THE WOLF MAN

Even if you've never seen the 1941 film "The Wolf Man," you probably know what it takes to kill a werewolf — a silver bullet. That's because "The Wolf Man" did for werewolves what Bram Stoker's 1897 novel "Dracula" did for vampires. It set the rules for how werewolves should behave. According to "The Wolf Man," if a werewolf bites you, you have no choice but to become part-human, part-wolf creature and prey on human beings. Sequels tied the transformation to the full moon, a trait that many people associate with werewolves today. The movie also made it clear that once you become a werewolf, the only cure is death.
In this article, we'll explore how people become werewolves and what happens during the transformation. We'll also look into what werewolves represent in different cultures, and we'll examine the medical conditions and historical events that have led some communities to believe that werewolves really exist.

Transforming From Human Form to Werewolf

werewolf comparison Some werewolves are more man than wolf, while others are more wolf than man.
Many works of literature don't spend a lot of time describing what happens when a person becomes a wolf. One minute, a man is human. The next minute, he isn't. Even in movies like "The Wolf Man," the transformation process happens largely off-screen — the man himself, rather than his process of transformation, is the primary focus of the film.
At the same time, the werewolf transformation in "The Wolf Man" is convincing, particularly considering when the film came out. First, hair begins to grow from Larry Talbot's skin, and eventually, he becomes a creature that resembles a very hairy man with claws and fangs.
In more recent films, though, the process of becoming a wolf is often the highlight of the show. It appears in great detail, and it's often a painful experience.
Bones forcibly elongate and change their shape, sometimes moving so drastically that they rupture a person's skin. From beginning to end, the transformation can take several minutes, and the end result is a creature that is part human and part wolf, in varying proportions. Depending on the special effects available at the time of the film — and the techniques used to create them — these transformations can range from absurd to grotesque to truly convincing.

when he dies varies from book to book and movie to movie. Sometimes, if a werewolf dies in wolf form, he remains a wolf forever. But in other depictions, he immediately reverts to his human form.
In these films, if you cut off a werewolf's paw, it can become a human hand before your eyes. In general, injuries sustained in wolf form appear on the werewolf's human body, making it much easier to determine which friend or neighbor is a lycanthrope.
In most modern portrayals, the only cure for lycanthropy is a silver bullet. But sometimes, potions, medicines or rituals can stop the transformation or at least keep it under control. In the "Harry Potter" books, Remus Lupin can sleep off his time as a werewolf if he drinks a wolfsbane potion. In the movie "Ginger Snaps," an injected infusion of monkshood can cure lycanthropy.