A Lenda do Lobisomem

Hammer Studios provided the BEST horror films for nearly two decades but sputtered out of production near the mid-seventies. What were all those Hammer folk to do? Well, Tyburn Studios utilized many of them in two of their films: The Ghoul & The Legend of the Werewolf. This production has at its directorial helm Hammer stalwart Freddie Francis, actor and Hammer star Peter Cushing, Hammer character actor supreme Michael Ripper, Hammer make-up artist Roy Baker, and scriptwriter Anthony Hinds under the name John Elder. The movie has all the ingredients to be a Hammer success but falls decidedly short. The budget on the film seems to be one of the biggest problems. The special effects are reminiscent of Curse of the Werewolf but seem to lack the craftsmanship of that film(over a decade made). Why? Wasn't Baker the same fellow that made COTW's make-up? The only answer must be budget. The biggest problem for me is the script. Anthony Hinds, who by the way also wrote the script for COTW, just doesn't seem to get any real continuity in the script. The story tells of a "wolf" boy who is picked up by a traveling showman(played very nicely I might add by Hugh Griffith). The boy befriends these people and we advance say some six-ten years and find him traveling with his newly-found friends as a young adult. The moon is full and some wolves bay - and presto chango he turns into a werewolf. This was the first time there had been a full moon in six-ten years? I just found much of what Hinds was trying to do very forced. The film begins also with a red tint to show what the wolf sees. An innovative idea but better employed in films like Wolfen. The film, despite its relatively cheap budget, does have some plusses. Peter Cushing gives a very good performance(when does he not?)as a police surgeon/detective who seems to be the only person working in the city of Paris with any brains. Cushing has some fine moments and seems to really be enjoying his role. In one scene he eats his lunch while reviewing a newly-fresh corpse. Another good scene is his interplay with a madam of a neighborhood whore-house. Always the master of props, Cushing "plays" with a frilly garter the whole scene. Ron Moody as a nasty, dirty zoo keeper also shines in his role. Despite all its efforts to be like Hammer, the film does indeed fall short of those lofty expectations - which is unfortunate given all the Hammer personnel involved. Nonetheless the film is an enjoyable ninety minutes even though it neither adds or detracts anything to the lycanthrope sub-genre.

Legend of the Werewolf was released by the Tyburn production company, who only released a handful of horror films during the mid-seventies. It's obvious that the studio was trying to imitate the successful Hammer films, and indeed they've succeeded in capturing the right style as Legend of the Werewolf looks and feels like a Hammer movie, and the company have even managed to get prolific Hammer director Freddie Francis on board, as well as one of the heavyweights of horror; Peter Cushing. The obvious film to compare this one to is the sixties classic 'Curse of the Werewolf', and indeed the two films share a lot of plot elements in common. The film takes place in 19th century France, and focuses on a young boy who was kidnapped and brought up by wolves. Naturally, it's not long before the circus roll into town and spots this boy. He soon becomes the main attraction at the circus, and in spite of this; he manages to grow into a strapping young man. However, the wolf in him soon comes to surface and he begins to rampage through the local population.

Despite capturing the right atmosphere, this film isn't as good as the best that Hammer has to offer. The plot simply isn't all that interesting, and the film doesn't manage to capture that mini epic feel of the earlier Hammer classic. The plot is also rather mundane and if you've seen more than a handful of werewolf movies, you're likely to have already seen all that this film has to offer. Not even Peter Cushing manages to lift this above the mundane in genre terms, as his performance here doesn't feature his usual enthusiasm, and is really just a variation on his classic portrayal of vampire hunter Van Helsing. Cushing starred in a handful of low budget films in the seventies in which he barely had any screen time, and I'm pleased to say that here he features quite prominently. The plot line is more than a little bit stretched, and the film suffers quite often because of this. Simply put; there isn't enough distraction from the central plot idea. Overall, however, this film adequately provides ninety minutes of entertainment, and even though it can't stand up to most of Hammer's films; I did enjoy watching it.

