I have to admit that I'm not a very big fan of Paul Naschy's "Homo-Lobo" series of films, and have disliked most of the ones I've seen. This one, however, was rather good. The film is set apart somewhat from the rest of the series because of the fact that lead star Paul Naschy also directed the film. The film was made in the early eighties; but Naschy retains the seventies feel of the previous films in the series and this one doesn't feel out of place with the rest of them, although the central character is slightly different as this time he originates from the middle ages. The film kicks off with a scene that sees Naschy's character Waldemar Daninsky and Countess Elizabeth Bathory, executed. We then fast forward a few hundred years and focus on a woman into black magic that wants to rejuvenate Elizabeth Bathory. However, upon reaching the resting place with her friends; she discovers Daninsky already awakened. She proceeds with her mission anyway, and ends up bringing the Countess (apparently a vampire) back to life.
The film could basically be summed up as 'werewolf vs vampires', as that is effectively what it turns into. I really do like Naschy's decision to feature the infamous Countess in the film; although he has been a bit liberal with the way she is used in the story. The style of the film is really great; the cinematography is interesting and the use of music is good; although slightly odd, it must be said. It does also have to be said that the film is more than just a little bit uneven; some of the set pieces are brilliant and really well worked, while other moments of the film are turgid and rather boring. The film also gets a bit sluggish towards the end and it seems like Naschy might have ran out of paper to write his script on as the final third contains hardly any dialogue. The werewolf effects are rather poor also; especially when you consider that An American Werewolf in London and The Howling were released in the same year. The film is slightly disappointing overall because with better handling it could have been really great...but even so, Night of the Werewolf is still worth a look.
