1940's

In the 1940s the horror genre turned its focus on to the theme primal animals within such as Universal's wolf man which came out in 1941 as there horror cycle continued., this wasn’t the first werewolf film, but certainly was one of the most influential. Another phenomenon that the 40s brought attention to was the feline alternatives and the most popular film that was a big hit in the 40s was cat people, which was brought out in 1942. While Universal was not succeeding as much as they have been, RKO were trying something new to be a big success. Producer Val Lewton formed a "horror unit" that turned out a series of successful entries to the genre between 1942 and 1946. Lewton was a novelist and former story editor for David O. Selznick , and he eschewed "those mask-like faces, hardly human, with gnashing teeth and hair standing on end" of the Universal monsters in favour of suggestive shadows. He drew on literary source material, for a series of short and low budget films.

Cat people- Cat People follow the story of Irena, a young woman who carries with her the belief that she is cursed, and will turn into a large, dangerous cat if she consummates her marriage. A mainly psychological thriller, much is made of what lurks in the shadows particularly in the famous swimming pool scene, and the audience is left to make up their own mind. It was a great success, earning $4M and was followed by The Curse of the Cat People in 1944. 

Wolf man- So it seemed a natural step for Universal to follow up their minor 1935 hit, The Werewolf of London. Although there is a well-established werewolf mythology extending back to the ancient world, there was no single established story ripe for easy adaptation. It fell to screenwriter Curt Siodmak to write a story to fit the title Universal had been knocking around for a while. The Wolf Man (1941) is a mishmash of several wolf legends, with added ingredients. Siodmak stirs pentagrams, gypsies, silver bullets and the full moon together to create a robust myth. It owes little to established European traditions, but established a new set of cinematic rules which Hollywood lycanthropes (a werewolf spirit in physical form of a bloodthirsty wolf) would adhere to for decades. Set in a contemporary Wales, the story follows Larry Talbot who returns to his ancestral home from America, only to become infected by a bite from a gypsy named Bela. With a starry cast including Claude Raines, and spectacular makeup and special effects, the picture was a big hit.