The Wolfman Returneth : Essential Werewolf Movies
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Universal's first foray into the werewolf genre was somewhat ill-concieved, but still noteable as an important part of werewolf movie history. It does have its moments of brilliance even though it is somewhat dull in places and the setting doesn't quite feel right for a classic werewolf story. Which, I suppose, explains why nobody thinks Henry Hull when they hear "Wolf Man". They did have at least some of the ingredients which would eventually come to make a successful monster movie about a werewolf, mostly noteably makeup artist Jack Pierce and special effects expert John P. Fulton. What they lacked was the creative team; the right director, screenwriter and of course, the right star ... |
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The image of Lon Chaney Jr stalking through a dark and foggy forest, wearing the Wolf Man makeup that Jack Pierce had created for him, has long since been a major part of the popular consciousness - to much the same degree as Lugosi's Dracula or Karloff's Frankenstein. This is one of the few movies on this list that is not only essential viewing for those interested in the werewolf movie genre, but for absolutely everybody. The sequels, though they vary in quality, are also essential viewing for any werewolf movies fan. In chronological order, they are Frankenstein Meets the Wolf Man (1943), House of Frankenstein (1944), House of Dracula (1945), and finally: |
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Of all of the "Wolf Man" sequels, I thought this was the one that really deserved a mention in its own right. The Universal monster franchises had very much been milked dry at this point, so they required a new angle. A monster comedy seemed like the perfect solution. Lon Chaney Jr's "Wolf Man" of course plays a large part in this story. He is the only one of the three (Dracula and Frankenstein being the other two) who has a heroic quality about him, and thus he ends up working alongside the two bumbling comedians. Did they perhaps forsee that when movies such as "American Werewolf" came along, comedy and self-parody would in fact become an essential part of the werewolf genre and horror in general? |