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Werewolf Vs. Vampire Women (1971)

La Noche de Walpurgis
Blood Moon
Nacht der Vampire
Shadow of the Werewolf
The Werewolf Versus Vampire Women
The Werewolf's Shadow
Werewolf vs. the Vampire Woman


Cast:

Jacinto "I'm better known as Paul Naschy" Molina is Waldemar Daninsky
Gaby Fuchs is Elvira
Barbara Capell is Genevieve Bennett
Patty Shepard is Countess Wandessa d'Arville de Nadasdy
Andrés Resino is Inspector Marcel
Yelena Samarina is Elizabeth Daninsky


What the box says:

"Two young college girls travel to France in search of the tomb of the Vampire Countess Waldessa." Count Waldemar, who is awerewolf helps them out. He's looking for a silver cross that will "free his soul." The Countess gets revived and "terror reigns as the werewolf tries to make amends." They claim that your blood will boil and your skin will crawl."


Plot:

At night, a car stops. The police detective wants the local detective to perform an autopsy in the middle of the night. The locals think werewolves are involved. The doctor readies while sneering at the superstitions of the villagers. Yeah, Doc, you are so dead for ignoring the warnings of the locals.

Dr. Hartwig takes the silver bullets out of the body first. Supposedly, the bullets when removed will bring the werewolf back to life. Nothing happens.

The cop and Hartwig aren’t paying attention. The dead guy is reanimated and turns all hairy like a Baldwin and to his naturally lupine, wolfy state. After mauling them, he runs outside.

Wolf spots a villager and has a snack.

In a bar, a bunch of gangly Europeans try to dance. To bad, none of them have heard the Geezinslaws’s song “Help, I’m White (and I can’t get down)”. Elvira tells her boyfriend Marcel about her strip to research the 15th Century Countess Waldessa. She practiced black magic, worshipped the devil, and was a vampire. A true hat trick of evil, Waldessa lived. Her lover after discovering these things stabbed her to death with a cross. Waldessa was secretly buried. Elvira and her friend Genevieve believe they located the area where Waldessa was buried. They plan to go and investigate it further.

Later, Elvira and Gen managed to get lost on the back roads. They find Waldemar Daninsky. He invites them to stay at his place for a few days. Like true girls from decades ago, they accept the invitation of a strange guy who lives in the woods.

At dinner, Waldemar explains he is writing about Gothic churches like the ruins of the nearby abbey. Elvira and Gen ask Waldemar to help show them around the area to find the burial site of Waldessa. The offers to help them anyway he can. Since this isn’t a Jess Franco movie, we aren’t’ treated to any wolfman nookie yet…

Elvira and Gen are getting ready for bed. Separate beds so the dirty minded one s of the ten get a cold shower. They are talking about how strange Waldemar is and how he reacted when Waldessa was mentioned.

Elvira drifts off to sleep. She thinks she sees someone in the room. A crazy woman starts choking her. Crazy chick starts to fondle her some. This is starting to hit Jess Franco territory. Elvira finds Waldemar beside her. He apologizes for his sister, Elizabeth, and leaves the room.

The next day, Waldemar and Elvira are walking. He tells how Elizabeth went crazy after their father died.

Gen discovers a blood-splattered room with manacles. Elizabeth attacks her. Waldemar and Elvira rush to help Gen.

Later, Waldemar chastises Elizabeth. These girls are his last hope.

Gen wants to leave. Elvira talks her into staying. Reluctantly, Gen agrees to stay.

Waldemar and the girls put their research together. They head out to the ruins.

Waldemar and the girls quickly find the tomb. An inscription warns that the tomb must be left alone. Elvira doesn’t want to do anything to the tomb. Gen is all for opening it. Elvira leaves to examine the ruins of the nearby abbey while Gen and Waldemar defile the tomb.

Our intrepid grave robbers open the coffin to find a skeleton with a silver crucifix in it. Gen removes the crucifix and cuts herself. The blood spills on the desiccated corpse. Gen mentions the legend of with the crucifix removed, Waldessa will return to life. Waldemar ignores such nonsense. They close the coffin and head for Elvira.

Elvira examines the abbey ruins. A Fulci zombie faced monk chases after her. Waldemar uses the crucifix to kill it.

That night, Waldessa emerges from her coffin.

Elvira and Gen are talking. Gen heads downstairs. She is called by Waldessa into the woods. A black dressed woman is waiting. She partakes of Genevieve’s blood.

Liz watches this. Waldessa and Gen head off to partake in Sapphic indulgences…

Waldemar is still doing research when he hears a wolf cry. The soul shall be set free.

Elvira searches for Gen and finds Liz’s corpse. Gen wants Elvira to “join her”. Elvira seems enchanted Waldemar uses the crucifix to drive Gen away.

