The Werewolf Versus the Vampire Woman (1971)

Elvira is travelling through the French countryside with her friend Genevieve, searching for the lost tomb of a medieval murderess and possible vampire, Countess Wandessa. They find a ... See full summary »

Director:

León Klimovsky

Writers:

Paul Naschy (screenplay) (as Jacinto Molina), Hans Munkel (screenplay)

Stars:

Paul Naschy, Gaby Fuchs, Barbara Capell

Cast

Complete credited 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)

Storyline

Elvira is travelling through the French countryside with her friend Genevieve, searching for the lost tomb of a medieval murderess and possible vampire, Countess Wandessa. They find a likely site in the castle of Waldemar Daninsky, who invites the women to stay as long as they like. As Waldemar shows Elvira the tomb that supposedly houses the countess, she accidentally causes the vampire to come back to life, hungrier than ever. Daninsky has a hidden secret of his own, but will it be enough to save the two girls from becoming Wandessa's next victims?

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Plot Keywords:

vampire | vampire versus werewolf | female vampire | werewolf | sequel | 

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Taglines:

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

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Genres:

Horror

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Certificate:

R

Details

Country:

Spain West Germany

Language:

Spanish

Release Date:

1972 (USA)

Also Known As:

Blood Moon

Filming Locations:

Madrid, Spain

Company Credits

Production Co:

Plata Films S.A.,HIFI Stereo 70 Kg

Technical Specs

Runtime:

86 min 95 min (restored)

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

This film is generally regarded to have kickstarted the Spanish horror film boom of the Seventies, due to its awesome box office success upon its release.

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Goofs

When Waldemar first brings the two young ladies to his house, the film crew can be seen reflected on the side of the car.

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Alternate Versions

The Anchor Bay DVD entitled "Werewolf Shadow" incorporates previously missing footage that only appeared in Spanish prints of the film. The material is mostly centered on Elvira's boyfriend and his attempts to locate her once she has gone missing. One scene shows him receiving a letter from Elvira, and another long sequence involves a conversation he has with the mayor of the local burg that Wandessa has been terrorizing.

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Connections

Referenced in The Pain in Spain: A History of Horror in Hot Weather (2011)

User Reviews

One of the Best Vampire Films Ever Made

Paul Naschy, the Werewolf Prince of European cinema, portrays the tortured Waldemar in this film of many titles. The movie kicks off with Naschy resting on a medical table - preparing to be autopsied. Two silver bullets are removed from Naschy's chest, thus reviving him. He changes into a werewolf and slaughters the two doctors performing the autopsy.

Afterwards, we are introduced to a redheaded student, Gaby Fuchs, who takes her friend Barbara Capell out to the countryside to search for the tomb of a fabled governess. Away from modern convenience, the girls meet Naschy who is hiding out in a castle with his depraved sister. He takes the girls in and looks after them while his demented sister takes a liking to each of the girls - physically. The following day, Naschy leads the two girls to the tomb and they dig up the corpse of the governess - Capell cutting her arm and having droplets of her blood fall into the governesses open mouth. Then, the fun starts.

The main draw for this film is the stellar direction. I enjoy horror films of the 70's because they relied more on atmosphere rather than blood and guts to convey terror. Any director can slop red paint on a wall or pull fake entrails out of a plastic dummy, but only the great directors can convey dread through atmospheric methods. The scenes where the governess (Patty Sheperd) and Barbara Capell stalk about the woods at night in slow motion makes for a film-goers delight. Their flowing gowns, slow-moving steps and pale makeup make for true dread. There isn't a single vampire film I would recommend over this treat.

VIOLENCE: $$$ (There is a spattering of violence in this film but nothing on the level of the tasteless trash that Hollywood churns out nowadays. The opening scene is the most violent when Naschy kills the two doctors and then snacks on a damsel in the countryside. The vampires weren't used in the violence department - just the eerie department).

STORY: $$$ (Rather routine, but fun nonetheless. A werewolf, tortured by his curse, tries to keep his new flame (Fuchs) from the clutches of the vampires as well as himself. When he turns, he can't control his bloodlust, thus placing Gaby in a perilous situation. The plot line of students staying in an abandoned castle while on academic furlough is a bit too overused but it works here).

ACTING: $$$ (As with most of these European horror films, it is difficult to tell how good of an actor the thespians are because their lines are dubbed in English. However, it is obvious that Naschy can portray self-inflicted torture with the best of them. Patty Sheperd, who I can't recall having any dialogue, was creepy as the governess and Barbara Capell is tantalizing and sensual in any language).

NUDITY: $ (Very little - of the blink-and-you-missed-it variety. Naschy tears open the blouse of the girl he kills in the country and Capell gets her blouse ripped open by Naschy's twisted sister. It isn't sleazy and you see very little, but it is gratuitous).