Popular to contrary belief, Lon Chaney Jr’s Wolf Man was not the first instance of the werewolf in the Universal’s Monster vault. Six years earlier there was a little film called Werewolf in London starring character actor Henry Hull- but due to it’s lack of success it is often forgotten. The biggest drawback of the movie- and possibly the greatest disappointment is Hull’s aversion to donning the full fledge werewolf make up we later see Lon Chaney Jr rock. In fact the werewolf makeup in Werewolf in London was suppose to be identical to the makeup in The Wolf Man. However due to Hull’s great dislike for gluing yak hair on his face- the makeup became much simpler- and in my opinion much less effective.
Henry Hull plays a botanist named Wilfred Glendon who ventures to Tibet in search of a rare flower that only blooms in the moonlight. While there, he is bitten by a strange man/animal- but turns out OK and fear not because he finds the plant and returns home to London Town. It is not long however before Glendon exhibits strange behaviors. His hands grow fur underneath his laboratory moon light- and he is suddenly filled with the desire to kill. Warned by a fellow botanist Dr. Yogami that the werewolf instinctively seeks to destroy that which it loves the most, Glendon becomes increasingly worried about the fate of his dear wife- plus he kills a few a random ladies along the way.
One thing that I did enjoy was this idea of the werewolf returning in his wolf form to destroy that which he cares about the most.It’s a curious idea- mainly because I think it’s very true when looking at more recent and well known werewolf movies. Granted for the most part we think of those ending scenes being due to the fact that the women always goes looking for their beloved despite their beloved being a werewolf–but what if it was the other way around? What if the werewolf was just instinctively drawn to them as Dr. Yogami states? It’s an interesting idea- and it really makes me wonder why this aspect of werewolves isn’t used more commonly today. There’s also a second important element- the addition of the mariphasa plant and it’s affects on the disease. Apparently it has great powers to subdue the wolf inside the man- but it always talks about the dangers of not using such a plant.
Adding this “rule” to the werewolf legend is very interesting- because it puts a whole new perspective on the idea of a werewolf having to kill someone. Although the idea is kind of strange- because nowadays becoming a werewolf means you are stuck like that for good so I’m not sure what all this “possibility of being” permanently afflicted stuff comes from…hmm….maybe that’s why this part of the legend was never really taken further than this film!
Werewolf of London has been noted as being just as affective as the Wolf Man even without the more intense wolf makeup- but I must respectfully agree. The movie is extremely interesting to look at in regards to Lon Chaney’s Wolf Man- but other than the movie falls flat for me. This may be of course because I’m so drawn to the Wolf Man- but one of the main reasons I am is because I find the character of Larry Talbot- and his father drama- mixed with his feelings for Gwen to be so appealing. I really felt little to no connection at all to Wilfred Glendon. I felt he was icy and boring- and never gave any real thought towards his wife that he’s suppose to be instinctively drawn to. His wife isn’t any better however- as she literally did nothing interesting the entire time she was on screen- well flirting with her old sweetheart maybe could count- but for the most part -snooze city.
What most sources cite as the inevitable flaw in Werewolf of London’s plan- is the fact that it’s themes and central focus are far too similar to another Universal monster picture- Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. This may be, although I have yet to see that classic (I know I know…) but I have to go with my gut and say that on the whole the movie is just not that interesting. The characters are stale, the wolf man make up is distracting (he looks more like Dracula caught between bat to man transformation)
the wolf kills aren’t exciting- and the inner turmoil that seizes our main character is practically non existent.
I can surely see why another stab at making a werewolf movie was done- and I must say that I am so glad that it was. Seeing Werewolf of London is proof that Lon Chaney’s Wolf Man is pretty untouchable in terms of classical movie monster madness. I will say that there is a nice little twist at the end that was nice to see- but for the most part kind of a major disappointment. Again, this movie is important to see if you are a self proclaimed Wolf Man fan- as it shows an entirely different side of the Wolf Man and where it could have ventured had Lon Chaney not come along.
Buy Werewolf of London as part of the Wolf Man Legacy Collection at Horror Movie Empire!
Andre Dumas
