Legend of the Werewolf

My first exposure to horror cinema was seeing the poster of this movie when I was 10 years old. I wasn't old enough to be taken to a horror movie then, so I hadn't been able to watch it on big screen at the time. Since then, it had become a holy grail for me. Unfortunately, it wasn't easily available. A second-hand VHS I had bought from ebay had turned out to be unwatchable. It hasn't been released on DVD as of yet. Recently, someone uploaded an apparently fan-made transfer from an old 35 mm print on to you-tube and I've finally watched it. I wasn't disappointed with it. A boy raised by wolves in the wilderness becomes a werewolf when there is full moon. As a grown-up, he falls in love with a prostitute and begins to kill her customers. Perhaps the frustration and jealousy driving him might have been more developed, but this premise is nevertheless OK as it stands. Visually, the movie boasts some very gory close-ups of the werewolf's blood-soaked mouth at the violent scenes and the underground sewer tunnels where some of the action takes place are a welcome setting. Peter Cushing as the police surgeon and Ron Moody as the wolf-man's employer excel in their roles. In sum, LEGEND OF THE WEREWOLF is worth a view if you don't set your expectations at the level of masterpieces.

This was among my earliest recollections of watching a horror film, which occurred in the early 80s via a local TV broadcast (when my family still had a black-and-white set); therefore, I was very much looking forward to re-acquainting myself with it - though, as it doesn't seem to have much of a reputation, it's proved virtually impossible to find until now!

Anyway, I'm glad to say that I liked it quite a bit still: in essence, it's a revamping of Hammer Films' CURSE OF THE WEREWOLF (1961) - by the same writer, John Elder (aka Anthony Hinds), no less - but made this time for the short-lived Tyburn company. The script, in fact, returns the story to its original Paris setting - CURSE having been inspired by Guy Endore's "The Werewolf Of Paris" - and again pits our hirsute hero in the midst of a complicated romantic attachment (a prostitute rather than a merchant's daughter) whose development (the girl is unwilling to give up her profession at first) could or could not control his affliction; still, this element isn't quite as well integrated into the narrative here as it was in the Hammer version - and the decision to allow the lycanthrope to speak briefly, WEREWOLF OF London (1935)-style, was perhaps a mistake. Of course, the film features several other Hammer alumni - director Francis, composer Harry Robinson and, from the cast, Peter Cushing and Michael Ripper (in a cameo as a tramp and one of the werewolf's victims).

The visibly reduced budget allows for little real period atmosphere - despite traveling show, zoo and brothel - but the film is pacy and enjoyable enough to overcome such limitations; still, the werewolf scenes aren't exactly inspired - resorting mainly to either red-tinted POV shots (which, obviously, didn't register during my first viewing of the film) or close-ups of its bare and bloodied fangs - and, while I've always been partial to the silver-haired make-up myself, it's only seen in full at the very end (much like CURSE OF THE WEREWOLF, actually)!

David Rintoul offers no real challenge to Lon Chaney Jr.'s definitive werewolf - or Oliver Reed from CURSE, for that matter; in fact, the most notable cast members are the three top-billed veterans: Hugh Griffith is the owner of the traveling show who raises the wolf-boy (though he disappears from the narrative after the first 20 minutes or so) and Ron Moody plays the eccentric zoo-keeper who employs Rintoul (and whose grounds are used as recreation area by the prostitutes, which is how the young man meets his beloved!), but the film truly belongs to Cushing as the unflappable police surgeon - I've rarely seen him so relaxed (particularly during this latter phase of his career) and he's clearly enjoying every minute of it...though his character gradually turns sleuth and, ultimately, bent on 'treating' Rintoul rather than capturing him (but such radical ideas are not shared by his convention-bound colleagues).

The film also generates some tension during Rintoul's confrontation scenes with his girl's madame (at one point, he even breaks into the brothel through a window to assault a client), as well as the climax set in the Paris sewers (which had allowed the werewolf to move about without being seen).

