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Fury of the Wolfman (1972)

The Wolfman Never Sleeps
La Furia del Hombre Lobo


Cast:

Jacinto "I'm better known as Paul Naschy" Molina is Waldemar Daninsky
Perla Cristal is Dr. Ilona Elmann
Verónica Luján is Karen
Mark Stevens is William, Bill


What the box says:

Lola (Perla Cristal), a female psychiatrist, resurrects her lover (Paul Naschy) after he has been attacked and bitten by a Yeti in Tibet. Subjecting him to bizarre mind-control experiments that force him to turn into a werewolf, she is attempting to awaken his dormant manliness that never existed before his death. Instead she awakens a killer that is completely under her control.


Plot:

A narrator explains about werewolves.

Waldemar Daninsky returns to his wife, Erica. He was wounded in the mountains of Tibet when everyone else in his party died. In bed, Waldemar is having nightmares about and flashbacks. A monk gives him a small box with a cure to use if anything happens soon. He is sure he was attacked by a Yeti.

At the medical school, Dr Elona, AKA Dr. HOT CHICK, talks about how she can create men that can be controlled. The process will control emotions, cure insanity, and many other wonderful things.

Waldemar is lecturing over a corpse with his class.

Waldemar gives Elona the small box from the monk. She will look into his disease.

Karen, Elona’s assistant, talks with Waldemar about her experiments. He convinces her everything is perfectly fine with trying to mind control people.

Waldemar receives an anonymous letter stating Erica is getting her pipes cleaned by a plumber of lust. She’s cheating with one of his students.

Neville calls Erica. He’s fixed Waldemar’s brakes.

Waldemar is driving home when discovering his brakes don’t work. The car crashes.

Neville and Erica are happy. They are free since her husband is dead.

Waldemar stumbles out of the car.

Elsewhere, Karen is with her reporter boyfriend, William.

Waldemar gets home. However, Erica is nowhere to be found.

Police search around the scene of the wreck. They are perplexed by the lack of a body and immediately suspect someone killed the driver.

Waldemar turns up to Elona’s place. Apparently, Karen is her boss’s roommate, too. Elona reveals she knew that Erica was cheating on the good Dr. Daninsky. She is positive she can cure him. Karen is slapped when she mentions Elona has feelings for Waldemar.

Erica is back at mansion when the lights go dead. Waldemar appears during the full moon. He starts wolfing out.


I'll rip out your throat if you sing 'Werewolves of London'.
Erica is soon lunchmeat. Neville appears and finds Erica. Were Walt (sounds better than Waldemar) attacks and finishes off Neville.

Were Walt runs off howling, growling, and crouching. He runs over a downed power line that kills him.

The police find the letter about Erica’s infidelity.

Elona reads the newspaper article about Erica and Neville being killed, and Waldemar being electrocuted.

Later, Elona lectures about chemtrodes.

The police question Waldemar’s colleagues. They learn Dr. Daninsky had just returned from a trip to Tibet.

Elona knows that Waldemar isn’t dead. He can only die through certain circumstances.

Grave digging ensues as Elona watches. Apparently, Waldemar is under her control.

Karen has to go with Elona on a special trip. William thinks Elona has too much control over Karen. Is that some subtle attempt at foreshadowing or clunky script writing? I leave that up to the viewers to decide.

Stock footage of forest ensues. In Elona’s secret place, she has the corpse wheeled inside. She spikes the drinks of the grave robbers.

Karen learns that Waldemar isn’t dead. She is disturbed when learning that Elona plans to experiment on him.

William leaves his office after getting a tip. He checks out Waldemar’s house and found by the police. They don’t want him involved and know about him dating Karen.

A pain-racked Waldemar is being tested. One of Elona’s assistants is leery about the research on authentic mutants. She is killed. The story glazes over this point.

Karen awakens and looks around the castle and runs into the creepy Michael Meyers-masked clone. You don’t believe me. Doesn’t this picture show it?


I didn't know Michael Meyers started out in Spanish horror movies.

The cop is still on the case. Apparently, he has William helping. The reporter has the brilliant idea to discover what the scientists are doing.

While Elona is doing extra mad scientist stuff on Waldemar, Karen asks her about the silent Michael Meyers prototype. He is just one of Elona’s patients.

A group of crazed patients are cavorting when the Shape enters.

Waldemar awakens and is obviously confused. Elona doesn’t proffer him any answers. A medical educated Waldemar realizes something bad is happening. He transforms into Were Walt. Elona starts whipping him with her horse whip. Who knew a mad scientist was into sadism?

