“I saw Lon Chaney walking with the queen doing the werewolves of London.” Psst, Warren Zevon. Lon Chaney never acted as a werewolf or wolfman. His son Crieghton, however, is a completely different story.
In celebration of the anthology Moonlight and Claws coming out, I’d like to reflect on the Universal Studios movies that made “The Wolfman” popular. One thing that hit me when the publishers called for books was they targeted “The Wolfman,” and not the more generic werewolves. In that spirit, I will examine only Universal’s Wolfman movies for this blog entry. And, I’m sorry, but the Benicio Del Toro remake and Van Helsing are not included. (Shakes head at both.)
The Wolfman (1941): Classic is too common a word to use on The Wolfman. Of the Big 4 (Frankenstien, Dracula, Wolfman, and The Mummy), the Wolfman comes later, nearly ten years after the other three. The movie shows in its production quality. Whereas the others lack a soundtrack and a less expressive style of acting, the Wolfman feels right at home with other classic black-and-white films, though clearly it’s B-grade. We know the story. Larry Talbot returns home and is bitten by a wolfman (played, ironically, by Bela Lugosi). The Wolfman is the movie that made Lon Chaney Jr.’s (real name Creighton Tull Chaney) career in monster films. Yes, today people scoff at the special effects and the lack of gore, but to me its part of the charm. The Wolfman was far more savage than prior monsters. I swear when Larry Talbot attack’s Gwen (Evelyn Ankers), it looks like he really hurt her. Kudos also to the very talented Evelyn Ankers. She, along with set design and decent acting by Claude Raines, really made this movie the masterpiece it is today.
Frankenstein Meets The Wolfman (1943): The sequel to The Wolfman sought to capitalize on Universal’s two hottest properties. Both Dracula and the Mummy were fading, so they brought their best star (in Frank) and their hottest star (in Wolfie) together. This movie should’ve never worked, but it does. They logically resurrect the Wolfman, give him even more pathos than in the first film, and construct a tale to have him meet Dr. Frankenstein to cure him. This excuse would provide the reason the Wolfman and the Monster would be together for the next two movies. With an abrupt but monstrous fight at the end, this movie has all the Universal Monster joy you’d hoped for in a movie. Of all the monster mashes, this one is the grooviest.
The House of Frankenstein (1944): The Wolfman loses title credit on this movie but you have the return of Boris Karloff, not as the monster, but as the doctor. Frank, Drac, and Wolfie come together for one fright fest, but Dracula’s role is so brief it could be a cameo. While I love Karloff and Chaney Jr., this film is a let down from the prior one. This is the movie that popularized killing the wolfman with a silver bullet and that scene is well done, but this movie feels like a repeat of Frankenstein Meets the Wolfman. Frank’s end, in particular, is a real let-down.
The House of Dracula (1945): This movie, though it treats its monster in new and unique ways, is bizarre. I liken it to the The Last Jedi of the Universal monster movies. Wanting to take their properties in a weird new direction, the story imagines a sane and kind doctor who is out to cure the various monsters. Unfortunately, one turns and the rest starts to unfold like most of the movies before it with one exception. Yes, the Wolfman has an interesting ending.
Abbot and Costello Meet Frankenstein (1948): Yes, the classic, and a more fitting end to The Wolfman trilogy. Purists believe the real end is “House of Dracula” because this movie is a spoof. They’re not wrong, but “A&B meet F” still brings some fantastic scenes, including the Wolfman’s final. For my money, watch this after Frankenstein Meets The Wolfman for the best experience. This is what “The House of Frankenstein” should’ve been with Bela playing Dracula for only the second time and Chaney Jr. playing The Wolfman. If only Karloff would’ve played the monster one more time. Sometimes I wonder what this movie would’ve been like without the chuckles, though the jokes are great, too.
She-Wolf of London (1946): You thought Marvel making women versions of their superheroes was unique? No, Universal did it years before. I include this movie because Universal made it and it’s a cousin of the movies we’re talking about. This was a fun movie and well-made with June Lockhart (yes, she of the original Lost in Space fame) as the main Wolfwoman. While the end doesn’t live up to my expectations, this one is worth a watch. Of the Universal “female” monster movies (Dracula’s Daughter, She-Wolf of London, and The Invisible Woman) this one ranks third behind Dracula’s Daughter (which is excellent). If they had changed the ending, this one would’ve been great.