The Wolf (1983) User Reviews

Polish Nationalism of the Late Soviet Era

[captainpass · 7/10 · 27 March 2022]

While historical in the way many of the Hammer films of the late 60s, early 70s are, "Wilczca" departs from its English brethren in its not-so-subtle political concerns.

In "Wilczca", the backdrop is the 19th century Polish nationalist battles against the Prussians. However, what is missing is the obvious "other' monster of both the 19th century and the 1980s: Russia. Between 1800 and 1917, Poland was basically a territory divided between the competing ambitions of the Napoleonic wars, Prussia, Russia and the Hapsburg empire. Piestrak, obviously, could not be so obviously anti-Russian when making this film. So the Prussians will have to do.

Now, I mention this because it is helps to frame the ostensible central concern here: Infidelity and betrayal. Specifically, we are introduced in the opening to "Maryna," the wife of "Kacper", a man returning home from doing his part in the nationalist wars. Maryna lays dying as an unfaithful spouse: unfaithful to her returning husband, unfaithful to her religion and unfaithful to her country. Kacper calls her a bad name as she lays dying, and she promises to return as a she-wolf. Which she does. However, she also comes to possess the body of "Countess Julia," who happens to be the spouse of the Count for whom Kasper works. We then spend a fair amount of time getting acquainted with Julia's infidelities, her transformations and what must be done to stop them.

Several reviews mention the apparent misogyny and even anti-Semitism of the film. As to the latter claim, I will simply point out that Dr. Goldberg emerges as something of a hero in the film. As to the former claim, that one has more bite: The two women here (Maryna and Julia) function as allegorical figures with no real personality or character development. That said, the idea that war destroys the civil sphere dates back at least to the Greeks (see "Medea"), so I regard it as of a piece with the type of film that this is.

In the end, I found the applicable analogy less to the Hammer films than to some of Hertzog's work from the same period. At any rate, this is a slow burn. But it actually does pick up its pace during the last 20 minutes, and the ending is pretty decent. For a no-budget film, the cinematography is fairly good and reflects the darkness, cold and snow that surround the primary events in the film.

In sum, if your baseline comparison is to the three 1981 biggies: "An American Werewolf" "Wolfen" and "The Howling," this will disappoint. But if you like an overtly historical tale that takes its time to get to the dramatic scenes, this might work for you.

Sadly slow and unstirring Polish Gothic affair

[Bloodwank · 5/10 · 9 January 2011]

I don't recall having seen any Polish films before, let alone any Polish werewolf films, so I unfortunately heaped expectation upon Wilczyca, especially since it is rather well reviewed here. In some ways it does well, but overall I felt a little let down by the experience. The story is a classic Gothic one, a lady, Maryna dies cursing her husband, and the curse is visited upon him and upon a younger lady. Emphasis on traditional elements brings a cosy, pleasing feel to the film, with its spooks delivered in measured fashion, while all round solid performances bring a welcome sincerity. The setting really helps things too, frozen paths, snow fleeced fields, and domiciles of rustic grandeur captured with chilly beauty in the cinematography of Janusz Pawlowski , the film clutches with a feel of Eastern European winter and this feel helps ease the film along even in its weaker moments. Of which there are regrettably too many, the film is overlong and there are several stretches that could have been cut down with little harm. These longeurs are all the more hurtful since the film lacks much in the way of twists or turns and the screenplay is fairly simplistic during the first hour or so I was led to glancing at my watch far more often than I like to. The film also largely eschews exploitative elements outside of a spot of effective violence in the close, more would have been nice, as would nudity, though the cold climate is probably a good reason for the lack in that department. There are some good acting turns to keep things moving though, Krysztof Jasinski makes for a cold gnarled and dignified protagonist, noting mounting strangeness and cowed by things not all as they should be, while Iwona Bielska is terrific as Maryna and her later counterpart, striking features and a performance of wolfish sensuality give the film its best moments, she captivates in the classic European tradition of sinister femininity. Things eventually pick up after a sluggish hour and the final block is fairly good sailing, but still by the end it had the feel of too little too late, the film needed fireworks but what it delivers isn't much more than a campfire. Altogether, this isn't one that I'd especially recommend. Technically able and sporadically fun and intriguing, but generally not much more than a more or less skippable detour, one for European horror completists only I'd say.

some of the worst subtitles I have encountered

[christopher-underwood · 6/10 · 8 March 2013]

I was expecting rather more from this 80s vampire tale from Poland but perhaps my experience was affected by some of the worst subtitles I have encountered. Clearly a labour of love for some amateur film buff but not just sweet mistakes like 'bumpkin' instead of 'peasant' but whole sections in the wrong tense with some events being anticipated when they were actually references to past happenings. Very confusing. Then there was all the fighting and presumably defending of the homeland. Along with all this was a fairly simple tale involving curses, a wolf, rather a lot of blood and a silver bullet, oh and some rather extreme gore right at the end. Snowy landscapes looked attractive but far too much talking in boring looking rooms.

