![Werewolf of London [VHS]](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/51KGC44JSBL.jpg)
Product description From Universal Studios Monsters "The Classic Collection," this is 1935's "Werewolf of London." A Carl Laemmle production that stars Henry Hull, Valerie Hobson ("The Bride of Frankenstein") and Spring Byington (who would star as villainess J. Pauline Spaghetti in the 'Batman' TV series). .com Universal's first werewolf film falls in the shadow of the 1941 hit The Wolf Man. You might say it's a different animal, as this version carries none of the now-familiar trappings of the wolf-man legend: no wolfsbane, no silver bullets, no gypsy curse. Dr. Wilfrid Glendon (Henry Hull) is a London botanist whose search for a rare flower takes him to a "cursed" valley in Tibet where he's mauled in the moonlight by a wolflike creature. Back in London he meets the mysterious Dr. Yogami (a marvelously melancholy performance by Warner Oland), who explains they met once before "in Tibet... in the dark" before asking for a flower from his botanical find, the only antidote for his curse. Glendon scoffs at his stories of werewolves--until he transforms into a hirsute killer under the effect of the full moon. Although leaner and edgier than the famous 1941 Lon Chaney classic, The Werewolf of London stumbles with the corny Scotland Yard investigation of the murder spree and gets sidetracked in the bizarre bickering of two old drunken cronies. But it takes flight in wonderfully imaginative and eerie scenes and striking action sequences, while a Jekyll-and-Hyde dynamic turns a jealous squabble between Glendon and his young wife Lisa (Valerie Hobson) into the tragic twist of the curse: "The werewolf instinctively kills the thing it loves best." --Sean Axmaker
S**Y
Great movie
Great classic movie
W**R
the werewolf of london
Living in Australia it has always been difficult to view the 'obscure classics' but in todays times it is only a click of your mouse button. I for one feel priveliged to have viewed this movie.The tension is from the start with the errie backdrop and the certainty of our poor hero's fate. The special effects of the time ensure the enjoyment of the viewer, that is to say we must rely on the actors ability to convince us of the horror and torment he is going through. The movie flows from scene to scene and by the time the credits roll you are still transfixed to the screen totally enthralled by what you have seen.If you are interested in the Universal classics this is definately one for your collection. You will not be disapointed.
M**R
Groundbreaking for its time
If you're a fan of werewolf movies, this flick will seem very tame by comparison. Werewolf of London was essentially the first movie of its kind and is worth remembering because it set some of the early templates for many horror movies that followed. The story behind this werewolf is more science-fiction-based compared to most other films in the genre, which usually rely on the occult to explain the origins of lycanthropy. That said, it might be worthy of a modern-day remake. But fans of The Wolfman, The Howling, An American Werewolf in London and other werewolf features will likely find Werewolf of London a bit thin on story, lacking in effects and timid when it comes to actual horror. If you're a hardcore horror fan, it's definitely worth watching. Just keep in mind that this production is a little long in the tooth.
B**L
Not t o overlook this great work of art.
Great movie that captures the imagination and superstitions at the time it was made. Great acting and great storyline. I thought the werewolf had to be killed by a silver bullet though.
C**T
Low-energy Horror
This movie is held down by Henry Hull's wooden performance of the obsessive scientist who becomes a wolfman, along with other weak actors--with the wonderful exception of 17 yr old Valerie Hobson, who sparkles and flashes onscreen in a way she wasn't allowed to in 'Bride of Frankenstein' (which was full of wonderfully wild performances by its main cast). A special oddity is Warner Oland, the alcoholic Norwegian-American actor who first popularized the Charlie Chan character, who behaves as if he is drugged throughout the movie.This film is notable as establishing most of the wolfman movie mythology. In folklore, wolfmen can change shape at will, but the film's writers cooked up the must-transform-to-kill-every-full-moon foolishness, along with becoming a wolfman due to being bitten by one (borrowed, no doubt, from the Dracula films), and the turns-back-into-a-human-after-dying schtick (which made for one final cool special effect). In this first film the wolfman gets taken out with a plain ol' lead bullet, by the way--the jazz about only dying from silver bullets/weapons was added in the later Lon Chaney Jr. version (and it would take some kid in the 1980s to think of kicking wolfman in the nards!).Watch this as a historical curiosity only (though Prime Video's current $4 rental fee is really too much to charge for this snory production).
B**F
The best. An all time classic
The best. An all time classic. If you can't appreciate classic horror, you probably won't like this. Lovers of great old horror films know how awesome WWOL is.
J**S
For classic horror fans
Classic werewolf without the modern gore. Loved it.
T**S
A lonely wolf
I am a wolf man movie nut. The films are a bit dated and corny, but Lon makes a good beast and he is always looking for love or acceptance. The changing to a werewolf scenes are great and any monster movie fan can enjoy these 1940 classics.
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3 weeks ago
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