Legend of the Werewolf (1975)

A travelling circus in 19th century France adopts and showcases a feral "wolf boy", who grows into adulthood only to kill the one-man band. He runs off to Paris, where he develops a jealous... See full summary »

Director:

Freddie Francis

Writer:

Anthony Hinds

Stars:

Peter Cushing, Ron Moody, Hugh Griffith

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Peter Cushing	...	Prof. Paul
Ron Moody	...	Zookeeper
Hugh Griffith	...	Maestro Pamponi
Roy Castle	...	Photographer
David Rintoul	...	Etoile
Stefan Gryff	...	Max Gerard
Lynn Dalby	...	Christine
Renee Houston	...	Chou-Chou
Marjorie Yates	...	Madame Tellier
Norman Mitchell	...	Tiny
Mark Weavers	...	Young Etoile
David Bailie	...	Boulon
Hilary Labow	...	Zoe
Elaine Baillie	...	Annabelle
Michael Ripper	...	Sewerman

Storyline

A travelling circus in 19th century France adopts and showcases a feral "wolf boy", who grows into adulthood only to kill the one-man band. He runs off to Paris, where he develops a jealous, overprotective crush on a prostitute, leading him to attack her client, incurring a pursuit by a determined police surgeon.

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Plot Keywords:

circus | zoo | france | werewolf | 1800s | 

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Taglines:

A Tyburn Tale of Terror

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Genres:

Horror | Mystery

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Details

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Release Date:

27 March 1978 (Turkey)

Also Known As:

Plague of the Werewolves

Filming Locations:

Pinewood Studios, Iver Heath, Buckinghamshire, England, UK

Company Credits

Production Co:

Tyburn Film Productions Limited

Technical Specs

Runtime:

85 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color (Eastmancolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The characters of Prof. Paul (Peter Cushing) and the photographer (Roy Castle) do not feature in the first draft of the storyline.

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Quotes

Prof. Paul: He's all right; he won't harm you, but you musn't reject him!

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Connections

Referenced in The Howling (1981)

User Reviews

"I Know Hammer...and This is Nothing Like Hammer."

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.