Such A Good Idea, Felled By A Poor Script.

[P3n-E-W1s3 · 4/10 · 28 October 2022]

Greetings And Salutations, and welcome to my review of The Wolf; here's the breakdown of my ratings:

Story: 0.75 Direction: 1.00 Pace: 0.50 Acting: 1.00 Enjoyment: 1.00

TOTAL: 4.25 out of 10.00.

OMG, this movie starts brilliantly. Kacper races home to his bedridden and sickened wife. Only to find his brother at the house along with the doctor, who informs him his wife is dying. But, should that not be enough, he learns from her twisted lips she has renounced God and has turned to the occult. His wife's gone dark side. His brother tells him he and the village know of the woman's actions and beliefs. Nobody shows up on the day of her funeral, not even the priest, and he and his brother have to bury the body. But first, they stake her heart so she won't rise from the grave. Life goes on, and Kacper takes residence with a local politician and his wife as their bodyguard. The politician and his wife don't have the most loving relationship, and her ladyship has taken to the arms of her maid, dresser, and confidant. Around this moment, the story takes a misstep, and the movie loses its flow. We spend too much time in the lives of the aristocracy, and the writer Jerzy Gieraltowski and Marek Piestrak change the persona of the principal character. Kacper is a sturdy and intelligent man. A man you'd be happy to have at your back. But in the second phase of the story, he becomes more of a clown. Along with the slow pace and lack of a captivating storyline, this element near-kills the tale of terror. And that's another misfortune: The forewarned horror of the opening sequence never arrives. But that's not to say there aren't any good ideas in the narrative. The Wolf possesses one of the best. It's the idea of supernatural possession. When the Countess begins acting strangely, Kacper starts seeing his dead wife's face in all the pictures that should hold the Countesses' countenance. Upon witnessing the omen of evil, he turns to the doctor who treated his wife for help. They set about attempting to defeat the corruptness before it consumes the Countess. Sadly, this comes too late in the story; you may have dozed off by this point - or hit the off button. It's a great idea, but required better attention to the narrative's construction for it to work.

Piestrak's direction is better than his writing. The opening sequence holds urgency and threat. It also goes a long way in solidifying Kacper's persona in the viewer's mind. Sadly, that is the last time we feel anxious. The rest of the picture, though it holds some well-composed and captured scenes, is too tedious. Piestrak doesn't help because he ceases to vary the tempo as he did in the opening. Everything becomes a tad wishy-washy and dull. The next creative moment comes at the end of the movie.

The performers are the best component of the film. Even Kacper's wife, who is only in the picture for a few minutes, is superbly captured by the actress portraying her. You can feel her contempt for religion and all that's holy in every word she spits at her husband from her deathbed. This lady isn't going quietly into the long goodnight.

Had Gieraltowski been better skilled at storytelling and cut out all the hyperbole and unnecessary sections, keeping to the horror story, this movie would've been up there with the best. I have no doubts that Piestrak would've excelled in bringing a spooky supernatural horror to the screen; as it is, he does his best. But I cannot bring myself to recommend this movie. There are so many films out in the world and a good many are better than this. I'm glad I've seen it, but I won't be revisiting The Wolf again - though I may borrow that possession idea for a story of my own.

Sit! Roll Over! Play Dead! Good wolfy. Now change back and check out my IMDb list - Absolute Horror to see where I ranked The Wolf.

Take Care & Stay Well.

Remember to wake up for the last six minutes.

[BA_Harrison · 3/10 · 16 July 2021]

The opening shot of Polish horror Wilczyca is of a crow pecking the flesh from a dead horse in a snowy landscape, which quickly establishes an atmosphere of melancholy, bleakness, death and decay; the final six minutes feature a bloody gun shot to the face, a severed arm, and a sword stabbing, which will appeal to gore-hounds. Unfortunately, the ninety or so minutes between these scenes are virtually bloodless, and with a slow pace and uneventful plot, the majority of the film is quite the snooze-fest.