My first exposure to horror cinema was seeing the poster of this movie when I was 10 years old. I wasn't old enough to be taken to a horror movie then, so I hadn't been able to watch it on big screen at the time. Since then, it had become a holy grail for me. Unfortunately, it wasn't easily available. A second-hand VHS I had bought from ebay had turned out to be unwatchable. It hasn't been released on DVD as of yet. Recently, someone uploaded an apparently fan-made transfer from an old 35 mm print on to you-tube and I've finally watched it. I wasn't disappointed with it. A boy raised by wolves in the wilderness becomes a werewolf when there is full moon. As a grown-up, he falls in love with a prostitute and begins to kill her customers. Perhaps the frustration and jealousy driving him might have been more developed, but this premise is nevertheless OK as it stands. Visually, the movie boasts some very gory close-ups of the werewolf's blood-soaked mouth at the violent scenes and the underground sewer tunnels where some of the action takes place are a welcome setting. Peter Cushing as the police surgeon and Ron Moody as the wolf-man's employer excel in their roles. In sum, LEGEND OF THE WEREWOLF is worth a view if you don't set your expectations at the level of masterpieces.

This is a decidedly rarely seen werewolf movie that I hadn't even heard of prior to a very kind fellow IMDber sending me a copy to check out. It was directed by Freddie Francis who helmed quite a lot of British genre films in the 60's and 70's including the impressive Amicus horror omnibus movie Tales from the Crypt (1972), although he is probably most famous now as a fantastic cinematographer who shot many great films including classics such as The Straight Story (1999). Legend of the Werewolf is a film made very much in the style of a Hammer movie, with its period setting and traditional horror monster, as well as the presence of genre legend Peter Cushing. But it turns out it was made by an obscure British production company called Tyburn, who it appears were a lower budget competitor and whose small output has ensured that they are all but forgotten now compared to other more successful smaller studios like Amicus and the very similarly named Tygon.

Set in 19th century France, a young orphaned boy is raised by wolves in a forest. A travelling carnival discovers him one day and takes him under their wing. Once an adult he relocates to a town and it's here that his lycanthropy really kicks in and needless to say, a series of unexplained violent murders ensue in the vicinity.

The fate of Tyburn, and this movie, probably wasn't helped by them coming in at the tail end of the popularity of the costume horror cycle. By 1975 this sub-genre had waned in popularity and the main draws in the genre were contemporary-set films featuring the occult, deranged psychopaths and…giant sharks. So this one is more a throwback to an older style of horror and probably suffered at the box office as a consequence. It benefits from the presence of the always reliable Cushing as a coroner/amateur sleuth and Ron Moody as a shady zoo-keeper. But in truth this is a fairly middling effort overall. Nothing really wrong with that though, as most of Hammer's horror output were solid efforts rather than great on account of this particular sub-genre suffering from a certain predictability and cosiness. However, also like those films, this one is still a decent effort. The period detail serves it well now, in that it gives it a certain timelessness, although the obvious low budget renders the 'Paris' of this film to appear as if it is no more than a small village. From a werewolf film perspective its business as usual really and like several films of this type, it's not until near the end before we finally see the werewolf in all his glory. There's nothing especially new here overall but I would say this is an essential item for werewolf film completists at the very least and it does have a definite extra interest value on account of its Tyburn origins.

The Legend of The Werewolf was produced by Tyburn productions, the same people who made 1975's The Ghoul, also with Peter Cushing. Although many involved in the making of these films have been associated with the House of Hammer, it is obvious that Tyburn was a poor imitation for Hammer. Which is not to say Legend of The Werewolf is not entertaining. Indeed, the presence of Peter Cushing alone makes it interesting to horror buffs such as myself. Many films of this ilk are surprisingly hard to find today and valuable to collectors. My copy, distributed by Interglobal Home video, was purchased many years ago and today is next to impossible to find. Interglobal had the distinction for a time in the late 1980's and early 90's for making available films such as these and for that we owe them a considerable debt. Legend of The Werewolf covers no new ground and few surprises. A baby is left for dead and is raised among the wild animals. A few years pass and he is rescued by a traveling carney and spends the rest of his youth performing as "Wolfboy." Finally he embarks out on his own and goes to work as a zookeeper in Paris. Murders begin to happen and Peter Cushing, a medical examiner dabbling in detective work, begins to piece the mystery together. Regrettably, the finale holds little in the way of surprise and is anything but shocking or mysterious. Production values are acceptable given the low budget constraints but one is aware that the House of Hammer could have done much better with similar resources. One bright spot other than Cushing's presence is Ron Moody as the seedy head zookeeper. What a sleazebag! The plotline is fairly creative as a house of ill repute is used to frame the story of the murders and "animal" attacks. Our wolfman's love interest is a prostitute whom he has sadly placed on a pedestal of virtue. Ah well - even low budget B flicks contain their poignant moments of human frailty. If you are a fan of Peter Cushing, obscure horror films, or both, this is required viewing. If you are neither you may not wish to bother. Still, when I viewed this film recently after having not seen it for several years, I enjoyed it much more than I thought I would.