The evil Mary Lou Summers
| “ | You were perfect, Ted. I couldn't have made a better choice. | „ |
| ~ Cheryl's reveal as Mary Lou Summers in Howling: New Moon Rising |
Mary Lou Summers (Elizabeth Shé and Cheryl Allen) was the main villainess from Howling V and Howling: New Moon Rising.
Introduction[]
In Howling V, Mary Lou Summers was introduced as part of a group of random people who all came together in a castle in Budapest that had been closed for 500 years. The host of the gathering, Count Isht Van Bezeli, revealed that they were all descendants of a family that occupied the castle back then and had all committed suicide, while a baby who carried the werewolf curse survived. Because of this, one of the descendants is a werewolf, and he or she had been killing the others one by one.
In the film's climax, Mary Lou was torn between shooting the Count or her own husband, David, after the Count suggested that David could be the werewolf. However, Mary Lou spares her husband and kills the Count, and she embraced David, who assured Mary Lou that werewolves don't exist.
Heel Turn[]
Mary Lou's heel turn in the end of Howling V
In a twist ending, Mary Lou turned heel in the film's final scene by flashing an evil smile as soon as the full moon appeared, revealing herself as the werewolf and killing David (offscreen). She resurfaced in Howling: New Moon Rising under a different name, Cheryl, and continued her villainous activities as a werewolf. As part of her plan, Cheryl used her powers of mind control to force Marie Adams (originally the protagonist of Howling IV) to lure Ted Smith, an Australian drifter, to the town, where he would be set up and framed as the werewolf.
Cheryl's plan succeeds, as Ted ended up accused of being the werewolf, and in the film's climax, Cheryl encounters Ted and takes her to her home for safety. It was there, however, that Cheryl revealed her heel persona and true identity as Mary Lou Summers, and she boasted to Ted about her evil plan to frame him as the werewolf.
Death[]
Werewolf Mary Lou bursting through her front door, unleashing her heel persona
| “ | Well, aren't we smart? But do you really think you can kill me with that little gun, Inspector? | „ |
| ~ Mary Lou's last line before turning into a werewolf |
The reveal cemented Mary Lou's heel turn in Howling V, and it was indicated that an actual Cheryl existed, but Mary Lou killed her and assumed her identity, while she also cryptically admitted to using Marie and killing her as well. Mary Lou planned to kill Ted with her shotgun, but when she fired, it was revealed that the gun was loaded with blanks, part of a set up by Ted and a local detective.
The detective later emerged and stated that he had known about Cheryl's true identity and that Mary Lou saving Ted confirmed his suspicions. At that moment, the evil Mary Lou transformed into a werewolf after opening the curtains and seeing the full moon in the night sky. After her villainous transformation, Mary Lou busted through her front door, but as she did, several townspeople shot and killed the villainess with silver bullets.
Gallery[]
