THE WOLF MAN Retrospective: The Most Tragic Universal Monster

Рет қаралды 33,780

7 ай бұрын

A retrospective on the saga of Universal's The Wolf Man, tracking the entire history of this Universal Monster from the 1941 classic by Curt Siodmak through the crossovers with Frankenstein and Dracula to modern day interpretations of Van Helsing and The 2010 Wolfman, uncovering the real world tragedy that shaped this foundational werewolf story and the way it's influenced generations.
#wolfman
#universalmonsters
Official Matt Draper Channel Theme by Mono Memory
Support Mono Memory: Follow/listen on Spotify - spoti.fi/2SemMoK
PayPal Donation - www.paypal.com/paypalme/monom...
JOIN Mono Memory on YT - kzfaq.info/love/3ee...
Bandcamp Sub - monomemory.bandcamp.com/music
Commissions - email monomemory85 at gmail.com
Sources:
www.neatorama.com/halloween/2...
robertmatzen.com/tag/the-wolf...
www.latimes.com/archives/la-x...
www.fangoria.com/original/und...
sfmagazines.com/?p=5592
deadline.com/2014/11/dark-mat...

Пікірлер: 156

@MattDraper 7 ай бұрын

Happy Halloween!

@etabiansosin 6 ай бұрын

I always imagined a Werewolf Movie where Viking Singer Peyton Parrish played a Viking who becomes a werewolf during the norse times. I would title this movie "The Wolfman of the Norse." Thoughts?

@bZman 6 ай бұрын

What is the song playing during the van helsing part?

@charlesbennett7484 Ай бұрын

Have you ever seen Alvin and the Chipmunks Meet the Wolfman ? They also meet Frankenstein's Monster in another movie.

@owensreviews625 7 ай бұрын

The Wolf Man was always my favorite Universal Monster movie because you actually got to know the man before he became the monster. And there’s something so tragic about seeing an overall good guy forced to turn into a monster against his will.

@jackofallclaws6672 7 ай бұрын

The whole “Only a Werewolf can truly kill Dracula” line is kinda cute once you learn that is some country folklore, vampires were actually the result of improperly buried werewolves that came back from the dead.

@bensneb360 7 ай бұрын

Lon Chaney Jr. Is an underrated actor, guy can bring a lot of charisma and empathy to a character, a lot of the Wolfman works because of him

@pooddescrewch8718 Ай бұрын

I thought this was his worst work though . I have seen him in lots of other movies and different genres and he never played such a weak character in any of them .

@steve-zk5zm 5 күн бұрын

@bensneb360 I totally agree. And I think this is a great performance by him. And it belongs in his oeuvre of great range of performances. I don’t agree with poodescrewch that he is weak. He’s just Larry Talbot who becomes a victim. And a monster. And I loved that character in all the movies in which he appears.

@pooddescrewch8718 5 күн бұрын

@@steve-zk5zm I remain unmoved . He was one note character . I liked Lon Chaney Jr best to in some of his low budget movies . Often he was the only good thing about those movies . Here though ? I don’t think the script gave him much to work with . I was truly disappointed by that .

@BoyNamedSue4 7 ай бұрын

Werewolves are my favorite classic monster. Love this movie so much. Mandatory watching every year.

@troikas3353 7 ай бұрын

A series of universal monster films connected by the throughline of Fraiser's misadventures as Rick O'connell would have been incredible.

@chris.shamblin 6 ай бұрын

I completely agree. What an amazing concept.

@jonathanmulondo9206 7 ай бұрын

Both the original and even the remake are great tragic horror films. No Matter what Talbot did, he could never escape tragedy.

@stephenvelez9710 6 ай бұрын

I think the remake is badly underrated. Benicio recalls Lon beautifully ❤️

@steve-zk5zm 5 күн бұрын

100% with both the OP and the reply. While I always have a special affection with the original, having just purchased and watched for the first time, the remake on Blu-ray, I now put it right up there. As stated above, a tragically underrated movie about a tragic character.

