‘The blood flows like vintage wine’
The Werewolf vs. the Vampire Woman is a 1971 horror film about two young women searching for the grave of a medieval female vampire. They encounter Waldemar Daninsky who is revealed to be cursed by lycanthropy. Also known as Werewolf Shadow and Blood Moon
Directed by León Klimovsky (The People Who Own the Dark; A Dragonfly for Each Corpse; The Vampires Night Orgy; The Dracula Saga; Vengeance of the Zombies; Doctor Jekyll vs. The Werewolf) from a screenplay co-written by Jacinto Molina [as Paul Naschy] and Hans Munkel. Produced by Salvadore Romero.
The Spanish Plata Films SA and West German HiFi Stereo 70 KG co-production stars Jacinto Molina [as Paul Naschy], Gaby Fuchs, Barbara Capell, Andrés Resino, Yelena Samarina, José Marco, Betsabé Ruiz, Barta Barri, Julio Peña and Patty Shepard.
Reviews:
“The parallel stories of murderous monsters — a werewolf and a vampiress — being restored to life so as to continue their carnivorous ways, is hampered by lots of cross-cutting and extreme close-ups. The lesbian vampire aspect is only hinted at, very frustrating. The best thing going is former body builder Paul Naschy’s wolfman makeup, which emphasizes his wild eyes and shiny fangs.” AllMovie
“The ambiance looms heavy and does have a long-lasting effect that stays with viewers long after the film has ended. The main music theme has been lamented by a lot of viewers, but I honestly can’t see why, as it possesses a cool chicness that fits with the more unusual and classy Eurocult film of the age. The slow-motion filming of the lady vampires is one of the most striking elements.” At the Mansion of Madness
“Slow and very of its time, but it is moodily gothic and quite entertaining. Combining werewolves with vampires (decades before Twilight) there is a lot going on, keeping it from getting too dull, but not so jam-packed it gets messy or confusing. Lead Paul Naschy doesn’t pull off his supposedly magnetic charm, but he does brooding pretty well.” 3 out of 5, Blueprint: Review
“A certain amount of cheesiness is almost unavoidable in a werewolf movie. Despite this, director León Klimovsky does manage to pull off a few effective scenes, with the floaty vampire women being fairly spooky. Paul Naschy does the sympathetic, tortured but romantic werewolf thing well. It has a reasonably effective gothic atmosphere.” Cult Movie Reviews
“Although the script references the earlier Marca del Hombre Lobo/Frankenstein’s Bloody Terror and contains elements that will pop up in later entries in the series, visually the film originates several of the earmarks of Klimovsky’s directorial style (giddy slow-motion vampire women – zombies in the case of Vengeance of the Zombies – subversive use of lounge music over horror scenes) which carried over into his non-Naschy vampire movies.” DVD Beaver
“Shepard and Cappell are both captivating creepy/attractive vampires, sporting pale blue faces, extremely long fangs, and black flowing gowns. The werewolf takes a back seat, but his scenes are invaluable. Waldemar is also is very important as the film’s hero. When he’s not on the rampage as the beast, he’s slaying vampires, including his own sister. Excellent make-up, sets, and locations…” DVD Drive-In
“The effects — I’m intentionally avoiding referring to them as “special” — aren’t terribly convincing. Genevieve and the Countess both have absurdly long and unwieldy fangs, and Paul Naschy’s werewolf makeup is of the classic variety, which is to say not very wolflike at all. Attacks by Waldemar are few and far between…” DVD Talk
“The film marked the Gothic horror debut of the 64-year-old director León Klimovsky, whose flair for moody visuals elevated it far beyond the script’s ragbag collection of exploitable ingredients […] The ingredients include Naschy himself, still at this early stage a rather bovine presence in human form but a splendidly feral lycanthrope when required.” Jonathan Rigby, Euro Gothic
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” …we’re looking at great makeup work both for the werewolf and for the vampires, even if their teeth are at times a bit laughable. I do love the way director León Klimovsky filmed the vampires, usually in slow motion and almost seeming to float. It’s a simple effect but carries much more weight than having them turn into bats and whatnot.” Expelled Grey Matter
” …it is entertaining enough, if fairly routine, and it certainly doesn’t stint on the atmosphere. It’s the usual pattern; Naschy plays a heroic monster, there’s a goodly amount of gore and sex; you pretty much know what you’ll be getting. There’s even a zombie monk and a sleazy servant to add to the proceedings.” Fantastic Movie Musings and Ramblings
“Cinematography, sets, costuming, sound effects and musical score are all wonderful. The vampires are always accompanied by the creepiest music out! The gore and makeup effects are generally effective, although the actual werewolf makeup is pretty basic compared to the updated version of him in Curse of the Devil. Still, a minor complaint.” Girls, Guns and Ghouls
“The climax, when it comes, is a bit of a disappointment! Waldemar spends the whole picture worrying and warning about the horrors of Walpurgis Night, but not a whole lot seems to happen on that fateful evening! [….] So that’s too bad, but the matted werewolf makeup and Naschy’s committed performance from beneath it will certainly keep you interested!” Ha ha, it’s Burl!
