La noche de Walpurgis (1971)

User Rating:

4.9/10   

Director:

León Klimovsky

Writers:

Paul Naschy (screenplay) and
Hans Munkel (screenplay)

Release Date:

1972 (USA)

Genre:

Horror

Tagline:

Things happen that have never been seen by human beings. The blood flows like vintage wine.

Plot:

Elvira is travelling through the French countryside with her friend Genevieve, searching for the lost...

Plot Keywords:

Vampire | Skeleton | Female Nudity | Werewolf | Lesbianism

Cast

Paul Naschy	...	Waldemar Daninsky
Gaby Fuchs	...	Elvira
Barbara Capell	...	Genevieve Bennett (as Bárbara Capell)
Andrés Resino	...	Inspector Marcel
Yelena Samarina	...	Elizabeth Daninsky
José Marco	...	Pierre
Betsabé Ruiz	...	Pierre's girl (as Betsabe Sharon)
Barta Barri	...	Muller
Luis Gaspar	...	Distraught man
Ruperto Ares
María Luisa Tovar	...	First female victim
Julio Peña	...	Dr. Hartwig (coroner)
Patty Shepard	...	Countess Wandesa Dárvula de Nadasdy (as Paty Shepard)

Also Known As:

Blood Moon
Nacht der Vampire (West Germany)
Shadow of the Werewolf
The Werewolf Versus the Vampire Woman (USA)
The Werewolf's Shadow
Walpurgis Night (Spain) (literal title)
Werewolf Shadow (USA) (DVD title)

Runtime:

86 min | Spain:85 min | USA:82 min | USA:95 min (restored version) | West Germany:87 min

Country:

Spain | West Germany

Language:

Spanish

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

UK:15 (re-rating) (2005) | UK:X (original rating) | Netherlands:12 (DVD rating) | Spain:18 | USA:R

Filming Locations:

Madrid, Madrid, Spain

Company:

Plata Films S.A.

Movie Connections:

Edited into 42nd Street Forever Part 4 (2009) (V)

It's the extras on the disc that tip the scales

This barely keeps afloat and is so slow in parts that when one of the characters falls asleep at the table we think for a moment she has dropped off in a state of boredom. And it is such a shame about the pacing because there are decent moments, lovely girls, lots of nudity and blood, even a little gore. The slo-mo gliding of the lady vampires is good too and there are a few minutes somewhere in the middle where it looks as if the film is rising to some altogether different level. But no we are soon back to a plodding Mr Naschy and the plodding script. It's the extras on the disc that tip the scales and the interview with Mr Plod is welcome and goes some way to helping one understand his popularity!