@Doshirrosden 7 ай бұрын

Did anyone else feel like Van Helsing was supposed to be a Castlevania movie at some point? You’ve got the ancient family line that’s sworn to kill Dracula, an immortal with a secret connection to Dracula, a magic teleportation mirror, a battle through Dracula’s castle, and even a sort of final boss transformation. Maybe I’m seeing things.

@bezoticallyyours83 2 ай бұрын

I know a lot of people shit on van helsing, but its a damn sight better Vania film then Boll's Bloodrayne. You're not the only one who saw it that way. I guess things came full circle.

@BoyNamedSue4 7 ай бұрын

The problem with Van Velsing is that it’s Wolfman does not have nards.

@mandalorianhunter1 7 ай бұрын

Werewolves or lycans are my favorite of the supernatural horror creatures and I hope we get more.

@animezilla4486 6 ай бұрын

Me too have you seen werewolves by night from marvel

@mandalorianhunter1 6 ай бұрын

@@animezilla4486 I have hopefully we get more of the story

@ramblingRJ 7 ай бұрын

In the original screenplay, it was kept ambiguous until the end, as to whether or not Larry was really transforming into a werewolf or if it was all in his head. That same approach would later be used for Raymond Burr in "Bride of the Gorilla", which co-starred Lon Chaney jr.

@leeleslieart 6 ай бұрын

"Looks like Kelly Jones drew them." Kudosfor that one!

@jonathansalazar4630 7 ай бұрын

Perfect episode for Halloween, the werewolf is always one of the most underrated horror monsters when it comes to films, but Universal's The Wolf Man will aways be the most iconic.

@SpookyouKnowIt23 7 ай бұрын

Josh Hartnet's character Ethan Chandler (a werewolf gunslinger) from Penny Dreadful is revealed later in the series to actually be Larry Talbot. If that counts, it's an interesting take on the character imo

@joshuaortiz4886 4 ай бұрын

truly was! Penny Dreadful is, pardon the pun, dreadfully underrated. it's approach to the classic Gothic material was both reverential and innovative in all the right ways. what the OG Universal Monster classics couldn't do but hinted at through subtext, Penny Dreadful made text in the most delicious way.

@SpookyouKnowIt23 4 ай бұрын

Yeah, exactly. All the sexual subtext that was under the surface of the original monster catalogue was A-OK on Stars. It really was a good show. Wish it had gotten a longer run @@joshuaortiz4886

@jpotter2086 6 ай бұрын

Van Helsing is an AMAZING case study in excess. Deserved a special Oscar for even managing to deliver a somewhat coherent product to screens.

@rayancedrichaddad1197 7 ай бұрын

The Wolf Man (1941) is one of my Favorite Films. This Retrospective about the Movie is Fantastic. A Complete Audiovisual Encyclopedia about the Legend of the Wolfman. Well done. Happy Halloween!🎃

@AkiDave 6 ай бұрын

Werewolves are so cool, they’re definitely my favorite monsters. I really liked the Van Helsing design & the Dracula vs Helsing fight is such eye candy. Great video man 💙

@bezoticallyyours83 2 ай бұрын

I really liked this film a lot. And the atmosphere in the old universal films can't be replicated. I'm a sucker for atmosphere.

@Jared_Wignall 6 ай бұрын

The Wolf Man has always been my favorite Universal Monster, mainly due to how he didn’t want to become a werewolf, he got bit trying to save a woman’s life and because of this he was cursed to become a wolf whenever there’s a full moon and with the films following the original film, he’s not really able to die as they explain in later films why this is. It’s a shame he never got to have any sequels where it was just him and trying to find away to be cured of the curse. Now the crossover films he was in are entertaining and well done for the most part, but I wish Lon Chaney, Jr. got to do at least one solo sequel before doing the crossovers. Lon Chaney, Jr. himself is just amazing in the role and truly gave such a strong performance that if anyone else played the part, it could have been a performance that’s alright and nothing extraordinary. Thanks for the video Matt, take care!

