10. The Curse of the Werewolf
Hammer delivers a strong entry into werewolf lore with 1961’s The Curse of the Werewolf.
Leon is a young orphan whose mother was sexually assaulted by a feral man in prison. Leon’s mother dies after giving birth to him on Christmas Day, which to his mother is unlucky because he will become a werewolf. Leon becomes an orphan looked after by Alfredo Corledo and his housekeeper Teresa.
Leon soon starts changing into a monster who kills the villages goats, which a dog is blamed, Alfredo hides Leon’s monster nature hoping that it will never return.
Leon now thirteen years older, leaves his home for work. Leon decides to work in a wine cellar and falls in love with the owner’s daughter, Cristina. Leon, is fearful of marrying Cristina however and joins his Jose to a brothel.
At the brothel Leon transforms into a werewolf and kills a woman of the night. Leon also kills Jose and is locked in jail for murder.
Leon can’t be contained however as the werewolf soon is unleashed on the village.
A solid entry in Hammer’s horror film cannon, The Curse of the Werewolf is a winning film with stellar direction by Terence Fisher, moody production design and a powerful performance by Oliver Reed as Leon. The gothic take on werewolf lore is fun, even if some of the elements of the script do not make much sense. I am still not sure why a baby born on Christmas is cursed, maybe it has to do with who the father of the child is? I don’t know it’s never explained.
The werewolf transformation is awesome, and although there is only about 10 minutes of werewolf mayhem, it is effective and brutal. I have been watching a lot of Hammer films as of late and what I truly think sets them apart is not only the atmosphere they create but the stellar casting. In The Curse of the Werewolf all involved bring their A-game and deliver a truly special horror film.
The Curse of the Werewolf rips into a brand new 4K scan from Shout Factory. The video presentation is outstanding with all the elements as clear as a full moon. The make-up effects are truly mesmerizing in the film, enhanced by a new coat of paint.
The Curse of the Werewolf delivers an ear shattering howl of effectiveness. The dialogue is crystal clear and the macabre sounds of a werewolf terrorizing villagers is awesome.
The Curse of the Werewolf gets the Collector’s Edition treatment from Scream Factory which means it is absolutely packed with great interviews and commentaries.
Commentary: Actress Yvonne Romain and special effects artist Mike Hill sit down for a breezy, fun commentary.
Commentary: the always enjoyable film historian Constantine Nasr is joined by fellow historian Steve Haberman. The duo give a nice fluid commentary throughout the film.
The Men Who Made Hammer: A fun interview with Richard Klemensen who recounts the work of make-up artist Roy Ashton and his incredible contributions to Hammer Films.
Serial Killer: The work of composer Benjamin Frankel is discussed here, with some fascinating tidbits from his life.
Making of The Curse of the Werewolf: A really great documentary cobbled together from not only video interviews but audio interviews from the cast and crew. They discuss the making of the film and the challenges it presented when it was released.
Lycanthropy: A quick look at werewolves.
Censoring the Werewolf: The 1960’s were a challenging time to make a horror film, and The Curse of the Werewolf had many. A fascinating look at censors and the role the played in releasing films during that time.
Trailers from Hell: John Landis shares his love for The Curse of the Werewolf.
Radio Spot, Theatrical Trailer and Still Gallery
The Curse of the Werewolf was a blind buy that I took a chance on due to its reputation as being a solid werewolf flick. It is and the Scream Factory release is a great one.
Film: B
Video: A+
Audio: A
Extras; A+
Overall: A