WEREWOLF OF LONDON (A CLASSIC MONSTERS OF THE MOVIES TRIBUTE)

This month I've featured the Classic Monsters of the Movies issues for The Wolf Man and Frankenstein Meets the Wolfman. To continue the lycanthrope cycle, I'll now focus on Classic Monsters of the Movies: Werewolf of London, curated by writers Nige Burton & Jamie Jones, who do a grand job inspecting the 1935, Universal groundbreaker.

Werewolf of London may not have been as successful as The Wolf Man. However, the fable's Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde mystique has been reassessed over the years, with Henry (Master of the World/The Fool Killer) Hull's resolute, calculating performance as botanist Dr. Wilfred Glendon (a verbalizing wolf man who sports a stylish cap) ranking as one of cinema's best, macabre personas, the influence of which can be found in later, werewolf movies, such as Mike Nichol's Wolf, starring Jack Nicholson. 

Burton & Jones' 36-page volume covers the many participants who brought this amazing, terror tale to life, including director Stuart (Great Expectations/The Mystery of Edwin Drood) Walker; screenwriter John Colton; makeup artist Jack (The Wolf Man) Pierce; and joining the magnificent Hull, the wonderful Warner (Charlie Chan) Oland (as Glendon's lycanthropic rival, Dr. Yogami); Valerie (The Bride of Frankenstein) Hobson; Lester Matthews; Spring Byington; Lawrence Grant; J M. Kerrigan, Clark Williams; Ethel Griffies; Zeffie Tilbury; and a number of other consummate professionals and contributors. 

In addition to spotlighting its cast, Burton & Jones relay the steps that Universal honcho Carl Laemmmle Sr. took to bring Werewolf of London to life, as it became a story of discovery and  determination, with Hull's Glendon searching for a reprieve from his affliction through a Tibetan, Mariphasa lupina lumina plant. As such, Glendon's experimentation creates an ambiance comparable to the aforementioned Jekyll/Hyde, as well as The Invisible Man, The Invisible Ray, The Ape Man and Man Made Monster. One could, therefore, argue that the concept caters to science fiction as much as horror. 

No matter how one categorizes it, Werewolf of London is first and foremost a monster movie: a fact celebrated in this "ultimate guide" (crammed as it is with photos, publicity materials, trivia and quotes). It's one of those movies that diehard, monster fans can't help but cherish, and now that Werewolf of London has reached its 90th anniversary-release mark, its place in historic monster-dom has become all the more revered. 

Add Classic Monsters of the Movies: Werewolf of London to your library by visiting 

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BOOK OF THE WEREWOLF: A CLASSIC MONSTERS OF THE MOVIES TRIBUTE

Classic Monsters of the Movies' Book of the Werewolf: A Chronicle of Classic Lycanthropic Cinema offers a dandy, hairy string of some of the genre's best transformations, as its creepy collage-cover proclaims.

Authors/researchers Nige Burton & Jamie Jones host the effort, layering on precious details and insights into the making of such cinematic sojourns as Wolf Blood; The Werewolf of London; The Wolf Man/The Wolfman; Frankenstein Meets the Wolfman; Curse of the Werewolf; A Face at the Window; Face of the Screaming Werewolf; I Was a Teenage Werewolf; How to Make a Monster; The Werewolf 1956; Werewolf in a Girl's Dormitory; The Mark of the Wolfman; Assignment: Terror; Cry of the Werewolf; The Boy Who Cried Werewolf 1973; Return of the Vampire; The Mad Monster; The Undying Monster; The Daughter of Dr. Jekyll; Werewolves on Wheels; Legend of the Werewolf; The Beast Must Die; An American Werewolf in London; The Wolfen; The Howling, Wolf; The Company of Wolves; Wolfman 1979; and Wolfman 2010.  

It should go without saying, the writers spend ample time saluting the stars who headline these endeavors: Henry Hull; Lon Chaney Jr.; Oliver Reed; Tod Slaughter; Michael Landon; Gary Clarke; Steven Ritch; Curt Lowens; Paul Naschy; Kerwin Matthews; Matt Willis; Glenn Strange; David Rintoul; David Naughton; Jack Nicholson; Earl Owensby; Benicio Del Toro; et al.  

The volume is divided into categories, with an overview of lost/rare werewolf movies; Universal/Lawrence Talbot/Chaney Jr. submissions; 1950s, drive-in gems; Paul Naschy's energetic, Waldemar Daninsky series; offbeat, incidental entries; capped by modern variants on the theme. 

