Night of the Werewolf

Director - Paul Naschy (Panic Beats, The Night of the Executioner)
Starring - Paul Naschy, Julia Saly (Night of the Seagulls, The Possessed), Silvia Aguilar (Rings of Fear, Human Beasts)
Release Date - 1981
Genre - Horror
Tagline - "It used to be only a myth"
Format - Bluray (Personal Collection) (Screener)

Rating (out of 5):

     It looks like my Paul Naschy marathon is finally coming to an end.  After watching Horror Rises from the Tomb, Vengeance of the Zombies, Blue Eyes of the Broken Doll, and Human Beasts it was time to finish the box set and to move on.  The last film in the set is one that I had heard about for some time.  The film, Night of the Werewolf had previously been released on blu for a short period of time but is now ridiculously priced online.  With the exception of Horror Rises of the Tomb, this was the film I was excited to see.  If people were willing to sink that much money into one blu I couldn't wait to see it.
     The film begins with Waldemar Daninsky (Naschy) and his lover Elizabeth Bathory (Saly) are executed for murder and other heinous crimes (in similar fashion to Naschy's character in Horror Rises from the Tomb). We fast forward to present day (1981) and three beautiful women are exploring the country side when they come across some thieves on the road and seek refuge in a nearby home which just happens to be owned by Waldemar Daninsky who was recently resurrected when a silver cross was removed from around his neck by grave robbers.  The girls are secretly looking for the grave of Bathory in hopes of resurrecting her but Daninsky tries to stop them.  When his is unable to prevent this from happening she rises from the dead resulting in a supernatural main event.

     Night of the Werewolf is an installment in what I believe is a 13 film series.  Sadly, this is the only film from that series I have seen.  The film has a very interesting premise and a story that seems to have it all but the pacing and build up is all wrong.  The film could have used some heavy editing in my humble opinion.  The acting in this one is great.  Before I comment on Naschy I have to talk about how beautiful and sexy the women in this film are.  Naschy films never shied away from beautiful women but this one is absolutely breathtaking.  They are just as talented on screen as they are beautiful.  Naschy, like always, delivers one hell of a performance.  I can see why his character had the longevity that it had.  You can tell he was passionate about his role and gave it his everything.  He did a great job which really makes me want to dig up the other films.  The story for this one is a fun werewolf vs vampire type story that may not be original but it still has some entertaining qualities.  The film is a love letter to classic Hammer horror and a trend started way back in the Universal horror days of pitting one beast against another.  Sadly, the story can't build a steady momentum resulting in some very drawn out scenes that will try your patience.  It was a story that looked good on paper but had some issues during filming.  Finally, the film has some great practical effects.  I loved the look of the werewolf and enjoyed how they put it together.  The film has on screen kills but they are easily forgettable with minimum practical effects.  Overall, Night of the Werewolf was a great looking film and one I would recommend to any horror fan looking for some werewolf action but it is not the best Naschy film in the set.  That title belongs to Blue Eyes of the Broken Doll.