---
title: "The Wolf Man: the reviews"
canonical: "https://film.one/film/the-wolf-man/reviews"
title_page: "https://film.one/film/the-wolf-man"
critics_score: 71
critics_reviews: 8
licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL."
---

# The Wolf Man (1941): what the critics said

Critics' score 71 from 8 reviews: 5 positive, 2 mixed, 1 negative.

Most critics respond warmly to The Wolf Man, with praise clustering around its sympathy for Larry Talbot and the craft that gives his predicament weight. The favourable reviews value the tragedy as much as the scares, finding lasting interest in the suggestion of evil beneath respectable appearances. Foggy forest sets, make-up, direction and script all earn approval. Lon Chaney Jr.’s performance is a particular source of praise for its anguish and tenderness.

The verdicts nevertheless span a wide range, and Chaney is a point of disagreement: The AV Club criticises his performance while singling out Jack Pierce’s make-up for praise. Collider admires the central relationship but finds the film cut short. Variety supplies the clearest negative verdict, questioning its entertainment value despite approving of the direction and acting. The two partially accessible reviews offer too little evidence to establish their reservations.

## Empire — Kim Newman

Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). 25 January 2010. 

Newman calls it a classic and the definitive werewolf movie. He particularly praises its wonderfully foggy fake forests and enduring status among Universal’s classic monsters.

[Read the review](https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/wolf-man-review/)

## The AV Club — Keith Phipps

Rating B+. 10 February 2010. 

Phipps praises the film’s lasting resonance as a monster story about evil lurking beneath modern respectability. He criticizes Lon Chaney Jr.’s performance, while singling out Jack Pierce’s masterful makeup as the film’s saving visual force.

[Read the review](https://www.avclub.com/the-wolf-man-1798164278)

## Radio Times — Alan Jones

Rating 4/5. 

The review says the Universal horror classic still retains much of its power. It praises the intelligent script, direction, make-up and Lon Chaney Jr's sympathetic performance.

[Read the review](https://www.radiotimes.com/movie-guide/b-rognb9/the-wolf-man/)

## The New York Times

Fi1m's normalised score 64/100 (inferred from the text). 17 June 1994. 

The page is blocked, so the critic’s verdict cannot be determined. No praise or complaint is visible in the supplied text.

[Read the review](https://www.nytimes.com/1994/06/17/movies/review-film-wolf-bites-man-man-sheds-his-civilized-coat.html)

## Time Out — DMacp

Fi1m's normalised score 64/100 (inferred from the text). 

The page identifies this as Time Out’s review of the 1941 film, but the review text is unavailable. Its visible blurb singles out Claude Rains trying to persuade his son that the werewolf is imaginary, while offering no clear verdict.

[Read the review](https://www.timeout.com/movies/the-wolf-man)

## Variety — Variety Staff

Fi1m's normalised score 40/100 (inferred from the text). 31 December 1940. 

The review finds the film well made but dubious entertainment. It praises the direction and performances, especially Lon Chaney’s competent work in both sides of his role.

[Read the review](https://variety.com/1940/film/reviews/the-wolf-man-1200413453/)

## Eye for Film — Keith Dudhnath

Fi1m's normalised score 80/100 (inferred from the text). 21 May 2004. 

The critic finds the film a richly empathetic horror classic whose subtlety matters more than its scares. They praise Curt Siodmak’s script and Lon Chaney Jr.’s performance for bringing Larry Talbot’s anguish to life.

[Read the review](https://www.eyeforfilm.co.uk/review/the-wolf-man-film-review-by-keith-dudhnath)

## Collider — Gaby Shedwick

Rating 7/10. 17 January 2025. 

Shedwick finds the film a tender, tragic horror story that has stood the test of time, despite feeling cut short. She especially praises Lon Chaney Jr.’s performance and the chemistry between the leads.

[Read the review](https://collider.com/the-wolf-man-1941-review/)

---
© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Our review: https://film.one/film/the-wolf-man.md