Released on this day in 1925 we have what is widely called the very first werewolf film. This may not be 100% true given that several silent horror film before it at least had element of lycanthropy in them (not to mention a myriad of films that I have been researching of late from eastern Europe dating from the silent era--that has turned up a number of silent horror films I never knew existed that run the range of various monsters). Suffice to say that this is (as of this writing) the oldest surviving werewolf film. It's premise is quite strange--involving a blood transfusion of wolf's blood and what is surely a strange series of hallucinations on the part of Dick Bannister, the lead character, essayed by George Chesbro, who ghost (co) directed the film with Bruce Mitchell. Chesbro was a western specialist, and there is more than a little of the western genre in this film! Produced by the independent Ryan Brothers Productions, it features some lovely on location camera work (the real gem of the film in my opinion). Embedded below is the best print that I could find of several currently on YouTube.
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