An evil witch brings back to life the infamous Elizabeth Bathory, who was executed several hundred years previously for murdering young women and bathing in their blood.
The Craving, The Night of the Werewolf, Return of the Wolfman, Return of the Werewolf, The Werewolf, Der Werwolf, Возвращение оборотня, The Werwolf, 狼人之夜
Spain16 
Germany16 
USAR USAR Germany Spain USA 
About a mournful himbo werewolf who mopes about how hard it is to be a werewolf while simultaneously enjoying werewolf stuff, like, you know, chomping people. Classic lycanthropic victim card.
The Paul Naschy Collection - Film #4
I feel like every Paul Naschy film, that I’ve seen, starts the same way and ends up having the same plot. The opening takes places hundreds of years before with the execution of some evil dude and woman. Cut to present day and a group of people accidently or purposely resurrect the previously executed and then they run amok for the next hour but not before they sleep with the entire cast of characters.
Same deal here but this time you have Naschy as his popular Waldenar Daninsky werewolf character and that alone is worth the watch. The make up, while b-grade, is quite effective and works well in the gothic settings. Throw in some vampires with this one and have a good time with it.
Three researchers travel to a Hungarian castle to investigate the burial site of Elizabeth Bathory and her disciplines. Upon arriving, they're greeted by a regal nobleman whom they deduce is actually a werewolf but not before one falls for him. The team's head has plans of resurrecting the evil countess and their hairy-by-moonlight host is the only thing snarling in the way...
Golden Age diehard Paul Naschy eschews the slasher frenzy occurring across the Atlantic for another gothic throwback from Spain about twenty years past its prime. His expected staples are in full bloom; himself as the titular monster, ravishing female cast, and his reoccurring Waldemar Daninsky as irresistible ladies man. All by dim candelabra in ornamental interiors as wayward…
One of Paul Naschy's favorites of the Waldemar Daninsky series and the first he directed himself, The Night of the Werewolf adds Countess Elisabeth Bathory (Julia Saly) to the usual mix of hot young chicks wanting to bang and/or save a murderous werewolf. While, even with the addition of Bathory the story hits the most familiar series beats, the accidental (?) theme of women seeking power is an intriguing one.
This time, the nubile young ladies who stumble upon Daninsky (Naschy himself) are scholars from Germany, one of whom is working on a book. Oh, and one of them (Silvia Aguilar as Erika) is planning on murdering the others, and using their blood to resurrect Bathory — as she casually…
”There's only one solution, lots of garlic, garlic even in your BUTT!” 👀
Alright, this is pretty much just a rehash of Horror Rises from the Tomb, but now with Paul Naschy's wolfman instead of his disembodied head, and the Countess Bathory and her sexy vampire underlings are now hanging out in the crypts. Loses some of that hazy/colorful 70's atmospheric vibe I adore so so much, but ratchets up on the monster mash mood. Vamps and werewolves running rampant across the Carpathian mountains, carving up the countryside, and chilling in their castle... what's not to love? It's comfort horror that fits so perfectly on a lazy Sunday morning, simple as that.
Well now I have a favorite Paul Naschy film (yay!) and I’ve only seen 4 (?!) out of the 50999 so maybe that’ll change but I doubt it.
This has vampires, witchcraft, prolonged werewolf transformations, boobies, and well everything else you would like in your gothic horror!
It was awesome..
And bloody.
Back to my usual programming of Eurotrash as I've treated myself to another gloriously campy and bonkers Paul Naschy film. Supposedly the 9th in a series focused on his Waldemar Daninsky character, a noble man from the Medieval era afflicted with the curse of lycanthropy. This is also considered a loose remake of his 1971 film The Werewolf vs Vampire Woman.
Here old Waldemar is executed alongside Elizabeth Bathory then resurrected in 1981 by two different parties of peeps (bumbling thieves and gorgeous women). Waldemar tries to mingle with these ladies (as Naschy normally does) while trying to come to terms with his full moon savagery, and Bathory assembles her army of vampires because she's totally evil. They eventually duke…
Classic styled werewolf horror from the great Paul Naschy. This makes up part of the "Hombre Lobo" cycle and came rather late on. The film begins with the execution of Elizabeth Bathory and Naschy's werewolf character. We then skip forward several hundred years and some smart young ladies are looking to resurrect the pair. Most of the action takes place in a big Gothic castle which makes for an absolutely great setting. As with most Paul Naschy films, this one is very much along the lines of classic camp Hammer Horror et al and it really revels in it. The werewolf effects are more among the lines of the classic Wolfman films than latter day horror such as The Howling…
Spanish werewolf and vampire horror, which in terms of its style and effects could have come from the early 70s. So much happens here and at the same time so little, which gives a slight Jean Rollin feeling.
Everything is very confusing and I didn't like it that much.
"There’s only one solution, garlic. Garlic up to your ass."
The Craving
Should have actually been titled The Werewolf vs. Elizabeth Bathory, because for one thing, that’s a cool as hell title, and two, things do eventually lead to their climatic showdown, even if the plot takes several detours to get there.
A lot of interesting moving parts to this film that is kind of stuck in the past but also makes efforts that point toward a more emotional, yet still bloody, future. Some of the moments near the finale, when Bathory’s squad of vampiresses are on the warpath, and that incredibly melancholic ending, hit a unique Naschy/Spanish groove, but much of what comes before that kind of feels like…
I sometimes think about Paul Naschy and weep with admiration. He made a dozen movies where he realized every man’s dream: being surrounded by beautiful women and running around in a big spooky castle dressed up as a werewolf. You know that meme about what peak performance looks like? One needs only to pull up any number of screenshots from these movies of Naschy garbed in billowy shirts and pantaloons, looking like an angry teddy bear to understand. The man is an inspiration.
Now, this is only the second of these that I’ve seen after The Beast and the Magic Sword, and I’d say it’s about as good as that one. The other movie has the novelty of its Japanese…
Shocktober 2022 #30
Fuck you Underworld and Twilight, this is what vampires vs werewolves should look like! A resurrected Countess Bathory (looking like she climbed straight out of an old Dutch master painting) battling tortured medieval werewolf Waldemar Daninsky, cascades of blood, backlit Eurobabes in filmy nightgowns hissing and snarling in a fog, a slammin’ score nabbled from Stelvio Cipriani.
I’ve always wanted to check out more Paul Naschy - I’ve only seen his so-so Panic Beats before - and this is one of his signature films with his signature character. It feels a lot like a late Hammer film ( the kind where modern folks encounter Dracula) but less claustrophobic and stage bound, with beautiful Spanish locations - after a slow start the back half is an absolute blast. Great trashy fun and one of the better discoveries this Shocktober.
