Rating: 
Summary: an old 40s chestnut
Review: okay, the film has flaws.
who cares?
the supporting cast is possibly the best assembled cast of any 40s film.
Bela Lugosi, Claude Rains, Warren William, Maria Ouspenskia, Evelyn Ankers are all in top form (Lugosi, proving too, that he was better in classy supporting rols rather than having to slum it though starring roles in secondary features).
Chaney too is top notch.
Fans will not want to admit it, but his Lawrence Talbot soon became repetative and whiney, but here he is Larry Talbot; a classic horror film icon.
After this the great roles were very few and far between (but he did have some roles that PROVED he was indeed a worthy succesor to his father-check out HIGH NOON, THE DEFIANT ONES, LION IS IN THE STREETS, SPIDER BABY and OF MICE AND MEN to see his worth as an actor).
Full of atmosphere and pathos.
strangley enough i remember it better than some of the 'better classics'.
Rating: 
Summary: A wolfman of the people
Review: Like gangster films and screwball comedies, horror movies dominated 1930's cinema until the British banned the genre in 1937. A revival came with the 1939 release of "Son of Frankenstein." Following that success, Universal, the leader in the cinema of the macabre, dusted off the werewolf concept that failed (commercially, at least) in 1935's "Werewolf of London," and brought forth "The Wolf Man." The title role was offered to a disinterested (and, by that time, too old) Boris Karloff, and coveted by a comeback craving (but also too old, and certainly inappropriate) Bela Lugosi. The role brought stardom to Lon Chaney, Jr., the son of the famous Man of a Thousand Faces, and the film is perhaps the last truly classic contribution Universal made to the Golden Age of Horror. A literate script by Curt Siodmak, atmospheric direction by George Waggner, and a prestigious cast headed by the incomparable Claude Rains more than compensate for this film's few weaknesses, but there are weaknesses, notably Chaney, Jr himself. Though perfect as the dim-witted Lenny in Lewis Milestone's film of Steinbeck's "Of Mice and Men," the beefy actor lacks the polish and English accent required to be wholly believable as the off-spring of Rains' very British Sir John Talbot. If it's difficult to believe Chaney hails from the same family, he nonetheless gives an excellent performance, one that inspires sympathy for the cursed Larry Talbot. The remaining cast is superb with Bela Lugosi too briefly seen as the gypsy whose lycanthropic bite brings about Chaney's transformation, and Maria Ouspenskaya is perfect as Lugosi's compassionate mother, the only one to believe and sympathize with Talbot's doomed plight. Frank Skinner's wonderfully spooky score was revived with some minor changes for Universal's series of Sherlock Holmes films starring Basil Rathbone and Nigel Bruce. Aside from its remarkable atmosphere, two things always intigued me about "The Wolfman." One is the way Lugosi morphed into a genuine four-legged wolf but Talbot still remained a man after sprouting hair and fangs. Then there's Talbot's change of clothing whenever he knew a full moon was on the rise. He prepares for his transformation by changing from a suit and tie into work clothes more suitable to a janitor. Certainly, a werewolf would look silly prowling about in formal attire, but would a man who's about to change into a ferocious beast be concerned with his appearance or worried about the possibility of ruining a good jacket? Perhaps "The Wolfman" is less a horror film than a subliminal (and snobbish) social commentary. Talbot returns to Britain after attending college in the U.S. Are his antics as a werewolf meant to represent the influence of Americans whose supposed penchant for violence and incivility are worrisome to many Europeans? It may also be a sly observation on class, a warning to the elites, like Sir John Talbot, to beware of the proletariat, who might poison their childrens' minds with the social liberalism that often characterizes higher education. Yes, under all that yak hair, "The Wolf Man" is more than a horror film. When looking beneath the surface, it's all the more frightening.
