This blog entry is part of my “movie year countdown”. To read more about that check out my first Spout filmblog entry.
The Wolf Man
Funny that I saw this right after Cat People. It seems like that movie was maybe reacting directly to The Wolf Man. They both feature a character who seems to transform into a different kind of common four-legged, hairy mammal, but there is some question as to whether it's really happening or just psychological. Apparently in many first drafts of The Wolf Man they tried to make it more questionable as to whether it was really happening or just in Larry's mind. In the end it's pretty explicit that he's actually transforming, and this is probably because seeing the transformation is one of the main draws for a movie like this. So it's interesting in Cat People that Lewton didn't want any transformation to be shown but there is actually sort of one shown at the end. Someone forced him to do it I believe.
Still I found The Wolf Man to be only slightly more enjoyable. I see both as mediocre movie experiences for me. I'm not sure why. I guess these old horror movies just aren't a favorite genre of mine. But I do find them interesting at least for their historical significance.
Rating: 6/10