The Wolf Man - The Legacy Collection (The Wolf Man / Werewolf of London / Frankenstein Meets the Wolf Man / She-Wolf of London)

I purchased a while ago some of the classic Black and White Universal Studio's "horror" films from the 1930s and 40s which Universal released under their special collection called "The Legacy Collection".

These collections were themed movies, about 4 to 6 films in each collection, that were focused around the one "big hit" and it's "sons of" features.

Wolf Man is a classic tale of man fighting his inner daemon. Staring the great Lon Chaney Jr., he presents us with the tortured soul Larry Talbot, who struggles with the beast within. A classic film, well worth it if you are a big Wolf Man fan.

The collection also includes "Frankenstein Meets the Wolf Man". While not as good as the original, it does come in a close second, with Bela Lugosi as the monster and Lon Chaney Jr. reprising his role as the Wolf Man. Again we are confronted with our inner beasts, and the constant struggle to keep them in place.

There is also "She Wolf of London" featuring of all people June Lockhart and the female of the species is on the loose in London. Actually, very bland.

These are all "Sons of" movies, featuring the spawn of the Wolf Man. The final movie is the original "Werewolf of London" which is also quite unremarkable. Not even the cast is worth mentioning as you probably will not recognize anyone. I didn't, and I am a big "old movie" fan.

Quality wise, these films are cleaned up, the sound is very good and overall the appearance of these films is remarkable. There are also extras, like the making of the film, theatrical trailers, stills, and film history. This is a two disk set with a double sided DVD.

These "collections" do contain some films that you will not find anywhere else, and if you are a big fan of the old Universal horror films, especially The Wolf Man, and cameos by classic actors, this collection will fill the bill. This one was a bit better in that it did have two classic movies well worth watching and owning this collection.

this collection is very good and belongs beside the frankenstein and dracula collections. the wolfman and frankenstein meets the wolfman are the two gems here and the star of both are lon chaney jr. and he is great. his wolfman is not a blood thristy creature but a man bitten by a werewolf and is doomed to be one himself till he is killed in the right way. chaney brings great sadness to the role and while you fear the wolf you feel sad for the man who doesn't want to kill but can't stop the beast inside.
the werewolf of london was made years before but has none of the charm of the makeup f/x's of the chaney movies ,it creaks with age but is fun in some ways.
she-wolf of london really doesn't belong in this set but it does have a wolf in the title. not very good but at least it's short.
a very nice set and worth the price

The Wolf Man and its hybrid sequel Frankenstein vs. the Wolf Man are two of my favorite horror films of all time. Son of the "Man of a Thousand Faces" (Laugh Clown Laugh, The Hunchback of Notre Dame, The Phantom of the Opera) himself (Lon Chaney Sir), Lon Chaney Jr. was made for these movies. His performance as Larry Talbot/Wolf Man is breathtaking. He can play nervousness so well yet when the full moon rises over the horizon his mood becomes more distinctive and feroicious. He changes to the wolf. It's not a change he welcomes. In fact his curse of Lycanthorpy isn't his fault at all. He was bitten by another wolf and now the curse flows through his veins. In "The Wolf Man" he fights to survive with his new curse and seeks to find a cure before he kills again. But when he sees the pentagram on someone's hand (An old Werewolf superstition) he knows that he will soon taste their blood. Ironically the Wolf Man is finally put to rest by his unsuspecting father and it seems as if the curse is over but it's far from it. Talbot is mysteriously resurrected in Frankenstein Meets the Wolf Man. He now knows that as long as the curse looms over him he can never die. He no longer cares about finding a cure. He wants to die. He just doesn't want to murder people anymore. He realizes that death is his only option and a helpful gypsy (mother of the wolf that bit him) convinces him that she knows of someone that can help him so he will not have to face the horrible fate her son did. So Larry and the gypsy woman go to find Dr. Frankenstein. Frankenstein is dead but the creature lives and another doctor, intrigued by Larry's stories of Lycanthorpy and murder follows him to Frankenstein's castle. The mad doctor re-animates Frankenstein which sends the tortured town below into yet another frenzy of mad science. As the doctor begins to help both Larry and the Frankenstein Monster the Monster begins to rampage over his betrayal and attacks Larry's lady interest. The moon rises and Larry transforms. He, now the Wolf Man, charges for the Frankenstein monster and begins the ultimate inevitable showdown. Frankenstein vs. The Wolf Man. In the end the Wolf and the creature are left fighting to what seems to be another death and at the last moment the resovoir behind the castle breaks and the Wolf Man and Franky are buried in tons of mud, stone, rock, and water. Finally, Larry can once more rest in peace. The Wolf Man and Frankenstein are both terribly tragic figures seeking for acceptance, comfort, and inner peace. So a match-up of this sort was very expected and well delivered I must add. The other two movies, The Werewolf of London and She-wolf of London are basic werewolf scarefests, which are pretty fun but they don't contain the depth or power that the Wolf Man has in my opinion. They're great films, don't get me wrong but The Wolf Man and Frankenstein Meets the Wolf Man are unstoppable thrillers that will most certainly continue to inspire.