Waldemar explains what is going on by opening the tomb. Waldessa will gain more and more power. He wants Elvira to leave. Walpurgis Night is soon.

Elvira wants to stay and help him. She professes her love for him. Elvira is given the crucifix and heads to town.

The Handyman drives Elvira into town. He babbles on and on. Apparently, some people think he is the werewolf. Handyman starts hitting her.

In the forest, Waldemar drags Liz’s body to the homemade grave he’s dug. He drives a stake into her heart and severs her head.

Later, Handyman finds a truck stopped in the road. Gen and Waldessa rush to them. Elvira is able to run them off with the crucifix.

Waldemar wants Elvira to stay by herself on the night of the full moon.

That night, Waldemar turns all wolfy.


I'm like Duran Duran sang, "Hungry Like the Wolf"...
He runs off into the night. Elvira is a locked up room, can hear the wolf growling.

Elvira finds Waldessa and Gen over her. They drink her blood and dance away. Elvira awakens, it was only a nightmare.

In the morning, Waldemar falls into Elvira’s arms. He explains about being a werewolf. Liz helped to chain him to keep him from killing anyone. He is destined to not have peace and be a lost soul. Love will save him and so will the crucifix. Waldessa will fight to stay alive. Elvira wants to find Waldessa lair. Waldemar tries convincing her to leave. She refuses to go.

Later, Elvira is being watched by Gen. She breaks into the room. After copping a feel, Gen has a pint of Elvira Red.

Waldemar searches for the lair. He sees Gen in the cemetery. Gen tries to attack Waldemar. He stakes her in a non-sexual way. Waldessa watches from afar before returning to her lair.

Waldemar finds Elvira who reveals that Gen bit her. He explains when Gen was killed, she was set free.

Waldemar and Elvira search the ruins to no avail. A full moon is tonight. He wants for her to chain him up. Waldemar is into kinky werewolf bondage…

That night, Waldemar begins to change. Elvira hears him screaming. She goes to check on him. Pierre grabs her. Waldemar rages against the chains before breaking free. Pierre is carrying Elvira away. Waldemar Werewolf attacks Pierre and has a snack…

The next day, Inspector Marcel, Elvira’s boyfriend, arrives at the village.

Waldemar and Elvira are basking in the afterglow. The werewolf nookie has just happened.

A bartender chick tells Marcel about a traveler girl that was killed. She claims her boyfriend; Pierre was bewitched in a non Elizabeth Montgomery way.

Waldemar is attacked by Pierre who stabs him. They struggle and Pierre falls on his own knife.

Marcel arrives at the house and finds Elvira. Waldemar tries explaining what is going on and about him and Elvira. Marcel wants the deaths connected to Waldemar investigated. He also wants Waldemar to send Elvira away back to civilization. If Waldemar is cleared, Marcel won’t stand in Elvira’s way to return to him.

Waldemar needs the cross. Elvira has to leave. Waldemar thinks he knows where the lair is. He has got to take care of her by Walpurgis Night, tonight.

Marcel and Elvira leave.

Waldemar is studying a map of the ruins.

As Marcel drives off, a woman jumps in front of the car. Marcel gets out checking on her. Waldessa appears and can’t be shot by Marcel. Elvira just looks terrified.

Marcel and Elvira are chained in Waldessa’s lair. She approaches them and vows revenge on Waldemar. Elvira is chained to the altar.

Waldemar is still searching for the lair.

Waldessa will sacrifice Elvira to rule the world. Well, at least Elvira’s death isn’t going to be a loss. You’d think a human sacrifice to rule the world would at least be a virgin sacrifice. They may be harder to find but well worth the effort to please Cthulu…

Waldemar has the cross and rushes to free Elvira. She lets Marcel loose. The full moon turns Waldemar wolfy. Waldessa versus Werewolf Waldemar. He quickly takes care of her and has a snack. Waldessa rots in a matter of seconds covered in maggots.

Elvira grabs the crucifix and accidentally stabs Waldemar Wolf. He quickly loses his Baldwin-like body hair. Elvira and Marcel embrace and leave the lair as the morning sun rises? The fight couldn’t have been that long…


What I say:

Paul Naschy has been considered the Spanish Lon Chaney for years. I’m not sure if considering him like Lon Chaney Jr. is appropriate or not. Yes, they both played werewolves in numerous films. It hasn’t been that long since I watched Chaney’s Wolfman. It is hard to consider Werewolf Versus the Vampire Woman anywhere near Chaney’s classic. However, I may be in the other camp if I saw Naschy’s best wolf movie with weakest Chaney werewolf role. Naschy is probably most famous for his portrayal of Waldemar Daninsky. A role he played in 13 movies over 3 decades. That is quite an impressive achievement.

