Phyllis Allenby(June Lockhart, oh how young she is!)believes she has her family's supposed curse of lycanthropy when a series of murders occurs in a London park near her mansion estate, where the victims' throats are mangled. Evidence found at her bedside after she awakens in the morning point towards possible guilt(..muddy shoes, wet robe, bloody hands)but her "aunt" Martha Winthrop(Sara Haden)sternly refuses to allow Phyllis to tell anyone. Phyllis' gentleman caller, Barry Lanfield(Don Porter)begins to worry about her when Martha insists she's too ill and uneasy to see him. Meanwhile, Scotland Yard police are searching the park at night for a possible wolf or deranged person prowling for a fresh victim. A sub-plot has Martha's beautiful daughter Carol(Jan Wiley), forbidden by her mother to see a poor artist Dwight Severn(Martin Kosleck), meeting him at night in the very park where possible danger could be waiting..or could she actually be the wolf-woman killing innocents? Or, could the curse actually be true regarding Phyllis' being a she-wolf? After SY Detective Latham(Lloyd Corrigan)is murdered by a woman(..whose face is hidden, and growling as he screams)in the park as the police are combing for any possible prowler, the man hunt will certainly be motivated more than ever before. The film shows Phyllis slowly growing mad with fear and anxiety regarding the possibility of committing those grisly acts in the park and Barry searching for who might be the real culprit.
I'll get this out before ranting..the film has wonderful sets. The park and Allensby mansion are superb set-pieces and director Jean Yarbrough's camera-work and lighting is expertly brought to the screen. Even the acting is decent enough. If this mystery thriller had been retitled and repackaged as a stand-alone film released through Universal completely untied to "The Wolf Man" series, it'd probably come across less a disappointment. But, when you have a title like "She-Wolf of London" and a make-up genius, an extraordinary artist, Jack Pierce, who could've given the audience a female werewolf prowling London park(how cool would THAT have been!)then you can't possibly expect us to not be let down! How frustrating..I mean, not even a female werewolf in Phyllis' nightmares, with how often speaks about them haunting her every night. There's a great tragic romance to be damned that'd been perfectly realized here..imagine if Phyllis actually was cursed with the malady of lycanthropy with the upcoming marriage to her beloved Barry. Imagine Phyllis(..or anyone else for that matter)turning into a female werewolf in her bed, breaking through her bedroom window, with sharp, snarling teeth and fur pouncing on poor helpless victims. That'd been something to see. Yet, sigh, we get a red herring in a mystery where the murders are committed by a garden tool by someone pretending to be somebody she isn't. So much potential wasted. This film isn't a bad one, but when you have an opportunity to create a she-wolf and Pierce on your payroll then take advantage for chrissake!
I'll get this out before ranting..the film has wonderful sets. The park and Allensby mansion are superb set-pieces and director Jean Yarbrough's camera-work and lighting is expertly brought to the screen. Even the acting is decent enough. If this mystery thriller had been retitled and repackaged as a stand-alone film released through Universal completely untied to "The Wolf Man" series, it'd probably come across less a disappointment. But, when you have a title like "She-Wolf of London" and a make-up genius, an extraordinary artist, Jack Pierce, who could've given the audience a female werewolf prowling London park(how cool would THAT have been!)then you can't possibly expect us to not be let down! How frustrating..I mean, not even a female werewolf in Phyllis' nightmares, with how often speaks about them haunting her every night. There's a great tragic romance to be damned that'd been perfectly realized here..imagine if Phyllis actually was cursed with the malady of lycanthropy with the upcoming marriage to her beloved Barry. Imagine Phyllis(..or anyone else for that matter)turning into a female werewolf in her bed, breaking through her bedroom window, with sharp, snarling teeth and fur pouncing on poor helpless victims. That'd been something to see. Yet, sigh, we get a red herring in a mystery where the murders are committed by a garden tool by someone pretending to be somebody she isn't. So much potential wasted. This film isn't a bad one, but when you have an opportunity to create a she-wolf and Pierce on your payroll then take advantage for chrissake!