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Werewolf of London (1935) movie poster

Timeline

Werewolf of London (1935) Timeline Explained – Every Event in Order

Release, runtime and language
1935 · 75 mins · English
Directed by
Stuart Walker
Starring
Ethel Griffies, Valerie Hobson, George Kirby, Spring Byington, J.M. Kerrigan, Warner Oland

Beware the Stalking Being - Half-Human - Half-Beast! A strange animal attack turns a botanist into a bloodthirsty monster.

On this page (6)
  1. 1 Where to watch
  2. 2 Events in order (14)
  3. 3 Timeline questions answered
  4. 4 Movie threads
  5. 5 Movies like Werewolf of London
  6. 6 Every angle

Where to watch

Where to Watch Werewolf of London (1935)

Where can you watch Werewolf of London? Stream, rent or buy it in the US, including on Peacock Premium, Peacock Premium Plus and Amazon Video: current JustWatch availability with up-to-date prices.

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14 events in order · contains spoilers

Werewolf of London Timeline: Events in Chronological Order

Every key event of Werewolf of London (1935) in order, scene by scene, with when and where it takes place. Use it to untangle flashbacks, time jumps and parallel storylines, to refresh your memory before the sequel or to find the exact scene you are thinking of.

  1. Tibet expedition and werewolf plant discovery

    Wilfred Glendon journeys to Tibet seeking the Mariphasa lumina lupina, a moon-nourished plant. He is attacked by a feral humanoid and bitten, but manages to secure a living specimen. He returns to London with renewed hope that the plant could counter the curse.

    When
    During the Tibet expedition
    Where
    Tibet
  2. Moonlight lamp and first blooms awaited

    Back in London, Wilfred builds a lamp that simulates moonlight in his laboratory and waits for the Mariphasa to bloom. When the first bloom opens, he tests its properties and sees the transformation he fears reversed by applying the plant's sap. The discovery suggests the plant's potential as an antidote, though danger remains.

    When
    After return
    Where
    London, laboratory
  3. London party and Yogami's claim

    At a party in London, Dr. Yogami confronts Wilfred and claims they met in Tibet, where he too sought the Mariphasa. Yogami contends the plant could cure lycanthropy, and hints at two Londoners who are werewolves. Wilfred remains cautious but intrigued by the rival botanist's knowledge.

    When
    Evening
    Where
    London
  4. First blossom opens; transformation reversal

    That night, the first blossom opens under Wilfred's moon lamp, and his hand grows fur in the artificial light. He quickly cuts the blossom and applies its sap to the fur, watching the transformation reverse. The moment confirms the plant's antidotal power, though the danger of the full-moon cycle remains.

    When
    Night
    Where
    London laboratory
  5. Yogami requests two blossoms

    Yogami visits again and demands two blossoms, warning that the first of four nights around the full moon will trigger a turning. Wilfred refuses to hand over the flowers and cautions Yogami about the peril of provoking the curse. The interruption sets the stage for a desperate struggle between rival ambitions.

    When
    Shortly after the first bloom
    Where
    London laboratory
  6. The blossoms are stolen

    Yogami steals two newly opened blossoms from Wilfred's supply, escalating the danger. Wilfred continues his research and hones in on the peril of the coming full moon. The theft intensifies the danger facing Lisa and Paul.

    When
    Next night
    Where
    London laboratory
  7. Aunt Ettie's party; transformation in the streets

    Wilfred declines to accompany Lisa and Paul to Aunt Ettie's party. Soon after they leave, he loses control, transforms into a werewolf, and stalks the city. Ettie's screams frighten him away from Lisa, and he murders a random woman in the street.

    When
    That night
    Where
    London streets / Aunt Ettie's vicinity
  8. Paul informs Forsythe; investigation begins

    Paul Ames reads about the murder in the newspaper and shares the story with his uncle, Colonel Forsythe, Scotland Yard's chief. Forsythe is skeptical, treating the accounts as sensational rumors rather than a genuine threat. The investigation stalls as he weighs the evidence.

    When
    Following morning
    Where
    London
  9. Wilfred escapes; zoo assault

    With the last blossom yet to open, Wilfred rents a room for the night and locks himself in, but breaks out after transforming. He sneaks into the London Zoo, frees a wolf, and kills a woman who had come for a tryst with the nightwatchman.

    When
    Night
    Where
    London Zoo
  10. Dead chambermaid and growing suspicions

    The next day, Yogami, out of blossoms, asks Forsythe to seize the plant from Wilfred. Forsythe learns of a dead chambermaid found in Yogami's hotel room, far from Falden, and Paul discovers Yogami's used blossoms. Forsythe becomes convinced there are two werewolves on the loose.

