The Werewolf vs. The Vampire Women

A.K.A. Werewolf Shadow

Waldemar Drasinsky is brought back to life when Doctors performing an autopsy removes the silver bullets from his chest to prove that the local superstitions regarding werewolves are nonsense. They are wrong and pay for it with their lives. Waldemar relocates to an abandoned castle in France with his sister Elizabeth who has her own issues. He is hoping to find a lost crucifix that can save his soul.
While studying Castle ruins and tombs, two young women are stranded and invited to stay at Drasinsky's castle. Love blossoms between one of the women and Waldemar as together the three of them locate the missing tomb holding the special cross that can put an end to Drasinsky's curse.
Removing the crucifix from the occupant of the tomb, one young woman cuts her arm and blood flows into the corpse's skull, reviving Wandessa the vampire. A scene very similar to one from Bava's classic Black Sunday.
This film is dripping with atmosphere from it's decrepit castles, tombs and ruins to chains swaying in the hallways and mists filling the corridors.The castles's setting with it's lack of electricity and the dream-like movement of the vampires add a gothic feeling to the film's tone.
Naschy does a fairly decent acting job here, he really isn't the best actor to be seen in front of a camera. But he truly does enjoy the genre and it shows. He does bring sympathy to the Waldemar Drasinsky character who only wishes to bring an end to his life cursed as a werewolf.
My Thoughts:I would recommend this film to anyone who is interested in watching An Euro-horror film or wanting to discover Paul Naschy. He has played the character of Waldemar Drasinsky a total of eleven times,writing most of the screen plays himself. He truly is an impotant part of the horror film industry, sadly he was taken from us last November at age seventy five.

My Rating: 3 Go Go Girls out of 5 >