Frankenstein's Bloody Terror

FRANKENSTEIN'S BLOODY TERROR is the film that introduced legendary horror actor Paul Naschy to American audiences in 1972. The film was originally made in 1967 in Spain under the title LA MARCA DEL HOMBRE LOBO (MARK OF THE WOLFMAN) to solid success in Europe as international audiences truly took to Naschy's iconic werewolf Waldemar Danisky. Originally filmed in Cinemascope 70mm and in 3D, MARCA was an incredibly unique horror film that thrilled horror fans and would go on to spawn several sequels before the first film was even released in the USA. And oh boy was that American release a rocky story.

For those unfamiliar with the history of the film, Sam Sherman, the owner of Independent International Films was contracted to deliver a Frankenstein film to distributors who pre-booked the film. The film in question was an in-house Independent International production entitled BLOOD OF FRANKENSTEIN that ended up being "held hostage" by the laboratory that developed the film. Unlikely to get the film back in time to meet a distribution deadline, Sherman needed to find a Frankenstein film ASAP to get to the theaters. (BLOOD OF FRANKENSTEIN eventually was released as DRACULA VS. FRANKENSTEIN)

Unable to find a suitable Frankenstein film (there simply weren't any available for pick up at the time), Sherman selected a film titled HELL'S CREATURES (the UK version of MARCA DEL HOMBRE LOBO) that dealt with a werewolf's struggle with vampires and another werewolf. However, there was NO Frankenstein monster! The second werewolf's name was Wolfstein, so an animated title prologue announced that werewolf blood infected members of the Frankenstein clan and they changed their name to Wolfstein. In other words, "Audience, we have swerved you!" While reports of audiences being more than mildly annoyed at the swerve are plentiful, also plentiful were positive audience member reviews that felt the quality of the film allowed folks to forgive the swerve.

Retitled FRANKENSTEIN'S BLOODY TERROR, the film was released to strong business on the drive-in circuit, but was pulled from distribution in order to release the original 3-D version of the film that bombed miserably.

In the 1980's, it was discovered that the original print of the film ran close to a half hour longer in its original Spanish language. The English dubbed HELL'S CREATURES print was significantly longer than the 77 minute USA FRANKENSTEIN'S BLOODY TERROR version as Sherman cut a great deal of footage he felt slowed the film down. (Mercifully, this is all reinstated for DVD as this version of FBT runs 97 minutes and the DVD also includes further deleted scenes found on the Spanish language version of the film)

SUMMARY: When gypsies robbing a grave pull a silver cross out of the heart of a long dead werewolf named Imir Wolfstein, the creature revives and goes on a rampage. The monster crosses paths with the brooding Heathcliff type character Waldemar Danisky who is able to put the cross back into Wolfstein's heart. (The hard way) Waldemar is bitten by the werewolf and now becomes a werewolf himself.

Learning that a mysterious Doctor may hold the secret to the cure, Waldemar contacts him and tells him of his plight. Unfortunately for Waldemar, the Doctor and his wife turn out to be VAMPIRES! The make Waldemar their slave and also raise Wolfstein from the dead again! All of this culminates in Waldemar's final showdown with the other monsters...

This film is tremendous B-Movie fun and is still enjoyable to watch today as it was when I first saw it on Saturday Afternoon TV in 1978. (Seeing it in its uncut glory is makes the film even better.) Naschy's pathos makes the character come alive and the great production values are only rivaled (at the time) by England's Hammer Studios.

Naschy would gone on to play El Hombre Lobo over a dozen more times with his most recent film being the abominable TOMB OF THE WEREWOLF which was his first film shot in the United States. Other Naschy werewolf films on DVD include WEREWOLF SHADOW which is great, CURSE OF THE DEVIL which is not so good, and FURY OF THE WOLFMAN which is awful. (Many other Naschy classics including other werewolf films have not been legally released on DVD in the USA) Hopefully more Naschy films will find their way to DVD. For now, enjoy this classic!