The Wolf Man

After the tragic death of his brother, a man (Lon Chaney Jr.) returns home to be with his father (Claude Rains) only to fall prey to a werewolf (Bela Lugosi).

The Wolf Man is the granddaddy of all werewolf movies. It defined the genre, providing the classic blueprint still used today.

Lon Chaney Jr., in his first turn as Lawrence Talbot, plays him as much more of a ladies man then he would in later films. While this is somewhat of a stretch given Chaney’s less than dashing looks, it does give the character a nice arc.

Supporting Chaney is a solid group, including Bela Lugosi and Claude Rains. Rains, in particular, stands out and serves to lend the film an extra sense of gravitas.

At only 70 minutes, The Wolf Man is a very lean film. The script moves along at a brisk pace, but doesn’t sacrifice characterization for set pieces.

The make up work by Jack Pierce, state of the art at the time, still holds up well to this today, with Chaney’s classic transformations particular standouts.