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Curse Of The Werewolf




''The Curse of the Werewolf'' is a 1961 British Horror Film directed by Terence Fisher for Hammer Film Productions .

It stars Oliver Reed in his first starring role, Clifford Evans and Catherine Feller . It is loosely based on Guy Endore 's novel The Werewolf Of Paris , although the action is moved to 18th-century Spain . The memorable make-up is by Roy Ashton , and the score, generally thought to be the first film score based on Arnold Schoenberg 's Serialism , is by Benjamin Frankel .

This was Hammer Film Productions only film based on Lycanthropy . It introduces a few new myths about it, such as the birth of an unwanted child on Christmas Day creating the condition for the child to be come a Werewolf unless rescued by love. The use of a Silver Bullet to destroy the werewolf is maintained.


SYNOPSIS


A beggar ( Richard Wordsworth ) arrives at an 18th-century Spanish village to find the Marques Siniestro ( Anthony Dawson ) is celebrating his marriage to the Marquesa. After being humiliated by the sadistic Marques in front of his wedding guests, the beggar is thrown into jail. Treated like an animal, he soon becomes feral, and after a number of years rapes a dumb servant girl ( Yvonne Romain ). In revenge, the servant girl stabs the cruel Marques and flees.

She is discovered half-dead by Don Alfredo ( Clifford Evans ), who takes her into his home and has his housekeeper nurse her through her pregnancy. She gives birth to a boy, Leon, on Christmas Day, an ominous sign.

Leon grows up (now played by Oliver Reed ) and sets off to make his own way in the world. However, the combination of his conception at the hands of a feral monster and his birth on Christmas Day has cursed him, and he soon finds himself in a battle against his lycanthropic nature. He falls in love with his employer's daughter ( Catherine Feller ), and it seems only her love can save him from his murderous rampages.


TRIVIA


  • The scene in which a prostitute (Sheila Brennan) is murdered by the werewolf was cut from early releases, but restored in recent DVD versions. Hammer regularly got into trouble with the censors.

  • The film was set in Spain only because the sets had already been built for a Spanish-set drama by Hammer, which eventually fell through.



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