Frankenstein's Bloody Terror

Spain - Germany / 1968 Directed by Enrique López Eguiluz Starring Paul Naschy Manuel Manzaneque Julián Ugarte Color / 91 Minutes / Not Rated Format: DVD (R1 - NTSC) Shriek Show

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Paul Naschy's Memoirs of a Wolf Man

		Review by Brian Lindsey

5     9   10 = Highest Rating

Seeking treasure one night, a drunken gypsy couple ransacks the family crypt of the deserted, dilapidated Castle Wolfstein. A corpse that should be thoroughly decayed but isn't — that of the notorious Imre Wolfstein, whom legend says was cursed — is found with a valuable silver crucifix-dagger buried in its chest. The weapon is removed, and before you can say "Lycanthrope!" the dead man comes to life sprouting fangs and fur. The werewolf kills the gypsies and takes off into the countryside.     Waldemar Daninsky (Paul Naschy) knows something of the Wolfstein family history and the dark legends surrounding it. After hearing of a fatal attack on the local populace he goes to the Wolfstein crypt, discovering the bodies of the gypsies and the holy weapon they foolishly removed in their greed. When the men of the area organize a wolf hunt to kill the prowling beast, Daninsky brings the crucifix-dagger with him in addition to his rifle. He alone realizes that the predator they seek is no ordinary wolf.     Daninsky and the others are joined in the hunt by Rudolph (Manuel Manzaneque), a well-heeled member of the local gentry and rival of Waldemar for the affections of comely Janice (Dyanik Zurakowska). Rudolph is attacked by the werewolf but Waldemar gallantly intervenes to save his life, using the crucifix-dagger to slay the monster — and unfortunately gets bitten for his trouble. Daninsky knows that he is cursed, that he, too, will become a werewolf. A grateful Rudolph promises to do all he can to help. The now human corpse of Imre Wolfstein is secretly returned to its tomb and no one is told of Waldemar's wound. While Rudolph seeks out a cure or some kind of treatment Daninsky can only await the inevitable, his thoughts turning to suicide. At the next rising of the full moon he transforms into a slathering, frenzied were-beast, snapping the chains Rudolph has restrained him with and escaping into the forest. That night he bursts into the cottage of a woodsman and savagely slaughters the man and his daughter. A despairing, blood-spattered Waldemar returns in the morning, begging Rudolph to shoot him with silver bullets before he can harm anyone else.     Okay... So where the heck does Frankenstein fit into all this? The answer: nowhere. It's a cheat. Originally called La Marca Del Hombre Lobo ("Mark of the Wolf Man"), the film's title was changed to Frankenstein's Bloody Terror by Independent International's Sam Sherman for release in the U.S. — only because Sherman had earlier promised distributors a Frankenstein movie and suddenly found himself unable to deliver. (It's a fairly complicated story that Sherman recounts in full on the DVD commentary track; see below.) But despair not! Baron Frankenstein and his creation may be missing in action but that doesn't mean the flick doesn't become a 'monster rally' of sorts regardless. A doctor who claims he can treat lycanthropy is sent for and arrives soon thereafter with shapely wife in tow. Strangely, the tall, thin and very pale physician, Dr. Janos Mikhelov (Julián Ugarte), doesn't even look 40 although he should be much, much older... Turns out he's a vampire, as is his wife (Aurora de Alba). They have no intention of curing Waldemar, instead planning to use him for their own nefarious purposes. (Whatever those might be... The movie never explains what they want with him.) Before long Janice and Rudolph fall under the undead couple's hypnotic spell; the Mikhelovs even resurrect Imre Wolfstein a second time, keeping him chained in the castle's dungeon with Waldemar. If you think this is setting up some werewolf vs. werewolf/werewolf vs. vampire action for the climax, you'd be right.     Conspicuously old fashioned, this isn't a particularly engaging horror flick; the pacing is rather flaccid in spots and, with the original European footage restored, it takes a while for anything to happen. What it does have going for it is an overabundance of great gothic atmosphere (especially once the vampires arrive — cue the fog machines and Bava-style lighting effects!) and Naschy's terrifically physical performance as the Wolf Man. This marked the first time Naschy (AKA Jacinto Molina) played the cursed Waldemar Daninsky, a character he'd reprise many times in films such as Werewolf Shadow, Curse of the Devil and Night of the Werewolf. It's an auspicious debut, as Naschy — who wrote the screenplay but initially had no plans to star — throws himself into the role full-bore whenever in werewolf get-up. His exuberant, energetic portrayal more than compensates for the lack of a Frankenstein Monster.     Frankenstein's Bloody Terror doesn't feature any of the nudity or gore seen in later Naschy/Daninsky titles but aficionados of the old Universal classics and Hammer horrors should find it a pleasant enough diversion. I certainly did. For Naschy fans, of course, his werewolf debut is a must-see.