    When
    Day after the zoo incident
    Where
    London
  11. Falden Abbey confrontation

    Wilfred travels to Falden Abbey, his wife's country home, and the caretaker locks him in a room. Lisa and Paul arrive to look around the property, and Wilfred, now a werewolf, sees them from a window. He breaks free and attacks, but Paul drives him off, recognizing him.

    When
    Night
    Where
    Falden Abbey, countryside
  12. Forsythe closes in; further revelations

    Paul informs Forsythe of Wilfred's whereabouts, and the investigation deepens. The discovery of Yogami's blossoms and the dead chambermaid leads Forsythe to suspect there are two werewolves on the loose.

    When
    Following night
    Where
    London
  13. Final bloom; Yogami killed; chase to Lisa

    Police search all day for Wilfred, who hides in his lab waiting for the final Mariphasa blossom to bloom. When it does, Yogami enters and uses it, and an enraged Wilfred attacks. He kills Yogami and then chases Lisa around the house, knocking Paul unconscious and Ettie fainting in the process.

    When
    Night of the final bloom
    Where
    Wilfred's lab and Falden Abbey house
  14. Shootout and return to humanity

    Forsythe arrives and shoots Wilfred, who dies and reverts to his human form. He comforts Lisa and explains that he will report the death as an accidental shooting in defense of his wife, hoping to shield her from the truth of the night’s carnage.

    When
    End of the night
    Where
    Falden Abbey

Last updated: October 09, 2025 at 09:22

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Timeline questions answered

Werewolf of London Timeline Explained: Your Questions Answered

When does it happen, and why in that order? The questions people ask about the chronology of Werewolf of London (1935): time jumps, flashbacks, cause and effect between scenes and the correct order of events, each answered with spoilers.

Q1

How did Wilfred Glendon become a werewolf?

Wilfred Glendon was bitten by a feral humanoid creature while searching for the rare Mariphasa lumina lupina plant in Tibet. This bite transmitted the werewolf curse to him, setting in motion the tragic events that follow.

Foreshadowing: During his Tibet expedition, Glendon encounters the creature despite warnings from Dr. Yogami about the dangers of the region.

  • werewolf curse
  • tibet
  • bitten
  • transformation
  • glendon
Q2

What is the Mariphasa plant and why does it matter?

The Mariphasa lumina lupina is a rare flower that draws its strength from moonlight. Glendon believed it could revolutionize natural science, but Dr. Yogami reveals it can serve as a temporary antidote for werewolfism, making it the only known cure for the curse.

Foreshadowing: Glendon's obsession with the plant begins during his expedition when he seizes a specimen despite being attacked.

  • mariphasa
  • moon flower
  • antidote
  • cure
  • plant
Q3

Why did Glendon refuse to give Yogami the Mariphasa blossoms?

Glendon refused because he misunderstood the scope of the danger. Yogami warned that the first of four nights around the full moon would trigger the werewolves to transform if left untreated, but Glendon believed he could handle the situation himself and did not realize the deadly stakes involved.

Foreshadowing: Yogami's warning that werewolves kill what they love most foreshadows the tragedy to come.

  • yogami
  • blossoms
  • refuse
  • danger
  • full moon
Q4

How does the Mariphasa plant reverse werewolf transformation?

When a Mariphasa blossom opens under moonlight, its sap can reverse the werewolf transformation. Glendon discovers this firsthand when his hand begins growing fur under his moon lamp; he cuts the blossom and applies its sap, watching the fur disappear and his human form return.

Foreshadowing: The first bloom under the moon lamp confirms the plant's power, though the effect is temporary.

  • sap
  • reversal
  • transformation
  • moonlight
  • flower
Q5

Why did the werewolf kill a stranger instead of attacking Lisa?

When Glendon transformed and pursued Lisa, Aunt Ettie Coombes screamed in fright, which startled and scattered the werewolf's attention. Rather than continuing after Lisa, Glendon settled for killing a random woman walking in the street.

Foreshadowing: Ettie's presence at the party becomes crucial, as her scream saves Lisa but leads to another victim's death.

  • etta
  • kill
  • stranger
  • lisa
  • scream
Q6

What happened at the London Zoo during Glendon's transformation?

With the last Mariphasa blossom not yet open, Glendon locked himself in a rented room but broke out after transforming. He sneaked into the London Zoo, freed a wolf from its enclosure, and killed a woman who had come for a nocturnal tryst with the nightwatchman, demonstrating the monster he had become.

Foreshadowing: Glendon's inability to control himself during transformations drives him to seek isolation.

