The first thing I noticed about this film was the completely inane dialogue, and unfortunately; there is a streak of ineptitude running throughout Werewolf Shadow, and this is a shame as without it; this film actually isn't bad at all. The principle positive element is without doubt the atmosphere, as León Klimovsky's film features a surreal dreamlike ambiance, which bodes extremely well with the fantasy-horror elements of the rather unoriginal plot line. As the title suggests, the film handles the stalwart horror monster 'the werewolf', and it does it in an almost fairytale like manner. This again ensures disappointment as films like Suspiria have shown what a great effect a fairytale plot line can have on a film; although this film proves otherwise. The plot centres on two girls; Elvira and Genevieve, who find themselves travelling through the French countryside in search of a medieval tomb, believed to that of a murderess. However, they happen to run into Waldemar Daninsky, a Count with a secret, who invites the girls to stay at his castle.
The film is probably most notable for the fact that it stars prolific Spanish horror veteran, Paul Naschy. I have to admit that I've only seen a handful of Naschy's films; but they've ranged from bad to worse and personally, I'm not a big fan of what I've seen thus far. In this film, Naschy doesn't get to do much more than chew the scenery anyway. The acting isn't the best overall and the special effects leave a lot to be desired also. The gloomy Gothic atmosphere is definitely a treat, however, and it really is a good job as if it wasn't for that, the film wouldn't be worth watching at all. Werewolf Shadow isn't a very long film, lasting just over eighty minutes, but it really does drag as the plot simply moves along without ever being too interesting. Director León Klimovsky does pad his film out with some very nice imagery, however, and the film does look very nice on a number of occasions. Overall, I really can't recommend going out of your way to find Werewolf Shadow; all of its elements have been done better in other films, and despite some nice aesthetics; this is a sadly lacklustre effort.
