The werewolf film remake is more visually impacting due to the technological advances that have been made after 70 years.
In George Waggner’s 1941 The Wolf Man, viewers see Lon Chaney sit in a chair while his feet grow more hairy in evident multiple shots. Next, we see him as a full furry-faced werewolf with uneven teeth. Waggner spent more time on the transformation from werewolf to man at the end of the film. The shots are still clipped, but the camera angle doesn’t change while the hairy Wolf Man slowly changes back into human Larry.
Waggner might have imagined Joe Johnston’s 2010 The Wolfman, but didn’t have the means to create the nightmare. Past the invention of computers, photo manipulation can help current directors achieve almost any look they imagine.
Johnston imagined a grotesque monster, and the viewer saw it.
The main transformation scene took place in the asylum while he was tied down. The viewer saw Del Toro’s knuckles pop and eyes change shape from human to animal.
Film clarity and stunning effects aside, other elements made the newer version scarier.
In 1941, an average gentleman-looking Lon Chancery Jr. played Larry Talbot. Benicio Del Toro, a man with thick eyebrows and a strong jaw line, played Lawrence Talbot. The second werewolf was more menacing even before any special effects or acting.
In 1941, a fully clothed and clean werewolf ran on tiptoes after his victims. In 2010, the monster ran on all fours in ragged blood stained clothes. The original werewolf caught his victim and held her close as if in an embrace, any violence hidden behind a tree. In the remake, heads were ripped off bodies and red blood sprayed everywhere.
