Movie Info
Movie Name: The Curse of the Werewolf
Studio: Hammer Film Productions
Genre(s): Horror
Release Date(s): May 1, 1961
MPAA Rating: Not Rated
It’s hard out there for a wolf kid…
Born of a woman raped by a madman, Leon Corledo (Oliver Reed) found he was suffering from something inhuman at an early age. When the full moon shines, Leon becomes a beast…and out of control. The curse of the werewolf is strong but love is stronger. When Leon meets a young woman named Cristina (Catherine Feller), she seems able to team the beast inside of him. Unfortunately without Cristine, the beast is out of control and wanted for murder…can love save him?
Directed by Terence Fisher, The Curse of the Werewolf is a Hammer monster movie. It is loosely based on the 1933 novel The Werewolf of Paris by Guy Endore. The film is the first screen credit for Oliver Reed and often collected in Hammer collections.
Oliver Reed is really failing the ghost pepper chip challenge
I have a soft spot for werewolf films. As a child, the Wolf Man was the monster under my bed, and images of Oliver Reed as the werewolf were also regularly seen in magazines and books. I wasn’t able to see The Curse of the Werewolf for years, but did enjoy the film when I finally did see it.
The Curse of the Werewolf has some strikes against it which may make it a bit harder for some viewers to get in to. It is a classic horror movie in structure and moves quite slow. The start of the film is the actual “origin” of the werewolf and it takes a while for Oliver Reed to even show up in the film (not until the second half). This pacing continues throughout the film and fans of films like The Howling or An American Werewolf in London might wish for more werewolf.
The werewolf also is an odd one. The “curse” is an affliction that isn’t from being bitten by a wolf, but something in Leon’s genetics. He was born with this disease due to his conception and that alone makes the movie different. Likewise, love can suppress the werewolf and simply being among those who love him, protects Leon from the curse. I like these differences, and the changes it creates for the characters.
I climb all the way up here to eat the bell-ringer…and there’s no bell-ringer? What a crock! I hate you people!!!
Oliver Reed does a nice job with a movie that is easily a B-Movie style film and his make-up is also impressive. The werewolf is one of Hammer’s better looking creatures and I wish (like Dracula and Frankenstein) that the filmmakers had spun the character into a series (though it wouldn’t have fit with the story).
The Curse of the Werewolf is one of Hammer’s better and more interesting horror films. Thought it is slow, the movie provides a different take on werewolves. I like this and encourage fans of the genre to seek it out. With a great collection of films, even in a multipack, Hammer often delivers and The Curse of the Werewolf is a winner.
