
Now that Universal’s latest reimagining, ‘Wolf Man’ (2025), has been released, it’s time to rank it against the other films that feature the character or larger world that the character has existed within since the early days of Universal Pictures.
Initially this ranking was only going to include the original set of films starring Lon Chaney Jr from 1941-1948, the 2010 remake starring Benicio Del Toro, and Leigh Whannell’s 2025 update. However, I decided to throw in a couple of additional titles that I personally feel should be included on this list, such as 1935’s ‘Werewolf of London’, 2004’s ‘Van Helsing’, and 2012’s ‘Werewolf: The Beast Among Us’, and I will justify the inclusion of each title on this particular list as they pop up on the ranking.
Here is my ranking, from least favorite to favorite:
10) Wolf Man (2025)
I certainly didn’t hate the new film; I just didn’t love it. This modern interpretation from co-writer/director Leigh Whannell has very little-to nothing in common with the classic film from 1941, instead telling the story of the Lovell family: Blake, Charlotte, and Ginger, whose intended bonding trip to Blake’s childhood home turns into a night of horror and tragedy as they find themselves trapped inside the home with a Wolf Man lurking outside and Blake slowly turning into one inside. The idea itself should have made this more of a tragedy than the Larry Talbot stories, and yet it doesn’t feel as compelling or genuine as them. Sure, I felt it at a moment near the third act because they did a good-enough job establishing the bond between father and daughter, but I didn’t feel like this film hit as hard as it had the potential to. Additionally, I loathe the design of the Wolf Man here. Again, it’s not a terrible movie. I gave it a mostly positive review and a favorable – perhaps generous – 7 out of 10 score because it’s competently made and offers some unique visuals regarding the Wolf Men’s perspectives. Will this film grow on me over time and move up this list? Only time will tell.
09) Abbot and Costello meet Frankenstein (1948)
I know what you’re thinking: “How the hell does this movie rank so low on this list?” – and that’s a fair question as the movie is without a doubt a really fun one in which the bumbling duo of Abbott and Costello cross paths with such legendary monsters as Bela Lugosi’s Dracula and Lon Chaney Jr’s Wolf Man. I was a little skeptical about including this one largely because it is a comedy first and foremost, and it’s a far cry from what these monsters used to be. That said, because Lon Chaney Jr is the only actor to play the same character throughout the entirety of the classic Universal Monster run, and it’s his final performance as Larry Talbot, I had to include this. It’s funny and a fun ride overall, but it ranks at this spot because it is a comedy, and because it ignores the ending of ‘House of Dracula’, in which Larry is finally cured. Again, it’s fun, but it does no favors to the Larry Talbot character.
08) House of Dracula (1945)
‘House of Dracula’ isn’t just my least favorite of the serious, horror-driven films that chronicle Larry Talbot’s quest to rid himself of the curse of the werewolf, but it’s also one of my least favorites of the entire Universal Monsters run. The story feels like a retread of those before it, and the filmmakers make no effort to explain how Larry Talbot and Dracula are back after their fates in the previous film. That said, I don’t think the film is all that bad; it’s fun and watchable, and Lon Chaney Jr brings his A-game, as usual, with his performance as the tortured Larry Talbot, who gets a fitting send off as he is finally cured of his curse, but this resolution to the character’s journey is rendered meaningless thanks to ‘Abbott and Costello meet Frankenstein’, and it’s mostly forgettable.
07) Van Helsing (2004)
Stephen Sommer’s ‘Van Helsing’ makes this list for a couple of reasons: first off, it’s set within the world of the Universal Monsters and features multiple werewolves, and secondly the marketing made it clear that it features Dracula, Frankenstein’s monster, and The Wolf Man (see attached poster) – among others. While this film has more traditional looking werewolves rather than those that resembles the classic Wolf Man look, it still counts in my book. As far as the movie goes, it’s a fun ride but it hasn’t aged well outside of the excellent black and white opening sequence. The werewolf designs look pretty good in concept despite being fully CGI, but Will Kemp’s Wolf Man, Velkan Valerious, doesn’t have a lot to do aside from being captured and tortured by Dracula. Hugh Jackman’s Gabriel Van Helsing eventually becomes the Wolf Man after Velkan dies, but that’s not until the final act of the movie. While I don’t love this film as much as I did when it was first released, I still find it to be a fun popcorn film. It places at this spot because we don’t really get a complete Wolf Man character throughout, and I would have preferred the traditional look and with practical effects over the full CGI look.
06) Werewolf: The Beast Among Us (2012)
‘Werewolf: The Beast Among Us’ was originally developed to be a spin-off of the 2010 remake and the first in a new series of films about the Wolf Man, but when that remake became a box office failure, Universal decided to make it as a stand-alone feature instead. Still, it does retain the remake’s period piece setting, production design, and gothic atmosphere. It also features a Gypsy character who warns: “Even a man who in pure in heart and says his prayer by night may become a wolf when the wolfsbane blooms and the autumn moon is bright”, and it features a very classic Universal climax in which the werewolf character squares off against a character who is revealed to be a vampire. In a lot of ways, despite the studio’s efforts to keep it at a distance from the remake, it still feels like a spin-off of that film, and so I made the executive decision to include it on this list. I highly enjoy this film and feel like it’s an underrated werewolf film. The only thing that holds this film back for me is the CGI werewolf; much like ‘Van Helsing’, I would have preferred the traditional looking Wolf Man form and practical effects for it. Also, be warned that it does have a noticeable direct-to-video feel to it. Regardless, I really dig this film.