Gaby Fuchs acting as Elvira reminds me of a lyric from Soul Asylum’s song Misery:”…Put me out of my misery…”. She is horrendous. How bad? It elevates Keanu Reeves to a John Agar level. Not a good description. I was afraid of Jimmy Stewart's corpse rising from the grave and seeking revenge if he was compared with Ted Theodore Logan. I’m not sure which is worse about Gaby Fuchs (how do you pronounce her last name?) falling in love with Waldemar or her being scared to death. Frankly, she’s not that good to look at either.

At least, Barbara Capell as Genevieve looks hot. Most of the time, she’s wearing fake vampire fangs that would embarrass Geena Davis, Transylvania 6-5000...Well, vampire Barbara is normally about to make out with every woman in the cast save mannish bartender. One day, a vampire movie will explain why vampireized chicks seem to become obsessed with seducing other women. Until then, I guess the reason is guys going to movies think the only thing more beautiful than 2 chicks going at it is being invited to join them. I have no complaints about it.

I've never been a big werewolf fan. So, no Howling or An American Werewolf in London references. The early 80s saw a numerous wolf movies like the Howling sequels. The 90s was an awfully bare time for wolves. The 00s (has there been an accepted name for this decade yet?) started bringing more werewolf movies like Dog Soldiers or the Ginger Snaps or its sequels.

Vampires are easier to do in movies that our fine furry friends. Slap a set of fake fangs and hand an actor a couple of blood capsules, you've got a vampire. Granted, vampires have been morphed into a bunch of angsty pseudo-gothic whiny poseurs. For werewolves, it is hard to hot glue massive amounts of hair on people. Werewolves have a more primal aura. While vampires may be able to hold back on the blood drinking, very few movies have werewolves that control their inner beast.

I’m a bit ambivalent to Naschy’s werewolf. He apes Chaney a lot. Naschy has admitted how much Chaney inspired him. I do have to admire the way he throws himself around during the transformation sequences. You can tell lycanthropy isn’t a fun thing to have. A lot of movies just have the werewolf bend over hunched in pain and cut to scenes where he starts growing hair all over.

The many names of this movie have something in common. The movie seems to not have the Euro-sleaze feel that many movies from that era have. Well, this was a horror movie first with a little nudity peppered into it as a second thought. Most are from the other camp: take a lot of naked flesh sprinkled with fake blood. This version seems to be a editted down version. How editted would be a good question...My version is 82 minutes long compared to the Anchor Bay DVD version running 95 minutes. What is missing? Part of the scene where Elvira and Waldemar are in the sack. Ah, they took out some bippies. How dare pointless nudity be removed? The gore may have been cut. The final fight is intact. It makes no more sense either way.

I don't think anyone can really explain this movie. IMDB describes the plot as "scientists resurrect a murderous werewolf, who then proceeds to try to mate with beautiful women to produce a line of werewolves." The box description about Waldemar being a count is never mentioned in the movie.

I have been critical of the acting and most of the movie. Can I think of any good things about this movie? The copy I got is far from the new Anchor Bay DVD. I try not to really rage against the DVD unless something terrible happened like the sound screwing up on Ultraman 2. The movie does have a degree of a gothic feel from the area it was filmed. Genevieve as a vampire doesn’t rush sort of glides towards her victims.

Many European horror movies of that era used that style of artsy-camera angles. Most movies that try to be high art with a sprinkling of horror fall flat on their collective asses. How did Jess Franco keep making his style of horror movies by liberally dousing them with female flesh? European horror was considered the domain of England for years with Hammer studios. Italy began making the giallo movies that slightly morphed into more horrific. After Dawn of the Dead, they grabbed onto zombie horror and started delving into the infamous cannibal movies. We all know about and fear.

Spanish horror movies never had the fame of English horror or the notoriety of Italy’s horror industry. I am not quite sure how to really explain what little I know about the Spanish horror industry. Going by this movie, it seems to be more influenced by English horror than how Italy was pushing the boundaries with gore. You think about European horror does have a small pantheon like Christopher Lee, Peter Cushing, and a a few others. However, Paul Naschy shouldn't be on the list.



2 1/2 NINJAS

Quotable Dialogue

"I'm used to seeing death, but I got sick."
"Look at this scar! It's pentagonal, the mark of the werewolf."
"Maybe this is a nightmare and there are no dead who came back to life."
"I get very angry when people think I'm crazy."


Morals of the Story

Colleges have students find burial sites of ancient witches.
Crazy women speaking French is truly disturbing.
Archeology the field of science that calls for girls to wear ugly short dresses.
Crazy guys aren't suave enough to woo hot chicks.
Brothers aren't bothered by decapitating their sisters.
Vampires wipe their lips with the wrists after taking a drink.
Sunlight slightly inconviences vampires.
Werewolves are into bondage.
Retractable knives aren't good to bring to fight.