“With beautiful colours, lush photography, and an array of European stunners among the female-heavy cast, Werewolf vs. Vampire Woman is a dreamy, bloody scream.” Mike “McBeardo” McFadden, Heavy Metal Movies
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“For a running time of only 95 minutes, it felt like 3 hours. I kept waiting for something to happen. When something did happen, it was too short. Very disappointing. I will say one good thing about this movie though. Every time the vampires came onscreen it got a little creepy.” Horror DNA
“Klimovsky’s choice of close-up shots definitely sets the pace of what will come. After sprinkling the film with several vicious attack sequences, Klimovsky settles in for the final confrontation that is all-too-short yet must be seen to be believed and should go down in history as one of the great monster match-ups alongside Universal’s pictures.” Inside Pulse
” …if you can enjoy the passion that is brought to bear on every Naschy flick, his obsession with the old school Universal monsters, the kitchen-sink nature of the scripts, the sometimes surprising perversity (naked Euro babes are a staple), and yes, the camp factor, then you simply cannot have a better time watching movies than with a Naschy production. You’ll laugh at him, you’ll cheer with him, you’ll be pleasantly surprised by the periodic successful shots or interesting, unique plot developments.” Mad Mad Mad Mad Movies
“Klimovsky proves his mettle with the atmospherics; the film is sufficiently dream-like, with an effective use of slow-motion during the vampire and ghoul attacks. (The werewolf attacks, on the other hand, are quick and brutal.) The transformations, by necessity, must stick to the rules from the Jack Pierce era of monster makeup, and if the effects are by comparison crude, one must take the modest budget into account.” Midnight Only
“The plethora of spectral manifestations fail to provide even the merest of thrills.” David McGillivray, British Film Institute Monthly Film Bulletin, 1973
“The film slows down as soon as it reaches the house – there is the odd scene of the mad sister tapping at the window, the countess appearing in slow motion and mist, and a couple of appearances of a zombie priest but not that much happens. The plot is the usual shabby affair slung together for Naschy’s films.” Moria
“The makeup and gore effects are on par with the other films in the series and as such, they work well. All in all, Werewolf Shadow is a fine effort and one of Naschy’s more beloved films for good reason. It’s a completely enjoyable slice of Spanish horror with a great cast, great sets, and a fun story. It isn’t always deep, but at least it’s entertaining and a whole lot of fun.” Rock! Shock! Pop!
“The monster action is nicely done, with a pretty good vampire/werewolf battle in the end and a nice way to close the movie up. The blood flows pretty freely, as do the exotic and erotic sides of the female cast members […] the film moves all over the place, but rarely does it ever come close to being boring.” SGM
” …Klimovsky makes good use of the haunting Spanish countryside, imagery like the hand crawling out of the grave, and a soundtrack full of atonal noise and raspy monster voices. The big showdown between Wandessa and Waldemar is rather brief and one-sided, but proves fang-baring, fur-flying fun.” The Spinning Image (review one)
“Klimovsky, clearly relishing the talents of his two main players, delivers a mostly successful slice of horror hokum. Clichéd it may be, but Werewolf Shadow is a delicious mixture of vampire and lycanthropic folklore, only losing a few points during the final act when Elvira’s friend Marcel (Fuerno) arrives, slowing things down somewhat in his role as a police inspector.” The Spinning Image (review two)
“Naschy is good as the werewolf with a liberal drooling problem, while the gore is nicely executed. Fun all around.” The Terror Trap
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