In 2025, the Halloweenies are celebrating the storied legacy of the Universal Monsters. Dracula, Wolf Man, Frankenstein, his Bride, the Creature from the Black Lagoon, the Invisible Man… all will be covered. In fact, each monster is getting their own month, giving the Halloweenies plenty of time to dig deep into their respective origins and chart their influence over the past century and some change.
Last month, the gang sank their fangs into Tod Browning‘s 1931 Dracula. Today, however, they’re leaping a decade forward to howl through George Waggner’s 1941 werewolf classic The Wolf Man starring Lon Chaney Jr.
Topics include: the etymology of the werewolf, a discussion of the first official Universal werewolf movie Werewolf of London, the tragic history of Lon Chaney, Jr. bringing his own pain and life experience to the role, Universal Pictures and the U.S. in the early 40’s, religious subtext, the rise of Jack Pierce as go-to monster makeup artist.
Stream the episode below or subscribe via Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and RSS. New to the Halloweenies ? Catch up with the gang by revisiting their essential episodes on past franchises such as Halloween, A Nightmare on Elm Street, Friday the 13th, Scream, The Evil Dead, Chucky, and Alien! This year it’s all Universal, all Monsters. Which creature is next? Let’s just say … you’ll want to have a moon calendar handy.
You can also become a member of their Patreon, The Rewind , for hilariously irreverent commentaries (eg The Texas Chainsaw Massacre , Gremlins , Jaws ), one-off deep dives on your favorite rentals (eg Killer Klowns from Outer Space , Invasion of the Body Snatchers ), and even spinoffs like their recent run Fortune & Glory: An Indiana Jones Podcast .