Who payed the critics

Am I Missing Something?

I cannot think of one single thing that I would change about this film. The acting is incomparable, the directing deft, and the writing poignantly brilliant.

Story: It's very simple but honestly that is fine.

I've recently been binge watching "The Twilight Zone" and I noticed something. Every time I watch a black and white horror or sci-fi film, it just feels like I'm watching a long episode of "The Twilight Zone". I'm glad to understand all the pop culture references to this film now. I recognize that episode of "Dinosaurs" as being a direct parody of this film. I recall how it was featured in "The Sandlot". Anyway, the movie's great on its own.The best parts are probably the philosophical talks these characters have. I especially love hearing about how the mind affects the body. It's a very clear looking film and the makeup effects are quite nice. I was afraid it would end at an hour in. Something 70 minutes long has to have good pacing. Bela Lugosi only played Dracula twice, but he was in a lot of other horror movies at this time, like here. ***1/2

Having just seen most of the other Universal films that featured Larry Talbot, The Wolf Man (exception being House of Frankenstein), I finally got to see the first of the movies that featured Lon Chaney Jr. as that now-iconic character. He gets great support from Claude Rains as his father, Bela Lugosi as a fortune teller, Ralph Bellamy as the police captain, Evelyn Ankers as the leading lady, and especially, Maria Ouspenskaya as the Gypsy woman. Great atmospheric direction by George Waggner from a fine original script by Curt Siodmak. And let's not forget the legendary Jack Pierce for creating the wolfman makup that covered Chaney's skin and face. He was previously responsible for Bela Lugosi's Dracula face as well as Boris Karloff's Frankenstein's Monster's skin. Really, all I'll now say is The Wolf Man is still a bona-fide classic horror flick!

Lovely big smiley Larry Talbot (Lon Chaney), the unlikely son of diminutive Lord John Talbot (Claude Raines), returns to his vast family home in Llanwelly, Wales, to commiserate the death of his brother John. Whilst idly toying with the magnificent and outsize telescope, he spies Gwen Conliffe (Evelyn Ankers), who runs an antique shop. In an act of astonishingly stalker-like blatancy, Larry is quite brazen about his spying activities and uses it to chat up intelligent, no-nonsense Gwen, who is engaged to dapper Frank (Patrick Knowles). Larry's not put off by this and continues to pursue Gwen, becoming – in my view - a first class pest in the process.This is Universal films' Wales, of course – why a Welsh location was decided on, I don't know; there's not a single remotely authentic accent to be heard. But who cares? My sneering attitude does 'The Wolf Man' a disservice. This would be Universal's last A-list chiller. I always think the 1930s were the time of the horror film; in the 1940s (due to changing styles and budgetary considerations), they became monster movies; child-friendly creature-features that are utterly brilliant, but not quite the carefully constructed, intricate exercises in horror from the previous decade. 'The Wolf Man' contains a little from both worlds, but for all the light of the full moon, I cannot find the titular creature frightening, unlike his stablemates Frankenstein's Monster and Dracula.Despite Lon's best efforts and some gruelling transformation scenes, the wolf man remains a lumbering, furry Airdale on two hind quarters. The scary qualities this film possesses are in the legends around the shaggy old snarler. Classic Universal's best autumnal woodlands and sinister town square, pumped full of dry-ice fog and smoke, magnificent Maria Ouspenskaya as Maleva, the Gypsy Fortune Teller: smaller than anyone, yet the most authoritative. Also, Bela Lugosi in a criminally small role as gypsy Bela, with his own tragic story to tell (Lugosi makes a big impression in what is little more than a cameo). Frank Bellamy plays his usual solid slab of unmemorable beefcake decency, in the character of Colonel Paul.There's an incongruity – Bela becomes a werewolf, but when we see his alter-ego, it's an actual real wolf. When Larry, who is inevitably bitten and receives the curse, he sprouts fur and fangs (and the cutest Hobbit-feet and button snout) but retains his human form.As the net closes in on Talbot, his cheery demeanour slowly becomes enshrouded in uncertainty and furtive misery, which he retains through several sequels. Lon's acting attracts much comment, some favourable and some unfair comparing with the very different styles of Boris Karloff and Bela Lugosi and others; but he never fails to invest his all into Talbot, his 'baby', a finely nuanced, progressive character about which he remained justifiably proud.

For a start, this has to be one of the most unconvincing portrayals of a location that I've ever seen. The film is supposedly set in Wales, but the scenery looks nothing like the Wales I've seen, instead more of a Universal studio methinks. Plus, aside from a couple of cast members, everybody seems to have an American accent, including the lead! (this is explained away in a lame excuse that he's been away in America for 18 years... yeah, right). I guess Universal just didn't care. We're back into the familiar feeling of a Universal classic once again, and being ten years on from Dracula this looks and feels a lot more polished. It also has a lot more incident and action than in some other classic horror flicks and the running time literally flies by, indeed this film feels like it's too short. Lon Chaney Jr. appears in his most-remembered role, creating a monster which would stay with him the rest of his life. Okay, so Chaney never was much of an actor - wooden is putting it mildly - but he conveys torment and upset pretty well. Jack Pierce's makeup once again creates an unforgettable monster, an image which is still recognisable to the modern generation.A few familiar faces fill out supporting roles, including Claude Rains as Chaney's supposed father. The trouble is, the two actors couldn't look less alike, meaning that you have to suspend disbelief in order to swallow this relationship. Bela Lugosi, imaginatively playing a character called Bela, also turns up in a brief eyebrow-raising cameo and is dispatched all too quickly - a real shame. I have to admit that Evelyn Ankers is a pretty charismatic screaming heroine, though. All of the werewolf folklore is present and correct here. The film is also quite brutal with people being beaten and killed just off screen. The only trouble, as I mentioned above, is that the film is far too short and I would have liked to see Chaney go on a werewolf rampage, murdering as many people as possible! Other than this, THE WOLF MAN is a well made and fully enjoyable classic which should be seen by any respectable horror buff.