The Wolf Man (1941)

Featured Audience Ratings

• Directors C

  
  Waggner's original Wolf Man is a tragic and emotional story enhanced with it's effective performances and it's wrenching suspense. The most original and most influential werewolf film of all time deservedly remains a remarkable spectacle of film making. This is the film… More
  Waggner's original Wolf Man is a tragic and emotional story enhanced with it's effective performances and it's wrenching suspense. The most original and most influential werewolf film of all time deservedly remains a remarkable spectacle of film making. This is the film that influenced the 2010 remake. Which I thought was equally amazing and stayed faithful to this; The first wolf man picture. A sophisticated horror classic with groundbreaking make up effects and an absolutely timeless story.

• Spencer S

  
  The early years of horror, which gave us radio programs featuring The Shadow, The Sealed Book, and Black Museum, were ones that relied heavily on the supernatural. Many tales before that of the crypt, we were greeted with the star studded spectacle that is The Wolf Man, starring Lon… More
  The early years of horror, which gave us radio programs featuring The Shadow, The Sealed Book, and Black Museum, were ones that relied heavily on the supernatural. Many tales before that of the crypt, we were greeted with the star studded spectacle that is The Wolf Man, starring Lon Chaney Jr. Lon Chaney is a hulk, very tall, square headed, his persona is that of a buffoon with good intentions. The first half of the film introduces us to the legends of lycanthropy, the first tragic film to do so. We are introduced to a bevy of characters, and cameos featuring Claude Rains (The Invisible Man) and Bela Lugosi (Dracula) in order to set a mood best parodied by Mel Brooks' Young Frankenstein; the country is foreign, gypsies amble around the grounds, and thunder claps go off at the most convenient of times. It's classic monster mayhem, sending thrills up ones spine. The second half revolves around the transformation of Chaney into the wolf man, a laughable first attempt at what would become a Hollywood icon. This version includes a wolf man still wearing human clothing and resembling Wolf-Hirschhorn Syndrome more than an actual wolf. It's short, not very scary, and a bit clunky, but from a nostalgic point of view, it features big time names, and all the atmosphere of an episode of The Mysterious Traveler.

• danny d

  
  this campy classic is one of the most beloved and well known b movies of all time. unfortunately lon chaney jr. was strictly type cast in these monster roles, but his wolf man is iconic.

• AJ V

  
  My favourite werewolf movie so far! Cheney makes a great wolf man. The story is great and the actors are good. I highly recommend this movie if you love horror movies.

• Luke B

  
  Universal's second stab at the legend of werewolves is a brisk but brilliant little horror film. It knows when to have fun and when to focus on the horror. The characters all interact well and manage to build well defined relationships in the hour and 10 minutes of film.… More
  Universal's second stab at the legend of werewolves is a brisk but brilliant little horror film. It knows when to have fun and when to focus on the horror. The characters all interact well and manage to build well defined relationships in the hour and 10 minutes of film. It's very doubtful that this will be scaring any newcomers,but the atmosphere and pacing make it a delightfully exhilarating watch. My only complaint is that the end comes all too sudden. A bit anticlimactic under the circumstances.

• Conner R

  
  It's definitely not my favorite Universal Monster movie, but it's definitely a fun and interesting movie. The sense of style and kooky storytelling actually fits very well. It has a lot of great elements, especially Lon Chaney's transformation. It still looks great for… More
  It's definitely not my favorite Universal Monster movie, but it's definitely a fun and interesting movie. The sense of style and kooky storytelling actually fits very well. It has a lot of great elements, especially Lon Chaney's transformation. It still looks great for its time.

• Michael G

  
  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… More
  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. Unfortunately 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...

• Randy T

  
  If you contrast Universal's <i>The Wolf Man</i> with Val Lewton's <i>The Cat People</i> you'll see two distinctly different styles that both work extremely well. Where Lewton's "evil" is conveyed in shadowy silhouettes and… More
  If you contrast Universal's <i>The Wolf Man</i> with Val Lewton's <i>The Cat People</i> 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 for 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.

• Tim S

  
  Fun classic horror movie. Thank you AMC for keeping these movies alive.

• Cassandra M

  
  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… More
  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 caused. 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.

• moon r

  
  not as good as franky and drac, the runt of the horror family, but still fun...although not truly horrorific

• Jason S

  
  A classic and good as well. The story is complete and the make up was really good for when it was made.

• Dr Blood  

  
  This film made a star of Lon Chaney, jnr., created all the myths about werewolves that would be used throughout Hollywood ever after.