Rating:
Summary: The right price for a horrific batch
Review: While I did buy a few of the Monster DVDs when they first came out, I didn't buy any of the double features because I didn't feel like playing $30 for two films and no frills. But now the price is right. For those of you concerned about putting this many movies on six DVDs, don't get too worried because a majority of these films are barely an hour long. Frankenstein was only 71 minutes - Bride 75 min - Dracula 75 min Dracula's Daughter 71 min - Wolfman 70 min so it's not too much of a squeeze. It would be nice if Universal puts out a 2 disc set of The Mummy and another of their other classic monster movies along with the Abbott and Costello. Clear out the vaults by Halloween!
Rating:
Summary: Economic Packaging
Review: I do not generally want to review DVD's I have yet to see, but just wanted to add some information to the previous review. Apparently the discs in this collection will be "flippers", therefore five movies and extras would be spread over four sides, not two, so compression should not be a problem. Certainly looking forward to this!
Rating:
Summary: Waiting each and every day for this!
Review: I can't wait until I get this dvd! On april 27th one of the best dvd box sets ever will be released! I am one of those poor souls that did NOT buy the other monster dvds but luckily according to davisdvd(a site)it will have some extra features that were available on the earlier dvds! Just to let you know I LOVE these movies. The reason why?...Atmosphere is the key word. Every single one had VERY good atmosphere even if it was not that good of a movie. I will be buying this on the FIRST day it comes out. and yes I will buy the monster legacy collection version. Cheaper AND you get figurines all in a nice spiffy box. go to davisdvd to check out the box (very sweet pic!)From what I already know this is going to be a kick-ass boxed set. Probably will be my Favorite EVER. and it helps I have not seen these movies in about 3-5 years. The only thing I am worrying about is the transfers and sound. Cramming all those movies and special features onto several discs. Geez. Most have 3 movies on 1 disc! But on the 2nd disc all of them have 2 movies so I bet they will put the special features on those 2nd discs I hope. But I am pretty sure Universal won't dissapoint their fans so I am pretty sure they have about everything licked...hopefully.
Rating:
Summary: Lon Chaney, Jr. as the tragically cursed Larry Talbot
Review: "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." The 1941 version of "The Wolf Man" is one of the most important Universal monster movies that is a classic even if it is not a great film. That is because pretty much the entire mythology of werewolves, from the transformation beneath the full moon and the silver bullets to the appearance of a pentagram that marks the next victim of the werewolf, comes from this film. Consequently, screenwriter Curt Siodmak did for werewolves what Bram Stoker did for vampires, also working to take established folklore and then add a few creative twists. The story of "The Wolf Man" should be well-known even to those who have yet to see the film. Larry Talbot (Lon Chaney, Jr.), returns to his ancestral home in Wales following the death of his older brother. One night poor Larry is bitten by a wolf during an attack and he soon learns he has inherited the curse of lycanthrope from the gypsy werewolf (Bela Lugosi). Now, whenever the full moonrise, he goes out looking for some throats to rip out. What chance does he now have with the beautiful Gwen (Evelyn Ankers), and whatever will he tell his father, Sir John Talbot (Claude Reins?). "The Wolf Man" is Lon Chaney, Jr.'s signature role mainly because it is one of the few movie monster roles that he originated (although the part was originally intended by Boris Karloff). Chaney was the original and only Larry Talbot, which is rather surprising given how often Universal played musical actors with the guys behind the monster makeup, which, once again, is by Jack Pierce. The film is more atmospheric than bloody, with lots of mist hugging the ground in the dark forest, which reflects both the sensibilities of the time and limitations placed on the genre by the production code. You also have Ralph Bellamy and veteran character actress Maria Ouspenskaya in the supporting cast adding weight to the story and make up for the fact you never really can buy that Reins and Chaney are father and son. Ultimately, "The Wolf Man" is a monster movie that plays like a Greek tragedy with the monster being as much of an innocent victim as any of the werewolf's prey. Universal's classic version of "Frankenstein" was changed so much from Mary Shelley's novel that it lost the most tragic aspects of that particular story, leaving "The Wolf Man" to claim that particular title. It is that tragic element that you can find in all of the better werewolf movies that have followed this one, from "I Was a Teenage Werewolf" and "An American Werewolf in London" to "The Howling" and "Wolf."
