SERIOUSLY. This is what the crap Hollywood still puts out?

From my favorite movies..

Bad Acting and worse Bad Screenplay

Let me be very fair here, this is not the best movie in my opinion. But, this movie is fun, it has purpose and is very enjoyable to watch.

This is the first movie in which Paul Naschy, born Jacinto Molina, donned the werewolf attire to play Waldemar Daninsky, a Pole afflicted with lycanthropy. Naschy wrote the screenplay but was actually not the first choice to play the role that would make him world famous - that would be the immortal Lon Chaney Jr.In this first outing a gypsy couple resurrect another lycanthrope - the werewolf Imre Wolfstein (not Frankenstein - in spite of the film's American title, there is no Frankenstein in this film) who begins killing with savagery. Daninsky is able to stop him, but not before becoming afflicted with lycanthropy himself, here represented in a mark the shape of a pentagram, whereas in other hombre lobo films it was a pentagon - perhaps because that shape is easier to draw?Daninsky seeks help to cure his condition from a pair of occultists who turn out to be vampires, and this is where the movie became confusing for me. What do vampires want with werewolves, anyway? And why do they resurrect Wolfstein (again) so that Daninsky and the other lobo can fight? The actor who plays the male vampire seems unsure of his role as well. He flaps his cape around a bit too much, perhaps looking for inspiration, or distraction for the audience noticing his uncertain eyes. There had to be a reason why the vampires were included aside from plotting. Did the producers or distributors demand it? Either way, el hombre lobo was pitted against the nosferatu in further Daninsky offerings that more than make up for the uneven spectacle we get here. Check out Werewolf Shadow and The Craving if you don't believe me.

Despite my summary, the DVD version from Rareflix may be worth buying only for the extras: Sam Sherman's interesting commentary on film distribution rigors to drive-in theaters during the 1960's and early 1970's, and the added original promotional trailers and a copy of the original movie poster inside the DVD box. We learn the reasons Sherman fraudulently hyped this movie as a "Frankenstein" film, as even the title would suggest, despite the fact Frankenstein appears nowhere in the film. I recall when this theater played at the local drive-in in Madison, WI in 1971 when I was a kid. My neighbors, who went to the film, which was on a triple bill with two Hammer Dracula pictures, endlessly complained how the advertising was a complete "rip off" as it was an lousy werewolf movie containing no Frankenstein. Obviously, they did not recommend it, but I remained intrigued all these years only due to that great movie poster referenced above. Sherman states on the commentary that he believed at the time people would see what a good film it was and "forgive him" for the misleading Frankenstein promotion. After buying and viewing the DVD a few weeks ago, I disagree. The film itself is a complete bore, with a plot about as interesting as it is comprehensible. Like many Euro horror pictures of the time, we have a constant repetition of a few seconds of action abruptly interrupted by more inane plot. I'm sure many people's heads were nodding inside of their cars trying to stay awake while attempting to watch this flick at U.S. drive-ins in the 1970's. Again, only interesting as a period piece to catch the kind of unambitious, over-hyped trash all too often once shoveled into drive-in theaters by distributors like Independent-International. Sam Sherman's company nonetheless did bring a handful of good movies to the drive-ins. "Satan's Sadists" comes to mind. This surely ain't one of them.

