Director: Jean Yarbrough
Writers: George Bricker, Dwight V. Babcock
Stars: Don Porter, June Lockhart, Sara Haden
1 Hour, 1 Minute
Link: https://amzn.to/33QIbJd
Synopsis
The inspector has to go to the park. There was a report that a man had been attacked by a werewolf last night. It was not an animal that attacked him. It wasn’t a wolf man, but it was said to be a wolf-woman!
Barry and Phyllis are planning to be married next week. He’s a lawyer, and she’s Mrs. Robinson from “Lost in Space.“
The police are there now, investigating the site of the attack, and they do find a woman’s footprints. Suddenly, Phyllis gets upset and wants to ride away. She’s read about the werewolf, and she thinks it’s all very disturbing. We also find out that she doesn’t like dogs very much, and they don’s seem to like her either.
Meanwhile, Phyllis’s cousin, Carol, is sending notes to a young man of whom her mother, Aunt Martha, does not approve. It turns out Carol and her mother aren’t really related to Phyllis, and since they aren’t family, they don’t have any claim to the house.
That night, Phyllis goes to bed early, and Carol tries to sneak out and see her boyfriend, but gets caught. Meanwhile, the creepy servant sees and hears all.
There’s a scream in the night, and a mysterious woman enters the house late, late at night. Phyllis wakes up with blood on her feet. Her slippers are covered with mud. She thinks she went out last night, but she doesn’t remember it. What has she done? Is it the Allenby curse?
The newspaper says a little boy was killed last night, torn apart by a wild animal less than half a mile from the house. Phyllis gets sick over it. She knows she murdered that little boy. She doesn’t want to see Barry anymore.
Barry and Cousin Carol realize something is going on, but Phyllis denies that anything is wrong. She does confide in Aunt Martha, who says Phyllis is being silly, and that it can’t be true.
Phyllis looks in the mirror, she hears a million dogs barking outside, and then she passes out. A woman leaves the house and goes walking through the fog…
The constables are all out patrolling the park in the fog, rounding up all the dogs. Inspector Latham still thinks it’s a werewolf. The inspector is attacked by the strange woman in the cloak, and she bites him in the throat. He dies after telling the police it was a woman werewolf.
The next morning, Phyllis and Aunt Martha find a torn dress and muddy shoes again. They hear about the dead policeman, and Phyllis knows what she’s done.
Finally, Barry ignores Martha and gets Phyllis to go out with him. She explains how she dreamt she took parts in pagan rites and turned into a wolf.
That night, the police are out again, and this time they’re armed. A woman leaves the house, and this time, Barry is waiting outside and follows her; he sees that it’s Carol. They get separated in the fog. Barry is questioned by the police, and at the same time, another man is attacked not far away. Carol shows up, and the man who was attacked turns out to be Dwight, her boyfriend.
Martha tells Carol that Barry will never marry Phyllis, because she’s insane. Phyllis tells Carol her entire story, and Carol wants to go to the police because she thinks some kind of terrible scam is being perpetrated.
Aunt Martha brings Phyllis more warm milk and wonders if Phyllis will be put into the asylum that very night when the police come for her. Phyllis fogs out and becomes paralyzed. Martha explains that she’s going to kill Phyllis before the police arrive. They would find that she was perfectly sane. The maid, Hannah, listens to all this from outside the door. She admits killing the boy and the inspector in the park. She pulls out a big knife.
Martha hears Hannah and confronts her. She chases her down the steps and falls on the knife. Barry and the police come in and rescue Phyllis. There was no real werewolf; it was all a plot.
Commentary
The “werewolf” wears a long coat and scarf, and doesn’t look anything like a werewolf. Of course, by the end, we find out there really isn’t a werewolf at all, but’s it’s mostly filmed as if there is one, so it’s suspenseful and interesting.
It turns out that it’s not really a monster movie at all but more of a murder mystery. I’m not sure what Martha’s endgame would have been. Was the plan for Phyllis to go to prison for murder or Phyllis being committed, but she even says at the end that Phyllis would be proven sane by the police.
That’s OK, it was still pretty entertaining.