Great story line and action film for the early 40's. Lon Chaney Jr. did a great acting job, especially when turning into the werewolf. One of the best early makeup changes of the 40's.

In celebration of VAN HELSING, Universal has pulled out the classic monster movies and given them the royal treatment that has been long overdue to them. This is THE WOLF MAN box set, featuring four movies about the exploits of werewolves

1. WEREWOLF OF LONDON (1935)
Botanist Wilfred Glendon (Henry Hull) travels to Tibet in search for the rare Marifasa Lupina flower. During his search, he is attacked by what seems to be a wild animal. In truth, he learns that a werewolf has attacked him, and that werewolf, Dr. Yogami (Warner Oland) warns him to be wary of the full moon. Despite the warnings, Wilfred begins killing, and does everything in his power to avoid killing his wife, Lisa (Valerie Hobson)
Though the first werewolf movie to come out of Universal, it also plays like Dr. JEKYLL AND MR. HYDE, but isn't very effective. I place this blame solely on Henry Hull, who just doesn't make for a sympathetic or interesting werewolf, and the special effects are admittedly awkward
JUDGEMENT: 71

2. THE WOLF MAN (1941)
Larry Talbot (Lon Chaney, Jr.) returns to London to be with his father, Sir John (Claude Rains). Shortly after becoming smitten with Gwen Conliffe (Evelyn Ankers), Larry is attacked by a wolf after it kills another young woman. A gypsy (Maria Ouspenskaya), proceeds to reveal that the wolf was her son, Bela (Bela Lugosi), and by surviving Bela's attack, Larry himself will become a werewolf every full moon
Well, what can be said that hasn't been said? THE WOLF MAN is absoloutely brilliant, and my personal favorite of the Universal horror films. George Waggner does a fantastic job of directing, while Curt Siodmak's script is inventive and fun. Of course, the best part of the movie is Lon Chaney, Jr., delivering his greatest performance as the Wolf Man. Claude Rains, Evelyn Ankers, and Ralph Bellamy do a wonderful job of supporting him, as does Jack Pierce's brilliant makeup
JUDGEMENT: 100

3. FRANKENSTEIN MEETS THE WOLF MAN (1942)
Four years after his death, Larry Talbot (Lon Chaney, Jr.) is resurrected, and upon the realization that he cannot die by natural means, he seeks out a cure from Dr. Frankenstein. But upon learning that the doctor is dead, he has nothing but the Baroness (Ilona Massey), Dr. Mannering (Patrick Knowles), and the Frankenstein Monster (Bela Lugosi), he seeks the doctor's aid to cure him, which leads to a showdown between the Wolf Man and the Frankenstein Monster
Another wonderful film. Very atmospheric at times, and Lon Chaney, Jr. is once more effective as the Wolf Man. The fight at the end is also wonderful, as is the film as a whole. The only real fault comes from Bela Lugosi, who is a very stiff Frankenstein monster, though perhaps had they kept his dialogue, as well as his blindness reference intact, his performance may have worked better
JUDGEMENT: 88

4. SHE-WOLF OF LONDON (1946)
A series of grisly murders take place in London, leading Scotland Yard to search for a killer. Phyllis Allenby (June Lockhart) is convinced that she is a she-wolf, as part of a family curse. Her Aunt Martha (Sara Haden) tries to silence her niece, while her cousin Carol (Jan Wiley) and her fiancee Barry Lanfield (Don Porter) try to prove who the real killer is
Horrid movie by all means of imagination. It was clearly billed as a werewolf movie. Jack Pierce is even credited for his makeup work, but there isn't a special makeup effect or werewolf to be seen at all. And the acting is stiff! The only good thing is that the movie is short, only about an hour long
JUDGEMENT: 41

EXTRAS
THE WOLF MAN comes complete with a commentary track by Tom Weaver, providing one of the more enjoyable commentary tracks in the Legacy collections. There is a brief documentary with Stephen Sommers, the director of VAN HELSING, discussing his take on the Wolf Man, trailers for all the films except THE WOLF MAN, and a wonderful documentary, MONSTER BY MOONLIGHT, hosted by John Landis
JUDGEMENT: 81

OVERALL
While the LONDON werewolf films aren't very good, the Chaney, Jr. Wolf Man movies alone are enough reason to have this box set, complete with the enjoyable documentary and commentary track. Lacking compared to the DRACULA and FRANKENSTEIN legacy collections, but worth the while nonetheless

OVERALL JUDGEMENT: 80