ON AIRTerminal of Terror

🌿 The Werewolf of London

A botanist who brings a curse home from Tibet, along with a very rare flower

Also known as Werewolf of London, Dr. Glendon, Wilfred Glendon

📺 "A nice quiet botanist, a nice quiet garden, and a nice quiet curse from Tibet. Tonight's feature proves you should never bring souvenirs home."

💀 Facts

  • It was Hollywood's first mainstream werewolf movie, six years before The Wolf Man
  • Botanist Wilfred Glendon is attacked in Tibet while hunting a rare flower
  • The moon-blooming mariphasa flower is the only thing that holds off his change
  • Henry Hull reportedly pushed for a lighter makeup so audiences could see his face
  • Warner Oland plays Dr. Yogami, a second werewolf who wants the same flower
  • Unlike later werewolves, Glendon stays upright and dressed while transformed

📜 Legend

Six years before The Wolf Man, Universal made Hollywood's first mainstream werewolf picture. Botanist Wilfred Glendon is attacked in Tibet while hunting a flower that blooms only by moonlight, and back in London he learns the blossom is the only thing that can hold off his transformation. The flower is pure invention, but the idea of a respectable man hiding a beast inside owes plenty to Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde.

🎬 The Film

TitleWerewolf of London (1935)
StudioUniversal
DirectorStuart Walker
StarringHenry Hull
MakeupJack Pierce

🎞️ Warner Oland plays the mysterious Dr. Yogami, another werewolf hunting the same flower.

🎭 Myth vs Movie

True or false? Make your guess, then click a card (or press r) for the verdict.

  • The Wolf Man (1941) was Hollywood's first werewolf movie.

    ✘ FALSE

    Werewolf of London beat it by six years.

  • The moon-blooming mariphasa flower is a real plant.

    ✘ FALSE

    It was invented for the film.

  • Henry Hull's werewolf still looks largely human.

    ✔ TRUE

    Hull reportedly wanted a lighter makeup so audiences could recognise him, so his werewolf stays upright and fully dressed.

🃏 Stat Card

Strength
7
Speed
7
Cunning
7
Dread
6

⚡ Powers

  • A scientist's cunning
  • Prowling unseen through foggy London
  • The strength of a wolf

🧄 Weaknesses

  • Running out of mariphasa blooms
  • The rising moon
  • A Scotland Yard bullet

Stats power the Monster Mash: terminal-of-terror mash werewolf-of-london

🎞️ Legacy

  • The Wolf Man (1941) refined Universal's werewolf formula
  • Warren Zevon's song 'Werewolves of London' (1978) borrowed the name

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