In a bid to outdo British and Italian gothic chillers, Spanish horror The Mark of the Wolfman (AKA Frankenstein's Bloody Terror, even though it has diddly squat to do with Frankenstein) features not one, but two wolfmen, and eventually throws in a couple of vampires for good measure.
Spanish horror icon Paul Naschy, in his film debut, stars as Waldemar Daninsky, who is bitten by a werewolf while trying to save Rudolph Weissmann (Manuel Manzaneque) from the drooling monster (which kind of makes up for the fact that Daninsky has stolen Rudolph's woman, sexy Countess Janice, played by Dyanik Zurakowska). Daninksy is now cursed to transform into a wolfman whenever the full moon rises unless a cure can be found. Waldemar seeks help from occult expert Dr. Janos Mikhelov (Julián Ugarte), but in reality the doctor and his sexy assistant Wandessa (Aurora de Alba) are vampires who enslave the wolfman and feed upon Janice and Rudolph.
Director Enrique López Eguiluz piles on the gothic atmosphere, with plenty of dark catacombs, swirling fog and cobwebs, utilising strong coloured lighting in the style of Mario Bava to add ambience. The plot is freewheeling kitschy fun, with a reasonably effective wolfman, plenty of dramatic cape swishing from vampire Janos, and lots of heaving bosoms from the attractive female members of the cast (gorgeous Rosanna Yanni is particularly impressive as the gypsy woman who stupidly removes a silver cross from a body, thus causing all of the chaos that ensues).
The film ends with Wandessa staked, Janos spontaneously combusting, and Daninsky being shot with silver bullets, although this would not be the last of the wolfman: he would return to the screen in numerous sequels.
Spanish horror icon Paul Naschy, in his film debut, stars as Waldemar Daninsky, who is bitten by a werewolf while trying to save Rudolph Weissmann (Manuel Manzaneque) from the drooling monster (which kind of makes up for the fact that Daninsky has stolen Rudolph's woman, sexy Countess Janice, played by Dyanik Zurakowska). Daninksy is now cursed to transform into a wolfman whenever the full moon rises unless a cure can be found. Waldemar seeks help from occult expert Dr. Janos Mikhelov (Julián Ugarte), but in reality the doctor and his sexy assistant Wandessa (Aurora de Alba) are vampires who enslave the wolfman and feed upon Janice and Rudolph.
Director Enrique López Eguiluz piles on the gothic atmosphere, with plenty of dark catacombs, swirling fog and cobwebs, utilising strong coloured lighting in the style of Mario Bava to add ambience. The plot is freewheeling kitschy fun, with a reasonably effective wolfman, plenty of dramatic cape swishing from vampire Janos, and lots of heaving bosoms from the attractive female members of the cast (gorgeous Rosanna Yanni is particularly impressive as the gypsy woman who stupidly removes a silver cross from a body, thus causing all of the chaos that ensues).
The film ends with Wandessa staked, Janos spontaneously combusting, and Daninsky being shot with silver bullets, although this would not be the last of the wolfman: he would return to the screen in numerous sequels.