The Curse of the Werewolf (1961)

In Spain, Leon is born on Christmas day to a mute servant girl who was raped by a beggar. His mother dies giving birth and he is looked after by Don Alfredo. As a child Leon becomes a ... See full summary »

Director:

Terence Fisher

Writers:

Anthony Hinds (screenplay), Guy Endore (novel)

Stars:

Clifford Evans, Oliver Reed, Yvonne Romain

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Clifford Evans	...	Don Alfredo Corledo
Oliver Reed	...	Leon Corledo
Yvonne Romain	...	Servant Girl (Jailer's Daughter)
Catherine Feller	...	Cristina Fernando
Anthony Dawson	...	Marques Siniestro
Josephine Llewellyn	...	Marquesa
Richard Wordsworth	...	Beggar
Hira Talfrey	...	Teresa, Corledo's Servant
Justin Walters	...	Young Leon
John Gabriel	...	Priest
Warren Mitchell	...	Pepe Valiente the Watchman
Anne Blake	...	Rosa Valiente
George Woodbridge	...	Dominique the Goat Herder
Michael Ripper	...	Old Soak
Ewen Solon	...	Don Fernando

Storyline

In Spain, Leon is born on Christmas day to a mute servant girl who was raped by a beggar. His mother dies giving birth and he is looked after by Don Alfredo. As a child Leon becomes a werewolf after having been taken hunting. As a young man, he works in a wine cellar and falls in love with the owner's daughter Cristina. One full moon, he again turns into a werewolf and terrifies the town.

---

Plot Keywords:

werewolf | love | full moon | moon | born on christmas day | 

---

Taglines:

THIS SUMMER'S NEW BIG THRILL!

---

Genres:

Drama | Horror | Romance | Thriller

---

Certificate:

Unrated

Details

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Release Date:

7 June 1961 (USA)

Also Known As:

The Curse of Siniestro

Filming Locations:

Black Park, Iver Heath, Buckinghamshire, England, UK

Company Credits

Production Co:

Hammer Film Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

91 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The only werewolf movie made by Hammer Studios.

---

Goofs

During the opening credits, which features a very tight close-up of the werewolf's eyes, the edges of the contact lenses can be clearly seen.

---

Connections

Referenced in Les veinards (1963)

User Reviews

Tragic tale of lycanthropy filmed with customary Hammer flair...

Clifford Evans is great as the kindly adoptive father of a troubled boy who turns out to have the curse of the full moon on his head, and Anthony Dawson obviously relishes his brief role as a vile, blackhearted marquis. My only problem with this movie is Oliver Reed's scenery-chewing performance as Leon, the young man who discovers he's a werewolf; to say that he's overplaying here is putting it mildly. Reed's response to EVERYTHING that happens in the film goes something like this: "AAARRRGGHH!!!" Still, he's adequate and "Curse of the Werewolf" works very well overall. The fact that you don't see what the "monster" looks like until the film's violent, fast-moving climax (a device that director Terence Fisher also employed in his next film, Hammer's fine version of "The Phantom of the Opera") enhances the scares. See this if you can!