Lawrence Talbot's childhood ended the night his mother died. His father sent him from the sleepy Victorian hamlet of Blackmoor to an insane asylum, then he goes to America. When his brother's fiancée, Gwen Conliffe, tracks him down to help find her missing love, Talbot returns to his father's estate to learn that his brother's mauled body has been found. Reunited with his estranged father, Lawrence sets out to find his brother's killer... and discovers a horrifying destiny for himself. Someone or something with brute strength and insatiable blood lust has been killing the villagers, and a suspicious Scotland Yard inspector named Aberline comes to investigate.Written by
Anonymous
Joe Johnston signed on to make the film three weeks ahead of principal photography. This late start was one of the main reasons why he employed CGI in the werewolf transformations, as there simply wasn't time to design new make-up effects. See more »
Goofs
The steam tram the wolf man attacks has passengers riding on it. Steam tram passengers rode in a trailer coach, as the trams themselves were too smoky and noisy for passenger occupation (think Toby and Henrietta from "Thomas the Tank Engine.") See more »
Quotes
Sir John Talbot:
You're heir to my kingdom, Lawrence. You've always been heir to my kingdom.
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Crazy Credits
The planet in the Universal logo glows white. See more »
Alternate Versions
The Unrated Director's Cut includes additional scenes not seen in the theatrical release:
The Universal logo at the beginning of the film is the 1940's logo used in the original "The Wolfman"
Ben Talbot's death is slightly longer.
An entirely new sequence showing Lawrence Talbot performing in a London play. Gwen Conliffe visits him in his dressing room post-show and interrupts a party to inform him that his brother Ben has gone missing. Lawrence dismisses her by saying that he cannot help as he is contracted to do 30 performances and is leaving for the States in the morning. This sequence creates an anachronism/goof later in the film as instead of mentioning her visiting him in London, Lawrence continuously references a letter that Gwen sent him which brings him to Blackmoor (as seen in the theatrical version).
As Lawrence travels by train to Blackmoor, there is a scene with an uncredited Max Von Sydow as an old man who gives Lawrence his silver wolf-head cane as protection (the cane that Sir John Talbot wields at the end of the film).
The tavern scene is slightly longer. After MacQueen's "melted down me mum's silverware" story, the villagers scoff at the notion of the killer being a werewolf, and blame the Talbots' misfortune on their dealings with the gypsies. One of the villagers calls Lawrence's late mother a "crazy gypsy whore", and Lawrence angrily confronts him and throws a drink in his face. After Lawrence is kicked out of the tavern, the villagers realize his identity.
When the posse fires into the hole after MacQueen's arm is ripped off, a rifle slug nails MacQueen in the chest, killing him. Additionally, there are a number of deleted and extended scenes:
After his attack, Lawrence has a short conversation with Gwen where she blames herself for the tragedy that has befallen the Talbots. Lawrence looks out the window and sees the posse that has come to round him up and tells Gwen to get his father while he goes outside to talk to them (the "you bear the mark of the beast" scene)
Lawrence's conversation with Singh is slightly longer. After Lawrence asks him why he never left Blackmoor, Singh explains that Sir John saved his life many years ago and that as a result he vowed to stay by his side.
The mausoleum transformation scene is slightly longer.
The London chase scene is longer. The Wolfman walks into a costume party / opera performance and is mistaken for a costumed patron. He attacks one of the patrons but is chased off by Aberline and his men.
Additionally, the Wolfman crashes a puppet theater performance in a park and kills the puppeteer. Aberline chases him out of the park and into the path of a steam engine (as seen in the theatrical version).
The final fight is slightly longer and sequenced differently than the theatrical version.
I've watched this film more than 10 times and will watch it over and over again because every time I do, it never ceases to mesmerize me. The script was well-written, the actors were really great (especially Anthony Hopkins), the setting was just right, the music was excellent, the special effects were magnificent, the costumes were fabulous, the entire film was well-directed. This, for me, is the best werewolf movie ever, a masterpiece. I can't wait for another one to top this.
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I've watched this film more than 10 times and will watch it over and over again because every time I do, it never ceases to mesmerize me. The script was well-written, the actors were really great (especially Anthony Hopkins), the setting was just right, the music was excellent, the special effects were magnificent, the costumes were fabulous, the entire film was well-directed. This, for me, is the best werewolf movie ever, a masterpiece. I can't wait for another one to top this.