My Review of The Wolf Man (1941)

Written by Curt Siodmak

Directed by George Wagner

Larry Talbot: "It isn't a wolf... it's a werewolf!"

Earlier this year I reviewed and didn't much care for Wolf Man (2025). Of course I had to go and find the original version to watch. I'm also on an Universal Monsters binge.

Our titular character happened to be Larry Talbot (Lou Chaney Jr). He's of a generation of Talbot men who returned home to be with his father, Sir John (Claude Rains). However, Larry's attention was drawn to his telescope.

Larry's attention was also drawn to Gwen Conliffe (Evelyn Ankers) and he went about wooing her in the weirdest way possible. He also bought a cane with a silver wolf on top and both him, Gwen and the latter's friend, Jenny Williams (Fay Helm) took a visit to get their fortune told by gypsy Bela (Bela Lugosi). For all their sake, they should've stayed at home that night

It turned out that Bela was a werewolf and he attacked and killed Jenny. Larry's attempts to save Jenny resulted in Bela's death and a grim warning from gypsy elder Maleva (Maria Ouspenskaya). One werewolf died and another was activated in his place.

The other werewolf was of course, Larry. Larry of course was in denial about what happened to him until he had to face up to his reality. There's a love triangle of sorts between Larry, Gwen and the latter's fiancé, Frank Andrews (Patric Knowles) but it's not as fleshed out as it could've been.

A lot of time was spent in the last act with the likes of Captain Paul Montford (Ralph Bellamy), Dr Lloyd (Warren William) and the villagers trying to catch the Wolf Man. By the end of the movie, things ended rather badly for poor Larry Talbot.

- Mythos that were discussed included wolfsbane and the pentagram symbol. There's a gorgeous trippy moment where Larry transformed into the Wolf Man.

- Bela Lugosi (Bela) previously played Dracula (1931) and Claude Rains was The Invisible Man (1933).

- There's a few sequels and remakes/reboots that I will get to watching and reviewing.

- Chronology: Set in Llanwelly, Wales. Larry returned home because his brother died.

The Wolf Man (1941) definitely hit the right spot for a horror classic. The practical effects for the titular character look great, the night scenes are beautifully shot. There's a tragic love triangle, even if it's not fully explored and that tragic ending.

Rating: 8 out of 10