The title character has had a great deal of influence on Hollywood's depictions of the legend of the werewolf. Chaney even went as far as saying special effects men drove tiny finishing nails into the skin on the sides of his hands so they would remain motionless during close ups. Stories about the make-up and transformation scenes have become legendary, and are mostly apocryphal. The two square off at the climax, but the fight ends in a draw when a dam is exploded and Frankenstein's castle is flooded. This time the Wolf Man is a hero of sorts, saving Wilbur Grey (Lou Costello) from having his brain transplanted by Dracula (Bela Lugosi) into the head of the Monster (Glenn Strange). [17][18] In 2014, Universal released The Wolf Man: Complete Legacy Collection on DVD. The film stars Lon Chaney Jr. in the title role. An American Werewolf in London is best known for its gruesome transformation scene, which earned the movie the first-ever Academy Award for Best Makeup. [35] In October 2016, it was reported that David Callaham was brought on board to re-write the script. Written by Curt Siodmak, a German Jew who had fled Nazi Germany, the film is infused with the themes of alienation and the monster within… Other fiction has assumed the transformation is an inescapable monthly occurrence and does not examine whether it is caused by light, tidal effects, or some cycle that happens to coincide with the moon's phases. [37], In May 2020, it was announced that Ryan Gosling has been cast as Wolf Man for an upcoming reboot of the titular character. Additionally, various villagers recite a poem, whenever the subject of werewolves comes up: That night, Larry attempts to rescue Gwen's friend Jenny from what he believes to be a sudden wolf attack. The others are The Mummy and the Creature from the Black Lagoon. The film is the second Universal Pictures werewolf film, preceded six years earlier by the less commercially successful [23][24] This box set also received a DVD release. The Wolf of Snow Hollow Review: A Quirky Werewolf Movie. While there, Larry becomes romantically interested in a local girl named Gwen Conliffe (Evelyn Ankers), who runs an antique shop. Universal Pictures produced a remake of The Wolf Man with Joe Johnston directing the film and Benicio del Toro starring as Lawrence Talbot (also producer of the film). As with their rivals, the Vampires, Werewolves are immortal. The 1935 "Werewolf of London" is widely cited as the first film to establish the "classic rules" of movie werewolves. Talbot retains vague memories of being a werewolf and wanting to kill, and continually struggles to overcome his condition. [6], In the early 1990s, MCA/Universal Home Video released The Wolf Man on VHS as part of the "Universal Monsters Classic Collection". The series of makeups took five to six hours to apply, and an hour to remove. Sir John Talbot watches in horror as the dead werewolf transforms into his son's human form. At some time in the early twentieth century, after learning of the death of his brother, Larry Talbot (Lon Chaney Jr.) returns to his ancestral home in Llanwelly, Wales to reconcile with his estranged father, Sir John Talbot (Claude Rains). The lap-dissolve progressive make-ups were seen only in the final ten minutes, and then discreetly. Pierce was ordered to design a second version which left more of Hull's face recognizable. In the 1970s, novelizations of the original films were issued as paperback originals as part of a series written by "Carl Dreadstone," a pseudonym for British horror writer Ramsey Campbell. [33][34] In June 2016, Deadline reports that Dwayne Johnson may star as the character. In the first transformation, Talbot removes his shoes and socks and it is his feet which are seen to grow hairy and become huge paws (courtesy of uncomfortable "boots" made of hard rubber, covered in yak hair). Most film historians declare that Universal Studios created the first official werewolf film with the release of 1935's Werewolf of London, part of the initial horror phase started by Dracula and Frankenstein in 1931. Top werewolf movies to watch on Netflix, Hulu, Amazon Prime & other Streaming services, out on DVD/Blu-ray or in cinema's right now. Author and film critic Leonard Maltin awarded the film 3.5 out of 4 stars, calling it "One of the finest horror films ever made". Lon Chaney Jr. was very proud of this, frequently stating in interviews, "He was my baby. The film was released on February 12, 2010 and opened at #2 at the box office that weekend. [38] By July 2020, Leigh Whannell entered early negotiations to direct the project, with Jason Blum announced as an additional producer.