Burton and Jones' volume is written to satisfy, whether one is a dabbler of furry folklore, a casual fan or a devoted die-hard of ferocious manly lobos.

Order Book of the Werewolf at 

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SCARY MONSTERS #129: UNDERGROUND REALMS & BEYOND

Scary Monsters #129 (Winter 2023) is a festive feast for fans of underground realms and their varied paths and denizens. Scott Jackson's Gogos-esque cover stirs the flavor with a slave-dweller portrait from Virgil W. Vogel's venturesome The Mole People, which is essayed at length in this special issue.  

In addition to that imaginative, '50s sojourn, readers are treated to articles on Hollow Earth speculations; Battle Beneath the Earth; Superman and the Mole Men; The Lost City; The Lost Kingdom; The Slime People; The Incredible Petrified World; Unknown World; C.H.U.D.; Undersea Kingdom; Latlantide; The Return of Chandu; and The Phantom Empire (yep, the one with good ol' Gene Autry). 

Beyond these subterranean plunges, #129 features Lugosi's movie laboratories (The Devil Bat, The Ape Man, Return of the Ape Man, Voodoo Man and Murders in the Rue Morgue); Henry Hull and Warner Oland in Werewolf of London; genre favorite Robert Hutton (The Colossus of New York, Invisible Invaders, The Vulture, They Came From Beyond Space, Trog, Cry of the Banshee, Torture Garden and Amicus' Tales From the Crypt); Japanese bloodsuckers (The Vampire Doll, Lake of Dracula, Evil of Dracula); "Kaiju Corner" poster promotions; Ted V. Mikels' amazing Astro Zombies; stylish, haunted fiction; spacey, airwave sci-fi; Vincent Price and Christopher Lee's Poe-latched Oblong Box; radioactive terrors; and Native American mysticism (The Manitou, Prophesy, Nightwing, Wolfen and Poltergeist II), to name but a far-out few. 

Fun, fun, fun! That's what one gets in Scary Monsters #129. So, why wait? Dig up a copy at

https://www.mymoviemonsters.com/store.php/mymoviemonsters/pd10617796/scary_monsters_129__underground_worlds__now_shipping

SCARY MONSTERS #114: WARY OF WEREWOLVES, HOWL-O-WEEN SCARETACULAR

Prepare for a howlin' good time with Scary Monsters #114: a special Wary of Werewolves, Howl-o-Ween Scaretacular, ushered by Scott Jackson's mega-morphing cover of Oliver Reed, Leon the Lycan, from Hammer Studio's "Curse of the Werewolf" (and the back-view collage is pretty darn ferocious, too). 

Inside, one will find a revelry of one's furry favorites: "Werewolf of London"; "The Wolf Man"; "Frankenstein Meets the Wolfman"; "Return of the Vampire"; "An American Werewolf in London"; "Cry of the Werewolf"; "Legend of the Werewolf"; "The Beast Must Die"; "Wolfblood"; and many more, along with the stars who've made them classic: Henry Hull; Lon Chaney Jr.; Matt Willis; and of course, the aforementioned, Mr. Reed. 

In addition to its bestial spread, there's a stunning, forty-year tribute to Svengoolie (Son of, that is) by Dave Fuentes.  (Sven and his trusty, rubber chicken are still going strong, thanks to Me-TV, where Saturday nights are all the more special, thanks to Sven's gags and insights into the films we hold near and dear to our frightful hearts.) Kudos to Scary Monsters for bestowing this enduring horror host such a splendid salute.

Issue #114 also contains interviews with exploitation legend, Sam "Drac vs Frank" Sherman (conducted by Andrew Rausch) and monster designer, Norman "Hellboy" Cabrera, (conducted by Dr. Gangrene). For spooky accompaniment, there are juicy tidbits on Ray Bradbury; Al Lewis; Peter Cushing; Rondo Hatton; Jerry Warren; plus Tom Weaver's "Scripts from the Crypt"; Halloween memories; and new, horror fiction. Way cool!!!

Order Scary Monsters #114 while the going's good and hairy: 
https://www.mymoviemonsters.com/store.php/mymoviemonsters/pd9761892/_scary_monsters_magazine_114__wary_of_werewolves_halloween_issue_now_shipping.