I love the Wolfman. Yes I do. I don’t know if I’ll actually like the new movie starring Benecio Del Toro, Anthony Hopkins, and Emily Blunt, but I sure want to. I have fond, fond memories of watching the original Wolfman with Lon Chaney, Jr. on television when I was a kid. “Even a man who is pure of heart and says his prayers by night, can become a wolf when the wolfsbane blooms, and the autumn moon is bright.” Mwa-hahaha!
Where I grew up there were two programs out of Philadelphia on Saturday afternoons — Creature Double Feature and Dr. Shock. I couldn’t get enough of either. It was on those shows that I got my first taste of Frankenstein and The Bride of Frankenstein, The Wolfman, The Creature from the Black Lagoon, It, Them!, all of the Abbot and Costello horror movie tie-ins (like Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein and Abbott and Costello Meet the Invisible Man), and a host of other horror and science fiction movies. A few were great, most were sub-par, and some were truly wretched. But I had a blast watching them all. I love horror movies. Love love love them. My son has carried on the tradition, and we have a great time sitting down to watch spooky movies together. He’s only ten so I doubt I’ll be taking him to this particular Wolfman (rated R for bloody violence and gore), but there are still plenty of age-appropriate movies for us to watch.
There’s been a dearth of good werewolf movies since The Howling and An American Werewolf in London. Sure, there have been a few notable smaller films like Ginger Snaps and Dog Soldiers, but nothing really big, nothing iconic. I’m hoping this new version of Lawrence Talbot dealing with the full-moon curse is something great. I’m certainly rooting for it.
For a ton of photos, trailers, and clips from the film, head on over to Shock Till You Drop.
