Dr Jekyll Versus The Werewolf (1972) [Mondo Macabro - Out Of Print]

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Dr Jekyll Versus The Werewolf (1972) [Mondo Macabro - Out Of Print]

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1972’s Dr. Jekyll versus the Werewolf is a fine example of the Spanish horror boom of that decade. One of ten films which starred genre favourite Paul Naschy as the wolf man Waldemar Daninsky, the picture often seems like a demented homage to those films that appeared at the tail-end of Universal’s cycle of horror films from the 30s and 40s.

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Dr Jekyll Versus The Werewolf (1972) [Mondo Macabro - Out Of Print]

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As those later films either collected a bunch of renowned horror actors (Roland V. Lee’s Son of Frankenstein, for example, gathered Boris Karloff, Basil Rathbone, Bela Lugosi and Lionel Atwill) or paired up the genre’s most loved characters (the self-explanatory Frankenstein Meets the Wolf Man), Dr. Jekyll versus the Werewolf sees the meeting of Daninsky and Dr. Jekyll, or rather his grandson. However, in an attempt to outdo the Universal pictures, director Leon Klimovsky also throws in marauding peasants brandishing sickels and pitchforks, a witch, a leper and even a dash of science-fiction. As this suggests, Dr. Jekyll versus the Werewolf’s brisk 83 minute running is pretty much crammed full. Indeed, the film could be easily split into two shorts, though the ideas present are more than enough to stretch both out to feature length.

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The following two paragraphs contain plot spoilers, so those preferring to know as little as possible about the film’s storyline may wish to skip pass them.

The first half concerns honeymooning couple Imre and Justine. Upon arriving in a small town, the pair are informed by the local innkeeper (shades of Michael Ripper’s roles in numerous Hammer horrors) of bandits roaming the area, as well as a witch and, of course, the wolf man (“the devil himself”). Unconcerned by the tales which they denounce as simple superstitions, the unfortunate couple are later set upon by the aforementioned bandits, leaving Imre dead and Justine nearly raped. Fortunately, she is saved by Daninsky and taken to his castle, unawares that every full moon he undergoes a dramatic change.

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Just as the film appears to heading in the direction of a slightly off-kilter homage to Jean Cocteau’s La Belle et la bete (and Naschy’s wolf make-up bears more than a passing resembling to Jean Marais’ eponymous beast), events suddenly take a detour to London, where Justine, having now fallen in love Waldemar, approaches Dr. Jekyll hoping he will be able cure the werewolf urges. Of course, not everything goes to plan and soon Mr. Hyde is stalking Soho for prostitutes to satisfy both his immense sex drive, as well as his murderous urges, leading to him being dubbed by the tabloid press “a sadist worse than Jack the Ripper”.

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Dr Jekyll Versus The Werewolf (1972) [Mondo Macabro - Out Of Print]

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As this brief, and by no means complete, synopsis would suggest, Dr. Jekyll versus the Werewolf’s script contains so much bizarre behaviour that it would succeed as entertainment even if everything else about the film was utterly dire. Admittedly, Leon Klimovsky’s direction is more than a little hackneyed (the sudden move to London is signified by establishing shots of Big Ben and double decker buses) and a number of scenes are so flatly staged that the film really does need to rely its storyline, yet he does understand that a film such as this requires a heady pace, which he delivers in bucketloads. Certainly, for anyone unaware of Dr. Jekyll versus the Werewolf’s plot, it is often unpredictable as where the film will take its audience next, though you can guarantee that they’ll be taken there before they know it. Moreover, his decision to treat everything as seriously as possible helps the film immeasurably; the sudden introduction of a scene where Waldemar gets trapped inside a lift with a young nurse just prior to a full moon could easily be played for laughs, or perhaps just seen as a lazy attempt at cheap thrills, yet this straight-faced attitude allows it to work solely on its own merits.

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This seriousness extends to the actors as well. Paul Naschy, in particular, and in no doubt due to him being one of the actors to truly instigate the sudden burst of horror movie production in Spain, approaches the role with exactly the same gravity that Peter Cushing would in his numerous forays into the genre. That said, Naschy isn’t a particularly great actor, indeed he is often wooden beyond belief, yet there is a definite charisma present and, moreover, he has the looks of a leading man. Certainly, this may explain just why he became one of Spain’s favourite genre specialists, his career having also taken in performances as the phantom of the opera, a hunchback and Dracula following his star making turn in 1967’s 3D extravaganza The Mark of the Werewolf.

