nightwerewolf

PAUL NASCHY T-SHIRTS
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(1981)
aka THE CRAVING, THE RETURN OF THE WOLFMAN
Directed by Paul Naschy
Starring Paul Naschy, Julia Saly, Silvia Aguilar, Azucena Hernández, Beatriz Elorrieta, Rafael Hernández
Pepe Ruiz, Ricardo Palacios, Narciso Ibáñez Menta, Pilar Alcón

The very first Paul Naschy werewolf movie was NIGHT OF THE HOWLING BEAST (1975), which remained my favorite of his Daninsky films. Until now. I was in a mood for some carnivorous lunar activities over one weekend and decided that I needed to watch one of Naschy’s werewolf films. So I had picked FURY OF THE WOLFMAN (1972), since it had been a while since I’d seen it. Of course, as much as I love Naschy’s work, it’s not one of his better films, rumored to be due to the director. So my craving just wasn’t satisfied with that one, so I grabbed another one: NIGHT OF THE WERWOLF, appropriately also known as THE CRAVING.

I had seen this movie under the American released title THE CRAVING years ago, and also watched the incredible looking DVD release from Demios Entertainment under the title NIGHT OF THE WEREWOLF title when it first was released. But while watching this recently, it must have been one of those "just at the right time" thing because the film just blew me away this time, and is now my favorite of his many Daninsky films.

The original title was EL RETORNO DEL HOMBRE-LOBO (THE RETURN OF THE WOLFMAN), but was called THE CRAVING when it hit theaters here in the states as well as when Vestron released it on video. So it was one that was pretty available to horror fans, though the version that we were watching might not have been the best presentation.

Back in 1971, Naschy wrote and starred in LA NOCHE DE WALPURGIS (aka WEREWOLF SHADOW, BLOOD MOON, and WEREWOLF VS THE VAMPIRE WOMEN). It was directed by Leon Klimovsky and tells the story of some young women who are searching for the tomb of Countess Wandessa, thought to be a murderous vampire from medieval times. During their search, they come across Waldemar Daninsky, who says he can help them. But one of the women accidentally revives the Countess, who starts her plan of world domination. But she didn’t count on the fact that Daninsky is a werewolf!

The film was a great success and a very entertaining film. But Naschy wasn’t completely satisfied with the finished product. So it was ten years later when he wrote EL RETORNO DEL HOMBRE-LOBO, which though not technically a remake, it has a very similar theme and plot, but directed it himself this time.

The film is about three young female students who are searching for the tomb of the infamous Countess Elisabeth Bathory. She had been accused of witchcraft, vampirism, cannibalism, and sorcery, and was sentenced to death for her crimes. Also accused and sentenced were her many accomplices, including Waldemar Daninsky, who was said to turn into a wolf during the full moon. He was a helpless pawn and was under the control of the Countess. Back to modern day, one of the students, Erikia, has her own reasons behind searching for Bathory’s tomb. She plans to awaken the dead countess for her own personal needs.

On their way to the castle ruins, the girls are attacked by some local thugs. But they are saved by the crossbow of a mysterious stranger. This turns out to be Daninsky, who had been unknowingly revived by a couple of grave robbing thieves. He tries to warn them to stay away from the ruins, but Erika will have nothing of it, determined to continue her evil plans.

There are many reasons to watch this film. The first being it’s a Paul Naschy film! DUH! But not just that, it’s also one of his best made and best looking of his films. If you are a fan of Hammer Films and their gothic look and feel to them, then you will love this one, since it follows those same themes to a T. You have some beautiful women, most of which are turned into vampires. You have a resurrected zombie guard that almost looks like an extra from a Blind Dead. All of this, set around a beautifully decrepit old castle ruins.

This is one of the things that made me fall in love with Spanish horror films: The locations. Shooting these films in these ruin castles, the mountainous landscapes, the fog enshrouded forests, all fill this viewer with such nostalgia and makes me feel like a little kid again.

And of course, you have Naschy’s werewolf. The makeup and look of the werewolf here is one of the finest jobs you could see. And as always, Naschy’s performance of the hairy beastie is top of the line. Playing with such energy and enthusiasm, he shows why a werewolf is not one to mess with. Brutal and savage, this is one creature that cannot be bargained or reasoned with. He will simply tear you apart.

Julia Saly stars as the evil Countess, and had worth with Naschy on many movies like INQUISITION (1976), THE PEOPLE WHO OWN THE DARK (1976), HUMAN BEASTS (1980), PANIC BEATS (1983), BEAST AND THE MAGIC SWORD (1983), OPERATION MANTIS (1984), ULTIMATE KAMIKAZE (1984) and MY FRIEND THE VAGABOND (1984). She also appeared in Amando de Ossorio’s DEMON WITCH CHILD (1975) and his fourth Blind Dead film NIGHT OF THE SEAGULLS (1975).

If you still haven’t experience any of Naschy’s work, or especially any of his werewolf films, then this is a great one to start with. It was released on DVD here in the states under the title NIGHT OF THE WEREWOLF and was also even released as a double feature DVD with Naschy’s VENGEANCE OF THE ZOMBIES. You really can’t go wrong with this one, folks. Trust me.