The Wolf Man

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The Wolf Man

1941,

1h 10m,

Horror

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Watchlist

91%

44 Reviews

Tomatometer

80%

10,000+ Ratings

Popcornmeter

91%

Tomatometer

44 Reviews

80%

Popcornmeter

10,000+ Ratings

When his brother dies, Larry Talbot (Lon Chaney) returns to Wales and reconciles with his father (Claude Rains). While there, he visits an antique shop and, hoping to impress Gwen (Evelyn Ankers), the attractive shopkeeper, buys a silver walking cane. That same night he kills a wolf with it, only to later learn that he actually killed a man (Bela Lugosi). A gypsy (Maria Ouspenskaya) explains that it was her son, a werewolf, that he killed, and that Larry is now one himself.

Critics Consensus

A handsomely told tale with an affecting performance from Lon Chaney, Jr., The Wolf Man remains one of the classics of the Universal horror stable.

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Keith Phipps

AV Club

Apr 13, 2020

B+

It finds modern sophistication and cultured intellects unprepared to deal with a threat that's already at hand, maybe even under our own skin.

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SMH Staff

Sydney Morning Herald

Apr 13, 2020

The whole thing is nonsensical, but occasionally strangely compelling.

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Age Staff

The Age (Australia)

Apr 13, 2020

Lon Chaney, junior, has his first big role as The Wolf Man, but it would take a genius to "get away" with this role.

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Trace Thurman

Horror Queers Podcast

Jan 21, 2025

4/5

Gorgeously shot with some handsomely foggy production design, The Wolf Man rightfully earns its place as one of Universal's more memorable monsters.

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Mike Massie

Gone With The Twins

Jan 17, 2025

7/10

It wastes not a minute, since the running time is barely over an hour, detailing the curse and concluding it in the only way possible for this monumental horror film that would pave the way for so many derivative productions after it.

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Matt Brunson

Film Frenzy

Oct 24, 2023

4/4

The best werewolf movie ever made also gets my vote as the finest film in the entire Universal series (edging out 1935’s The Bride of Frankenstein).

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Dec 7, 2018

The wolf man is a very good monster film. Lon Chaney jrï¿ 1/2(TM)s performance was perfect. He really fit the character of the wolf man very well. I love the wolf man ever since I was really young. Claude rains was also great in it too. The other cast in the movie were very good. The wolf man is one classic vintage monster movie that has always stuck out to me. The wolf man is a very well done monster film.

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Finn W

Oct 3, 2018

Even though The Wolf Man is barely over an hour long, it still has a surprising amount of filler. Nevertheless, Lon Chaney Jr. plays the tragic character of Larry Talbot well and the special effects-groundbreaking for the time-still hold up in a nostalgic sort of way. This is one of the great Universal monster classics.

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Hermione R

Aug 22, 2018

Very good. Fun and catchy story to the end, this junction of horror and romance is perfect and the special effects are very good by the time it was made. Highly recommend.

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Draco S

May 1, 2018

Universal´s best on the Monsters´ series. The Wolf Man is a tragedy of human condition, and it´s wicked size, borrowing from Jekyll and Mr. Hide and other sources, the story written by Curt Siodmak is engaging and thrilling.

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Leia W

Mar 13, 2018

now you will have peace for eternity.. The Wolf Man Unlike the previous Dark Universal features, its not witty or gripping in either aspects of it; execution and writing, for this wafer thin plot is not even worth the 70 minute of its runtime. The writing is the main factor, why this fails to live up to its predecessors legacy and why it fails on delivering any satisfactory material. George Wagner is definitely not in its A game which result into this overlong repetitive slog which should have been an entertaining experience. Lon Chaney Jr. in the centre of it fails to pull off this horror show despite of being supported by a great cast. The Wolf Man is something that should have been a 15 minute introduction of the amazing horror tale and is unfortunately carried out to be an hour long feature.

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Harry P

Jan 11, 2018

It's not the most impressive of the Universal Monster films, but the makeup is excellent and it introduces the many aspects of that our culture now identifies with werewolves.

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George Waggner

Director

Lon Chaney Jr.

Larry Talbot

Claude Rains

Sir John Talbot

Ralph Bellamy

Col. Paul Montford

Evelyn Ankers

Gwen Conliffe

Warren William

Dr. Lloyd

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Synopsis

When his brother dies, Larry Talbot (Lon Chaney) returns to Wales and reconciles with his father (Claude Rains). While there, he visits an antique shop and, hoping to impress Gwen (Evelyn Ankers), the attractive shopkeeper, buys a silver walking cane. That same night he kills a wolf with it, only to later learn that he actually killed a man (Bela Lugosi). A gypsy (Maria Ouspenskaya) explains that it was her son, a werewolf, that he killed, and that Larry is now one himself.

Director: George Waggner
Producer: George Waggner
Screenwriter: Curt Siodmak
Distributor: Film Classics Inc., Universal Pictures, MCA/Universal Pictures [us], Screen Gems
Production Co: Universal Pictures
Genre: Horror
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Dec 12, 1941, Original
Release Date (Streaming): May 8, 2015
Runtime: 1h 10m
Aspect Ratio: Flat (1.37:1)

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