Curse of the Werewolf

****
To go with a wholly different concept behind lycanthropy for poor Leon (Oliver Reed), Hammer Studios devised a curse based on unwed rape and birth on Christmas. Yikes, and even worse the death of Leon’s mute, poor mother came after his birth right after just touching his infant hand. Leon’s mother, just a servant girl working for a sadistic Marques (Anthony Dawson, particularly repulsive), is tossed in a cell with a mad, filthy, and deteriorated beggar (George Woodbridge; quite dreadful looking after time spent in the dungeon). This beggar is tossed in the cell for no reason if just because the Marques is through bothering with him, afterward just completely forgetting about him! A pass at the servant girl results in her fighting back with a bite on the hand, resulting in her being tossed in the cell. She gets even when freed by stabbing the Marque repeatedly.

So you have all this back story which results in the servant girl being found by Alfredo (Clifford Evans), taken to his cottage, tended to by his housekeeper (Hira Talfrey). Leon grows up into a polite, handsome young man, leaving the home to seek out his own way, not realizing that as the full moon rises he would turn into a bloodthirsty werewolf.

Oliver Reed, in werewolf makeup, his eyes at the beginning as the film rolls its opening credits, is incredible; especially noticeable is the tear that leaks down his face. You don’t get Reed in full werewolf makeup and costume until the end but the story holds true until then. The victim of lycanthropy, Reed is very sympathetic, particularly because he’s a decent young man undeserved of what happens to him.

 He’s the results of the Marques ultimately. The beggar in the cell and his mother both tossed into the damn thing for doing nothing at all…and Leon is a product of the rape that happens in that cell. The film has its romance in the daughter (Catherine Feller) of a vineyard owner (Ewen Solon) preferring Leon over a rich young man from a privileged family. With the help of a priest (John Gabriel), Alfredo will unfortunately have to address a situation he never wanted: perhaps to kill his son. By the end of the film, the werewolf has fed from flocks and from folks.

Hammer character actor, Michael Ripper, is another drunk, this time trapped in a cell with Leon when he turns into the full fledged werewolf. When he does finally turn, Reed is grey-furred, with bloody teeth and unhinged eyes…especially noteworthy is his scaling the walls  of the village at the end, until he makes rest in a belltower. The silver bullet, melted from a crucifix on the wall, is given its spiritual credence because of how the werewolf curse is born…unwed child born from rape on Christmas Day. Nothing but tragedy befalls Leon, and not a single problem he encounters is his fault. The film couldn’t have built a more sympathetic character…Leon, the product of a curse, has no chance at all.