Wolfman, The (2010)

"I am what I say I am... a monster."

- Lawrence Talbot

The Wolfman is an American horror film and a remake of the 1941 Universal Pictures Classic, The Wolf Man. It was directed by Joe Johnston with a screenplay by Andrew Kevin Walker and David Self. It was produced by Universal Pictures in association with Relativity Media and released theatrically in the United States on February 12th, 2010.

The plot of the film revolves around Lawrence Talbot, who was once a member of a regal family from the Victorian hamlet of Blackmoor. After the tragic death of his mother, Talbot left Europe and remained away for many years. Talbot doesn't return to Blackmoor until he encounters Gwen Conliffe, his brother's fiancée. Gwen tells Lawrence that his brother has turned up missing and Lawrence agrees to help out with the search party. The search brings Talbot into a grisly web of intrigue involving a series of brutal, animalistic murders. As he is drawn deeper and deeper into the drama, he discovers his growing attachment for Gwen Conliffe, and also learns of the dark secret that lurks within himself.

Plot
1891 Larry Talbot returns to the village of Blackmoor, England after having been away for many years touring with his theater production. It is the sudden news of his brother Ben's death that brings him back home and Larry has a solemn reunion with his father John Talbot at the crumbling ancestral mansion of Talbot Hall. Larry expresses his condolences to his brother's fiancé, Gwen Conliffe. The two have known each other for a long time, and despite the tragedy, they each have deep feelings for one another.

Larry goes to a local slaughter house where he finds his brother's remains. Inspecting them, he is repulsed to discover that he was mutilated by some sort of wild animal. The town elders suspect that it might be the work of a bear and recall that one resides at a nearby gypsy camp.

That evening, under the light of the full moon, Larry takes it upon himself to inspect the gypsy camp. While there, a werewolf attacks the gypsies and several people are killed. Armed with a rifle, Larry tries to shoot the beast down, but although he misses, he does manage to save the life of a young boy. Larry follows the creature towards some runic stones in a clearing. The monster, a werewolf, leaps out of the darkness and attacks him. Larry survives, but suffers a severe bite across his neck and shoulder.

The next day, Larry suffers a strange dream. He dreams of a time when he looked after his brother when they were children. He also dreams of wandering out onto the estate and finding his father standing over the body of his mother who had apparently taken her own life. When he awakens, Larry is shocked to find that his wounds appear to be healing at an unnatural rate.

Inspector Francis Abberline is called in from Scotland Yard to make an inquiry into the attacks. He learns about Talbot and his miraculous recovery. Unlike the other villagers however, Abberline doubts the story that it was a bear responsible for the murders. A group of villagers likewise learn about Talbot's unnatural gift for healing and they form a lynch mob and go to Talbot Hall. Claiming that he bears the mark of Satan, they demand that Larry should be turned over to them so they can mete out their own sense of justice. John Talbot comes outside and addresses the mob, warning them that his man Singh is perched atop the roof of a building with a rifle and is more than prepared to shoot every one of the men on the grounds of trespassing. As it turns out, Singh is not on the roof, but the angry mob falls for John's bluff and they leave.

That night, Larry Talbot transforms into the Wolfman for the first time. He stalks off into the moors and finds a trap laid out by several of the town villagers. The Wolfman is more than the men had bargained with however and brutally slaughters every one of them. After satisfying his animal bloodlust, the Wolfman runs off into the night. Inspector Abberline comes upon the scene to survey the carnage.

The following morning, Talbot awakens inside the hollow of a tree on his family estate. Sir John finds him covered in blood and helps him back to the house. Inspector Abberline arrives and, certain that Talbot is guilty of murder, has him arrested. He is taken to a mental institution in London - the same facility where Larry had stayed as a child following his mother's death.