[39]. [36] However, on November 8, 2017, Alex Kurtzman and Chris Morgan moved on to other projects, leaving the future of the Dark Universe in doubt. Evincing quite a suspenseful bite, H'Wood's first mainstream werewolf movie plays out more like a lycan Jekyll and Hyde than the iconic reboot that was to follow. A gypsy fortuneteller named Maleva (Maria Ouspenskaya) reveals to Larry that the animal which bit him was actually her son Bela (Bela Lugosi) in the form of a wolf. [29], The Wolf Man proved popular, and so Chaney reprised his signature role in four more Universal films, though unlike his contemporary "monsters," Larry Talbot never enjoyed the chance to have a sequel all to himself. "[citation needed], The Wolf Man is one of three top-tier Universal Studios monsters without a direct literary source. Gwen tells him that it represents a werewolf (which she defines as a man who changes into a wolf "at certain times of the year.") [26], The Wolf Man is the only Universal monster to be played by the same actor in all his 1940s film appearances. In 1944 universal wanted to pair Dracula and the wolf man in "the wolf man vs Dracula" but was canceled in favor of a remake of Phantom of the Opera. [4] Jack Pierce had originally designed it for Henry Hull in Werewolf of London (1935) but Hull argued that the disguise made no sense within the plot, since two characters had to recognize "Dr. Glendon" even in his werewolf form. A notable early film comes from the 1950s when the concept of the "teenager" first … The movie completely upends the werewolf… It was directed by Henry MacRae, produced by Bison Film Company, and released by Universal Film Manufacturing Company. The Wolf Man is a 1941 American horror film written by Curt Siodmak and produced and directed by George Waggner. [25] In October 2018, the film was included as part of a limited edition Best Buy-exclusive Blu-ray set titled Universal Classic Monsters: The Essential Collection, which features artwork by Alex Ross. Lon Chaney Jr. would reprise his classic role as "The Wolf Man" in four sequels, beginning with Frankenstein Meets the Wolf Man in 1943. The title character has had a great deal of influence on Hollywood's depictions of the legend of the werewolf. However, there may be some exaggeration involved - studio logs indicate during the filming of Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein (1948) the entire crew, including Chaney took a two-hour break during the filming of a transformation and filmed the rest of the scene later that day (though the makeup for Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein had been greatly redesigned and streamlined by Bud Westmore over the original Jack Pierce makeup). A werewolf transformation scene for the ages from an obscure 1987 horror flick from Thailand fittingly entitled Werewolf (‘มนุษย์หมาป่า’). While in Tibet, he is attacked by something in the dark, and bitten. [8][9][10] On April 27, 2004, Universal released The Wolf Man: The Legacy Collection on DVD as part of the "Universal Legacy Collection". There are many examples of teenage werewolf movies. In the movie, Nicholson played an aging publisher, down on his luck, whose life is changed when he is bitten by a werewolf. This was done about a half-dozen times. [2] The script is by Ruth Ann Baldwin, based on the short story "The Werewolves" (1898) by Henry Beaugrand. [2] The film is the second Universal Pictures werewolf film, preceded six years earlier by the less commercially successful Werewolf of London (1935). In the final scene, the werewolf does gradually return to Larry Talbot's human form through the standard technique. He is finally bludgeoned to death by his father with his own silver walking stick after attacking Gwen. [3] The poem is repeated in every subsequent film in which Talbot/The Wolf Man appears, with the exception of House of Dracula and Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein, and is also quoted in the later film Van Helsing, although many later films change the last line of the poem to "And the moon is full and bright". Kee-On-Ee, a Navajo woman, becomes a witch after erroneously coming to believe that her husband has abandoned her. The Best New Werewolf Movies 2. The horror comedy focuses on two American backpackers who have the misfortune of encountering a werewolf during their travels. ", "Best Buy Getting Universal Monsters Steelbooks With Stunning Alex Ross Art", "Universal Classic Monsters: Complete 30-Film Collection [Blu-ray]", "Universal Classic Monsters: Complete 30-Film Collection Blu-ray", "Classic Monsters (Complete 30-Film Collection) [DVD]", http://www.dialbforblog.com/archives/584/, "A Look Back at a Hairy Franchise: The Transformation of 'The Wolf Man' Films", "Werewolf: The Beast Among Us Blu-ray Review - IGN", "Universal Taps Alex Kurtzman, Chris Morgan To Relaunch Classic Movie Monster Franchises", "Will Justin Lin Rev 'Fast & Furious' Finale? She also reveals that Larry will transform into a wolf as well since he who is bitten by a werewolf and lives will turn into one himself. Then Chaney would return to the make-up