Werewolf Of London

[Foxbat]

Made in 1935
Directed by Stuart Walker

A product of the still fledgling Universal Pictures, this film tells the tale of botanist Wilfred Glendon. He travels to Tibet in search of a rare flower: Marifasa Lupina, which blooms only in moonlight. Ignoring warnings of danger, he proceeds through the mountains and is attacked by a wolf creature just as he finds his flower.

Back in London, he is visited by the mysterious Dr. Yogami who tells him that the spate of recent murders is the work of two werewolves – and that the flower of his rare plant can be used to provide a few hours respite from the lycanthropic affliction. Glendon dismisses Yogami’s claim until the next full moon………..

Meanwhile, an old flame of Glendon’s wife appears on the scene and in an attempt to save her from his curse, he pushes her closer to her old sweetheart and is consumed by jealousy. Meanwhile, Yogami has his own reasons for committing a bit of skulduggery.

The werewolf in this movie is quite different to the later Wolfman starring Lon Chaney(1941 – also by Universal). In the Chaney version, the werewolf wanders around barefoot and mindlessly snarls and bites his way through the storyline. Werewolf Of London has a lupine lead that is quick witted and retains its human cunning after the transformation. It disguises itself with long coat, hat and scarf before stalking the streets of London. It releases a wolf from the zoo in an attempt to mislead the murder investigators. This wolf is more a play on the dark side of Human nature rather than a regression to a more animalistic bent. For that reason, I find this movie more akin to the story of Dr. Jekyll and Mister Hyde than the later more recognised image of Chaney running around a mist enshrouded forest.

If you look at all werewolf films from here to more modern offerings like American Werewolf in London, it looks almost like an evolutionary scale - with Werewolf Of London being the ‘missing link’ between the man-wolf as we know him today and Stevenson’s Mr Hyde of yesteryear.

A decent movie with a few dodgy Cockney accents and a fine stiff upper lip….by Gad sir! Did you spill my tea?

This is the Homo Erectus of Lupine Horror and a film of interest to those with a penchant towards the Cinematic Lycanthrope.

[Circus Cranium]

Cool review. That's really interesting. People have been trying for so long to find a new twist on the lycanthrope character, and ironically the fledgling film wolf is unique by comparison.