Armando Montano
The Paw Print
This original 1941 classic was remade and re-envisioned in this year’s The Wolfman, a horror tale following the strange tale of a cursed man who transforms into a murderous monster on every full moon.
The Wolfman follows the story of a traveling Shakespearean theatre actor Lawrence Talbot who travels back to his ancestral home upon the request of his missing brother Ben’s fiance, Gwen. He is greeted by his shady and strange father, Sir John Talbot who reveals to Lawrence that his brother Ben has been found dead and that the funeral will soon follow. Curious about the circumstances surrounding his brother’s disappearance and death, Lawrence visits the local mortuary where Ben’s remains are held, only to discover that Ben’s body was thoroughly and savagely torn apart.
Lawrence begins investigating his brother’s death which leads him to a gypsy camp. During his visit, a werewolf attacks the camp, killing all who get in its grasp and then flees. When Lawrence follows the werewolf, he is attacked and bitten on the neck, barely being saved by surviving gypsies who manage to scare the werewolf off.
Shortly after the attacks, Scotland Yard sends Inspector Francis Aberline to question Lawrence about the attack. After the inspector leaves, priests and the villagers come to Talbot Hall to take Lawrence away since he now “bears the mark of the beast.” His father stops them from taking Lawrence, threatening to shoot them if they try to take him again. On the next full moon, the villagers prepare guns with silver bullets and arm a trap for the loose werewolf at an old church. That night, Lawrence transforms into a werewolf for the first time, while meanwhile, Aberline sets his plan to stay at the local tavern to await the next violent attack. Now fully transformed, Lawrence howls before he attacks and kills all of the villagers who set up the trap and vanishes just before Aberline discovers the aftermath.
The next day, Lawrence is arrested by Aberline and other officers and taken to a mental institution. He is tortured by the doctors and told that his story is proof that he is delusional. He is confused and angered by the events of his capture, and once his father arrives and explains more of the local terror and the fate of all who are bitten by a werewolf, Lawrence vows to seek out the terror and kill it to avenge the deaths his family has suffered from it and to get revenge for it cursing him.
The Wolfman is definitely a movie that will grip those who love action and horror movies, but for those who are seeing it for love of the original, this may not be what you’re expecting. The film does give good credence to the original storyline, characters, and classic look, but the plot from the original was drastically altered. The sequences of animalistic violence and action are original to the film and do carry the viewer into a world where a werewolf is a severe threat and a dark secret. Overall, the film is enjoyable and worth seeing at least once. The Wolfman runs 102 minutes long and is rated R for bloody horror violence and gore.
Great movie, i like wolfman a lot.