The Legend of The Werewolf was produced by Tyburn productions, the same people who made 1975's The Ghoul, also with Peter Cushing. Although many involved in the making of these films have been associated with the House of Hammer, it is obvious that Tyburn was a poor imitation for Hammer. Which is not to say Legend of The Werewolf is not entertaining. Indeed, the presence of Peter Cushing alone makes it interesting to horror buffs such as myself. Many films of this ilk are surprisingly hard to find today and valuable to collectors. My copy, distributed by Interglobal Home video, was purchased many years ago and today is next to impossible to find. Interglobal had the distinction for a time in the late 1980's and early 90's for making available films such as these and for that we owe them a considerable debt. Legend of The Werewolf covers no new ground and few surprises. A baby is left for dead and is raised among the wild animals. A few years pass and he is rescued by a traveling carney and spends the rest of his youth performing as "Wolfboy." Finally he embarks out on his own and goes to work as a zookeeper in Paris. Murders begin to happen and Peter Cushing, a medical examiner dabbling in detective work, begins to piece the mystery together. Regrettably, the finale holds little in the way of surprise and is anything but shocking or mysterious. Production values are acceptable given the low budget constraints but one is aware that the House of Hammer could have done much better with similar resources. One bright spot other than Cushing's presence is Ron Moody as the seedy head zookeeper. What a sleazebag! The plotline is fairly creative as a house of ill repute is used to frame the story of the murders and "animal" attacks. Our wolfman's love interest is a prostitute whom he has sadly placed on a pedestal of virtue. Ah well - even low budget B flicks contain their poignant moments of human frailty. If you are a fan of Peter Cushing, obscure horror films, or both, this is required viewing. If you are neither you may not wish to bother. Still, when I viewed this film recently after having not seen it for several years, I enjoyed it much more than I thought I would.

I fall into the first category: anything with lycanthropy, I'm THERE! Peter Cushing is fantastic in this film. My particular favorite line he does as a throwaway, looking at a fresh corpse, "Oh, yes, that is VERY nasty." The red lens was a great idea, used effectively in its first scene, then poorly in every scene following. You don't really get a good look at the werewolf til two-thirds into the film and that's for the best. The time- lapse transformation scene starts out great, the next to last shot looks menacing and feral and you wish it'd stop there, then finishes with this silvery-white helmet head look that is nothing short of ludicrous looking in this, the revelatory scene.

The film is not without pathos, however. As an animal lover, I couldn't help but feel pity for Etoil as he was forced to beat one of the wolves in his zoo to death. And, you Hammer elitists out there, you cannot deny that the final sequence with Etoil and Christine is moving and poignantly tragic. Crawling through the sewers weezing "Christine...Christine...".

I confess: I own this on VHS, '87 Interglobal release. I got it when I was 8 and obsessed with werewolves, and I watched it constantly. Every other year or so, I pop it in and I'm not terribly disappointed. Not good, but better than a few Hammer films. So there.

Legend of the Werewolf was released by the Tyburn production company, who only released a handful of horror films during the mid-seventies. It's obvious that the studio was trying to imitate the successful Hammer films, and indeed they've succeeded in capturing the right style as Legend of the Werewolf looks and feels like a Hammer movie, and the company have even managed to get prolific Hammer director Freddie Francis on board, as well as one of the heavyweights of horror; Peter Cushing. The obvious film to compare this one to is the sixties classic 'Curse of the Werewolf', and indeed the two films share a lot of plot elements in common. The film takes place in 19th century France, and focuses on a young boy who was kidnapped and brought up by wolves. Naturally, it's not long before the circus roll into town and spots this boy. He soon becomes the main attraction at the circus, and in spite of this; he manages to grow into a strapping young man. However, the wolf in him soon comes to surface and he begins to rampage through the local population.

Despite capturing the right atmosphere, this film isn't as good as the best that Hammer has to offer. The plot simply isn't all that interesting, and the film doesn't manage to capture that mini epic feel of the earlier Hammer classic. The plot is also rather mundane and if you've seen more than a handful of werewolf movies, you're likely to have already seen all that this film has to offer. Not even Peter Cushing manages to lift this above the mundane in genre terms, as his performance here doesn't feature his usual enthusiasm, and is really just a variation on his classic portrayal of vampire hunter Van Helsing. Cushing starred in a handful of low budget films in the seventies in which he barely had any screen time, and I'm pleased to say that here he features quite prominently. The plot line is more than a little bit stretched, and the film suffers quite often because of this. Simply put; there isn't enough distraction from the central plot idea. Overall, however, this film adequately provides ninety minutes of entertainment, and even though it can't stand up to most of Hammer's films; I did enjoy watching it.