The Curse of the Werewolf Hammer Horror Series

U.K. / 1961 Directed by Terence Fisher Starring Oliver Reed Clifford Evans Catherine Feller Color / 93 Minutes / Not Rated Format: DVD (R1 - NTSC/ 2-disc set) Universal Home Video

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9     8   10 = Highest Rating   Guest Review by Troy Howarth

• A look at one of the films in the Hammer Horror Series • DVD Rating is for entire set

A hapless young man (Oliver Reed) discovers that he is a werewolf, but tries desperately to suppress his baser instincts...     Adapted from Guy Endore's The Werewolf of Paris, and relocated to Spain to accommodate some Spanish sets Hammer had built for an abandoned project about the Inquisition, Curse of the Werewolf has the feel of a mini-epic. The story stretches over a number of years in the space of 93 minutes, and director Terence Fisher keeps things interesting throughout. Fisher's long-held desire to make a love story really comes to the fore in this film — it definitely has the feel of a tragic romance, with the story even going so far as to stipulate that "only true love" can keep Reed from changing into a savage beast. Fisher and screenwriter "John Elder" (a pen name for producer Anthony Hinds, who didn't want to seem like he was doing all the work) make the parallels between lycanthropy and repressed sexuality very bold-faced in the film — Reed even changes at one point while visiting a brothel. Despite the claims of some revisionist film buffs, the film is not an anti-Catholic picture. True, Reed's character is, in a sense, cursed by God — being the bastard son born of violence on Christmas day — but the Church is represented in the film by a kindly, if impotent, priest (John Gabriel) who does his best to help. If anything, the film suggests that the Church is powerless to stop the damage caused by a corrupt aristocracy (embodied by the Dawson character), thus making it into another of Hammer's many colonialist parables.     If the film has a flaw, it lies in its episodic structure, a common problem in many a Hammer film. The prologue is strong, but one is left wondering how the Don Carido character (played by Clifford Evans) is able to narrate it since it occurs long before he enters the story. Many of the supporting characters are wheeled in for show, but are given very little to do. The fact that the film is also nearly two-thirds of the way through before Reed even appears is also problematic. Reed, even at this stage of his career (he was 22 years old when the film was shot), is a charismatic presence and the film benefits from this because, quite frankly, the script doesn't give him nearly enough to do. The relationship between him and Christina (Catherine Feller) also lacks the necessary passion, even if Fisher tries desperately to lend it the appropriate air of romanticism.     In terms of production values, the film is most impressive. Bernard Robinson's sets are richly detailed and belie the film's low budget origins. Arthur Grant's cinematography is uncommonly colorful and imaginative — a capable, if somewhat pedestrian, cinematographer, his work always suffered in comparison to the wonderfully imaginative work of Jack Asher, but here he acquits himself well enough. Benjamin Frankel, in a rare assignment for the studio, contributes a thrilling soundtrack. Costumes are also nicely rendered, again helping to create the impression of money on the screen where there really isn't any. The icing on the cake is Roy Ashton's werewolf makeup, which is possibly the most impressive of its kind ever devised. The gray toned werewolf is a legitimately frightening creation, helped in no small measure by Reed's feral performance. Some critics have bemoaned Fisher's decision to keep the werewolf off-screen, barring the occasional shadowy glimpse, until the last reel — this is basically common sense when it comes to making a "monster" movie, lest the creature become boring through overuse, and is very much the same mentality that drove George Waggner when he made The Wolf Man in 1941.     The cast is first rate, though some critics love to nitpick the fact that this Spanish-set film is burdened with a variety of English accents. True, the film is set in Spain, but the fairy tale approach renders any attempt at "realism" moot. In all honesty, it would be no less ludicrous to have the characters speaking English with faux-Spanish accents — only having them speaking in Spanish with English subtitles would really satisfy the demands for realism. In any event, the film is not unique in this department — few Hammer horrors were actually set in England, yet virtually none of them strove for absolute realism; I might add that the same can be said of the Universal horrors of the '30s and '40s, as well. In any event, the cast includes a number of familiar faces from other Hammer films. Exactly why Hammer opted to cast little known Clifford Evans in the central role of Reed's adoptive father is unknown — surely it would have made better sense, commercially, to put Peter Cushing in the part? That being said, Evans, who later toplined the superb Kiss of the Vampire, does an excellent job in the role. He manages to come across as likable, humorous and ultimately deeply concerned without overacting. In his first leading role, Oliver Reed makes a tremendous impression. He's charismatic enough to make for a credible romantic lead, but Reed also goes all out to convey the tortured nature of the character and really throws himself into the more athletic aspects of the role later when he goes on the rampage (barring one or two shots, it seems that the young actor did all his own stunts). Catherine Feller (who, for some reason, does seem to be trying for a vague Spanish accent) is an unusual choice for a Hammer leading lady, not being particularly big in the bosom department nor a conventional beauty, but she does as well as her underdeveloped character will allow. Yvonne Romain (Circus of Horrors), a far more conventional eye-catching Hammer starlet, gives one of her better performances as Reed's ill-fated mother — reason being, she plays a mute so she never has to struggle with any pesky dialogue. The most vivid impression, however, is made by Anthony Dawson (Dr. No) as the corrupt Marques Siniestro. His syphyllis-scarred degenerate is one of the most despicable villains in the Hammer canon, and the wonderfully reptilian Dawson plays the role for everything it is worth. Other familiar faces include Warren Mitchell (The Crawling Eye), Michael Ripper (Dracula Has Risen from the Grave), George Woodbridge (Horror of Dracula), Peter Sallis (Taste the Blood of Dracula) and Alister Williamson (The Oblong Box). Francis De Wolff (The Two Faces of Dr. Jekyll) and Desmond Llewellyn (Q in the James Bond films) make unbilled appearances.

Universal's release of Curse of The Werewolf (Hammer Horror Series Disc 1, Side A) is most satisfactory. The 1.85/16x9 image looks very good. Framing appears to be correct, print quality is very good (barring some rocky opticals here and there), and colors are appropriately vivid. The film retains the restored footage uncovered for MCA's VHS and laser disc releases, which had been cut from the U.S. theatrical prints, most notably a spectacular squib shot to Reed's chest at the end of the film. The mono English soundtrack is crisp and clear, with Frankel's music coming across especially well. Extras are nonexistent. 9/14/05

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