The Curse of the Werewolf (1961)

User Rating:

6.6/10   

Director:

Terence Fisher

Writers:

Guy Endore (novel)
Anthony Hinds (writer)

Release Date:

7 June 1961 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | Horror | Romance

Tagline:

EVEN THOSE WHO LOVED HIM WERE NOT SAFE! (original print ad - all caps)

Plot:

In Spain, Leon is born on Christmas day to a mute servant girl who was raped by a beggar. His mother...

Plot Keywords:

Werewolf | Love | Mute | Moon | Servant

Cast

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

Also Known As:

The Curse of Siniestro
The Wolfman (USA)

Runtime:

91 min

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Australia:M | Finland:(Banned) (1961) | France:-12 | UK:12 (video rating) (1995) | UK:X (original rating) | USA:Unrated

Filming Locations:

Black Park, Iver Heath, Buckinghamshire, England, UK

Company:

Hammer Film Productions

Trivia:

The only werewolf movie made by Hammer Studios.

Goofs:

Revealing mistakes: 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.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Monster by Moonlight! The Immortal Saga of 'The Wolf Man' (1999) (V)

How (or is that "howl") did they always come up with something so neat?

I think that more than anything, "The Curse of the Werewolf" does what too many werewolf movies fail to do: offer an explanation of how the first werewolf got created. Apparently, if someone is conceived under rather unpleasant circumstances, that person is a lycanthrope. After a beggar gets imprisoned in 18th century Spain, he rapes the jailer's daughter. She dies in childbirth, but her son Leon is raised by a nobleman. Sure enough, Leon is a werewolf. As an adult, Leon (Oliver Reed) tries to control himself, but unfortunately can't.

This is another addition to Hammer's cool filmography. It shows Leon's inner torment, knowing what will happen every full moon. As for associating Spain with werewolves, that country of course produced actor Paul Naschy, who has made a career out of playing werewolves; Portland's own Movie Madness even has a section devoted to him.