• Byron B

  
  This was not all that great, despite the fact I really wanted to like this classic. The anachronisms of English mansions, European gypsy bands, horse and carriage on one hand with the car, telescope, 1940's suits, and American Lon Chaney Jr. were hard to get past. Claude Rains… More
  This was not all that great, despite the fact I really wanted to like this classic. The anachronisms of English mansions, European gypsy bands, horse and carriage on one hand with the car, telescope, 1940's suits, and American Lon Chaney Jr. were hard to get past. Claude Rains doesn't make any sense as Lon Chaney Jr.'s father. "Even a man who is pure in heart and says his prayers by night, may become a wolf when the wolfbane blooms and the autumn moon is bright." This quote is repeated way too much. "Even a man who is pure in heart and says his prayers by night...", is a load of crap. Lawrence Talbot is a creepy voyeuristic stalker. The movie is inconsistent when Larry Talbot kills Bela as a werewolf, since the creature just appears to be a plain ordinary wolf. You could assume that as someone remains under the curse of Lycanthropy longer they lose their human physical attributes, which of course has been borrowed for other werewolf movies. In fact Curt Siodmak freely created this story without much being borrowed from any earlier legend, so the silver bullet, silver knife, or stick with silver handle, everything is new. It is being created as they go and not consistently. The metamorphosis is not very impressive here and the movie relies on melodrama in the extreme.

• Matthew Y

  
  The Wolf-Man was one of the later entries in the Universal Monster movies cannon but it was one of the more original and best of them. The Wolf-Man took basic brushstrokes of old lore and fables and constructed specific genre rules about werewolves, their origins and characteristics,… More
  The Wolf-Man was one of the later entries in the Universal Monster movies cannon but it was one of the more original and best of them. The Wolf-Man took basic brushstrokes of old lore and fables and constructed specific genre rules about werewolves, their origins and characteristics, most of which have lived on throughout countless homages and adaptations. A landmark film and borderline classic that has given birth to hundreds of cinematic films about lycans, even if few are watchable and even fewer find a mainstream audience.

• Suneel J

  
  An exceptional tale of the werewolf and a Universal classic by all means. A notch below Dracula and Frankenstein, but still a must-see including a great performance by Lon Chaney Jr. It has creative special effects for the early 1940's and uses great sets to accentuate spooky… More
  An exceptional tale of the werewolf and a Universal classic by all means. A notch below Dracula and Frankenstein, but still a must-see including a great performance by Lon Chaney Jr. It has creative special effects for the early 1940's and uses great sets to accentuate spooky scenes. However, there are a few inconsistencies with the pentagram myth and the actual look of the wolf man compared to Bela's wolf form. The characters and skepticism are believable and it translates to an enjoyable film experience.

• Patrick H

  
  so what if the makeup of course dated and clearly easy to spot the prosthetic pieces' edges and all. It's the performances by Lon Chaney Jr. and Claude Rains and the great atmosphere directed by George Waggner as well the nice touch of paranoia makes this the greatest… More
  so what if the makeup of course dated and clearly easy to spot the prosthetic pieces' edges and all. It's the performances by Lon Chaney Jr. and Claude Rains and the great atmosphere directed by George Waggner as well the nice touch of paranoia makes this the greatest Universal Studios horror movie ever.

• Mike T

  
  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… More
  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 nothing 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.

• Brandon K

  
  Pretty bad. I was more creeped out by Lon Chaney than charmed by him in the early going and it bothered me that the werewolf wore a button-down shirt the whole time.

• Patrick D

  
  Brilliant. It has aged, but I feel it is still a strong film. It took me a bit to get used to Lon Chaney as the lead, but I still feel he did a adequate job in showing to torment of becoming a werewolf. Alot of the film seems to be focused on the insanity of believing you are… More
  Brilliant. It has aged, but I feel it is still a strong film. It took me a bit to get used to Lon Chaney as the lead, but I still feel he did a adequate job in showing to torment of becoming a werewolf. Alot of the film seems to be focused on the insanity of believing you are something that is unbelievable. Although it moves a little fast, I still feel the process shown throughout the movie succeeds in what he sets out to do, from Larry Talbot arriving in town, which is essentially foreign to him and learning of a legend, to the (obviously) dramatic conclusion of - well I won't spoil it, even though I sure you can guess. Anyway, I feel this film for sure belongs in the ranks of the better monster films, ie Frankenstein. And really worth a watch if only for Claude Rains.

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