Halloween season
simply isn’t Halloween season without a regular dose of classic Universal horror (1923-1963). Every day this October, I’ll be giving you a steady IV drip of it by counting down
Psychobabble’s 31 Favorite Universal
Horrors!
#31. Werewolf of
London (1935- dir. Stuart Walker)
Universal’s first attempt at a werewolf picture is sort of a
failed test. The mythology is goofy (the prime defense against werewolfism:
flowers), the pace is as draggy as the Mummy’s left foot, and Henry Hull is
irritating as the petulant botanist who gets a nasty dose of lycanthropy.
Still, there is something truly creepy about Jack Pierce’s makeup job because
we see the humanity of the creature better than we would when Pierce later
loaded Lon Chaney Jr’s face with fur (though the Chaney make up is superior). Bonus
points for this flick’s firstiness and the presence of the always delightful
Valerie Hobson.