department, a new layer was applied, showing the transformation further along, then returned to the sound stage. As noted previously, Hull objected to having his face entirely covered in latex and hair, and a less-hirsute, more devilish version was used in the film. first werewolf movie Released in 1941, The Wolf Man set the template for many werewolf movies to come. The sequel visually implies that the transformation occurs as a result of direct exposure to light from the full moon. Werewolf of London released in 1935 and was the first-ever mainstream Hollywood film to feature a werewolf. Actually, Werewolf of London predated The Wolf Man by several years. Like any stereotypical werewolf movie, he transforms into a werewolf in a full moon and has no recollection when he is a werewolf. The Wolf Man (1941) One of the first werewolf movies while also remaining a classic, The Wolf Man is an American horror drama directed by George Waggner. Unfortunately, it was destroyed in … The new chiller is the first werewolf movie we’ve seen in a while, following in the tradition of filmmakers that run the gamut from Lon Chaney Jr. to Joe Dante. December 7, 2020 by Red Stewart. "The Werewolf (1913) ~ My Bloody Obsession", "Silent Era : Progressive Silent Film List", "TCM - Vault and Nitrate Fires- A History", "Silence of the wolves: "The Werewolf" (1913)", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=The_Werewolf_(1913_film)&oldid=966052770, Articles needing additional references from July 2015, All articles needing additional references, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License, This page was last edited on 4 July 2020, at 23:20. The Werewolf (1913) is a silent film short that is considered the first werewolf film. Universal is actively pursuing a director. In House of Frankenstein (1944), Talbot is once again resurrected and is promised a cure via a brain transplant, but is shot dead with a silver bullet instead. The film was not a huge box office success, probably because audiences of the day thought it too similar in many ways to Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, for which Fredric March had won an Oscar three years before. Instead they believe the first werewolf story came from the Satyricon, a work written by the Roman writer Petronius (AD 27-66), a scribe at the court of the Emperor Nero and like many writings of the time it is a humorous discussion of philosophy in alternating prose and verse. The film was met with mixed reviews and a low box office reception but won an Academy Award for Best Makeup in 2011. in The Wolf Man (1941).However, that honour actually goes to The Werewolf, a short silent film made several decades earlier in 1913.. Silent film star Marie Walcamp plays Kee-On-Ee, a Navajo woman who believes she has been abandoned by her husband, when in fact he has been killed. He returns with no explanation in House of Dracula (1945), and is finally cured of his condition. Curse of the Werewolf has all the high drama and gothic production value you expect from a Hammer film and it also bears the distinction of being Oliver Reed’s first on-screen role. Gwen's description and the poem imply that it happens when the wolfbane blooms in autumn. The film stars Lon Chaney Jr. in the title role. Grabbing the vampire as he turns into a bat, the Wolf Man dives over a balcony into the sea, taking Dracula with him.[30]. The full moon, which had not been shown or mentioned in the first film, was used as a quasi-explanation for the monster's resurrection, and the poem known to the local villagers was retconned to mention the full moon, so that the last line became, The resurrected Talbot seeks out Dr. Frankenstein for a cure, but finds the monster (Bela Lugosi) instead. Chaney claimed he was forced to sit motionless for hours as the scenes were shot frame by frame. In episode 944 of Dark Shadows, Christopher Pennock (as Jeb Hawkes) recites this version of the poem. Werewolf (1996 film) Werewolf in a Girls' Dormitory; Werewolf of London; The Werewolf of Washington; The Werewolf of Woodstock; Werewolf Rising; Werewolf Woman; The Werewolf (1913 film) The Werewolf (1956 film) Werewolf: The Beast Among Us; Werewolves of the Third Reich; Werewolves on Wheels; Werewolves Within (film) What We Do in the Shadows [15][16], In 2013, The Wolf Man received a standalone Blu-ray release. Talbot's lap dissolve transformation on screen only took seconds, while Chaney's took almost ten hours. Some latter-day critics prefer Henry Hull's earlier werewolf to Chaney's, which was described in Carlos Clarens's book An Illustrated History of the Horror FIlm as "... looking like a hirsute Cossack. While movies focusing on the genre date well back over 50 years, it is within the past 20 or so years that werewolf movies have really been prominent in popular culture. 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