Rating:
Summary: Chaney Jr. in His Best Performance
Review: This was one of the first horror films to use fog to make the movie more scary. Excellent performances by Claude Raines, Lon Chaney Jr., and the woman that played Maleva. Bela Lugosi had a small role as Bela who bites Chaney to begin his nightmare as a creature of the full moon. Great musical score adds to the eerie effects.
Rating:
Summary: A Definite 'Must Buy'!
Review: Considering that "The Wolf Man" was made long before the days of the "Making of" trend, Universal have produced an excellent set of DVDs in their "Classic Monsters" collection that mean that even if you already have these films on tape it's well worth replacing them with the DVD versions. As a previous reviewer remarked, although "The Werewolf of London" came out a few years before "The Wolf Man", it is the later film which has become THE classic, not least because of the innovativeness of the film's writer, Curt Siodmak, who made up a great deal of what is now taken to be age old werewolf mythology. So the film itself is great, and has been well detailed by previous reviewers. What makes this such an attractive package is the extras, and I don't mean the people standing around in the background not saying anything. There's a full length documentary "Monster by Moonlight" that places this film in context with other films of its kind - through to "Abbott & Costello Meet the Wolf Man" - and with the golden age of Universal horror films in general. And there's "The Wolf Man Archives" - a host of original stills and adverts - PLUS the theatrical trailer. Not enough? Then how about the heart of the "extras" - the full length "Feature Commentary" by Tom Weaver.
This is a solid gold narrative covering production details, backgrounds on the story and the actors, lost out-takes - just a wealth of information that makes the film even more interesting to watch than it was before. No matter how many times you've seen the film in the past, no matter if you already have the video, if this is the kind of film you like, you'll enjoy this DVD package even more.
Rating:
Summary: A CLASSIC THRILLER.
Review: In his star-making role, Lon Chaney, Jr. plays Larry Talbot, a young British heir, who returns to the mansion of his father (Claude Rains) after receiving a college education in America. In a small English village, Chaney meets Gwen Conliffe (Evelyn Ankers), the daughter the of an antique store owner. Inside the shop, he buys an ornate walking stick with a silver wolf's head and pentagram engraved on the handle. When Gwen recites an old gypsy folk rhyme (as seen in the editorial review above), Larry laughs off the rhyme as a silly superstition...Seeking to keep the second great horror boom going strong at the box office - horror flicks waned in popularity by 1937 - Universal decided to resurrect the forgotten monster from their 1935 THE WEREWOLF OF LONDON and transform him into THE WOLFMAN. It was a profitable gamble. Despite the fact that the film was released just two days after the bombing of Pearl Harbor, the movie was a smash hit at the box-office and it was Universal's biggest hit of the season. This was Chaney's favourite role, and his is considered the definitive version: it was his original creation. Rains does his usual fine work in role not entirely worthy of his talent, and the wonderful Maria Ouspenskaya is memorable as the wise old gypsy woman who foretells tragedy. The original working title of the film was DESTINY.
Rating:
Summary: Great gothic horror tale
Review: This classic Universal horror film staring two horror greats Lon Chaney and Bela Lugosi (in cameo), is the tragic tale of a Werewolf haunting a town. Larry comes from California to join his fathers estate, and sees a woman in town who he learns of the tale of the werewolf. Later that night he takes her and her friend out to have their fortune read, and on the way home a werewolf kills the friend. Larry goes to rescue her, and kills the wolf with his silver cane, but is bit. Soon he will turn into the wolf, and the town is on the brink of hysteria as he begins killing. They lead an investigation, and Larry is torn between what to do, when he finds out who his next victim will be. The film is highly enjoyable, and fun to watch. Lon Chaney is great as Larry/the Wolf Man. The film has a lot more besides just horror, but has romance, psychology, mystery, and even some philosophy! Fans of horror, or old films will definitely enjoy this one. To some people this may be a little cheesy due to the time lapse between eras, but if you ignore that, this is a great film. 5 stars, check it out.
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