Wilczyca

I was expecting rather more from this 80s vampire tale from Poland but perhaps my experience was affected by some of the worst subtitles I have encountered. Clearly a labour of love for some amateur film buff but not just sweet mistakes like 'bumpkin' instead of 'peasant' but whole sections in the wrong tense with some events being anticipated when they were actually references to past happenings. Very confusing. Then there was all the fighting and presumably defending of the homeland. Along with all this was a fairly simple tale involving curses, a wolf, rather a lot of blood and a silver bullet, oh and some rather extreme gore right at the end. Snowy landscapes looked attractive but far too much talking in boring looking rooms.

This tale of spirits, dark magic, and lycanthropy carries with it the same sensibilities as other folk horror films to come out of Eastern Europe in the mid to late twentieth century. I think especially of 'Viy' (1967), and 'Leptirica' (1973), titles wherein effects, special makeup, and the active horror element are minimized, though present nonetheless, while broadly carrying a dry, unbothered air in the plot and its development. Such an approach may make the picture less appealing to the average genre fan, but maybe more so for the average moviegoer at large. It's certainly a very different experience relative to what modern viewers have come to expect of horror from, say, the 60s onward, yet no less worthy if one can appreciate the style. One can readily imagine how 'Wilczyca' would look if given a remake in 2022, for example, and if we can transfer that image in our minds onto what we're given in this 1983 movie - honestly, it' sa whole lot of fun!

Sure, the horror isn't actualized in the way we're generally used to, and it's not especially visceral. Yet the flavors we get are delicious all the same as soldier Kacper unwittingly finds himself immersed in supernatural goings-on. Considered in and of itself the story is engaging and compelling, even taking into account a tired arrangement in which virtuous men are seen as pursuing evil women (or were they just, you know, tired of the nonsense of the world of men and strove to carve their own path?). The cast give steady performances, not least Krzysztof Jasinski and Iwona Bielska, and Marek Piestrak's direction seems very sound to me, with a fine eye for detail. I admire the production design and art direction (and the filming locations), as well as the costume design and hair and makeup work. This is a period piece, after all, and the labor poured into realizing a bygone era is superb. Honestly, in every way we would hope, this is quite well made.

Far removed from what a twenty-first century viewer would recognize as genre convention, 'Wilczyca' nevertheless is an enjoyable tale of horror. One sees flourishes in Piestrak's direction in particular that stand out as demonstrating a swell intelligence, a mind for what best realizes such narratives. There is, after all, a measure of building tension throughout the length, and for as much as the feature tends to downplay its most robust aspects, by contrast the climax and ending are altogether jolting. By all means, I can understand that this won't meet the standards of all comers, yet for anyone receptive to the wide variety of what cinema has to offer, and horror specifically, there's a great deal to like here. It takes a while to warm up, but when all is said and done I had a great time watching 'Wilczyca,' and give it a solid thumbs-up!

"Wilczyca" by Marek Piestrak is arguably the most famous Polish horror film.Unfortunately this atmospheric flick is not well-known abroad.The action of "Wilczyca" takes place in Poland in the ninetieth century.Maryna dislikes his husband,a Polish patriot named Kacper.Before her death,she curses him.Her evil is transformed not only into a young countess Julia,but also into the wolf..."Wilczyca" is definitely a Polish horror classic that reminds me some Hammer productions.The film is loaded with traditional genre elements like tombs or silver bullets.The climax is surprisingly gory and the mood is quite sensual.Unfortunately its sequel "Powrot Wilczycy" from 1990,also directed by Piestrak,is nowhere nearly as good as the original.So if you ever get a chance to watch this film,don't hesitate to do this.8 out of 10.

While historical in the way many of the Hammer films of the late 60s, early 70s are, "Wilczca" departs from its English brethren in its not-so-subtle political concerns.

In "Wilczca", the backdrop is the 19th century Polish nationalist battles against the Prussians. However, what is missing is the obvious "other' monster of both the 19th century and the 1980s: Russia. Between 1800 and 1917, Poland was basically a territory divided between the competing ambitions of the Napoleonic wars, Prussia, Russia and the Hapsburg empire. Piestrak, obviously, could not be so obviously anti-Russian when making this film. So the Prussians will have to do.

Now, I mention this because it is helps to frame the ostensible central concern here: Infidelity and betrayal. Specifically, we are introduced in the opening to "Maryna," the wife of "Kacper", a man returning home from doing his part in the nationalist wars. Maryna lays dying as an unfaithful spouse: unfaithful to her returning husband, unfaithful to her religion and unfaithful to her country. Kacper calls her a bad name as she lays dying, and she promises to return as a she-wolf. Which she does. However, she also comes to possess the body of "Countess Julia," who happens to be the spouse of the Count for whom Kasper works. We then spend a fair amount of time getting acquainted with Julia's infidelities, her transformations and what must be done to stop them.

Several reviews mention the apparent misogyny and even anti-Semitism of the film. As to the latter claim, I will simply point out that Dr. Goldberg emerges as something of a hero in the film. As to the former claim, that one has more bite: The two women here (Maryna and Julia) function as allegorical figures with no real personality or character development. That said, the idea that war destroys the civil sphere dates back at least to the Greeks (see "Medea"), so I regard it as of a piece with the type of film that this is.

In the end, I found the applicable analogy less to the Hammer films than to some of Hertzog's work from the same period. At any rate, this is a slow burn. But it actually does pick up its pace during the last 20 minutes, and the ending is pretty decent. For a no-budget film, the cinematography is fairly good and reflects the darkness, cold and snow that surround the primary events in the film.

In sum, if your baseline comparison is to the three 1981 biggies: "An American Werewolf" "Wolfen" and "The Howling," this will disappoint. But if you like an overtly historical tale that takes its time to get to the dramatic scenes, this might work for you.

After a long time away, a man returns home to find his wife in the throes of death. In addition, he discovers that another tragedy has occurred, and that black magic was involved. Leaving again, in disgust, the man dismisses the fact that he's now been cursed. Soon, he finds that no matter where he goes, a certain creature is following him.

WILCZYCA (aka: THE WOLF, aka: SHE WOLF) is a fantastic tale of witchcraft and lycanthropy, set in 18th Century Poland during the time of the Hussars, although the use of daguerreotype suggests the mid-19th Century. There is a cold, foreboding atmosphere, and this film contains some of the most haunting wolf howls ever recorded.

Of special note is Iwona Bielska, who plays a dual role as the witch and the Countess. She's quite beautiful, and her long, perfect teeth are truly wicked! She's as seductive as she is demonic.

A solid, slow-building occult horror movie with a gory finale...