Um Lobisomem na Amazônia

I'm a Paul Naschy fan. One thing about him is that I usually enjoy his films when they are good or bad and there are certainly a number in each column in his filmography. This film is several big steps down from his best later career comeback movies. The thing to know about this movie is though it is a werewolf movie that's only one element to a really crazy plot that is mostly sort of a version of Island of Doctor Moreau. Naschy's character is named Moreau. Another character is named Corman--as in Roger Corman. So the movie isn't to be taken seriously. But it's not really all that funny either. There are three plot lines in the film and the story cuts abruptly back and forth from them and all combine in the end. One is the mad doctor which is where Naschy is. One is a detective and another guy investigating werewolf murders in the jungle. The final and most tedious is the "bunch of kids in the woods with a camcorder" story.

The kids at one point get high and we are treated to bizarre trip "visions" they have. One is an Opera singing Inca.

Naschy scenes are in Spanish so they are subtitles for Portuguese speaking Brazlians. I, of course watched it with English subtitles that appeared over the Portuguese ones making them very hard to read as all the letters blended together. Naschy is the only one in the film who can act and he's thankfully given much of the dialog but with this problem that was not a virtue. There is a lot of reuse of aerial shots of jungle. Did I mention that the crazy doctor is also somehow connected to Amazons, female ones? It's all really crazy but not too involving as it's pretty sloppy. Again there isn't that much werewolf action. It's tough to tell if Naschy is even really in the werewolf costume and there is no on screen transformation scene either. I just feel that the werewolf was the thing that interested the filmmakers the least of all the elements they had going. And, of course, Naschy's greatest fame is as a werewolf so it's wrong headed from the start.

There is one scene with Naschy mostly unclothed that is not flattering. There is some other more pleasant nudity regularly scattered about the film. Gore isn't too well done and the film has perhaps the worst looking fake moon in movie history.

I can't say there are many films like this. There is so much stuff in this film it should be much more entertaining than it is. It's just so poorly made and uneven that it can't earn too many points from me.

A Werewolf in the Amazon (2005)

** (out of 4)

Brazilian horror/comedy has Dr. Moreau (Paul Naschy) doing various experiments in the Amazon. At the same time six people show up to party on some "tea" and soon they begin getting killed by a werewolf. I will admit that A WEREWOLF IN THE AMAZON has quite a bit packed into its short 77-minute running time. I will also admit that I had to watch the film in Portuguese without any subtitles so I couldn't follow everything going on but the visuals pretty much told you everything you'd need to know. Within the first five-minutes of the picture you're going to see a werewolf attack, a big-breasted woman taking a shower and then a lesbian scene in that shower. Throughout the film there's just all sorts of weirdness going on including a couple idiots doing comic relief, a bizarre musical number and there's even a cult of females attached to everything. Oh yeah, there's also the werewolf going around killing everyone. There's no question that director Ivan Cardoso wanted to pay homage to star Naschy and for the most part I think he did just fine. I think most people are going to object to the humor because it's simply not funny and it takes away from the horror elements but outside of this I think the film offers some cheap thrills. Naschy turns in a good performance in the role of Moreau and the director even allows him a few sex scenes. The supporting actors are actually better than you'd expect in a film like this. All of the actresses have very large breasts and often take their clothes off, which adds to the exploitation nature. The attack scenes aren't overly graphic or bloody but they're good enough. To my shock, the werewolf make-up is actually extremely good, which is a major plus. The bizarre nature of the film certainly helps it stand apart from various other low-budget movies out there. Add in the great Naschy and the film is worth viewing, although this certainly doesn't rank among the actor's best work.

This film essentially begins with the news that several people have been found dead in a remote part of the Amazon jungle with wounds leading one prominent zoologist named "Professor Scott Corman" (Nuno Leal Maia) venturing to suggest that a species of animal--different from anything known to mankind--is responsible. Although the police official assigned to the case, "Inspector Delegado Barreto" (Tony Tornado) scoffs at the idea, the two of them decide to investigate further by going directly into the Amazon together. The scene then shifts to an evil scientist named "Dr. Moreau" (Paul Naschy) who has set up a laboratory in that very location with the plan of creating a number of Amazon warriors to satisfy his quest for power and fame. Meanwhile, not realizing what has recently transpired, a group of young men and women have decided to also go to that very same spot in search of fun. But what nobody realizes is that a werewolf just happens to be prowling there and this creates severe problems for all concerned. Now, rather than reveal any more, I will just say that this was one of those films that had potential but rather than sticking strictly to horror, the director (Ivan Cardoso) chose to insert comedy into the mix with limited success. To that point, the comedy wasn't sharp and basically diluted much of the horror element. This film does, however, present several attractive actresses with Danielle Winits (as "Natasha") and Djin Sganzerla ("Carol") standing out the most, in my opinion. Even so, none of them were able to overcome the obvious faults and I have rated this film accordingly. Below average.

Five friends, Bruno, Natasha, Carol, Raul and Samantha (played by Pedro Neschling, Danielle Winits, Djin Sganzerla, Bruno de Lucca and Karina Bacchi respectively) make a trip to the Amazon rain forest to have a good time and get high on daime tea, a local hallucinogenic specialty. They are guided by a guy named JP (Evandro Mesquita) and aren't worried about a murder spree that has been occurring in the area. Soon things turn sinister and people start dying, as there appears to be a werewolf on the loose. Could it all be related to a reclusive mad scientist Dr. Moreau (Paul Naschy) who lives nearby and has been conducting bizarre experiments with both humans and animals?

As expected from Ivan Cardoso, the style is intentionally trashy and much closer to comedy than horror. Most of the humour is provided by the banter between Nuno Leal Maia and Tony Tornado playing a doctor and a cop investigating the murders, but other strange plot turns are amusing too, such as the dramatic musical number literally bursting out of nowhere. There is also plenty of female nudity, of course, mostly courtesy of the tribe of strong and horny female Amazon warriors created by Moreau. Some hand-held video camera footage is also used to comply with the trend of modern horrors.

Even though some of the actresses are a joy to the eye (particularly Djin Sganzerla and Danielle Winits) and the colourful lighting and production design are pretty cool, some major pacing problems make the advancement of the nonsensical plot lines a tad tiresome at points. Even so, at only 77 minutes, the movie is entertaining enough for what it's worth and recommended for fans of the trashy Cardoso style, even though I think he's done better in the past.

Paul Naschy is in the forthcoming movie, Wax, currently in post-production. This, notwithstanding the fact that he died in 2009! So, thanks to animatronics he will play a moving (and talking!) wax figure some five years after death. I just thought how appropriate this is that this man who never really made a great film, nevertheless kept at it because he loved movies so much and ended up appearing in more than a hundred and directing a couple of dozen.

This piece of work by Brazilian director Ivan Cardoso has to be deemed inept by in all departments, yet his multi part performances are far better than those anyone else in this and amidst the madness and mayhem he convinces in his portrayal of a Dr Moreau, mad scientist, drifting from one mauled corpse to another in his efforts to make his genius transformation. At one crazy moment, in what surely should really have been an outtake, one corpse sits up and grins at him. Naschy simply slaps him back down, telling him to stay dead.

There are far better Naschy films to see if you are tempted into the murky waters of his world but for such a late work, this is certainly no disgrace. Not on his part anyway!