The doctors at the asylum diagnose Talbot as suffering from lycanthropy - a disease of the mind in which a man, believing himself to be an animal, demonstrates violent animalistic tendencies similar to that of a wolf. None of them however, believe that Talbot truly is a werewolf however. His father visits him in the asylum and reveals a bitter truth that has long been denied to him. What he actually saw on the night his mother died was his father, a werewolf himself, standing over her mutilated remains. She had not taken her own life, but had in fact, been murdered by John Talbot in his werewolf form. John tells Larry how twenty-five years ago he was hunting in the Hindu Kush mountains when he came upon a cave containing a wild, feral child. The child bit Sir John, transmitting the curse of lycanthropy to him. From that day onward, John Talbot had been a werewolf. It was John who, in his uncontrollable werewolf state, killed his own son, Ben. John has come to terms with what he was and is actually pleased to know that Larry is now a werewolf as well. Lawrence, naturally is emotionally crippled by this revelation. One of the administrators of the asylum, Doctor Lloyd, presents a bound Larry Talbot at a symposium to his peers, arguing the merits of the diseases of the mind and its effects on the human psyche. As he continues his lecture, decrying the notion that a man can actually shape-shift into a wolf, the full moon rises, and Larry transforms for a second time. He breaks free of his straps and begins slaughtering everyone in the lecture hall. Doctor Lloyd tries to escape, but the Wolfman pitches him head-first through a window where he impales himself upon the pointed wrought-iron gate below. Climbing out onto the roof, the Wolfman bounds across rooftops howling into the night.

When he turns back into human form, he seeks refuge at the antique shop owned by Gwen Conliffe's family. Gwen now knows the truth about Larry's condition and commits herself to finding a way to cure him. Traveling back to Blackmoor, she finds an old woman from the gypsy camp, Maleva, and asks her advice. Maleva knows quite a bit about werewolves and tells Gwen that Larry cannot be cured - only destroyed.

Returning to Talbot Hall, Larry confronts his father. Sir John is impressed with Larry's verve, but still feels that he is otherwise spineless. The moon rises and Larry watches as his father transforms into a werewolf. Larry changes as well and the two begin fighting. Sir John, having long given himself over to the beast, proves to be a more powerful threat and batters Larry about the mansion. Lawrence manages to pitch his father into the fireplace where his fur immediately catches on fire. Distracted by the pain, Sir John howls in agony as Larry takes his head off with one clean stroke from his claws.

Gwen arrives at Talbot Hall along with Inspector Abberline. The inspector tries to shoot the Wolfman, but Gwen spoils his shot, enabling the Wolfman the chance to bite Abberline across the arm. The Wolfman turns his attention towards Gwen who flees from the house and runs towards the bluffs overlooking a river. The Wolfman chases after her and corners her at the cliffs. Gwen pleads with him and manages to reach the last shred of humanity left inside of Larry Talbot. The moment is fleeting however and the Wolfman leans in for the kill. Gwen fires a silver bullet into the Wolfman's chest. In his final moments, the Wolfman turns back into Larry Talbot and dies in Gwen's arms.

Villagers arrive on the scene and watch as the flames from the werewolf battle consume what is left of Talbot Hall. From the distance, the howl of a wolf can be heard.

Fun Facts

 * The tagline for this film is, "When the moon is full the legend comes to life".


 * This is the first time that an actor other than Lon Chaney, Jr. (not counting stuntmen) has played the role of Larry Talbot.


 * Makeup effects artist Rick Baker makes a cameo appearance as a gypsy in the beginning of the film. Baker's character is the first character in the film to be killed by the werewolf.


 * Though largely a fictional character, Inspector Francis Abberline is based upon London Metropolitan Police detective Frederick George Abberline, one of the key investigators in the Jack the Ripper murders of the 1880s. The film alludes to Abberline's failure to catch Jack the Ripper.


 * The final howl heard in the film is intended to suggest that Inspector Abberline is now a werewolf.


 * The transformation scenes from The Wolfman are reminiscent of the scenes from An American Werewolf in London where David Naughton's character first turns into a werewolf. Special effects and makeup wizard Rick Baker worked on both films.


 * Actor Max von Sydow makes am uncredited cameo appearance in the film as a passenger on a train. This is in the unrated director's cut version of the film only.

Keywords
19th century; Decapitation; Doctor; England; Gypsies; London; Mental health facility; Orderly; Werewolves