@jackofallclaws6672 7 ай бұрын

Dracula and Frankenstein may have been the start of the Universal Horror Cycle…but it was The Wolfman that turned it into a Universe of Gods and Monsters!

@jackofallclaws6672 7 ай бұрын

Wait…a guy coming back from the dead because of a transformation brought about by the night…HOLY CRAP, Larry Talbot was the first Immortal Hulk!

@repns 4 ай бұрын

I used to visit Siodmak and his wife, Henrietta, at their Three Rivers home back in the 70s. Wonderful people.

@Enshohma 7 ай бұрын

Your retro film retrospectives are always a treat! Great surprise to find on this Halloween morning to boot.

@armandotorres8962 6 ай бұрын

The part I cared for the most was hearing Shadows from The Midnight at the beginning. Such a great song. Especially at night.

@evanerickson4217 6 ай бұрын

My favorite universal monster films and one of my favorite films.

@iap7597 7 ай бұрын

Man, your breakdown on the writing and themes of The Wolf Man (1941) hits specially hard considering what’s been going on in the world in the last few weeks.

@nitrobw1 7 ай бұрын

The Kelley Jones joke got me

@vaderfett3229 7 ай бұрын

Great Video as always Matt! Perfect for Halloween! My favourite of the Universal Monsters classics as a kid was always Frankenstein Meets the Wolf Man (House of Frankenstein was pretty cool too) - PERFECT! Mate... will you ever get round to doing a video of my favourite film of all time... THE GOOD, THE BAD AND THE UGLY...? 😉

@quite_contrary_9956 6 ай бұрын

I watched The Wolf Man with my friend for the first time this October. I was expecting a fun little monster movie, but the ending broke my heart. Me an my friend were close to tears in the ending with the last scenes with his father (especially when he called him ‘dad’ for the first time in the whole film) and the heartbreaking expression on his fathers face when he realized that he just killed his son. Although I prefer Frankenstein and Bride of Frankenstein, this film never fails to make me weep after those two!!

@chriswilliams384 Ай бұрын

Im a big wolfman fan. I very much appreciated this. Great video

@sergioruiz733 7 ай бұрын

I always liked the idea of a Wolfman because even though as an adult I try to doubt it happened, I know I saw one tear our fence apart as a child and even if its most likely untrue, its fascinated me and made start to explore horror as a child and other werewolf stories, comics and movies. I just love the idea around the Werewolf being this curse that the bearer is stuck with and unable to get rid of. Its not treated as something one is born with, its something that one becomes and it can and has been a metaphor for our darker side or our sense of injustice, turmoil and horrific nature of something the person cannot truly wrestle with or escape

@BradLad56 6 ай бұрын

And then there's characters like Eddie Quist....

@SK8ERTEEN98 7 ай бұрын

I actually just watched this an hour ago. Good timing

@smith9747 3 ай бұрын

Nice touch playing Ozzy Osbourne's "Bark at the Moon" towards the end xD

@RaisinBran80s Ай бұрын

1941 and 2010...both are iconic.

@gentelmanjunkie542 3 ай бұрын

"Looks like Kelly Jones drew the ears" Based. Respect.

@ghostwarrior3878 28 күн бұрын

Look forward to seeing your retrospectives on Dracula and the invisible Man as well

@chrisw.3067 6 ай бұрын

Great video, Wolf Man was always a favorite of mine.

@didabowstudios5157 6 ай бұрын

Monster Brawl finally gave us a fun fight between a Werewolf and Frankenstein's monster.

