Main Cast: Henry Hull, Warner Oland, Valerie Hobson, Lester Matthews, Spring Byington
Release Year: 1935
Country: US
Run Time: 75 minutes
Plot
Originally intended as a vehicle for Boris Karloff and Bela Lugosi, this Universal production predated The Wolf Man by six years, but failed to whip up audience enthusiasm for the monster popularized by Lon Chaney, Jr. in the studio's later classic. Henry Hull stars as botanist Dr. Glendon, whose foray through Tibet in search of a rare night-blooming "marifasa lupina" ends when he is savagely attacked by man-beast Yogami (Warner Oland). Recovering back in London, Glendon begins to undergo the hideous transformation into a wolf-like monster at the next full moon (courtesy of makeup work by Jack Pierce), and learns that only the bloom of the marifasa can reverse his condition -- a cure which is currently being sought by yet another lycanthropic predator. ~ Cavett Binion, All Movie Guide
Review
The classic 1941 horror film The Wolf Man remains the definitive werewolf picture, but six years prior, Universal Studios made an earlier, less successful stab at the myth of lycanthropy. While Werewolf of London may not be as creepy as its more famous successor, it still has much to offer. Henry Hull, as the stricken botanist Dr. Glendon, and most of the rest of the cast are rather bland, and the direction by Stuart Walker is fairly uninspired, but there is something inherently watchable about the story. Despite its expected outcome for Hull, it maintains interest throughout. A major reason for this may be the natural entertainment value of the werewolf story: the innocent man unable to control the beast within him. The sets are sparse and the photography rather flat, but strangely work to the film's benefit, as does the appropriately foreboding and dramatic score. Perhaps the best sequence is Hull's marvelously staged first transformation, which occurs during a tracking shot. Universal horror makeup master Jack Pierce (who, surprisingly, does not receive screen credit) creates a werewolf that is ideal for Hull's physical appearance, even if it is not as memorable as his later work on The Wolf Man. There is no doubt that Werewolf of London would have been a much more atmospheric chiller in the hands of James Whale or Tod Browning, but nevertheless it remains entertaining and effective. ~ Bob Mastrangelo, All Movie Guide
Albert S. D'Agostino - Art Director, Stuart Walker - Director, Russell Schoengarth - Editor, Karl Hajos - Composer (Music Score), Jack Pierce - Makeup, Charles Stumar - Cinematographer, Stanley Bergerman - Producer, Robert Harris - Producer, John P. Fulton - Special Effects, Robert Harris - Screen Story, John Colton - Screenwriter, Harvey Harris Gates - Screenwriter