Were Walt escapes the castle and finds a midnight snack.

The police try to question the mother of the last victim. She is obviously out of touch with reality much like the screenwriter of this movie.

The police start using bloodhounds to track Were Walt. Later, our hairy anti-hero finds a woman. He gets distracted and leaves her among the land of the living. Were Walt breaks into a house, rampages, and sets a guy on fire by throwing him in the open chimney. He loses the dogs by crossing a creek.

It is too dark to see what is happening on screen. The police realize they lost the trail of the killer.

Elona has some errands and leaves the castle. Immediately, Karen finds Waldemar staggering around.

Karen activates several futuristic devices as the chemtrodes are activated on Waldemar. She explains that Elona has control of him. They are trapped in the castle. He is sure together they can escape. Castle searching ensues.

As Waldemar goes ahead, a guy in a suit of armor grabs Karen. Yes, a guy is standing around in full knight’s armor waiting to ambush people. Who thought the zombies hiding in trees on tropical islands in Italian Zombie movies would be hard to grasp?

Waldemar finds a group of Elona’s patients that are grogging, reveling, wenching, and rumming.

An axe wielding Waldemar rushes to save Karen.

William tries talking with Elona about Karen’s whereabouts. She stalls him off, though. He leaves when the cops arrive to question her.

Elona heads back to her castle. William follows her.

Waldemar can’t bust the door open. He finds a possible way but discovers the bricked up rotting remains of the grave robbers.


Sorry, about decomposing so fast.
They start to search the dungeons.

Karen wants the patients freed. They swarm over Waldemar. When Karen asks them, they stop. It always pays to be kind to the insane inmates who are being subjected to cruel experiments. They run wild throughout the castle.

Waldemar reveals to Karen how he can die: by another beast or a silver bullet fired by a woman who loves him. Sucking face ensues. The finally decide to search Elona’s room.

The room is full of dusty books and Elona’s diary. She is still in love with Waldemar after he broke up with her a few years earlier. She used her chemtrodes to alter Erica and Neville’s feelings until they had an affair. Apparently, all of this is just to justify her father’s work.

Suddenly, the Shape attacks Waldemar.

For some reason, it is too dark to see the fight. Waldemar tosses the Shape off a staircase landing. The Shape is unmasked. He reveals he is Elona’s father and dies.

The patients attack Elona’s assistants.

Elsewhere, at a nearby bar, William is asking about the Wolfenstein castle. After, he learns that Elona owns the castle. He calls the cop and tells everything he’s learned.

Karen and Waldemar bask in the afterglow of some deep cleansing porking. Karen looks through her boss’s notes and finds a gun when Elona returns.

The police head to the castle.

Elona learns that Karen freed the patients, and Waldemar killed the Shape.

Waldemar is in the dungeons searching.

Elona has a funeral for her father that Waldemar walks in on. She claims to have Karen in her power. Waldemar will obey her. Apparently, Elona is all powerful and is saving him for herself.

The full moon will change him soon. He is chained to the wall. Elona reveals that he didn’t kill Erica but changed her. Soon, she will change into a werewolf under the control of the resident mad scientist.

The police catch up with William and head to the castle.

Elona has her plan. Waldemar and Erica both change.


Should I wax today?

Outside, the police try to break into the castle.

Wolf Erica is going to kill Karen when Were Walt breaks free. The movie’s first married werewolf battle ensues.

Elona ties Karen up.

The battle rages until Were Walt is able to kill Erica and free her of the curse.

The cops finally break into the castle.

Were Walt is ordered to kill Karen. He turns on Elona.

The cops are trying to find Elona.

Were Walt tosses Elona off the staircase.

The dying, Elona shoots Were Walt with the silver bullet. Were Walt dies.

William and everyone arrive in the lab. He frees Karen. They all leave the castle wanting to forget what they saw.


What I say:

The Italians were so inspired by George Romero's Dawn of the Dead to make an uncountable number of Italian zombie movies. Paul Naschy decided to corner the Spanish market on werewolf movies. Another Paul Naschy werewolf movie? After Werewolf Vs Vampire Women, I can't really see how he's considered one of the legendary horror actors. The worst Lon Chaney Jr. werewolf movie has to be better than this.

Dr. Elona had practically every mad scientist motivation imaginable. Elona wanted to complete her disfigured father's research. She also wanted revenge for Waldemar dumping her like a hot potato a few years earlier. If only she had been working to prove to the medical community her work would revolutionize the world. She'd get the mad scientist hat trick.