  • zoo
  • wolf
  • kill
  • night
  • transformation
Q7

Who was the second werewolf in London?

Dr. Yogami himself was one of the two werewolves in London, having been bitten by another werewolf. The discovery of a dead chambermaid in Yogami's hotel room and his possession of used Mariphasa blossoms led Colonel Forsythe to realize there were two werewolves at large.

Foreshadowing: Yogami's insistence that he knows two werewolves in London and his desperate need for the plant reveal his own condition.

  • yogami
  • second werewolf
  • chambermaid
  • discovery
Q8

Why did Yogami steal the Mariphasa blossoms?

Yogami stole the blossoms because he needed them to control his own werewolf transformations. Without the antidote, he would turn into a werewolf and kill, as the lore states that werewolves must kill someone each night they transform or they will not revert to human form.

Foreshadowing: Yogami's knowledge of werewolf lore and his urgency to obtain the plant hint at his own cursed state.

  • yogami
  • steal
  • blossoms
  • antidote
  • lycanthropy
Q9

How did Glendon die and turn back into a human?

During the final confrontation at Falden Abbey, Colonel Forsythe shot Glendon as he closed in on Lisa. Upon death, Glendon reverted to his human form, revealing the tragic truth of what he had become. Forsythe then decided to report the death as an accidental shooting to protect Lisa.

Foreshadowing: The final Mariphasa blossom finally opens just as the tragedy reaches its climax.

  • death
  • revert
  • human
  • forsythe
  • shot
Q10

Why was Paul able to recognize Glendon as the werewolf?

Despite Glendon's transformed state, Paul recognized him during the attack at Falden Abbey. Though the film does not specify exactly how, Paul's familiarity with Glendon as a family friend and his prior suspicions allowed him to identify the werewolf despite the monstrous form.

Foreshadowing: Paul's earlier investigation and conversations with Forsythe about the werewolf attacks prepared him to recognize the truth.

  • paul
  • recognize
  • werewolf
  • attack
  • falden abbey
Q11

Why must werewolves kill during transformation?

According to the lore in the film, werewolves must kill someone each night they transform, or they will not revert to human form. This curse creates the deadly ticking clock that drives much of the film's tension, as both Glendon and Yogami race against the full moon.

Foreshadowing: Yogami explains this rule to Glendon, establishing the stakes for the antidote search.

  • kill
  • revert
  • curse
  • transformation
  • must kill

Movie threads

More Movies Like Werewolf of London, by Mood & Story

Curated lists built around what makes Werewolf of London tick: the same mood, the same kind of story or the same emotional payoff. Each list explains why these movies belong together.

Classic monster tragedies like Werewolf of London

Stories of cursed individuals grappling with the beast within. If you liked the tragic, classic monster horror of Werewolf of London, these movies explore similar themes of cursed transformation and the heartbreaking struggle against an uncontrollable inner beast, often set in gothic, atmospheric worlds.

  • tragic
  • gothic
  • somber
  • suspenseful
  • fatalistic
  • atmospheric
  • Tone: dark, tragic
  • Pacing: steady, methodical
Why these movies?

The story pattern: Stories in this thread typically follow a protagonist who, through scientific hubris or ill fate, becomes a monster. The narrative structure is often a steady, downward spiral as they seek a cure while their humanity slips away, culminating in a bleak and devastating finale.

Why they belong together: These movies are grouped by their shared focus on the tragedy of metamorphosis, the gothic mood, a methodical pacing that builds dread, and a dark tone that sees the monster not just as a threat, but as a victim of their own circumstances.

Atmospheric gothic horror like Werewolf of London

Where scientific curiosity in a shadowy world leads to ruin. Find movies with a similar gothic feel and theme of doomed ambition to Werewolf of London. These stories feature protagonists whose scientific endeavors in a shadowy world lead to tragic consequences and a palpable sense of dread.

  • gothic
  • atmospheric
  • somber
  • fatalistic
  • suspenseful
  • anxious
  • Tone: dark, somber
  • Pacing: steady, atmospheric
Why these movies?

The story pattern: The narrative pattern involves an intelligent, often obsessive protagonist who ventures into dangerous territory, ignoring warnings. Their discovery creates a problem they cannot solve, leading to a chain of events that confirms the film's fatalistic worldview. Pacing is steady, building tension through atmosphere rather than action.

Why they belong together: Movies here share a key combination: a gothic or moody setting, a central theme of ambition leading to destruction, a steady and atmospheric pacing that cultivates dread, and a consistently dark, tragic tone.

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Movies Like Werewolf of London

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Every angle

Werewolf of London (1935) Explained: Plot, Timeline & Characters

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