Legend of the Werewolf is set in 19th century France & starts with a travelling side show run by Maestro Pamponi (Hugh Griffith) stopping off in the middle of the French countryside where his dumb assistant Tiny (Norman Mitchell) discovers a young boy (Mark Weavers) who has been brought up by a pack of Wolves, sensing an attraction for his side show Pamponi takes the boy in & exhibits him to the general public as the 'Wolf boy'. Unfortunately for Pamponi as the years pass & the boy now named Etoile (David Rintoul) grows up he disappointingly turns into a rather handsome but never the less dull & somewhat ordinary man which puts an end to his 'Wolf boy' days. However Etoile isn't completely normal as Tiny finds out one night when the animal inside Etoile is woken & he transforms into a blood thirsty Werewolf! Having killed Tiny Etoile runs away to a little place known as Paris to it's locals, there he is given a job by a zoo keeper (Ron Moody) & he falls for attractive prostitute Christine (Lynn Dalby) who at first hides what she does for a living but when Etoile finds out the beast within him is yet again woken & it's up to local police inspector Max Gerard (Stefan Gryff) & police surgeon Professor Paul Cataflaque (Peter Cushing) to wade through the resultant dead bodies & try to figure out what's going on...
This English production was directed by Freddie Francis & was one of only three films made by short lived British studio Tyburn Films (founded by Freddie's son Kevin Francis apparently) before it shut up shop, the other two films are Persecution (1974) & The Ghoul (1975). One thinks they entered the Anglo horror arena a few years too late... Anyway back to Legend of the Werewolf, you know when I found a copy of this I thought the title sounded familiar & I actually thought it was going to be the one with Oliver Reed in it, Curse of the Werewolf (1961) which it obviously isn't so when I realised it was a completely different film I thought I'd give it a chance. The script by Anthony Hinds (who also wrote Curse of the Werewolf...) under his usual pseudonym of John Elder is a little slow & talky at times but manages to entertain, there are some nicely written eccentric character's here including the Maestro, Professor Paul, the zookeeper & Madame Tellier who make the film that bit easier to watch & care about. I liked the climax set in the sewers & there's even a bit of comic relief here in the shape of a photographer as well who didn't annoy me that much. There are plenty of stupid plot holes, the idea that a baby was brought up by a pack of Wolves is nonsense, the idea that this boy then changes into a Werewolf for no reason whatsoever & that 19th century Paris consists of three streets, one zoo, a morgue & a brothel. As a whole Legend of the Werewolf isn't anything special but it passed 85 minutes painlessly enough.
Director Francis does a decent job, it's got a nice look & feel to it. Now, I have to say now that I adore these period horror films the likes of which Hammer, Amicus & Tigon used to make. I love the whole atmosphere, the costumes, the period sets & props, the detail, just everything about them really. You could just imagine how superstitious people were back then & films like this that rely on legends benefit greatly, I doubt Legend of the Werewolf would have been half as good if it were contemporary. There's no graphic gore whatsoever so don't worry about that, just some blood soaked fangs.
Technically the film is solid, the Werewolf make-up isn't as good as it could have been as it looks like an ordinary bloke with long hair, a beard & some fangs. It's well made & it has nice if limited production values. The acting is fine with Cushing putting in another great performance & he's just about the best thing in Legend of the Werewolf.
Legend of the Werewolf isn't a classic by any stretch of the imagination but it's decent enough little British horror flick when taken for what it is, it's not up there with Hammer's or Amicus's best but a nice effort anyway. Most horror fans would probably get something out of it although those not so interested in the genre may have a harder time liking it.
This English production was directed by Freddie Francis & was one of only three films made by short lived British studio Tyburn Films (founded by Freddie's son Kevin Francis apparently) before it shut up shop, the other two films are Persecution (1974) & The Ghoul (1975). One thinks they entered the Anglo horror arena a few years too late... Anyway back to Legend of the Werewolf, you know when I found a copy of this I thought the title sounded familiar & I actually thought it was going to be the one with Oliver Reed in it, Curse of the Werewolf (1961) which it obviously isn't so when I realised it was a completely different film I thought I'd give it a chance. The script by Anthony Hinds (who also wrote Curse of the Werewolf...) under his usual pseudonym of John Elder is a little slow & talky at times but manages to entertain, there are some nicely written eccentric character's here including the Maestro, Professor Paul, the zookeeper & Madame Tellier who make the film that bit easier to watch & care about. I liked the climax set in the sewers & there's even a bit of comic relief here in the shape of a photographer as well who didn't annoy me that much. There are plenty of stupid plot holes, the idea that a baby was brought up by a pack of Wolves is nonsense, the idea that this boy then changes into a Werewolf for no reason whatsoever & that 19th century Paris consists of three streets, one zoo, a morgue & a brothel. As a whole Legend of the Werewolf isn't anything special but it passed 85 minutes painlessly enough.
Director Francis does a decent job, it's got a nice look & feel to it. Now, I have to say now that I adore these period horror films the likes of which Hammer, Amicus & Tigon used to make. I love the whole atmosphere, the costumes, the period sets & props, the detail, just everything about them really. You could just imagine how superstitious people were back then & films like this that rely on legends benefit greatly, I doubt Legend of the Werewolf would have been half as good if it were contemporary. There's no graphic gore whatsoever so don't worry about that, just some blood soaked fangs.
Technically the film is solid, the Werewolf make-up isn't as good as it could have been as it looks like an ordinary bloke with long hair, a beard & some fangs. It's well made & it has nice if limited production values. The acting is fine with Cushing putting in another great performance & he's just about the best thing in Legend of the Werewolf.
Legend of the Werewolf isn't a classic by any stretch of the imagination but it's decent enough little British horror flick when taken for what it is, it's not up there with Hammer's or Amicus's best but a nice effort anyway. Most horror fans would probably get something out of it although those not so interested in the genre may have a harder time liking it.