@SonicfanTheNightfury5099 4 ай бұрын

The Werewolves of Van Helsing are incredible The Iconic True Werewolf Design I try going for in my Werewolf art

@graefx 6 ай бұрын

I have such a soft spot for Van Helsing and I remember being enamoured with all the technical sfx and bts production. The transformation concept of the wolfman tearing through the skin was an interesting idea. The Wolfman remake I remember feeling like it was too dark and violent for a mainstream movie. If it came out today I bet it would be more successful. I cant decide where I want to see Universal monsters go. I dont hate the concept of the Dark Universe, just the execution of trying to make it an action franchise. I love genre and period movies, but you need a strong creative vision and conviction to make that work and not just trying to make a copy thats more expensive.

@BigK13372 6 ай бұрын

Nice use of “Bark At The Moon” during the rankings

@rumi2005 7 ай бұрын

I miss hearing you talk about comics.

@andyvasquez2247 5 ай бұрын

Well here i am the day after Christmas, checking out the history of a Horror classic. Happy Holidays!

@wareagle884 5 ай бұрын

I’ve often thought that one of the reasons the Dark Universe failed to launch was that it didn’t have a good linchpin character, someone for us to want to get behind and root for throughout the series. They tried to make one with Tom Cruise’s character in the Mummy but it just didn’t work. In my opinion, Larry Talbot should have been that central character. We could have followed him as he goes on a journey to rid himself of being a werewolf and finds himself caught up in circumstances he could never have imagined before. Larry is the perfect character for that because he’s easily the most relatable of all the monsters, with perhaps Frankenstein’s Monster being a close second.

@TheHypersonic55 6 ай бұрын

Great video as always, really enjoy hearing your thoughts on these monster films and characters as it gives me insight and interest in checking them out myself. Of the Wolfman specific films I've only seen 2010 one and man that was a disappointment because there was so much potential there. Like you said the film had the right look and atmosphere, but I thought the plot and characters just weren't that engaging, and by the time you get the wolf on wolf fight at the end, I felt so unengaged. Werewolf By Night definitely reignited my interest in wanting to see a modern version of the classic character though.

@ZeusAmun-pt9dc 6 ай бұрын

This movie is pure cinema

@GarudaPSN 6 ай бұрын

I love Van Helsing so much more than you do! xD specifically for the creature depictions. There is no werewolf look that looks cooler to me than that sharp eared, erupting from beneath the skin design that Van Helsing has, and they even had variety within that design, with the 3 different werewolves that appear. I just can't vibe with the "man with furry face" look as much as the "bipedal ravenous wolf" one.

@ArmorKingTV21 Ай бұрын

I honestly really loved Wolfman 2010. I'm sad that it's production took a left and the director had to leave four weeks prior. I wonder what the film would've been like if the director stayed. The special effects in this film just did so well for me and I hope if they do another film soon, that they get it right.

@zombie42080 5 күн бұрын

Watching along tonight’s Full Moon!!

@stanley5745 7 ай бұрын

Wonderful video as always, and very happy to hear you plan on doing more of these.

@carsonsmith7314 7 ай бұрын

Oh hell yes! My favorite Universal Monster! Awooooooo! Happy Halloween!

@MrDrvideogame 7 ай бұрын

You have a great voice. Very calming and explanatory for a video like this, and it helps the video come out really good. Great vid!

@cherylcampbell9369 6 ай бұрын

Ooh! I want to see the first one with Navajo werewolf!

@user-uy5mf8mw6x 6 ай бұрын

Hardly anyone seems to know this, but there was an offical trilogy of novels continuing the story from Abbot and Costello Meet Frankenstein starting in 1998 with Return of the Wolfman.

@jikorijo4516 7 ай бұрын

🎃Thanks for the treat, Matt! Happy Halloween!🎃

@stephenzuccaro9682 7 ай бұрын

Great video as always, Matt. The Wolf Man was always my favorite of the classic monsters and I loved the inclusion of the underrated Werewolf of London. While I'm looking forward to all of your Universal Monster retrospectives, I'd also love to see you tackle Universal's Silent era with Chaney's Hunchback & Phantom as well! Would also love to see a full King Kong retrospective and maybe a video on the 1931 Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde - which stands on equal footing with the best of Universal's output, imo.

