The Wolf Man (1941)

The latest remake of George Waggner’s horror film The Wolf Man has been pushed to 2010, but you can still prepare yourself by watching the recent special edition release of the 1941 original. Undoubtedly, the new version—now called The Wolfman and directed by acclaimed hack Joe Johnston—will benefit from improved special effects and the casting of real-life werewolf Benicio Del Toro in the title role. Here, the lunkish Lon Chaney Jr. plays Larry Talbot, a lunkish heir returning home to the castle owned by his scientist father (Claude Rains, 18 inches shorter than Chaney and clearly from a different continent). While visiting a gypsy fortune teller in the woods, Larry is bitten by a cursed wolf, and becomes a bloodthirsty creature of the night. Ironically, The Wolf Man is stronger and creepier in the scenes without the wolf man.