“An American Werewolf in London,” Universal Studios Florida, 2013.
On this date in 1935, “Werewolf of London” premiered in theaters. The film, considered to be Hollywood’s first mainstream werewolf movie [wiki], revolves around a wealthy English botanist named Wilford Glendon (Henry Hull). On an expedition in the wilds of Tibet, Glendon is attacked and bitten by a mysterious creature. Glendon learns that he has, in fact, been bitten by a werewolf, and will soon become one himself.
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The film initially received a lukewarm response from the public, however it has since become lauded by film historians. “Werewolf of London” went on to inspire countless other werewolf franchises: “The Wolfman” (1941), “Teen Wolf” (1985), the “Twilight” series and the “Underworld” series, among others.
Not only are werewolves a fixture in pop culture, but they’re also regular features at Halloween Horror Nights. Werewolves have appeared in Florida’s “The Wolfman” house (2009), “Twenty Years of Fear” scarezone (2010) and Hollywood’s 2011 “Freakz” scarezone and “The Wolfman: The Curse of Talbot Hall” house. Most recently, Universal Studios Florida featured the extremely popular “An American Werewolf in London” house, seen above.
Above, “An American Werewolf in London” photo by Universal Orlando, © 2014 Universal Orlando Resort. All rights reserved. “Werewolf of London” photo courtesy of Doctor Macro.