Werewolf in a Girls’ Dormitory is a 1961 Italian-Austrian horror film directed by Paolo Heusch [as Richard Benson] (The Day the Sky Exploded) from a screenplay written by Giallo thriller specialist Ernesto Gastaldi.
The Royal Film production stars Barbara Lass, Carl Schell, Curt Lowens and Maurice Marsac. Genre regular Luciano Pigozzi also has a notable role as an immoral, scurrilous caretaker.
In Italy, the film was known as Lycanthropus and in Austria and Germany as Bei Vollmond Mord [“Murder on a Full Moon”].
The ‘spooky’ soundtrack score was composed by Armando Trovajoli (Frankenstein 90; Hercules in the Haunted World; Seddok aka Atom Age Vampire; Uncle Was a Vampire).
The American version of the film, which was released on a double-bill with Corridors of Blood, adds the catchy rock song ‘The Ghoul in School’ to the opening credits; written by Marilyn Stewart and Frank Owens, and with vocals sung by Adam Keefe, it was even released as a single.
In 1964 the film was released in the UK by Compton-Cameo as I Married a Werewolf.
In the United States, MGM released the film as part of a ‘Nervo-Rama’ double feature with the British film Corridors of Blood.
On October 29th 2019, Severin Film released Werewolf in a Girls’ Dormitory on Blu-ray, newly scanned in 2K from archival elements discovered in a Rome lab vault. Special features:
Bad Moon Rising – Interview with Screenwriter Ernesto Gastaldi (10:53)
Audio Commentary with actor Curt Lowens, moderated by David Del Valle for Retromedia DVD.
Italian Trailer (3:29)
US Trailer (1:12)
Alternate Opening with ‘The Ghoul in School’ song (0:26)
Bonus CD Soundtrack Score by Armando Trovajoli
Twelve-page booklet
All regions
Sevein Blu-ray review:
Looking and sounding better than its previous 2003 Retromedia DVD release, Severin now offers the definite way to enjoy Lycanthropus with the option of watching the movie either in Italian with subs (it has more depth and the score gets more emphasis) or via its English dub (some amusing accents, as is usual). Both versions have their own merits so it’s worth checking them out for two entirely different experiences.
The image quality is generally great, although it wavers occasionally on the left-hand side in early scenes (well, the film is from 1961!). It’s the nighttime sequences in the woods that come off best, with impressive lighting and the black and white cinematography by Renato Del Frate (credited as George Patrick) looking gorgeous. Best of all, there is a brief scene not included in previous releases, where the werewolf dumps one of his female victims in a river.
The audio commentary from lead actor Curt Lowens in conversation with genre historian David Del Valle that came with the aforementioned Retromedia release has been included here and it’s well worth checking out. Veteran actor Lowens is a self-deprecating charmer who seems genuinely touched by the fan base that the movie has developed over the years. Del Valle politely keeps the conversation focused when Lowens occasionally veers off into anecdotes about his days working in the Italian industry in Rome and later Hollywood. Not that his tales aren’t interesting, it’s just we’re here for the werewolf. And Lowens happily supplies fascinating info about the monster makeup process and the production in general. Del Valle, who reckons the American title should have been “Werewolf in a Girls’ Reformatory” (due to the young ladies’ criminal pasts), also adds weight to the proceedings with reference to other wolfman movies from before and after this one.
There is also a ten-minute chat with genial Ernesto Gastaldi, the legendary screenwriter of this movie and many a Giallo. He explains the Italian industry’s insistence of Anglicising names and the way that adding a mystery element always makes his stories more intriguing.
Rounding out the package is a nifty little booklet that reproduces the US ‘comedic’ publicity material of stills accompanied by terrible jokes a la Famous Monsters of Filmland, such as “Girl meets Wolfman and sings, ‘Fangs for the Memory’. You can, of course, peruse this while listening to the short opening credits accompanied by the maddeningly infectious (dammit) ‘The Ghoul in School’ song for the full retro experience.
The Blu-ray package comes with a separate CD of Armando Trovajoli’s dramatic, atmospheric score which is a delight in itself. An essential purchase for devotees of Italian genre cinema, especially those with a penchant for early 60s black-and-white offerings, plus the added value of providing an appreciation of the slightly kitsch stateside repackaging of the movie.
Ade Smith, MOVIES & MANIA
Plot:
The new science teacher Doctor Julian Olcott (Carl Schell) with a mysterious past arrives in an institutional reform school for troublemaker girls. Along the night, the intern Mary Smith (Mary McNeeran), who is blackmailing another teacher – Sir Alfred Whiteman (Maurice Marsac) – with some love letters, is slaughtered by a werewolf.
The detective in charge of the investigation attributes the crime to a wolf, while her mate Priscilla believes she was killed by Sir Alfred. Over the next few days, other deaths happen in the school, reducing the list of suspects…
Cast and characters:
Barbara Lass … Priscilla
Carl Schell … Doctor Julian Olcott
Curt Lowens … Director Swift
Maurice Marsac … Sir Alfred Whiteman
Michela Roc … Sandy (as Maureen O’Connor)
Mary McNeeran … Mary Smith
Grace Neame … Leonor MacDonald
Luciano Pigozzi … Walter Jeoffrey (as Alan Collins)
Annie Steinert … Mrs Sheena Whiteman
Joseph Mercier … Tommy – the Porter
Anne-Marie Avis … School Girl
Lucy Derleth … School Girl
Herbert Diamonds … Police Inspector
John Karlsen … Old Man
Martha Marker … School Girl
Patricia Meeker … School Girl
Elizabeth Patrick … Miss Schultz
Giuseppe Transocchi
Buy DVD: Amazon.com
Trailer:
‘The Ghoul in School’ theme song:
