Mark of the Wolfman is a 1968 Spanish-West German supernatural horror film directed by Enrique López Eguiluz from a screenplay by Jacinto Molina [aka Paul Naschy]. The latter stars, alongside Dyanik Zurakowska, Rossana Yanni and Manuel Manzaneque.
The movie is the first in a long series about the werewolf Count Waldemar Daninsky, played by Paul Naschy.
In the United States, the 3-D film was retitled Frankenstein’s Bloody Terror by Sam Sherman solely to satisfy the distributors’ need for a second “Frankenstein film” to pad out a planned double feature release by Independent-International. To justify this odd choice of title, a specially created short animated opening sequence explains that a branch of the Frankenstein family became cursed with lycanthropy and took the name “Wolfstein” (watch below).
Reviews:
“Sometimes confusing, and at times showing its low budget, the film is nonetheless a colorful, comic book-styled slice of gothic cinema that’s quite entertaining and well shot in widescreen, with some truly striking lighting, putting most modern horror films to shame in terms of appearance.” DVD Drive-In
“There’s some good atmosphere here, even in the slower opening half, with the shadowy interiors of the old estate and its underground burial chamber adding some creepy vibes to the picture. The film also makes great use of color, with pretty much every one of the characters in the film sporting some interesting and bright, late sixties style clothing.” Rock! Shock! Pop!
“The look of this movie is striking, and even lacking the nudity and gore of the later films in the Daninsky cycle, this still generates a marvelous ambiance of menace. The filmmakers make good use of the locations, which are richly decorated by the prop department, and they cover for any deficiencies with a striking use of colored lighting.” Krell Laboratories
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” …the widescreen photography gives the otherwise B-budgeted film a slick and professional sheen that easily competes with some of the Hammer product being released around the time. Paul Naschy is not a particularly great actor. To his defence, this was his first performance – although he would never improve much.” Moria
” …it’s quite moody at times (I love the creepy forest with the bare white trees), it handles the transformation sequences with a creative use of acting, shadows and sound, and it paces its far-fetched plot in such a way that you have no trouble buying into it within the context of the movie.” Fantastic Movie Musings and Ramblings
“The film may provoke a few unintentional chuckles, but its faith in recreating the old time chillers is winning, and while unsurprising, it’s easy to get caught up in its breathless tales of Gothic derring-do.” Graeme Clark, The Spinning Image
“The beginning of Naschy’s long-running Daninsky franchise, this is a carefree continental horror in the Hammer mold, boasting good makeup effects, outrageously contrived plot setups and an effective score from Ángel Arteaga.” The Terror Trap
YouTube reviews:
US trailer:
Frankenstein’s Bloody Terror intro:
Cast and characters:
Paul Naschy [Jacinto Molina] … Waldemar Daninsky
Dianik Zurakowska … Countess Janice von Aarenberg
Manuel Manzaneque … Rudolph Weissmann
Julian Ugarte … Doctor Janos Mikhelov
Aurora de Alba … Vanessa Mikhelov
Jose Nieto … Count Sigmund von Aarenberg
Carlos Casaravilla … Judge Aarno Weissmann
Gualberto Galba … Gyorgo
Rosanna Yanni … Nascha
International release titles:
France – Les vampires du Doctor Dracula
UK – Hell’s Creatures
Greece – O horos ton vrykolakon
Italy – Le notti di Satana
Japan – Vampire Dracula vs. the Werewolf
Sweden – Varulvens blodiga natt
USA – Frankenstein’s Bloody Terror
West Germany – Die Vampire des Doctor Dracula
West Germany (reissue title) – Hexen des Grauens
Filming locations:
San Mart’n de Valdeiglesias, Spain
Original title:
La marca del Hombre Lobo
