Though many full moons have passed since George Waggner's frightening creature feature slashed its way onto the silver screen, The Wolf Man (1941) still leaves a lasting chill, thanks to immersive set design, meticulous monster effects and a brooding atmospheric instensity.
As one of the most iconic Universal Monsters movies to birth from horror's Hollywood hayday, The Wolf Man (1941) delivers prestine prduction values To spin an eerily engrossing, often tragic tale full of cinematic elegance, simmmering suspense and plenty of bite-size thrills.
It may not display the gut-wrenching, raw untempered imagery of the later acclaimed An American Werewolf in London, and that graphically ultra-violent transformation sequence, but what it lacks in gory explicitness. it more than equates for with moody, mist-filled set pieces, bone-chilling creature effects and a largely convincing cast including Claude Rains, Warren William, Patric Knowles, Ralph Bellamy, Bela Lugosi, and Lon Chaney Jr. starring in the titular role.
As the shadowy figure of the Wolf Man slowly emerges from the densely spread forest fog, its pearly whites glistening in the moons gaze, ready to sink those razor-like teeth upon unsuspecting flesh, it's hard not to get swept up in the anticipatory suspense.
Aided by Hans J. Salter & FRank Skinner's dramtically ominous musical score. the film reaches a chilling crescendo, offering faint traces of Shelley's Frankenstein, in the tragic diagnosis of Humanitie's sometimes hasty hubris and intolerence for the feared unknown.
That Concludes Our Review of The Wolf Man (1941) Got some time to kill? Why not dissect our review of the classic horror movie Freaks, (1932)
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