Upon his return to his father's estate, aristocrat Larry Talbot meets a beautiful woman, attends a mystical carnival and uncovers a horrifying curse.Upon his return to his father's estate, aristocrat Larry Talbot meets a beautiful woman, attends a mystical carnival and uncovers a horrifying curse.Upon his return to his father's estate, aristocrat Larry Talbot meets a beautiful woman, attends a mystical carnival and uncovers a horrifying curse.
- Awards
- 2 wins & 3 nominations
Lon Chaney Jr.
- The Wolf Man
- (as Lon Chaney)
Jessie Arnold
- Gypsy Woman
- (uncredited)
Gertrude Astor
- Townswoman
- (uncredited)
Caroline Frances Cooke
- Townswoman
- (uncredited)
Harry Cording
- Wykes
- (uncredited)
Margaret Fealy
- Townswoman
- (uncredited)
Gibson Gowland
- Villager
- (uncredited)
Mercedes Hill
- Girl
- (uncredited)
- Director
- Writer
- All cast & crew
- Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaIn Curt Siodmak's original script for the film, whether or not Lawrence Talbot really underwent a physical transformation to a werewolf or if the transformation simply occurred in his mind was left ambiguous. The Wolf Man was never to appear onscreen. Ultimately, the studio determined that Talbot's literal transformation into a werewolf would be more appealing to the audience and, thus, more profitable. The script was revised accordingly. The remake of the film starring Benicio Del Toro leaned into this idea, having its version of Lawrence Talbot be admitted to an asylum for "delusions" of lycanthropy.
- GoofsBela the Gypsy transforms into an actual wolf, not a wolf/man. When his body is discovered, his feet are bare but he is wearing a shirt and trousers. The wolf killed by Larry Talbot was not wearing any clothing.
- Quotes
Jenny Williams: Even a man who is pure in heart and says his prayers by night, may become a wolf when the wolfbane blooms and the autumn moon is bright.
Larry Talbot: [after hearing it twice already] You know that one too, eh?
- ConnectionsEdited into The Wolfman (1966)
Featured review
Lon Chaney Jr lived under the shadow of his famous father, but in 'The Wolf Man' he helped create a horror icon that has lasted for over sixty years. Chaney had already shown that he could act in 'Of Mice And Men'(1939). In 'The Wolf Man' he gives another excellent performance, but this movie was both a blessing and a curse to his career I think. It forever labeled him a horror actor, and frankly he made a lot of lousy movies after this. Some good ones too, don't get me wrong, but too often he was given b-grade material to work with. Maybe his drinking problem had a lot to do with it, I don't know, but apart from a strong cameo in 'The Defiant Ones'(1958) and a great performance in Jack Hill's cult classic 'Spider Baby'(1964), he rarely was given a role as good as Larry Talbot in this movie. Chaney is surrounded by a very strong supporting cast including horror legends Claude Rains ('The Invisible Man') and Bela Lugosi (sadly only a cameo), Ralph Bellamy ('His Girl Friday'), and frequent costar Evelyn Ankers (she and Chaney made a great on screen couple but apparently hated each other off screen. Such is Hollywood!). Many people complain about the casting of Rains and Chaney as father and son. I agree it's totally unrealistic, but I don't think it hurts the movie at all. The lack of Lugosi is a bigger problem. There was more footage of him but unfortunately it wasn't used in the final cut. It's too bad as more scenes between Lugosi and Chaney would have been a treat. Of course they worked together a few times after this, but mostly in lesser movies. The real scene stealer in 'The Wolf Man' is Maria Ouspenskaya who plays the gypsy woman Maleva. She's just terrific, and gives the most memorable performance after Chaney. 'The Wolf Man' has had an enormous influence on just about every subsequent werewolf movie. Much of the lore seen on screen here isn't in fact traditional, as many people assume, but created by the talented Curt Siodmak ('Donovan's Brain') who subsequently wrote the horror classics 'I Walked With A Zombie'(1943), and 'The Beast With Five Fingers'(1946). 'The Wolf Man' is an undisputed horror classic, and just as entertaining and interesting as it ever was.
Details
- Release date
- Country of origin
- Language
- Also known as
- El hombre lobo
- Filming locations
- Court of Miracles, Backlot, Universal Studios - 100 Universal City Plaza, Universal City, California, USA(Werewolf 's loud howl awakens local villagers after grave digger is killed)
- Production company
- See more company credits at IMDbPro
Box office
- Budget
- $180,000 (estimated)
- Gross worldwide
- $420
- Runtime1 hour 10 minutes
- Color
- Aspect ratio
- 1.37 : 1
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