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Monday, February 8, 2010

Return of the WolfMan...

In anticipation of a screening this Tuesday of the new WolfMan film, I spent Super Bowl Sunday reviewing the previous Universal flix in the Wolf Man Legacy (note, it's two words, not one as in the new film) box set issued in 2004. (BTW, congrats to the New Orleans Saints!)

While it does emphasize the then-current Van Helsing film (and it's werewolf) in the extras, the set includes the only solo film (The Wolf Man) featuring Larry Talbot (all the others were "team-ups" with other Universal monsters), Frankenstein Meets the Wolf Man (the first of the monster "team-ups" and not included in the Frankenstein Legacy set), WereWolf of London (featuring a different werewolf and origin), and She-Wolf of London, which is more Cat People than Wolf Man.
A new documentary, Monster by Moonlight, covers the history of Universal's various werewolves, including Talbot.
Considering reports that the new film adapts elements of not only both Wolf Man and WereWolf of London, but Hammer's Curse of the WereWolf (ironically, distributed in the U.S. by Universal) as well, I'd suggest catching all three before you see the new one to contrast and compare!
(I'll be watching Curse on Monday night...)

It's been fun immersing myself in Universal's werewolf lore once more.
Did you know that the Wolf Man is the only Universal monster to by played by the same actor in every appearance (even when meeting Abbott & Costello!)?
I hadn't seen all these films together since the Film Forum's summer Sci-Fi / Fantasy / Horror festivals! (I used to arrange my vacation days from work to do all-day shows and party with my friends!)

Happy Hunting!

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Thanx for posting!