Review of The Curse of the Werewolf (1961) by Byron B — 22 Jan 2019

Part of an 8 film set of Hammer horror. The Universal Wolf Man movies were less gothic than the Dracula or Frankenstein films. Hammer remains more consistent by doing a werewolf story that keeps to the Gothic style for which they exceed.

So there is nothing adapted from the Lon Chaney Jr. version. IMDb does list a novel by Guy Endore as inspiration for the screenplay. 18th Century Spain is the setting. There is a lengthy prologue to explain the birth of a "cursed" baby who quickly becomes adopted and later shows signs of being a werewolf.

There is a political message about a harsh and cruel authority keeping the poor down. The reason for the "curse" is such nonsense. Leon is a boy for a small chunk of time as well. The movie feels much longer than it is, makes you wait forever to finally see Oliver Reed as Leon (an actor who I don't particularly care for, though he is vibrant and snarling here), and then it is so late in the movie when the Werewolf finally appears.

I was so impatient and bored by most of the slow moving drama. All the English actors doing Spanish impersonations and the less than impressive werewolf makeup once it was actually given screen time left me unimpressed.