As a kid... it was the old black and white monster movies I would watch on late night TV that fostered my current love of all films... of all genres.  The joy of being seven years old, curled up at the foot of my Aunt's bed way past my own bedtime on a Saturday night watching "Chiller Theater" on the tube... with a blanket curled around me... was one of the many distinct fond memories of my childhood.   

    Each weekend, I would enjoy a double feature of mostly cheesy, black and white, grade-B horror and monster films until the wee hour of 3 AM or slightly later.  Each "Chiller Theater" episode would offer up a veritable smorgasboard of Grade-B, 50's... monster films like "Attack of the Giant Gila Monster", "Tarantula", or "The Blob".  However, the best of the lot were the old school Universal Studios monsters.... "Dracula", "The Mummy", "Frankenstein"... and lastly "The Wolfman".

    These were films - albeit a bit corny - that were made with care and an honest effort at genuinely evoking chills, thrills and frights with minimal gore and relatively benign violence... and also, filled with lots of creepy suspense, spooky atmosphere and genuinely scary creatures made from simple makeup magic... and no CGI effects.  They're the classics that have stood the test of time as great horror film masterpieces.

    Today, as Hollywood seems to revel in amping up the blood and gore filled, grand guignol snuff-film aspect of all too real, murderous violence... in recycled film franchises like "Saw IV", "Hostel 2", and endless and boorish "Friday the 13th" retreads... I was genuinely excited to see the current remake release of the 1941 monster film classic "The Wolfman".   

    I'm pleased to say, despite some flaws... this new version did not totally disappoint me.  Make no mistake, this remake has a generous... perhaps, even overly abundant share of bloodshed.   However, it's all within the fantasy realm of an otherworldly creature from folklore... instead of films that psychotically replicate the frightening and gruesome reality of the crazed serial killer torturing his victims, that aftermath all too often featured on the local evening news.

    In the new film, "The Wolfman".... Benicio de Toro and Anthony Hopkins join forces on screen to literally infuse a lot of new blood into this classic American horror film.   The original film made Lon Chaney Jr. a horror film star with it's story of a American bitten by a werewolf... only to fall victim to the curse of becoming one himself whenever the full moon arose.

    Del Toro plays the Chaney Jr. role of Lawrence Talbot, this time an English-born nobleman long estranged from his father... after Talbot witnessed the traumatic death of his mother as a child.  The casting of the Puerto Rican born, Del Toro as an man of English heritage... and possessing no English accent to boot is semi-explained away in the film by alluding in the plot that Talbot's English father married a woman of Spanish heritage.  

    The film is set in Victorian era Blackmoor, England in 1891... and has the central character of Talbot as a popular Shakespearian actor who has never returned home after being sent away by his father... following his mother's tragic demise.

    When Talbot's brother is found brutally murdered by an apparently savage beast... Talbot returns to a home with an obviously dysfunctional past to reunite with his distant father, played with an undercurrent of malevolence by Anthony Hopkins.  As Talbot tries to investigate the death of his brother... he also grows gradually closer to his brother's grieving fiance, Gwen, played by Emily Blunt.

    However... something monstrously evil is stalking the area surrounding Talbot's family estate and nearby town... and rumors of a wild beast on the loose... combined with fear and paranoia grip the townsfolk.    

    Their fears are well founded and confirmed when Talbot visits a nearby Gypsy camp seeking answers.  The small encampment is attacked by a rampaging wolf like creature that kills viciously... and eventually takes a bite out of Talbot himself.   Talbot's wounds are stitched and cared for by the gypsies... who seem to know something more about Talbot's approaching fate than they wish to let on initially.

    Soon, despite his being "pure of heart" as the film's opening sequence suggests....Talbot is cursed to become something equally monstrous when the full moon arises.   These events lead to a terrible discovery about Talbot's family past... that includes monstrous deception, jealousy... and culminates with a violent confrontation between Talbot and his father and their mutual destinies.

    The Wolfman is an exciting remake of the original 1941 classic film... that mostly adheres to the original with some relatively minor changes.   This version has its own gothic and suspenseful feel... thanks to the skill of director Joe Johnston.  It evokes the mood and eerie atmosphere of not only the original classic films; but also, the feel of Tim Burton's own gothic horror film "Sleepy Hollow" or Coppola's "Dracula".   This remake also benefits from a thrilling music score by Danny Elfman.  

    Del Toro and Hopkins turn in nice performances that are worth the price of admission.  Del Toro has the naturally feral look that makes his werewolf transformation and repressed animalistic instincts easy to imagine.   Hopkins has some scenery chewing fun playing Talbot's cunning and malevolent father who seems to know more about his son's dilemma than he's willing to divulge throughout much of the film.  

   Emily Blunt's performance is just fine, though not written with enough depth to give it great significance.  in fact, it's that lack of character development that plays into one of the film's failings.   Gwen and Lawrence gradually fall in love in the film... but, the fast journey from her being Talbot's brother's devoted and grief-stricken fiance... to Gwen being at least equally in love with Talbot ( and vice versa ) by film's end strains credibility. 

   Also, a key revelation late in the film... can be figured out by those with a keen eye. 

   Hugo Weaving, best known for his work as Agent Smith in the "Matrix" film trilogy... is fun to watch as a Scotland Yard detective named Abberline... who has an early suspicion of Talbot's involvement in the strange events and brutal murders.

    Some may be divided by "The Wolfman's" literally "in your face" bloodshed and violence that earned the film an "R" rating.  However, let's be real here... the film is about a vicious wolf creature with long fangs and four-inch long claws.  He's hardly going to gently paw and lick his victims to death.   In fact, the action sequences, particularly the initial prolonged attack on the gypsy encampment are well staged with great editing, choreography and genuine frights.  

    A separate scene involving Talbot being strapped down by skeptical physicians in a medical classroom is a wonderfully entertaining mix of approaching horror with a mild touch of humor at the expense of the pompous doctors... as they are shocked to see Talbot transform from manacled man... to raging beast before their very eyes.

    Makeup master Rick Baker's final work on this film is again amazing.  Though the most profound transformation in the film is the aforementioned medical classroom scene... the moment is more than reminiscent of Baker's work in "American Werewolf In London". However, that said... the makeup is still frightening and riveting... with enough of a resemblance to the 1941 film's creature to please film buffs. 

    Overall - "The Wolfman" is a fine gothic horror film that accomplishes something often lacking coming out of a filmmaking machine bent on fright films that are simply gory retreads of an unoriginal idea to begin with... and spawn a series of amazingly more inferior sequels.

    "The Wolfman", despite it's few flaws, successfully evokes the days when Hollywood made good old fashioned monsters scary... instead of the cookie cutter slasher films of today.

       For more info about TV entertainment reporter / film critic, Tim Estiloz visit : www.Examiner.com and video reviews at Boston Latino TV : http://bostonlatino.tv/ - Visit Tim's website at : www.TimEstiloz.com