Finally! I've been searching and searching for a Paul Naschy film that appeals to me. And I'm so happy to have discovered one. After sitting through some less than stellar offerings like Vengeance of the Zombies and Dr. Jekyll vs. the Werewolf, I've finally found a winner. I won't go so far as to proclaim it as one of the best horror movies I've ever seen, but Frankenstein's Bloody Terror is a whole lot of fun and easily the best Naschy film I've so far run across.To begin with, Frankenstein's Bloody Terror has absolutely nothing to do with either the good doctor or his creation. It seems that an American distributor was promised a Frankenstein movie, but was given a werewolf film instead. Undaunted, the distributor decided to stick with the Frankenstein name he probably had already worked into advertising. Thus Frankenstein's Bloody Terror becomes a werewolf/vampire slugfest.Frankenstein's Bloody Terror is something of a historical movie for horror fans. It marks the first time Naschy would play Waldemar Daninsky and his cursed alter-ego that Naschy turned into something of a cottage industry. In this one, the residents of a small village blame a series of deaths on wolves. Daninsky joins a hunting party and is bitten, not by a wolf, but by a werewolf before he is able to subdue the creature. It's not long before Daninsky goes through a strange and painful metamorphosis that turns him into a snarling beast himself. A friend, looking to help Daninsky, turns to a doctor who has written extensively on the subject. But it turns out that this is no ordinary "mad" doctor. It seems the doctor and his wife are in reality blood sucking vampires. Before you know it, they've got Daninsky chained to a wall while they prey on his friends. Can Daninsky free himself and save those dear to him? And if he does save his friends from the vampires, who's going to save them from him? As I said in my opening, Frankenstein's Bloody Terror is a lot of fun. It's hard not to have a good time with the over-the-top storyline and action. The movie actually gives you two werewolves for the price of one. Their battle is a blast and a real highlight of the movie for me. This monster free-for-all is reminiscent of some of Universal's monster mashes from the 40s, only a little more graphic in its presentation. The film has a marvelous Hammer-esquire look to it with vivid colors and period sets. The use of colored gels is a nice touch to the lighting in many scenes. I really liked Naschy's werewolf make-up. It's a little more "wild" than it would be in latter Daninsky films. The supporting cast is good with Rosanna Yanni as a gypsy woman being the most well known.If you're looking for a sophisticated sort of horror movie with a deep, philosophical meaning that sticks with you long after it ends, Frankenstein's Bloody Terror is probably not the movie you're looking for. But if you're just looking to be entertained and have a good time, it's hard to go wrong with Frankenstein's Bloody Terror. Now that I've found a Naschy film I enjoy, I'm even more excited to discover the rest of his work.

So here it is, the movie that started it all. The first step in the unending saga of Waldemar Daninsky, the werewolf, that would launch Jacinto Molina's career of playing this character through the next four decades.The English-dubbed "Frankenstein's Bloody Terror" print available from Horror Theater Video begins with an amusing explanation as to why it was given that title, even though Frankenstein's creature isn't featured. Basically the narrator tells us that Frankenstein becomes Wolfstein, or something. Anyway, it makes absolutely no sense ... the real truth is that the American studio was promised a Frankenstein movie and received this instead, but decided to release it under that title all the same. Heh. Anyway, the picture is quality is quite poor but at least it's a decent surviving print of this historical werewolf movie, and the dubbing is actually not bad.Two gypsies take refuge in an abandoned castle, get drunk on some old wine that they find and ultimately end up doing a bit of good old-fashioned grave robbing, which includes removing a silver crucifix from the 'Wolfstein' tomb. Needless to say, they are quickly slaughtered. Kind-hearted nobleman Waldemar Daninsky joins the investigation, fascinated by the strange occurrences that surround the castle, and eventually encounters the beast responsible, who is stabbed with a silver dagger again but not before giving Waldemar a nasty bite. He tries to cure himself from his new infection, but ultimately puts the love of his life and everyone else in danger. His friend writes to a mysterious doctor who may be able to help him, but all is not as it seems ...Yes, it's completely exploitative ... but hell, it's a lot of fun and there's kind of a well-meaning innocence to it in a way, just a bunch of Spanish folk having some fun with the classic Universal monsters that they love. You'll probably even get a few laughs from some of the cheesy horror moments. The women mostly just run around screaming "look at how exotic and busty I am!", while along with the men they endure gruesome deaths. Jacinto Molina, sporting a full bodybuilder physique, gives a decent first performance as this character (particularly during the werewolf scenes) though obviously not as good as many of his later ones. The directing isn't great, some of the lighting effects are pretty laughable, and the editing is rather sloppy -- but it does have an effective, creepy soundtrack unlike many of the later Daninsky movies.Silly, creepy, nonsensical and fun. Along with every other Naschy movie, it's not for everyone, but if you do enjoy then you've got twelve more movies to check out. Which is nice.