Werewolf of London
by Robbo
Posted on 11 November 2021
Rating -
Werewolf of London is a 1935 horror film directed by Stuart Walker and starring Henry Hull as the titular werewolf. Produced by Universal Pictures, Werewolf of London was the first Hollywood mainstream film to feature a werewolf.
Wilfred Glendon is a wealthy and world-renowned English botanist who journeys to Tibet in search of and extremely rare plant.
While there, he is attacked and bitten by a creature later revealed to be a werewolf, although he succeeds in acquiring a specimen of the plant.
Once back home in London he is approached by a fellow botanist, Dr. Yogami, who claims to have met him in Tibet while also seeking the plant.
Yogami warns Glendon that the bite of a werewolf would cause him to become a werewolf as well, adding that the blossom from the plant is a temporary antidote for the disease.
During the full moon that night, Glendon starts to turn into a werewolf but uses a blossom from the plant to stop his transformation.
At the next full moon, he attempts to use the plant again but finds Dr. Yogami, who is revealed to be a werewolf, has broken into his lab and stolen the only two blossoms. As the third has not bloomed, Glendon is out of luck.
Driven by an instinctive desire to hunt and kill he ventures out into the dark city, killing an innocent girl. Burdened by remorse, Glendon begins neglecting Lisa, his wife, and makes numerous futile attempts to lock himself up far away from home, including renting a room at an inn. However, whenever he transforms into the werewolf he escapes and kills again.
After a time, the third blossom of the plant finally blooms, but much to Glendon’s horror, it is stolen by Yogami, sneaking into the lab while Glendon’s back is turned.
Catching Yogami in the act, Glendon finally realizes that Yogami was the werewolf that attacked him in Tibet. After turning into the werewolf yet again and slaying Yogami, Glendon goes to the house in search of Lisa, for the werewolf instinctively seeks to destroy that which it loves the most.
Glendon breaks into the house and corners Lisa on the staircase and is about to move in for the kill when Col. Sir Thomas Forsythe of Scotland Yard, arriving with several police officers in tow, shoots Glendon once.
As he lies dying at the bottom of the stairs, Glendon, still in werewolf form speaks, first to thank Col. Forsythe for the merciful bullet, then saying goodbye to Lisa, apologizing that he could not have made her happier.
Glendon then dies, reverting to his human form in death.
Werewolf of London was a commercial disappointment due to it being considered too similar to Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (1931) which had been released only a few years earlier.
I don’t know why but this film just doesn’t have the charm of the later Universal werewolf film, The Wolf Man (1941).
Perhaps it is that Lon Chaney Jr’s performance depicts Lawrence Talbot as a tragic character, and brings a certain clumsy charm to the role which makes us care about him and his ultimate fate. I find it difficult to find Wilfred Glendon likeable so don’t really feel invested in what happens to him.
Werewolf of London is a competent horror film but will always be compared to the later film, The Wolf Man (1941) which I think is far superior.
I do like this film and it is dated but still effective and would highly recommend.
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