“Curse of the Werewolf” Part 2 (sort of)
A young man with a wild past (David Rintoul) drifts into 19th century Paris where he lands a job at a small zoo and courts a woman of dubious occupation (Lynn Dalby). Grisly deaths start to mount up each full moon and the coroner (Peter Cushing) believes the culprit is not a wolf, but a...
“Legend of the Werewolf” (1975) is very similar to Hammer’s “Curse of the Werewolf” from 14 years earlier, made by key Hammer alumni and at the studio Hammer often used. Even the lycanthrope looks the same, yet the production company is different (Tyburn, which only has seven films to its credit).
What’s interesting is that the book “Curse of the Werewolf” was based on had the events take place in France, which was changed to Spain because an 18th century Spanish set was available. This film fixes this by placing the events in France and Paris.
The two movies are of about the same quality, but I give the edge to “Curse of” even though this one has more gore. It has everything for a great Hammer-esque werewolf flick, yet fumbles the ball with not knowing how to utilize their feminine resources (not talkin’ ’bout nudity or sleaze, just how to shoot women effectively). Also, the Paris set is one-dimensional and isn’t very convincing. It smacks of low-rent.
Still, if you liked “Curse of” and Jack the Ripper-styled flicks in general, there’s a lot to appreciate here, such as the professor’s polite discussions with the brothel madame.
The flick runs 1 hour, 26 minutes, and was shot just west of London at Pinewood Studios and Black Park in Iver Heath, Buckinghamshire.
GRADE: B-