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Dr Jekyll Versus The Werewolf (1972) [Mondo Macabro - Out Of Print]

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As if Dr. Jekyll versus the Werewolf didn’t already offer enough pleasures, there are also some wonderful incongruities that stick in the mind. A prostitute getting murdered next to a poster of Lee Marvin is particularly bizarre, as is the fact that every Londoner is fluent in Spanish! In fact, it is these elements that raise the film above being just an interesting curio to become an endlessly re-watchable near classic.

The Digital Fix Film

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Deep in Transylvania, newly weds Imre Kosta and his young wife Justine are visiting the grave of his parents when the couple are attacked by bandits and Imre is killed - but just as they set on Justine, a man appears and brutally kills one of the bandits scaring the rest away. The man takes Justine to his castle and turns out to be Waldemar Daninsky (Paul Naschy), a man stricken with the curse of the werewolf. While Justine is nursed back to health, Otvos - the leader of the bandit group - plots his revenge on Daninsky, eventually summoning up the townspeople to destroy the monster. Justine and Waldemar flee back to London where Justine contacts her friend Dr. Henry Jekyll (Jack Taylor), the grandson of the legendary doctor. Jekyll proposes a way to cure Waldemar of the werewolf curse - by injecting a serum that will turn him into the evil Mr. Hyde. When the moon rises, Hyde and the Werewolf will occupy the same body and hopefully kill each other. However, things soon go wrong and first the Wolfman then Mr. Hyde are set loose on an unsuspecting London, and the bodycount starts to rise…

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Dr Jekyll Versus The Werewolf (1972) [Mondo Macabro - Out Of Print]

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Despite the schlocky exploitation title, this film actually boasts a very strong script written by lead actor Paul Naschy (he would script the vast majority of his films throughout his career). While the preceeding Werewolf Shadow (1971) had a very simplistic plot, full of holes, Dr. Jekyll versus the Werewolf has a surprisingly detailed, multi-part plot with lots of characters. After the London opening, for the next 30 minutes we are in Eastern Europe - Imre, who is built up as a major character gets killed off very suddenly and the character of Otvos, the local bandit, takes over the lead for a while while we are introduced to Daninsky and his past - when we head back to London, Dr. Jekyll and his assistant Sandra become major characters. This mix of leads gives the film the advantage in being able to kill off its major characters without damaging the flow of the storyline. The concept of turning Waldemar into Hyde may seem like nothing more than a marketing gimmick but it is obviously well thought through with some very clever twists and ideas and it is more entertaining and original than the basic monster mash movies, like Naschy's previous Assignment Terror (1969).

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Dr Jekyll Versus The Werewolf (1972) [Mondo Macabro - Out Of Print]

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Director Leon Klimovsky is usually regarded today as little more than a workman-like director and most of the film looks very straight forward - but he does bring some interesting flair to the film in a couple of sequences - Waldemar's transformation to the Wolfman in a nightclub at the end of the film stands out as very impressive, with rapid shots of the full moon and some strobing effects. The Wolfman himself is impressive even in close-up, stylistically the same as the 1940s Lon Chaney Wolfman rather than the full-body-wolves of the 1980s exemplified in The Howling (1981). Anton Garcia Abril returns from Werewolf Shadow (1971) to score this film and we get a mix of the minimalist horror scores heard in the earlier film and the Blind Dead series and various contemporary jazz tracks in the London scenes.

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Dr Jekyll Versus The Werewolf (1972) [Mondo Macabro - Out Of Print]

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Certainly in his earlier films Paul Naschy's acting is not always the most impressive, but he looks okay here - he particularly seems to be enjoying the role of Mr. Hyde (and the sneering in the part is remniscent of his later part as de Marnac in El Espanto Surge de la Tumba (1973)). José Marco fills the role of Imre very well and makes the short-lived character very likable. Although Euro-cult regular Jack Taylor acts well, he doesn't quite have the gravitas to play the experienced doctor Jekyll and simply seems too young.

Quite possibly the most original of Naschy's entire Hombre-lobo series, Dr. Jekyll versus the Werewolf is highly enjoyable, courtesy of a strong script and solid production. A must see for Naschy fans and of interest to all Euro-horror followers.

Mondo Esoterica

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Dr Jekyll Versus The Werewolf (1972) [Mondo Macabro - Out Of Print]

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Special Features:
- Interview with actor Paul Naschy (19 min, in Spanish, with forced English subtitles)
- Cast & crew biographies and filmographies
- "The Pain in Spain: A Brief History of Spanish Horror" text notes by Pete Tombs