Leon: “Father, the bullet. Pepe the watchman has a silver bullet. Get it and use it. Use it on me, father! You must use it — do you hear? You must use it! You must!”
Of course, many will immediately think of Universal’s iconic monster movie The Wolf Man (1941) and its entertaining sequels featuring Lon Chaney Jr. upon reading the title of this two pronged piece, but it definitely isn’t shocking to believe that there are many more horror movies featuring the iconic lycanthrope. Highlighting two very different pictures here, British studio Hammer released Terence Fisher’s The Curse of the Werewolf in 1961, while ten years later in 1971, Spanish spookster Paul Naschy wrote and starred in The Werewolf Versus the Vampire Woman.
The Hammer classic starts off in a rather unique way, following a Beggar (Richard Wordsworth) who unluckily falls into the hands of a sinister Spanish nobleman, The Marques Siniestro (Anthony Dawson – one year before appearing in the first James Bond film Dr. No). . . jailing him for years for no good reason. Relying on the mercy of his jailer and mute Servant Daughter (Yvonne Romain – Night Creatures), she sadly eventually dies birthing a son (by rape) on Christmas Day. . . an old legend from the Spanish region suggests that a curse will befall any child born of these circumstances. Supposedly, lore also suggests that only pure love can calm the soul of a cursed werewolf.
Eventually growing of age and leaving the home of his caring adopted parents Alfredo (Clifford Evans – The Kiss of the Vampire) and Teresa (Hira Talfrey), Leon (Oliver Reed – Night Creatures; Burnt Offerings) heads off into his unknown future thinking he is an ordinary kid (other than remembering a few weird dreams as a child and having his parents fasten sturdy metal bars on his bedroom window).
Finding a job as a bottler in a nearby wine factory, it does not take long for him to fall in love with his boss’s striking daughter Cristina (Catherine Feller) – who has already been betrothed to a wealthy nobleman in the area. For the first time away from home and his loving parents, will Leon be able to live an honourable life and keep his unknown affliction under wraps? Also, will he be able to woo the already engaged Cristina? And, if something wolfish does rear its ugly head, can Cristina’s love help cure the bestial curse that hides just below the surface?
Like many other Hammer horror movies, The Curse of the Werewolf pops thanks to its uses of colour and cinematography. Setting up some intriguing folklore to match the punchy visuals, it of course ties into many of the same roots started by the Curt Siodmak written Universal original (the full moon causing the violent change, silver killing the creature, Et al.), its equally as tragic narrative creates a newly touching backstory which departs from the 1941 feature, building effective new ground. And though it might not be the most haunting Hammer horror film, it will certainly hold your attention.
Dr. Hartwig – Coroner: “Everyone believes that he is a werewolf, right? If we believe the legend, by removing the bullets that caused his death, he can come back to life. Let’s see.”
Funnily enough, love plays an integral part in León Klimovsky’s 1971 flick The Werewolf Versus the Vampire Woman as well. With the ability to watch the movie in three different versions (the ‘Clothed’ Spanish Theatrical Version; the International Export ‘Nude’ Version; or the now considered Integral ‘Nude’ Spanish Version. . . which was not done by the original director or producers, but infuses the two releases together to make a superior extended cut – the one reviewed here), it follows two women, the spookily named Elvira (Gaby Fuchs) and her best friend and fellow researcher Genevieve Bennett (Barbara Capell) as they search for the hidden tomb of a supposed fifteenth century witchy vampire named Countess Wandesa Dárvula de Nadasdy (Patty Shepard – Rest in Pieces) that they would like to write an academic paper on.
It could be said that they have no sense for danger, as not only do they awaken the above mentioned cantankerous vampire, but when they first get to the secluded countryside, they get aid in the form of a tortured werewolf named Waldemar Daninsky (Naschy – Count Dracula’s Great Love), who has recently been resurrected by the overly confident Coroner Dr. Hartwig (Julio Peña) – who removes the silver bullet from the beast and accidentally revives him (see the quote that opens this second review). This was actually the fifth time Naschy played the Daninsky werewolf character.
Despite already being in a serious relationship with jet-setting Inspector Marcel (Andrés Resino – The Murder Mansion), Elvira quickly falls for the tortured soul living in the dilapidated powerless home in the middle of nowhere . . . while Genevieve promptly does her own falling – except with her it’s for the toothy vampire (she must be into older women).
As the full moon soon approaches for the tortured soul, and the vicious vampire starts to do a number on the local village that holds most of the ancestors who helped entomb her, will Elvira stick with her conservative man, decide to follow her animal instincts and go for the moony bad boy, or get seduced by some old school vampiric charm? One also has to wonder if there is any hope in ever saving a cursed werewolf. . . or, for that matter, her newly fanged friend Genevieve?
Though not as polished as the Hammer feature (they’re clearly not using the same high quality toothpaste), The Werewolf Versus the Vampire Woman has some charm thanks to its rather mesmeric eerie vibe that doesn’t always feel sharp or crisp, but instead like you’re wandering through an otherworldly fugue state along with the hypnotized characters (slow mo is often utilized to achieve this atmospheric sense). Released ten years later, it pushes the boundaries quite a bit more, much like the Hammer horror movies started to do in the 1970s.
A playful double feature for fans of werewolves, The Curse of the Werewolf (celebrating its 65th anniversary this year) is surprisingly the only werewolf movie Hammer ever produced, while it is also worth noting that Desmond Llewelyn, who would soon become the beloved Q in the first of his seventeen James Bond movies, has a very quick one line cameo. As for The Werewolf Versus the Vampire Woman (itself celebrating its 55th anniversary), it was a massive hit in Spain, much more so than the Hammer feature was in its native England. So, scratch the dust off these two horror movies and take a stroll through a couple of moonlit European landscapes.
The Werewolf Versus the Vampire Woman is in Spanish with English subtitles