05) Werewolf of London (1935)
The precursor to ‘The Wolf Man’ (1941), ‘Werewolf of London’ is technically Universal’s first full-length, theatrically released Wolf Man film, and so I decided to include it on this list. Jack Pierce’s design and make-up effects are similar, although not quite as defined or iconic as they would be with George Waggner’s film six years later. Still, ‘Werewolf of London’ is a damn good Wolf Man film about a botanist named Wilfred Glendon (Henry Hull) who is attacked by a werewolf in the mountains of Tibet while searching for a rare flower. Henry Hull’s Wilfred Glendon isn’t as sympathetic or tragic of a figure like Lon Chaney Jr’s Larry Talbot; in fact, he’s not a very nice guy. While we don’t see much of the character prior to his lycanthropic curse, it’s implied that the curse is altering his behavior as a person. He’s more agitated and hostile, full of arrogance, jealousy and rage, and it’s this aspect that makes the film stand out to me. Unfortunately, it’s a film that doesn’t get a lot of attention because it is so clearly overshadowed by the ‘The Wolf Man’ – a superior film, admittedly – but ‘Werewolf of London’ is just as much a must-watch for fans of the genre, and in my opinion, is deserving to be on this list.
04) House of Frankenstein (1944)
‘House of Frankenstein’ is a decent follow-up to ‘Frankenstein Meets the Wolf Man’, following a new mad scientist, Dr. Neimann, played by Boris Karloff, who seeks the long-lost journals of Dr. Frankenstein in an effort to give his hunchbacked assistant Daniel (J. Carrol Naish) a new body. Along the way they discover the frozen bodies of Larry Talbot and Frankenstein’s Monster and revive them. Neimann promises to cure Larry of his curse in exchange for leading him to the lost journals. Although the film feels a little disjointed as if it were two separate movies smashed together due to a subplot in the first half involving Dracula (John Carridine) that doesn’t really go anywhere, the second half of the film is where it’s at its strongest. Lon Chaney Jr delivers another great performance as Larry Talbot (I know, big shock, right?), and the villainous duo of Dr. Neimann and Daniel are memorable antagonists whose ulterior motives lead to their own downfall. This is a film of two halves, with the first half being weak, and the second half being where it peaked. Is it a coincidence that the film gets better when Larry Talbot enters the picture? You tell me.
03) Frankenstein Meets the Wolf Man (1943)
Even though Frankenstein’s name comes first in the title, there is no mistaking the fact that this is ultimately ‘The Wolf Man II’. Larry Talbot (Lon Chaney Jr) awakens after grave robbers open his casket and remove the wolfsbane that has kept him resting in peace following the events of the first film. Tormented by the actions of his beastly other half, Larry desperately seeks an end to his dreaded curse and turns to the gypsy woman Maleva (Maria Ouspenskaya) for help. Together they venture to find the legendary Dr. Frankenstein only to discover that the good doctor is dead, and along the way encounter his first creation, the Monster (Bela Lugosi). I think this movie is an excellent sequel to ‘The Wolf Man’ as well as a solid follow-up to ‘The Ghost of Frankenstein’ (although I do wish they acknowledged the fact that the Monster now has Ygor’s brain, and is blind), and I think it has an awesome final fight between the Wolf Man and Frankenstein’s monster. One of my favorite things about this movie is the inclusion of Maleva as a supporting character for most of the film – that is until she suddenly disappears from the screen – as the scenes with her and Larry seem to carry some weight with them based on their history and the fact that it was her son Bela who cursed Larry. I wish she had been a consistent supporting character throughout the films.
Also, just a thought: but if Larry Talbot is having such a difficult time staying dead, couldn’t that mean there’s a possibility that Bela is still alive?
02) The Wolfman – Unrated Director’s Cut (2010)
Joe Johnston’s remake is a film that I’ll defend until the day I die. This does what a good remake should do: stay faithful to a point but also take some bold swings that gives it its own identity. The set up is that same, with Lawrence Talbot (Benicio Del Toro) returning to his estranged home following his brother’s death, but unlike the original film, the relationship between Lawrence and his father is cold and strained, and this switch of the character’s dynamic is justified, at least in my opinion, by the decision to make Sir John Talbot (Anthony Hopkins) someone who has been a werewolf the majority of his adult life. I felt like this was handled well as it was slowly hinted at and revealed throughout the film – long before the third act transformation – and it served as an integral part of this version of the story. I really like the period piece setting and gothic atmosphere, and I love that the Wolf Man is absolutely savage here. Plus, Rick Baker’s make-up effects are top-notch; it’s a shame that when people discuss the effects of this movie they focus so much on the CGI and not so much on Baker’s work. I do understand some criticisms that people have with the film, such as some wooden acting at times and not-so-great CGI, but regardless I think Joe Johnston’s remake is an underrated werewolf film with more good than bad.
01) The Wolf Man (1941)
‘The Wolf Man’ is my favorite Universal Monster film. It features great performances from Lon Chaney Jr as Larry Talbot, Evelyn Ankers as Gwen Conliffe, Claude Rains as Sir John Talbot, and Maria Ouspenskaya as Maleva. Larry Talbot may not understand the meaning of the word “no”, but he’s a very likeable protagonist who suffers because of his curse, and just as likeable are the supporting characters, whose relationships with Larry makes his fate just as much a tragedy for them. It also has terrific effects from Jack Pierce, a solid script from Curt Siodmak, and is beautifully directed by George Waggner. The scenes with the Wolf Man lurking around the fog covered woods are cool and iconic imagery. It’s safe to say that there’s a reason why this film is considered a classic and remains one of the greatest werewolf films ever, even 84 years later.
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