This movie begins about 200 years ago in the small Spanish village of Santa Vera when a beggar arrives and seeks food at a nearby castle belonging to an evil man by the name of "Marques Siniestro" (Anthony Dawson). Although he receives both food and wine he is humiliated in the process and, without much thought, imprisoned by the Marques because of an unintended slight. Time passes and eventually the beggar is totally forgotten about in his prison cell. Then one day when the beggar has gotten quite old an attractive young woman named "Cristina" (Catherine Feller) is also sent into the same prison cell because she failed to answer a question by the Marques due to her being mute. She is then raped by the beggar who dies not too long afterward. A day or two afterward she is sent back to the Marques but when he attempts to have his way with her she kills him and flees into the woods. She then proceeds to live in the woods like a wild animal before being rescued by a nice man named "Don Alfredo" (Clifford Evans). Although her wounds are treated it is soon discovered that she is pregnant and a few months later gives berth to a son named "Leon" (Oliver Reed) on Christmas Day. Unfortunately, being born on this specific day is considered unlucky by the people of the village and eventually the sum of all of these inauspicious events catches up to him and turn him into a werewolf when the moon is full. Naturally, it is during this time that terrible events happen which sets the course for the rest of the movie. Now, rather than reveal any more. I will just say that this film spent quite a bit of time attempting to provide its own interpretation on the origins of lycanthropy but doesn't really get involved in the horror or action sequences until the last third of the movie. This causes the film to seem rather slow and dull at times and not up to the usual standards of a Hammer film. At least, that is my opinion. In any case, I have rated this movie accordingly. Slightly below average.
Review of The Curse of the Werewolf
