movie monsters is the only one to be played by only one actor over the entire series?  Answer »
  • Which actor met Dracula, Frankestein and the Wolf Man but he never was one of them?  Answer »
  • What was the name of the gypsy fortune teller who passed on the werewolf curse to Larry Talbot, in the the 1941 Universal classic "The Wolf Man"?   Answer »

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