For its new DVD — the first time the film has ever been available on legitimate home video here in the U.S. — Shriek Show has put together a most satisfying release. The print used for the anamorphic widescreen (2.35:1) transfer has been assembled from different sources; footage initially excised for American release was restored from European elements. While this results in fluctuations in picture quality from time to time the differences are actually quite trivial, amounting to little more than a somewhat softer image and slightly muted colors. Instances of print damage crop up here and there throughout but in the aggregate are also minor. In general, for a forgotten foreign film that played on drive-in double bills and UHF station 'creature feature' broadcasts some 30 years ago it looks pretty good. (Most importantly, we get to see it in its correct aspect ratio.) As for sound, the disc's digital mono audio track — English dub only — is adequate to the task, if a tad low during moments of hushed dialog. I noticed some background hiss now and again but it's nothing too distracting.     The relative obscurity of Frankenstein's Bloody Terror didn't prevent Shriek Show from compiling a surprising number of worthy extras. Chief among these are an interview featurette with Paul Naschy and a commentary track by Independent International honcho Sam Sherman. Interview With a Werewolf (28 min.) is a recent sit-down with the multitalented Naschy, who holds forth on a fairly wide range of issues associated with the film and his career in general; he also touches on his favorite non-Naschy werewolf movies, which naturally include the classic Universals with Lon Chaney Jr. but also Hammer's Curse of the Werewolf and John Landis' An American Werewolf in London. For his part Sherman provides yet another of his entertaining, informative commentaries — you certainly don't get long stretches of dead air with this guy! (Okay, maybe once... for about two minutes tops.) He lays out the convoluted story behind Independent International's acquisition/distribution of the film for American audiences, the changing of the title and the addition of the goofy "Frankenstein" prologue this entailed, his formula for what constitutes a good horror movie and his opinion of Naschy as a performer. (Sherman considers him to be the cinema's best Wolf Man.) On top of all this he tells a lengthy anecdote, lasting a good 25 minutes or so, about the disastrous attempt to develop and market a 3-D version of Frankenstein's Bloody Terror.     While the Naschy piece and Sherman's commentary constitute the meat and potatoes of the disc's extras there are also some tasty side dishes at hand: the original U.S. theatrical trailer and TV commercial, three radio spots, a reel of deleted scenes (never dubbed into English), alternate opening credits, and an image gallery of photos and promotional art. An Easter Egg hidden on the Extras menu screen plays humorous outtakes of a radio spot recording session. ("You wanted 'scarifying', right?") Liner notes written by DVD Drive-in's George Reis complete the package.     It's all good, as the saying goes, but unfortunately I must deduct a point from my DVD Rating due to some VERY sloppy typos throughout the supplemental materials, notably the English subtitles in the Naschy interview. Lon Chaney's character in the Universal films of the '40s is repeatedly displayed as "Larry Stewart" even though Naschy is clearly saying "Talbot"... Obviously, whoever prepared these subs isn't really a monster fan! 11/08/05

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