I’ve always been a huge fan of scary movies, and I’ve seen most of the best horror movies.
However, one area that I feel I’m sorely lacking in is with old, Universal horror movies. I’ve seen Frankenstein and Dracula, but I’m sad to say that I’ve never seen The Mummy, The Invisible Man, or Creature from the Black Lagoon.
I HAVE seen the 1941 The Wolf Man, though (since I absolutely adore werewolf movies), and I’m super excited for next year’s Wolf Man reboot from Blumhouse. That said, one werewolf movie that I rarely hear anyone talking about is 2010’s The Wolfman, and I aim to rectify that. Here’s why.
First Off, It’s An Excellent Period Piece
Now, while I may not be as well-versed as I’d like to be in Universal monster movies (though I guess it’s never too late to start), I absolutely love gothic horror. Interview with the Vampire, Sleepy Hollow, Bram Stoker’s Dracula, my heart sings for it. So, when I first saw trailers for The Wolfman, I got heart palpitations in the best sort of way.
And, the movie did not disappoint. The Wolfman revels in its 1890s setting, with horse drawn carriages, lanterns, and old-timey medicine. Directed by Joe Johnston, who has a knack for period pieces, The Wolfman truly lives in the time period that it’s set in.
The story concerns an actor in America (del Toro) who returns to his English home in order to bury his brother, and I just love basking in the old-timiness of it all. I love the grungy pubs, the beautiful estates, and the disturbing mental facility.
I also adore the woods that seem all-encompassing. The film has a very moody, atmospheric vibe to it, and the people who inhabit this world fit into it perfectly.
I especially like Hugo Weaving’s boss mutton chops. In every way, The Wolfman takes you back to a time before TVs and smartphones took over, and I am here for it.
It Also Respects The Classic Original
I’m very much interested in the upcoming Wolf Man (especially when I heard it was influenced by The Fly), but it takes place in a modern day setting, and it doesn’t look like the 1941 original…which is fine. Don’t get me wrong.
Because even though I never saw the original 1933 The Invisible Man, I thoroughly enjoyed Leigh Whannell’s 2020 reboot (which we gave a great review), so I’m looking forward to what he can do with 2025’s Wolf Man. That said, after watching the trailer numerous times, I don’t see many parallels between it and 1941’s The Wolf Man, other than a person being attacked by a wolf, and then slowly turning into one.
Modernity is cool and all, but I still want to praise 2010’s The Wolfman for sticking to some of the story beats that made the 1941 movie a classic. Such as the premise of a man returning home to bury his brother and reuniting with his estranged father. In both versions, our protagonist has been away for a while, and he is drawn back into this world due to a death.
A lot of the similarities end there, but one thing I especially appreciate is the relationship between father and son in both films. Spoiler alert for an 83 year old movie, but in the original, our protagonist’s father, played by Claude Rains, ends up killing his werewolf son, played by Lon Cheney Jr., by hitting him over the head with a silver cane. It distresses him when he realizes that his son was actually the werewolf.
However, in the 2010 remake, the father, played brilliantly by Anthony Hopkins, has a much more nefarious role, as he himself is a werewolf, and was the one who bit his son in the first place (He even hits him with a silver-headed cane, just like in the original). I think it’s really cool that the 2010 movie shows reverence to the original. While I’m looking forward to this new one, I still have to show love for 2010’s wolf edition.
That Said, It Is Really Violent And Modern
I know how I just said that the 2010 movie doesn’t take place in modern day times, but that doesn’t mean that it doesn’t feature modern day violence. Because The Wolfman, for all of its homages to the 1941, Hays Code-era original, is still very much a movie of its time–which means blood, blood, and more blood.
The Wolfman is Rated-R for a reason. In one scene where a wolfman attacks a camp, one poor soul gets clawed through the back of his head. In another horrific scene, the wolfman eviscerates hapless, screaming victims before rampaging through London.
I really dig this because it feels like it shouldn’t be. What I mean is, you have this late Victorian setting, and instead of characters fretting over a looming marriage, you have a werewolf ripping people to shreds.
It kind of reminds me of that period in the mid-2010s when we were getting those sort of parody films based off of Seth Grahame–Smith novels, like Pride and Prejudice and Zombies, and Abraham Lincoln, Vampire Hunter, but not played for laughs.
In fact, 2010’s The Wolfman actually feels like what a live-action version of the Castlevania cartoon would be like if it was on the big screen. If you know me, you’ll know that I’m a man who loves his Castlevania. So, 2010’s Wolfman feels like the next best thing to a live-action version of that, which I totally dig.
Benicio Del Toro Makes For An Excellent, Haunting Lead
Benecio del Toro is a true chameleon of an actor (Which might be why he starred in a Netflix movie called Reptile) as he can play pretty much any character.
He was terrifying as a prosecutor-turned-assassin in Sicario, and yet, hilarious (and often unrecognizable) as the attorney in Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas. I’m convinced he could play any role you throw at him, and that’s including a man who is haunted by lycanthrophy.
Because del Toro is a man with doubts and fears. Playing an actor named Lawrence, del Toro’s character returns to a world both familiar, but now alien to him. He is also a man who is haunted by his mother’s death, which he has repressed since he couldn’t understand it in his youth.
So, this is a man who is already a little unstable at the start of the film, and this is before he starts locking himself in at night in order to prevent himself from going on a horrific rampage.
What’s great about this performance is that he plays it like a man who is both terrified for himself and for others. It’s a surprisingly subtle performance in a bombastic role, and if you’re just watching it for the werewolf action, you might miss del Toro’s excellent underacting. However, I’ll tell you one person’s performance you certainly won’t miss…
And I Just Can’t Praise Anthony Hopkins Enough For His Scenery-Chewing Performance
It is a widely known fact that Anthony Hopkins is only in The Silence of the Lambs for 16 minutes, but he uses every last second of those minutes to peak performance (Thus, earning him an Academy Award in the process).
That said, while Hopkins could definitely do more subdued performances if he wanted to, that is not what we get in The Wolfman, where Hopkins chews scenery like it’s going out of style.
Hopkins plays the patriarch in the film, and unlike del Toro’s character, who finds his new form to be torture, Hopkin’s character embraces it, finding great pleasure in mauling people and having them for dinner.
This is a great contrast to his son, who views himself as a monster. But, you can just tell that Hopkins is having a great time playing a cad. Even so, there is nuance to his performance since you don’t know until later that he’s been the initial wolfman the entire time.
The way he smiles about his affliction only becomes clear on repeat viewings, and he just seems incredibly odd when you initially meet him, since he doesn’t show fear, but rather interest in the idea of a werewolf on the loose. Honestly, I don’t think I’d love this movie the way I do if not for Hopkins’ immaculate performance. It’s the best.
For more news on the upcoming Wolf Man, be sure to swing by here often.