The Michael Meyers masked guy is something you don't expect to see in early 70s movies, especially Spanish werewolf movies. I've never seen any Halloween reviews acknowledge this movie. Is it a coincidence or intentional? Carpenter was inspired by a number of Dario Argento films for Halloween. Would he consider delving into some Naschy movies, too? If Carpenter was doing a European-styled werewolf movie, I would think so. Michael Meyers had a white spray painted William Shatner mask. Creepy masked guy's mask doesn't really resemble the Shape as we know and fear if you pay close attention to it. It is probably a coincidence though you could probably get a good arguement out of someone who doesn't believe it.

Most the scenes are set in creepy old castles. At least, Europe has a number of old castles that are just great homes for mad scientists and vampires.

The production company apparently didn't believe in letting anyone be able to see what is going on during most of the fights. The sets could have elevated this movie if anything was lit to see what was happening. Is a visible horror movie that much too ask for? I've seen movies set in night more that were easier to see.

I get the impression this movie didn't really have much work on the script. A Yeti scratches Paul Naschy who turns into a werewolf. His evil ex-girlfriend has gained mind control of his wife and has her have an affair with a student. Paul comes to the evil ex because of the pentagonal scar. (Yeah, werewolf legends say pentagram.) Evil ex will use her mind control skills to dominate Werewolf Paul. Apparently, her work will somehow justify her father's work. She goes on an errand. Paul knocks boots with her assistant that keeps casting eyes at him. They're trapped in a castle with a bunch of crazy patients and Michael Meyers. Evil ex returns and reveals Paul's wife is a werewolf, too. She will control her, too....The end will have Paul die and pretty much everything else hunky-dory.

I want to be fair. Naschy does a pretty good transformation hunching over in pain. This movie only came out 10 years before some of the most revolutionary werewolf movies Howling and An American Werewolf in London. It is shame that some newer effects weren't used than the time lapse shot . However, the time lapse werewolf makeup is ludicrous. Chaney did the same thing 30 years earlier.

Each of the movies doesn't have a shared continuity other than Naschy portraying a Waldemar Daninsky, werewolf transformation, and a death by silver from a woman that loves him. Does every one of the Paul Naschy movies have him take some guy's girlfriend to bed? Although, I've only seen 2, it seems to happen in both. He's batting a 1000 in bagging other guys's girlfriends. The best looking women aren't wooed by Naschy's lycanthropic manliness. Ok, we manage to get by without werewolf sex, and that is a very good thing. These boyfriends are either reporters or policemen. A later movie would be Werewolf and the Yeti. This werewolf would battle vampires, Frankenstein, and even Jack the Ripper.

I would only try to put a list of the enire sequence of movies in the last movie. However, I doubt I will try to hunt down Tomb of the Werewolf or any of the others. There are some entertaining parts here and there. However, a few scenes scattered about a gaggle of movies shouldn't justify continuing a series. With Paul Naschy, he seems to disagree with that notion.

Name Year
Mark of the Werewolf 1968
Nights of the Werewolf 1968
The Werewolf Vs the Vampire Women 1971
Assignment Terror 1971
Dr Jekyll and the Werewolf 1972
Fury of the Wolfman 1972
The Return of the Walpurgis 1973
Horror of the Werewolf 1975
Return of the Wolfman 1980
The Beast and the Magic Sword 1983
Lycanthropus: the Moonlight Murders 1996
Tomb of the Werewolf 2003

I'll be on a closer watch to try to avoid any more Naschy werewolf movies. They just don't seem that entertaining even with Michael Meyers clones and hot vampire chicks wanting to make out with virtually every female in the movie. Dwell on that last sentence for a moment. I didn't know it was possible to make sapphic vampires dull. The first one was found for a dollar. I've a rule of thumb about reviewable movies. The cheaper I can find a DVD the better a candidate it is for a review. Fury of the Wolfman was on a 3 pack with Brainiac, and another movie Which I have yet to review..Naschy may have deep abiding respect and love to try to make great werewolf movies. They all seem to fall flat on their tails.



2 NINJAS

Quotable Dialogue

"The Doctor's only trying to help mankind through science."
"It's an accident that's very strange."
"You have to promise to act like a real man."
"I don't see anything scientific in human beings suffering."
"It's all hermetically sealed if I could break the door."
"The madness and perversity will turn against you."


Morals of the Story

The sun and moon arte interchangable.
Yetis are werewolves.
Patients are kept chained in dungeons.
Europe is full of guys named Hank.
Guys wear suits of armor to grab unsuspecting women.
Tibetan monks love to give silver bullets.
A sunny day is immediately after a couple hours of a full moon.