Die Nacht der blutigen Wölfe

This is the first Waldemar Daninsky movie I've seen, even though it is (the box says) the fifth in a series (perhaps IMDb's years for the titles are off?). I bought it primarily because I've liked all the other Mondo Macabro DVDs I've bought.

It's also the first Paul Naschy movie I've seen, or at least the first one I've seen while knowing him to be a big Spanish horror star.

A couple return to the husband's homeland so he can visit his parents' graves. Unfortunately, the graveyard they're in was abandoned during World War II, and is neglected, rumored to be haunted, and a place where murderous bandits can be found. It's also located near the Black Castle, where a monster lives. The monster is Daninsky, who turns into a wolf-man when the moon is full. As a wolf-man, he kills people or bites chunks of flesh out of them. As Daninsky, well, he kills people too, but he has more of a choice as to who he attacks: he only goes after bad guys.

Daninsky gets taken to see Dr. Jekyll, the grandson of the infamous one, in England. Dr. Jekyll has a plan to cure Daninsky's lycanthropy, but I confess I did not understand it. It involved turning Daninsky into Mr. Hyde, and then somehow having the Mr. Hyde and Werewolf in Daninsky battle it out. That isn't what seems to happen, so perhaps I'm way off. I thought it peculiar that Daninsky turns into Mr. Hyde - Mr. Hyde had been the evil part of Dr. Jekyll. Daninsky's evil side might have been similar, but identical, and they give him the same name...?

It is fairly entertaining, and I'm curious to see some other Daninsky werewolf movies now (this wasn't one of Nachy's more favorite ones), and perhaps some more of Nachy's other horror movies. The DVD is good, has some nice extras including an interview with Nachy and a text covering the short history of Spanish horror movies, and the DVD will be staying in my collection.

It seems he's played the Waldemar Daninsky werewolf character in about thirteen movies, of which perhaps only four are readily available (through out of print videotapes and cheap poor quality DVDs), and the original is not one of them! It would seem a box set is needed, though I have not heard rumors of one.

While it is fair to say that Dr. Jekyll Vs. The Werewolf' isn't the most successful collaboration between writer Naschy & film-maker Klimovsky its central premise, while spectacularly lurid, is a good one, and the venerable Naschy applies his singular vigour to the dual roles of his iconic Waldemar Daninski and by portraying an especially feral-looking, golden-eyed Hyde!

Both the script's lack of invention and the bizarre anachronistic quality to 'Dr. Jekyll Vs. The Werewolf' hinder it from being a Gothic schlock classic. While wealthy hard-headed Hungarian businessman Imrie Kosta(Jose Marco)and his bombshell wife Justine (Shirley Corrigan) visit his parents final remains in an especially spooky, dilapidated cemetery situated no less spookily very close to the greatly feared Castle home to anguished, romantically-inlined Lycanthrope, the tight roll-neck sporting Waldemar Daninsky, and in the grisly gnashing of his brawny bicuspids the action returns to swinging London where urbane Dr. Jekyll (Jack Taylor) heir to his infamous ancestors malevolent serum stoically attempts to cure the beleaguered Waldemar but inadvertently encouraging a diabolical metaphysical battle of primordial wills between Daninski's relentless Lycanthropic tendencies and the indomitable will of the preternaturally evil Mr. Hyde!

While Naschy once again delivers another hair-raisingly haunted performance as the diabolically-inclined Daninsky, it is his howlingly hideous transfiguration into the hateful Hyde that engenders the greatest frisson of fear in Klimovsky's uneven monster mash up, but for all its absurdity it remains a fitfully fun movie with another credible, blissfully boisterous werewolf workout for the hirsute Naschy and once again ace composer Antón García Abril creates a marvellously moody score.

