Director – Leon Klimovsky (Trauma, A Dragonfly for Each Corpse)
Starring – Paul Naschy (The Night of the Werewolf, Mystery on Monster Island), Shirley Corrigan (Syndicate Sadists, Hard to Remember), and Jack Taylor (The Ninth Gate, Edge of the Axe)
Release Date – 1972
Rating – 3.5/5
Blu Release – 3.5/5
I’ve been fortunate enough to review a couple dozen horror flicks over the years that featured the legendary actor and director Paul Naschy. His career is nothing short of legendary having portrayed werewolves, monsters, mad men, and the like in dozens, if not hundreds, of films. His a name I became familiar with early on in my youth once I became obsessed with the genre when a friend of mine introduced me to Horror Rises from the Tomb.
Since then I’ve watched several films of his including several that were sent my way for review. What I find funny is that all of the films that were sent to me for review were ones I had never seen before. That was until Mondo Macabro sent me Dr. Jekyll vs. the Werewolf for review. This was the first Nashy lead film that I was sent to review that I had actually seen before. I had seen this one sometime ago when Halloween was approaching and really enjoyed it and I was looking forward to revisiting it. I want to take a moment to thank Mondo Macabro for sending this one over!
**Spoiler Alert** The film follows a man who is searching for a cure to his lycanthropy. In his search he meets a young woman visiting his homeland who has ties to a scientist. The scientist has access to his grandfathers work and thinks it may come in handy in curing him of his curse. However, his grandfather’s serum does not work according to plan and unleashes his grandfather’s alter ego, Mr. Hyde. **Spoiler Alert**
Dr. Jekyll vs the Werewolf is the sixth time that Naschy has played a werewolf. I can’t confirm if they are a continuation of the other characters or not but it’s still fun to marathon them all. When it comes to Naschy’s films, and he’s had a lot, this is probably the most bizarre and absurd story I’ve seen. While it’s far from perfect, it still has it’s own charm and is well worth a watch.
The acting in this one is very uneven but still very enjoyable. Naschy isn’t the star of the show but he is fantastic as always. He delivers what I would consider a classic Naschy performance which blends a commanding performance with classic horror tropes. The remainder of the cast, including the film’s lead, is great as well but there was times when their performances just didn’t fit the energy of some of their co-stars.
The story for this one is wild and I couldn’t imagine what it was like to genre fans during the early 70s. Pinning two legendary horror creatures against each other has been done since the early days at Universal Studios. Even Naschy has pitted classic movie monsters against each other. However, a film where a werewolf is given Dr. Jekyll’s formula is something no one has expected. This can be said over 50 years later. It’s a wild story that really does hold the viewer’s attention from beginning to end.
Finally, the film has some blood and a decent enough looking werewolf mask but the lack of gore and practical effects is a bit disappointing. Naschy’s mask and make-up effects are solid but it’s not enough to satiate the diehard gore fans. Overall, Dr. Jekyll vs the Werewolf may not be the best werewolf flick to hit store shelves but it’s still extremely entertaining. I highly recommending grabbing this oddball release from Mondo Macabro. It’s well worth it.
Special Features:
Paul Naschy on Dr Jekyll.
Interview with Sergio Molina.
Jack Taylor, testigo del fantástico, directed by Diego López-Fernández.
Jack Taylor on Fantaterror.
Film maker Victor Matellano on the career of director Leon Klimovsky.
Audio commentary from the Naschy cast
