Werewolves of film: a brief history of the Hairy One

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<i>By Patrick Kevin Day, Los Angeles Times Staff Writer</i><br>
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<i>"....shaking, howling, yearning. Get away from the city, run naked through the woods." -- Anonymous</i><br>
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Werewolves have captured the public imagination for centuries. Universal hopes to revive worldwide interest in the hairy demons when Oscar-winner Benicio Del Toro will re-create the role that launched Lon Chaney Jr.'s career in the remake of <a href="http://topics.latimes.com/entertainment/movies/the-wolf-man"><b>"The Wolf Man."</b></a> Working behind the scenes will be another Oscar winner, makeup artist Rick Baker. Fans are particularly excited by this prospect because of Baker's fame in the annals of werewolf lore. He's the guy who masterminded the modern conception of what a werewolf transformation should look like on film. But he's working off a long and proud tradition of big-screen werewolves.

The Wolf Man

( Frank Ockenfels / Universal Pictures )

By Patrick Kevin Day, Los Angeles Times Staff Writer

"....shaking, howling, yearning. Get away from the city, run naked through the woods." -- Anonymous

Werewolves have captured the public imagination for centuries. Universal hopes to revive worldwide interest in the hairy demons when Oscar-winner Benicio Del Toro will re-create the role that launched Lon Chaney Jr.'s career in the remake of "The Wolf Man." Working behind the scenes will be another Oscar winner, makeup artist Rick Baker. Fans are particularly excited by this prospect because of Baker's fame in the annals of werewolf lore. He's the guy who masterminded the modern conception of what a werewolf transformation should look like on film. But he's working off a long and proud tradition of big-screen werewolves.