''Wolf Blood'', also known as ''Wolfblood: A Tale of the Forest'', is an American silent 1925

werewolf In folklore, a werewolf (), or occasionally lycanthrope (; ; uk, Вовкулака, Vovkulaka), is an individual that can shapeshift into a wolf (or, especially in modern film, a therianthropic hybrid wolf-like creature), either purposely or ...

film starring

George Chesebro George Newell Chesebro (July 29, 1888 – May 28, 1959) was an American film actor. He appeared in more than 400 films between 1915 and 1954. He was born in Minneapolis, Minnesota and died in Los Angeles, California. Partial filmography * ''Mi ...

, who also co-directed it with B-serial veteran Bruce M. Mitchell. The film has been referenced in a number of books as being the first werewolf movie ever made. This however is erroneous; the first werewolf movie is '' The Werewolf'', a film made in 1913. However that film is considered to be

lost Lost may refer to getting lost, or to: Geography *Lost, Aberdeenshire, a hamlet in Scotland * Lake Okeechobee Scenic Trail, or LOST, a hiking and cycling trail in Florida, US History *Abbreviation of lost work, any work which is known to have bee ...

. Therefore, ''Wolf Blood'' could be called the earliest surviving werewolf film. Although this film is labeled as a horror, there is very little in the feature film to be qualified as a horror film. Instead the film focuses more on romance and archaic action rather than suspense and fear as we have seen in other horror films of the time. The film is said to have more in common with

westerns The Western is a genre set in the American frontier and commonly associated with folk tales of the Western United States, particularly the Southwestern United States, as well as Northern Mexico and Western Canada. It is commonly referred ...

and adventure films of the 1920s.This film's importance to the genre of horror comes more so from its historical importance rather than historical impact. ''Wolf Blood'' is available commercially as an extra on a DVD together with F.W. Murnau's '' The Haunted Castle''.

Plot

Dick Bannister is the new field boss of the Ford Logging Company, a Canadian

logging Logging is the process of cutting, processing, and moving trees to a location for transport. It may include skidding, on-site processing, and loading of trees or logs onto trucks or skeleton cars. Logging is the beginning of a supply chain ...

-crew during a time when conflicts with the powerful Consolidated Lumber Company, a bitter rival company, have turned bloody, like a private war. His boss, Miss Edith Ford, comes to inspect the lumberjack camp, bringing her fiancé Dr. Horton with her. Dick is attacked by his rivals and left for dead. His loss of blood is so great that he needs a transfusion, but no human will volunteer, so the doctor uses a

wolf The wolf (''Canis lupus''; : wolves), also known as the gray wolf or grey wolf, is a large canine native to Eurasia and North America. More than thirty subspecies of ''Canis lupus'' have been recognized, and gray wolves, as popularly u ...

as a source of the blood. Afterwards, Dick begins having dreams in which he runs with a pack of phantom wolves, and some rival loggers are killed by wolves. Soon, the news has spread through the camp and most of the lumberjacks begin to believe that Dick is a

. Dick attempts to jump off a cliff, but is rescued by Edith.

Cast

as Dick Bannister. *

Marguerite Clayton Marguerite Clayton (born Margaret Fitzgerald; April 12, 1891 – December 20, 1968) was an American actress of the silent era. She appeared in more than 170 films between 1909 and 1928, many of which were westerns with Broncho Billy Anderson ...

as Miss Edith Ford, owner of the Ford Logging Company. *Raymond "Ray" Hanford as Dr. Eugene "Gene" Horton, Edith's fiancé. * Roy Watson as Jules Deveroux, envious owner of the Consolidated Lumber Company. *

Milburn Morante Milburn Morante (April 6, 1887 – January 28, 1964) was an American actor, film director and makeup artist.Katchmer p. 267 Partial filmography * '' The Covered Trail'' (1924) * ''Battling Mason'' (1924) * ''The Terror of Pueblo'' (1924) * '' A ...

as Jacques Lebeq, notorious bootlegger. *Frank Clark as Old Pop Hadley, alcoholic woods guard for the Ford Logging Company. *Jack Cosgrave as Edith's uncle and manager.

Production

The film attempts to use modern techniques unique to horror films at the time with the use of techniques such as eye-line matches, cutaways, and continuity matching. The film also chooses to use many jump cuts and transitional dissolves. According to Neil Worcester these techniques are used very clumsily and are considered jarring or mistimed. Other notable techniques used in this film are low-key lighting, long sequences with very wide angles and stretched-out travelogue sections. There is also the use of color tint on scenes to establish night time and day time in certain scenes

Werewolf Myth

Unlike its famous counterparts

vampire A vampire is a mythical creature that subsists by feeding on the Vitalism, vital essence (generally in the form of blood) of the living. In European folklore, vampires are undead, undead creatures that often visited loved ones and caused mi ...

ghost A ghost is the soul or spirit of a dead person or animal that is believed to be able to appear to the living. In ghostlore, descriptions of ghosts vary widely from an invisible presence to translucent or barely visible wispy shapes, to rea ...

s, and witches,

werewolves In folklore, a werewolf (), or occasionally lycanthrope (; ; uk, Вовкулака, Vovkulaka), is an individual that can shapeshift into a wolf (or, especially in modern film, a therianthropic hybrid wolf-like creature), either purposely or ...

were only known through old folktales and stories. Because of this

was able to use this lack of knowledge at the time to experiment with the myths and legends of werewolves in the later part of the film. Unlike later

movies we know today, this film does not mention any of the modern tropes such as transforming on a full moon, or killing one with a silver bullet. The “werewolf” depicted in this film is not a man transforming into a wolf or wolfman but rather a man changing into a very violent man. Although this film is considered the earliest surviving

film this film would have no impact on later films such as Universal Studios 1935 film

Werewolf of London ''Werewolf of London'' is a 1935 horror film directed by Stuart Walker and starring Henry Hull as the titular werewolf. The supporting cast includes Warner Oland, Valerie Hobson, Lester Matthews, and Spring Byington. Jack Pierce, who is best ...

& Universal's 1941 film The Wolf Man.

Criticism

Many people criticize the film for not truly embodying the genre of horror due to its lack of scare factor and lack of anything actually supernatural. According to Neil Worcester many of the film's cinematography techniques are considered unappealing and jarring. Watchers of the film also criticize the use of romance and drama because they believe it takes away from the original purpose of the film. The initial reception of the film is unknown however this film was

's first and only directing role before he became a full time actor. In his "modern" assessment of ''Wolf Blood'' in the 2016 reference ''Tome of Terror: Horror Films of the Silent Era'', film critic Troy Howarth describes its pace as sluggish and overall style a disappointment:

References

External links

* * * {{Amg movie, 117352, Wolf Blood
Wolf Blood (1925) Review J Luis Rivera
1925 films 1925 drama films 1925 horror films 1920s fantasy films American silent feature films American black-and-white films American drama films American fantasy films Articles containing video clips American werewolf films Films directed by Bruce M. Mitchell 1920s American films Silent American drama films Silent horror films