House of the Wolf Man

House of the Wolf Man (2009)

* 1/2 (out of 4)

In case the title doesn't give it away, this homage was meant to complete the "House" trilogy with the first two films being HOUSE OF FRANKENSTEIN and HOUSE OF Dracula. The filmmakers did their best to try and make this fit in with those Universal films of the 40s and this includes shooting this film in the 4x3 aspect ratio, in Mono and in B&W. We even get Lon Chaney, Jr.'s son Ron playing the mad doctor. Fans of the classic monsters will certainly have to tip their hat to the filmmakers but in the end the idea was certainly a lot better than the final product.

The story is pretty simple as Dr. Frankenstein (Chaney) invites five people to stay at his creepy mansion for what the people think is a contest. It turns out that Frankenstein, going under a different name, plans on bringing the monsters back to life. There was a lot of hype going into this film as the filmmakers were promising another monster mash like we hadn't seen since those glorious Universal days. The monsters do eventually get into a bash but sadly you have to wait for over sixty-minutes to get to the action. I don't fault any movie for keeping the good stuff until the end but at the same time you have to get everything leading up to it right and HOUSE OF THE WOLF MAN doesn't do that. The first hour is full of annoying characters doing annoying things that no one watching will care about. They fight about the reasons they're at the house. They fight about those mysterious paintings in their rooms. They fight about this and that and this and that and not a single thing is interesting. Even the weakest Universal film at least gave us some sort of monster, mystery or murder but that doesn't happen here. The entire first hour is nothing but these characters barking at one another and one can't help but get bored of it very quickly. The screenplay could have benefited from a re-write because we're left with characters you can't care for and have no reason to be interested in. The performances are for the most part on the decent level but some seem to be playing the characters as if they're some sort of spoof. The sister role is incredibly over the top and the vamp portion doesn't work at all. Chaney certainly isn't as great as his father or grandfather but how could he be, really? When the monsters finally appear they do bring a mild smile but that's about it as the film has simply lost everything up to this point. I'd recommend most people just watch the final fifteen-minutes as a short as this is where most people will be most interested. The wolf man and Frankenstein's monster make-up effects were pretty good and I enjoyed the look of both. They don't try to get the wolf man to look like Chaney, Jr., which I didn't mind and the monster had a few resemblances to the one in Al Adamson's Dracula VS. FRANKENSTEIN. Again, I appreciate what the filmmakers were going for but if you're going to sell a monster bash then you need to deliver something more than bland characters and dialogue hacking away for over an hour. HOUSE OF THE WOLF MAN has a couple good touches and its heart is in the right place but you can't help but see it as a wasted opportunity.

Only in the last 15 minutes of the movie you'll see some action, just like in the old movies with the wolf man, Frankenstein and Dracula. Yes, it's a pot or a salad if you prefer, without too many spices, not even some salt or pepper if I think about it better. The first hour of the movie is talk after talk after talk, talk, talk, talk, until you almost want to stop watching. But because you're a respectable, old-fashioned viewer, you stay and watch until the end. And then, you realize that you have wasted another hour and 16 minutes (the YouTube version I've watched) of your life. Nothing really extraordinary in this production and tomorrow is another day and you forgot you watched it.

The film opens with a thunderstorm as five people arrive at a spooky castle, all wondering if they are to inherit it. They are 'greeted' by Dr Bela Reinhart played with slow scornful menace by Ron Chaney of the monster-playing Chaney family. The guests are warned they will have to endure a thorough examination of their character in order for them to inherit. There is a long steady advance into the mystery as the guests try to fathom whether they truly do have a connection to the Reinhart family. The first hour is more like the 1930s mystery movie classics of 'The Old Dark House' and 'The Cat and the Canary' about family ties and inheritance. After the hour the old Universal monsters take charge starting with Ron Chaney's transformation into Wolfman. Michael R. Thomas, as Dracula, is particularly impressive in his last screen appearance. There is a creepy atmosphere throughout with some ghoulish characters in make-up. The two outstanding are Barlow the monstrous manservant, and the bedridden Vadoma reminding me of the ancient Femm character from 'The Old Dark House.' Fans of 'The Addams Family' and 'The Munsters' and possibly Scooby Doo may go for this although 'House of the Wolfman' is definitely not a spoof of old horror films. There is so much respect for old horror and mystery classics in this which faithfully observes the details of those old movies.

I saw this movie at the Ligonier screening a few weeks back, and I just wanted to comment on the film. First, I believe the filmmaker's hearts were in the right place, and overall, the movie is entertaining for what it is.

Having said that, the film definitely has its flaws. First,the acting. I understand that working on a small budget won't yield Pacino-like results, but the acting was unnecessarily hammy. I'm not sure if they were directed to be so over-the-top, but it took away from the film, I think. Second, the story. The first 40 minutes or so set up a film that would probably require at least another 50 to properly end, but this ended at a little more than an hour. The ending was too abrupt, and quite frankly, confusing. But that's only my humble opinion. And third, the use of Ron Chaney. Now I've met him several times at conventions, and he's a super-nice guy, but unfortunately, the acting gene wasn't passed down. I think his performance GREATLY took away from the film, and really he was only there for name recognition, so that was unfortunate. Lastly, the monsters. They all made the briefest of appearances, and I think calling the film "House of the Wolf Man" definitely wrote a check the movie didn't cash. Although I thought the makeup for the Wolf Man and the Monster were very well-done.

I really hate to say anything negative about this film, I wanted so bad to like it (including driving 5 hours to the premier). But I want to be honest. Again as a classic monster fan, I truly appreciate the effort of the filmmakers. I just wish that they would've put a little more thought into making a good product, and not so much effort trying to be a period horror film. The horror movies from the 20's to 60's are all great to me, but lately they are mostly terrible. I think a modern, well-done "HotWM" would've sufficed.

...for sentimental reasons, but that would have been cheating myself and/or future viewers. What we have here is a competently made 'fan' homage too the last of the Universal Horror films of the 2nd generation. HOUSE OF FRANKENSTEIN (1944) and HOUSE OF Dracula (1945). HOUSE OF THE WOLFMAN (2009) has the feel of a film made in 1946. With about the same technical competence. Just above that of MR. B.I.G.

The make-up and physical effects are done too the level of that era. The film stock, degraded, is a nice touch, reflecting its alleged age. The miniature back-drops were in line with movie making at that time. Costuming could have been better. Somebody should have informed Emily Hastings (Costume Design) that Womens Stockings of the 1940s' had a prominent Heel, Seam & Sole. Mary Chapel (Sara Raftery) needed a far better wig, one that fit and blended in. The 'Prop Rifle' was not of the period, having almost 21st Century features. Music score good, reflecting the style of Hans J. Salter.

Where the film falls down was the Acting. Starting with Ron Chaney, his name may have had value, but his acting limitations did not. Sara Raftery also was less then competent. The rest of the cast could at best be described as earnest! Playing their roles with a fans enthusiasm. For that is what the film is, a 'super' fan production. Glad it was made and added too our collection, something to pull out twice a year with the rest of the Universal Legacy series.