Although ostensibly a werewolf movie, Wilczyca actually draws on the folklore of not just lycanthropy, but also vampirism and witchcraft to create a unique mythos: insurgent Kacper Wosinski (Krzysztof Jasinski AKA Polish Frank Zappa) returns home to find that his wife Maryna (Iwona Bielska) has not only been dabbling in black magic in his absence, but that she has also been unfaithful to him and has tried to terminate her illegitimate unborn child. When Maryna dies of her resultant internal injuries, Kacper cannot bring himself to stake her corpse, as his brother Mateusz (Jerzy Prazmowski) advises, and consequently finds himself menaced by his wife's spirit, which possesses Countess Julia (also played by Bielska), occasionally turning her into a large she-wolf.

This blending of different traditional superstitious beliefs could have resulted in an unpredictable movie with plenty of scope for thrills and chills, one that rewrites the rules, but director Marek Piestrak devotes more time to reflecting his country's anti-semitism, misogyny and Catholicism than to delivering innovative frights. Definitely don't go expecting any An American Werewolf In London style special effects: the werewolf is played by a regular wolf and there are no transformation effects. For the most part, the film relies on atmosphere rather than visceral horror, with the only effective 'scare' being the creepy apparition of the mouldy Maryna encountered by Mateusz in the middle of the night. Sadly, the lack of momentum and sombre visuals make the movie almost as hard to sit through as it is to pronounce.

Along with "Lokis" possibly the most famous Polish horror film.

[HumanoidOfFlesh · 8/10 · 28 December 2005]

"Wilczyca" by Marek Piestrak is arguably the most famous Polish horror film.Unfortunately this atmospheric flick is not well-known abroad.The action of "Wilczyca" takes place in Poland in the ninetieth century.Maryna dislikes his husband,a Polish patriot named Kacper.Before her death,she curses him.Her evil is transformed not only into a young countess Julia,but also into the wolf..."Wilczyca" is definitely a Polish horror classic that reminds me some Hammer productions.The film is loaded with traditional genre elements like tombs or silver bullets.The climax is surprisingly gory and the mood is quite sensual.Unfortunately its sequel "Powrot Wilczycy" from 1990,also directed by Piestrak,is nowhere nearly as good as the original.So if you ever get a chance to watch this film,don't hesitate to do this.8 out of 10.

The best werewolf film I've ever seen

[alexx-2 · 10/10 · 21 July 1999]

If you know Polish you must see the film. And you will understand that everything you've seen before on werewolves was kids' stuff. In this film you have everything: love, hate, adultery, nice actors and most of all real horror. Your hair will stand on end. I guarantee. Have a nice fright!

Excellent Polish folk horror continues to hold up!

[I_Ailurophile · 8/10 · 28 October 2022]

This tale of spirits, dark magic, and lycanthropy carries with it the same sensibilities as other folk horror films to come out of Eastern Europe in the mid to late twentieth century. I think especially of 'Viy' (1967), and 'Leptirica' (1973), titles wherein effects, special makeup, and the active horror element are minimized, though present nonetheless, while broadly carrying a dry, unbothered air in the plot and its development. Such an approach may make the picture less appealing to the average genre fan, but maybe more so for the average moviegoer at large. It's certainly a very different experience relative to what modern viewers have come to expect of horror from, say, the 60s onward, yet no less worthy if one can appreciate the style. One can readily imagine how 'Wilczyca' would look if given a remake in 2022, for example, and if we can transfer that image in our minds onto what we're given in this 1983 movie - honestly, it' sa whole lot of fun!

Sure, the horror isn't actualized in the way we're generally used to, and it's not especially visceral. Yet the flavors we get are delicious all the same as soldier Kacper unwittingly finds himself immersed in supernatural goings-on. Considered in and of itself the story is engaging and compelling, even taking into account a tired arrangement in which virtuous men are seen as pursuing evil women (or were they just, you know, tired of the nonsense of the world of men and strove to carve their own path?). The cast give steady performances, not least Krzysztof Jasinski and Iwona Bielska, and Marek Piestrak's direction seems very sound to me, with a fine eye for detail. I admire the production design and art direction (and the filming locations), as well as the costume design and hair and makeup work. This is a period piece, after all, and the labor poured into realizing a bygone era is superb. Honestly, in every way we would hope, this is quite well made.

Far removed from what a twenty-first century viewer would recognize as genre convention, 'Wilczyca' nevertheless is an enjoyable tale of horror. One sees flourishes in Piestrak's direction in particular that stand out as demonstrating a swell intelligence, a mind for what best realizes such narratives. There is, after all, a measure of building tension throughout the length, and for as much as the feature tends to downplay its most robust aspects, by contrast the climax and ending are altogether jolting. By all means, I can understand that this won't meet the standards of all comers, yet for anyone receptive to the wide variety of what cinema has to offer, and horror specifically, there's a great deal to like here. It takes a while to warm up, but when all is said and done I had a great time watching 'Wilczyca,' and give it a solid thumbs-up!