The Wolf Man (1941 film) rating of 7.8/10. The site's critical consensus reads, "A handsomely told tale with an affecting performance from Lon Chaney, Jr., "The Wolf Man" remains one of the classics of the Universal horror stable." Author and film critic Leonard Maltin awarded the film 3.5 out of 4 stars, calling it "One of the finest horror films ever made". In his review, Maltin praised the film's make-up effects, atmospheric music, and Chaney's performance. The Wolf Man is the only Universal monster to be played by the same actor in all his 1940s film appearances. Lon Chaney Jr. was very proud of this,
The Man Who Laughs (1928 film) and Charles Puffy. The animal actor used for the role of Homo, the Wolf was a dog named Zimbo, who had previously appeared in the Fox Film's 1927 "Wolf Fangs". Following the success of Universal Pictures's 1923 adaptation of Victor Hugo's "The Hunchback of Notre Dame", the company was eager to release another film starring Lon Chaney. A treatment adapting "The Phantom of the Opera" was prepared, but rejected by the Universal executives. In its place, Chaney was offered the lead in a film version of Hugo's "The Man Who Laughs", to be produced under its French title ("L'Homme Qui