Continuing our research into classic movie monsters and the recipe to their success, we reach our final of the Big Four, and my favorite, Wolf Man.

Recap

The most memorable monsters are continually being resurrected on the big screen, like the current undertaking by Universal to reboot such classic movie monsters as Dracula, The Mummy, Wolf Man, and Frankenstein. Actor Ryan Gosling will be Wolfman in Universal’s upcoming remake of the creature. (Release date has not been announced.)  

I want to know why we don’t have any new movie monsters that rival the Big Four? Additionally, I want to discover what is needed to create such a timeless creature.

Lon Chaney Jr. the unforgettable wolf man.

Over the last month, we have studied three of the four classic monsters. Today we look at Wolf Man and why he has lasted through the ages and why werewolves—like vampires—are still fascinating characters in fiction and on screen, whether they are heroes or villains.

Is Wolf Man Classic?

First, let’s look to see if wolfman fits into the guidelines we have already established in prior blogs.

• A writer must develop the monster into a character for a book.
• The monster should be so detestable—in actions or appearance or both—that society and even his maker reject him and try to destroy him. This gives the monster something with which we, as humans, can empathize.
• The writer pulls the monster’s depravity from something unnatural, like the dead coming back to life, the undead, or being composed of the parts of dead people.
• Love—either as its main squeeze or as a backstory for the journey of a monster.
• A writer or screenwriter must bring the monster to life on stage or screen.

Two versions of Wolf Man portrayed by Lon Chaney in 1941, and Jack Nicholson in 1994.

Lon Chaney and Jack Nicholson revitalize the true essence of Wolf Man on the big screen in 1941 and in 1994.

Guidelines 

Does Wolf Man fit into our guidelines? Hmmm. Yes, and no. Let’s take it point by point.

POINT 1:

Though not created from the imagination of a single writer—like Shelley’s Frankenstein or Stoker’s Dracula—werewolves have been a part of legends, including literary depictions, since… forever. (ProbeNote: Just google werewolf timelines for actual dates.)

One of Wolf Man’s first literary appearances may have been in 39 B.C. The Roman poet Virgil wrote Eclogues; and he sang of Moeris, a man turned into a wolf man by the use of herbs.

Werewolves even have roots in Ancient Greek literature. Greek historian Herodotus writes about werewolves in his book Histories, recording that a tribe known as Neuri transformed into wolves once every year for several days, and then changed back into their human shape.

Le Morte d’Arthur, by Sir Thomas Mallory, regarded as the best work of Arthurian legend, gives the tale of the Baron Marrok. His wife betrayed him, and then—by stealing his clothes—forced him to endure being a werewolf for seven years.

POINT 2:

In the original Wolf Man, we empathize with him as the human and detest him as the werewolf. As a human, he cannot control his monster and feels remorse when he kills. He hates the evil within him. As a werewolf, he verges on cannibalism and, at the very least, a malicious serial killer. The poem used in every Wolf Man movie:

Even a man who is pure in heart
and says his prayers by night
may become a wolf when the wolfsbane blooms
and the autumn moon is bright.

This speaks to us of a good man unable to control his monster. He is detestable and yet we empathize with his human-ness.

POINT 3 

Love is an integral part of all the werewolf tales, whether it is a hateful, betraying wife or a lover.

POINT 4

And screenwriters and filmmakers brought Wolf Man, werewolf legends, to life on the big screen. Most notably of the films, is the 1941 movie starring Lon Chaney, Jr., as Larry Talbot. (ProbeNote: The character of Talbot has become a legend in his own right, representing the two sides of every man—good and evil.)

Summary

Wolf Man fits into each of our guidelines nicely. So what does he bring to the table? I think it is his human-ness. As an audience, we love him and we hate him, and would hate to be him. We feel for him, yet we want the killing to cease. This Wolf Man is very much a part of the original movie and the later 1994 remake starring Jack Nicholson.

Recent Remakes of the Classic

Benicio Del Toro portrayed the Wolf Man in the 2010 movie.

The most recent version of the Wolf Man, however—the 2010 movie starring Anthony Hawkins—failed to ignite empathy from the audience. One reason is it did not meet werewolf lovers’ expectations.

Actor Ryan Gosling will portray Wolfman in the upcoming remake.

Make-up artist Rick Baker kept his version as close and faithful to the original design as much as possible in the 2010 remake. Hollywood make-up artist Jack Pierce—who is also the creator of the iconic make-up for the original Frankenstein and The Mummy—did the original make-up on Lon Chaney for Wolf Man.

The Upcoming Remake

Universal’s remake of Wolf Man is currently in development, the movie’s release date and other details are few. What we know.

• In November 2014, Universal hired Aaron Guzikowski to write the reboot for The Wolfman.
• However, in October 2016, they hired Dave Callaham to rewrite Guzikowski’s original script.
• As of June 2022, Derek Cianfrance was considering directing the project.
• Actor Ryan Gosling is rumored to portray the classic beast. Details about the movie’s release date and other details are few.
• Gosling was the individual who pitched the remake of The Wolfman. 

Summarizing the Quest

This concludes our quest in search of what makes a timeless monster. I was especially interested in Wolf Man. He has always been my favorite, and is so because he is human, not some cold-blooded thing resurrected from the dead or parts of the dead. He is a living thing, who is sorry for the crimes he commits.

I am currently revising Book 1 of my Young Adult series called The Other Kind or TOK. It is all werewolf. No vampires intermingling and messing up the storyline. Something I have wanted ever since I first watched and re-watched the 1941 classic.

What’s Needed

The SIX ingredients needed to create a classic monster:

• A writer must develop the monster into a character for a book.
• The monster should be so detestable—in actions or appearance or both—that society and even his maker reject him and try to destroy him. This gives the monster something with which we, as humans, can empathize.
• The writer pulls the monster’s depravity from something unnatural, like the dead coming back to life, the undead, or being composed of the parts of dead people.
• Love—either as its main squeeze or as a backstory for the journey of a monster.
• A writer, screenwriter, or filmmaker must bring the monster to life on stage or screen.
• It must possess a human component—one with which the audience or reader can share.

The Others

Do the other monsters fit into the sixth point?

• Frankenstein’s creator rejects him.
• Society rejects Dracula.
• The Mummy dies for love.
• Wolfman cannot control his change, though he wants to.

We might add the element of frightening. But after Jacob and Edward in the Twilight series, who’s going to be afraid of the big bad wolf or a blood-sucking bat? Unless… have you seen the 2011 movie Priest? Some scary vampires in it and the best action scene I have ever seen!

(Note to self: Must incorporate frightening into some other aspect of the story, not just the monster. Sounds like a future blog post to me.)

Which brings me to my Halloween question: What scares you?

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Clara Bush

Clara is creator of the popular Science Fiction novellas, "The Creep Mesquite Anthology." It's SyFy with monsters and a little romance, available on Amazon Kindle.

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