Doctor Jekyll y el Hombre Lobo

Paul Naschy has been playing tortured Polish werewolves since 1967, the high watermark being 1970's Werewolf vs the Vampire Women. Made a year later Doctor Jekyll and the Werewolf, if not exactly in the same league is certainly entertaining. After her fiance is murdered by thuggish villagers Justine is saved from death by loner Waldemar. A man with `an illness' Waldemar is of course the hairy side of the title, although the sadistic local villagers seem more violent and pose more of a threat than the beast he becomes. After every distant relative and friend of his has been decapitated or murdered by these apeish normals Waldemar heads off with Justine to a post- swinging London. There he turns to the grandson of Dr Jekyll who tries to help him out by somewhat illogically turning him into a pasty faced eye ball rolling `new' Mr Hyde. Soon all hell breaks loose thanks to Waldemar's triple personality. Let loose on London there is the kinky Mr Hyde who wields a mean whip, and a werewolf attacking Londoners more than a decade before An American Werewolf in London. Despite the Madrid-ish look to some of the London scenes some parts were indeed shot in `Londris', Blimey! Naschy and director Klimovsky found a good locale in Soho, London's notorious red light district back in the days of outdoor bordellos, the neon windmill of the Windmill theatre and sex -education documentary Love in Our Time playing in theatres. Theres a tale Naschy likes to tell about filming these scenes- while dressed as Mr Hyde some Soho regulars, not realising a film was being shot heckled who they thought to be a madman dressed in Victorian clothes. With the shot ruined `Mr Hyde' promptly chased the pesky raincoat dwellers with his cane. Compared to Werewolf Vs the Vampire Women which was a hit world-wide, Dr Jekyll was only fleetingly released in the US and UK, and today can only be found on tape from American public domain companies, releases drawn from badly transferred and tatty looking prints that can't possibly do this 70mm scope production justice. A real melting pot of a film, eclectic doesn't come close- Justine's fiance is built up as a major heroic character, but in a Psycho fashion is shockingly murdered half an hour in, then we settle down for a traditional werewolf picture, then suddenly this becomes a Mr Hyde picture with swinging Sixties overtones before the furballs and claws are brought back for the discotheque set climax. All this was obviously done to avoid routine (this was Naschy's sixth werewolf film). Unfortunately the same factors that made the Werewolf Vs the Vampire Women and the `groovy' Dracula Vs Frankenstein breath taking, seem plodding and unfocussed in Doctor Jekyll and the Werewolf. However the London scenes, the enraged teddy of a werewolf and Naschy's unusual looking Mr Hyde supply the film with more than its fair share of memorable moments, definitely enough to justify digging this up from the grave marked `Spanish horror cinema RIP', its certainly a better film than its obscure reputation suggests.

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.

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.

Newlyweds Imre (José Marco) and Justine (Shirley Corrigan) travel to the Carpathian mountains of Transylvania for their honeymoon, where Imre intends to visit the graves of his murdered parents (the man sure knows how to show his new wife a good time). Ignoring warnings from a superstitious local who tells them that the cemetery is a place of evil, the couple are attacked by a gang of local villains that try to break into their car. Imre is stabbed to death, and Justine narrowly avoids being raped when Waldemar Daninsky (Paul Naschy) leaps to her assistance (crushing one guy's face with a rock in the process).

Waldemar carries Justine to his castle, which is also home to a leprous man who has zero bearing on the plot, and an old lady whom the locals believe is a witch, and who tells Justine of Waldemar's 'illness': whenever the full moon rises, he turns into a werewolf!!! After Waldemar, in hairy form, kills several more villagers, a rabble of pitchfork wielding locals hack off the old woman's head, stick it on a pole, and proceed to storm the castle. Waldemar and Justine sneak out the back door and flee to London, where they enlist the help of Dr. Jekyll (Jack Taylor), whose infamous grandfather's personality-altering serum might be able to release Daninsky from his curse.

The sixth film in Paul Naschy's Waldemar Daninsky series, Dr. Jekyll vs. the Werewolf is just as silly as the title suggests, offering up all manner of Euro-monster-mash madness. Naschy not only sports one of his more impressive looking werewolf make-ups, but also looks sufficiently slimy as Mr. Hyde, whose personality he adopts when injected by Jekyll's serum. The daft plot also includes a treacherous assistant for Jekyll in the form of Sandra (Mirta Miller), sees Hyde enjoying enjoying London's swinging nightlife (which allows for some particularly hilarious gyrating from a podium dancer), and provides several excuses for some cheesy gore.

N.B.: There are three edits of this film doing the rounds. My middling rating of 5/10 is for the heavily edited Spanish version that came as part of my Mill Creek Pure Terror box-set, and which is notably bereft of any gratuitous nudity (what's a Euro-horror without some boobs to go with the blood?). The US edit, however, does feature some nudity in the last half hour, while the fullest cut—the German version—delivers even more bare flesh, with Justine's breasts getting an airing during her attack, and Waldemar's werewolf tearing open his victims' clothes before tearing out their throats, all of which undoubtedly adds to the fun.

"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.