@ronniespain18 7 ай бұрын

Actually watching the Wolfman right now on TCM!! For the 4th time in the past few days lol.

@MsSumoon 6 ай бұрын

Werewolf by night is a very good homage to the classic Wolfman, including the makeup, more superhero take but very good. I like the 2010 movie, but I do agree, the human scenes drag a lot, but the pieces were there. If they ever do a remake/reboot they do something during the 30s, or something among the lines of the new Invisible man reboot they did recently, a modern Werewolf, but still with the tragic flare. It would be interesting what a modern-day take would look.

@rixx46 7 ай бұрын

I meant Kurt screenwriter of the Wolfman when he was in his 90s. He had great stories to tell. He told me and the other screen writers at the conference that it was Cheney’s idea to create the relationship between father and son, and to have the father beat him to death with the cane at the end, it was his personal revenge against his brutal father Lon senior, who apparently used to beat him with a cane when he was a kid

@thatguyfranky1981 7 ай бұрын

Off topic but I applaud Matt Draper for the Halloween content🖤

@lucianonmarazzo436 7 ай бұрын

The wearwolf is an amazing monster not only because of The legend and methods, but because of the incredible transformation from from human to Beast or combination of the two, and it's incredible the kinds of stories you can get from an idea.

@JoeLovesComics 5 ай бұрын

Great video! Glad I finally watched this.

@HandsomeSteveJacobson 7 ай бұрын

Love your work

@oh_poor_damaged_mepatrick1529 7 ай бұрын

Nice call out of Kelly Jones... very true...

@damnedash9526 6 ай бұрын

Frankenstein's Monster next! Long Live the Universal Monsters!!

@johnpittsii7524 7 ай бұрын

Hi Matt thanks for the amazing video. Big werewolf fan ❤

@knighttakespawn 6 ай бұрын

I need to preface this by saying that The Wolf Man is my favorite Universal Horror classic…but the guy is his own worst enemy (and I don’t mean his “human v wolf” dichotomy). He ignored his family for 18 years. He used a telescope to peep on a woman in her room. He leveraged that peep’d intel to lie about being psychic. He insists on taking Gwen on a date (despite her saying “No!” *THRICE*) and just shows up outside her workplace. This basically gets Jenny killed as it was his idea to go see the fortune tellers. He gives away him amulet almost immediately. I love the film…*because* it’s about the consequences of one’s own actions. Jon Landis said it best - “He’s not just *a* schmuck…he’s *THE* schmuck”

@legendarymonkey6445 7 ай бұрын

Love the Wolfman love warewolves. Frankenstein next please.

@Nono-hk3is 7 ай бұрын

Happy Halloween, Matt!

@Hitemwithastick 6 ай бұрын

This was a fantastic commentary on one of my favorite film series. As an artist who sees an extreme drop in engagement when I post classic monster pieces (like all of last month), I’d imagine you probably experience the same when it comes to your less “comic-y” vids. Just know there are many fellow creatives that appreciate your detailed take on these. My only critique would be that, in the original Whale films, the time period was purposely left ambiguous, i.e. the contemporary fashion of the leads matched with horse drawn carriages and torch carrying mobs shouting through the countryside. This would be an aesthetic that would later inspire Tim Burton. Fully agree with your ranking and extra points for including the fact the Wolfman does, in fact, got nards…

@MidoriNatsume 6 ай бұрын

Van Helsing is the sickest movie in existence. The fact that it takes it's bombastic adventurers completely seriously without any annoying lampshading really adds up to the fun of it. I'm so tired of modern self aware super heroes flicks, I just wanna more "Cool Hero™ hunts down Cool Monsters™" movies.

@sneakyskunk1 6 ай бұрын

I never understood that dream sequence from An American Werewolf in London. For some odd reason I had managed to convince myself that the werewolves killed the muppets in that sequence, though that is absolutely untrue.