The fifth entry in the Waldemar Daninsky series is actually the eleventh Paul Naschy movie I have watched; for the record, I have four more titles featuring the Euro-Cult icon lined-up for this Halloween challenge. This is one of his better vehicles that I have come across, though still essentially flawed; in it he plays no less than three roles (though all inhabit the same body) i.e. Daninsky, his werewolf alter-ego and, in a bizarre turn-of-events, R.L. Stevenson's famous evil 'creation' Mr. Hyde! The copy I watched – culled from Mondo Macabro's R2 DVD – presents the film in its clothed variant prepared for Spanish consumption; still, the level of violence is considerable, with the werewolf seen munching on torn flesh and similarly gory effects. Jess Franco regular Jack Taylor appears as Dr. Jekyll and rather than have him turn into the primitive Hyde, he injects Daninsky with his grandfather's notorious serum in an attempt to cure his lycanthropy! The film is colorful and generally fun (clichés and all) but director Klimovsky does not quite take full advantage of the possibilities set out by the premise at hand: for one thing, his Hyde (amusingly bringing to mind John Belushi!) is nowhere near the monster he is depicted in most other versions of the tale, while a transformation from man to wolf inside a London discotheque (the setting for the film's latter half is present-day i.e. 1970s London) is completely thrown away as he not only fails to attack anyone but is himself almost trampled in the commotion that ensues! The plot also involves a couple of good-looking girls: a blonde, with whom both Naschy and Taylor are in love (though she opts to marry a third – and much older – man), as well as a brunette, who is Dr. Jekyll's vindictive and deranged assistant.

"Dr. Jekyll y el Hombre Lobo," directed by León Klimovsky, is a monster mash-up that pits the infamous Count Waldemar Daninsky, a werewolf played by Paul Naschy, against the grandson of Dr. Jekyll, portrayed by Jack Taylor. This 1972 Spanish horror film is the sixth installment in the Count Waldemar Daninsky werewolf franchise and offers a unique twist on the classic monster mythos.

The film's premise is intriguing: Daninsky, plagued by his lycanthropic condition, seeks a cure and finds himself at the door of Dr. Jekyll's grandson. In a desperate attempt to end his full moon madness, Daninsky injects himself with the Mr. Hyde formula, hoping that his evil side will battle and overcome his werewolf curse. This sets the stage for a battle of monstrous proportions.

Naschy delivers a committed performance, portraying not just Count Daninsky but also embracing the dual roles of the Wolf Man and Mr. Hyde. His physicality and dedication to the transformative nature of the characters are commendable. The makeup and special effects, while paying homage to the classic Universal monster movies, fall short of the impeccable standards set by their predecessors. The Wolf Man design, in particular, while creepy and effective, lacks the refinement of Jack Pierce's iconic creations.

The film's pacing is uneven, with some scenes dragging and others feeling rushed. The plot, though creative, fails to fully explore the intriguing implications of its premise. The potential for a thought-provoking exploration of good versus evil within the context of monstrous identities is sadly underutilized. However, the film does deliver on its promise of a monster mash-up, and fans of over-the-top horror will find some enjoyment in the film's more outrageous moments.

Despite its shortcomings, "Dr. Jekyll y el Hombre Lobo" has its charms. The film's ambition and willingness to play with classic monster tropes are admirable. It offers a fun, if not entirely successful, twist on well-known characters, and Naschy's dedication to his roles is evident.

In conclusion, while this film may not be a masterpiece, it is a serviceable entry in the monster horror genre. It will appeal to fans of Paul Naschy and those with a soft spot for campy, monster-filled mayhem.

While it falls short of a howling success, it offers a few growls and snarls that might entertain those seeking a less-than-serious horror experience.

The sixth of the 13 Waldemar Daninsky / Wolfman films by Paul Naschy. In this film he plays three roles. He is also Mr. Hyde.

In this tale, the Count saves Justine (Shirley Corrigan) from the clutches of three slobbering rapists who have just murdered her husband. He consoles the grieving widow, and they spirit off to London just ahead of an angry mob of villagers. They seek out Dr. Jekyll (Jack Taylor) to cure his lycanthropy.

Unfortunately, a nurse (Marisol Delgado) and a streetwalker (María Luisa Tovar) are ravaged by the werewolf before the formula can be perfected.

Things take a nasty turn and the Count is turned into Mr. Hyde. He is even more evil than the werewolf.

The story ends as all werewolf movies do, leaving you to wonder how he will return seven more times.