@pygmyhippomusic 6 ай бұрын

Wolf with Jack Nicholson has a pretty good werewolf vs werewolf fight scene.

@jasonsantos3037 7 ай бұрын

The Wolf man maybe my second favorite universal monsters. 🐺🌕💀😈

@theguardianoftruth3533 6 ай бұрын

Hey Matt, another great video! However, there are some videos that you've done that could've been longer like John Carpenter's The Thing. I also hope you get around to doing Invasion of the Body Snatchers, both the original and the 1978 remake.

@TorontoJediMaster 3 ай бұрын

You're incorrect @14:20. Lugosi DID play the part like he was blind. His cut dialogue specifically stated that the Monster was still blind. That was why he shambled around with his arms outstretched and groping. After the dialogue and references to the blindness were cut, it made Lugosi's performance seem inexplicably bad, when he was just playing the part as written and directed.

@venomsnigle44 7 ай бұрын

Werewolves were always my favorite and this video is awesome!

@Thoralmir 2 ай бұрын

The 2009 Wolfman was absolutly hurt by not releasing in October as planned.

@jackofallclaws6672 7 ай бұрын

Happy Halloween, Mr Draper!

@stevekasan3105 6 ай бұрын

I love Van Helsing for its matinee style fun, Sommers-with all the cgi-does give reverence to both the Werewolf and Monster than Dracula/Vampire. What he did for The Mummy id like to see him give it a try with the Wolf Man

@njeffries 7 ай бұрын

I'd love to see a Dracula retrospective. The original is my favorite Universal Monster movie.

@CinemaSeven 7 ай бұрын

I love the original Wolfman and Werewolf of London that a few years ago I wrote a short screenplay set in New Orleans where a guy gets bitten by a hipster.

@harsyakiarraathallah2222 6 ай бұрын

Make a Video about the Shin Japan Heroes Universe.

@SnapperChannel 7 ай бұрын

Just watched the OG Wolf Man back in May. Not my favorite Universal Monster movie but still a classic

@samuraijacques952 6 ай бұрын

The Hulk is a variation on the werewolf myth

@pishposh4506 6 ай бұрын

So the modern universal monster universe should be focused on the Wolfman being the central hero and either fighting or teaming up with other monsters to stop other monsters

@ginofrancejr555 7 ай бұрын

YEEEEEEEEEAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH I LOVE THE WOLF MAN TOP 3 UNIVERSAL HORROR MONSTERS RIGHT HERE you should cover Dracula next

@homeaccount5943 Ай бұрын

I love The Wolfman (2010)

@jay4vice 7 ай бұрын

Like #444 WOLFMAN (2010) was GREAT!

@jeffrichardson3951 7 ай бұрын

I wonder how well House of the Wolf Man pays homage?

@raymondtillotson6985 7 ай бұрын

For what it's worth the official novel Return of the Wolf-Man by Jeff Rovin completely takes Abbot and Costello Meet Frankenstein as canon.

@ron_ald69 7 ай бұрын

great video matt! the "-tia" in hamartia actually makes a "shuh" sound (ha - mar - shuh) but a lot of people make that mistake so dont feel too bad about it

@kathymetzger5862 4 ай бұрын

The newest Wolfman movie scared me so much. I grab my friends hand and she told me to let loose because I was hurting her so much and I did a lot of screaming to which I didn’t do with the older ones I have not seen it since I saw it in the theaterand I don’t think I ever will

@deadpan80 5 ай бұрын

6:57 though not a complete myth, the truth lies in the context of Hull's actions. Over the years, Hull's request to change the makeup so more of his face could be shown has been misconstrued as vanity - but he requested the changed because in the script, his fiancé had to recognize him while under the werewolf state. Pierce's makeup, much like in Wolf Man, would have completely obscured Hull's features and it would not have made sense story-wise. Obviously, others agreed and the makeup design was altered to suit the script.