Britain's Hammer Films proved to be the training ground for an abundance of future talents; here, it's young Oliver Reed's turn, rather amusedly cast as the cursed son of a mute servant girl who was raped by a beggar when both were imprisoned by a cruel Marquis in Spain. Turgid thriller written by John Elder (a.k.a. Anthony Hinds), from Guy Endore's novel "The Werewolf of Paris", is more than just geographically confused--it never finds an appropriate tone, nor do the actors find a comfortable way around the leaden dialogue. For Reed's fans, impatience may set in early as he doesn't appear for nearly 50 minutes into the movie's running time. *1/2 from ****

I liked this because it wasn't your standard Universal Studios werewolf movie.First, it's set in Spain, not in Romania. The movie starts a bit slow as it's the origin story of how the werewolf is born and not via a gypsy curse. Then the boy's family and the priest are very sympathetic and even the werewolf begs them to kill him. This movie is so different. Even the ending where the werewolf, shot by his father, dies at the top of the church tower and does NOT transform back.The only issue I had was the rape origin story and potential rape by the nobleman. The rape was tastefully done and over dramatic, but I felt it wasn't necessary.

"Curse of the Werewolf" is the legendary British Hammer studio's one and only werewolf movie, in sheer contract to their "Dracula" and "Frankeinstein" movies that were unleashed upon the world every couple of full moons. Not coincidentally, this – arguably – also happens to be one of Hammer's most profoundly intelligent, ambitious and cautiously constructed horror movie accomplishment! If you're looking for a genuine Hammer highlight, this one has all the right trademarks: adapted from an acclaimed novel, filmed at the studios' peak period during the early sixties and directed by their most talented and professional craftsman Terence Fisher. If you analyze the script of "Curse of the Werewolf", you'll notice that the film spans over a total period of minimally 40 years, and probably even more. Set in Spain during a very dark and sinister century, the film first narrates the expanded and detailed story of pivot character Leon's birth. Perhaps a bit too extensively but nevertheless fascinating every bit of the way, we learn that Leon is the unwanted child of a bewildered beggar (locked away for several years by a snotty marquis) and an abused deaf-mute servant girl. He is taken in and loved by a nobleman and his housemaid, but the priest tells them that a child conceived in such miserable conditions is very likely to suffer from traumas and illnesses, or even lycanthropy. Leon's first nightly escapades occur during his early teenage years and leave the entire village in fear, but family love and solid metal bars in his bedroom window keep his secret safe. As a strong and handsome adult male, Leon is again confronted with his hairy inner self as a consequence of impossible love and the immoral behavior of his surroundings. So, as you can see, the background of this film's werewolf is highly untraditional, but most of all incredibly original, compelling and courageous! The lycanthrope mythology is so new and alternative here that my mate and I even joked that "Curse of the Werewolf" could even be considered an ancestor of nowadays sappy teenage horror franchises such as "Twilight" and "Vampire Diaries", because Leon's transformations are dependent of his romantic feelings and mood swings. But this film is a gazillion times superior, of course. Thanks to the patient and moody unfolding of the story, "Curse of the Werewolf" is definitely one of the most atmospheric and uniquely suspenseful horror tales Hammer – and the sixties decade in general – brought forward. Terence Fisher's visionary skills are demonstrated through masterful scenes of eerie nightly landscapes, ominous full moons and sinister little villages. The cast contributes a great deal as well. The mighty Oliver Reed is excellent in one of his first major roles and freaks us out with his menacing facial expressions. The most remarkable supportive roles are for Anthony Dawson, as the repulsive marquis, and Richard Wordsworth as the unfortunate beggar. His personality switch from amiable beggar into revolting animal is deeply impressive, to say the least. The make-up effects are scarce but exquisite, like the brutal murder of a town's wench and Leon's metamorphosis near the finale. A fantastic Hammer classic, highly recommended!

In Spain, Leon (Oliver Reed) is born on Christmas day to a mute servant girl (Yvonne Romain) who was legitimately raped by a beggar (Richard Wordsworth). His mother dies giving birth and he is looked after by Don Alfredo Corledo (Clifford Evans).While Hammer made a name for themselves with Christopher Lee's vampire films, they never really were known for doing werewolves. In fact, this was the only werewolf picture they ever made. That gives it a bit of power in itself, as this has to be seen as Hammer's specific view on lycanthropy.You have to love the mythology here about how a werewolf is created (although it comes off a bit confused), and some boundaries were clearly pushed; a few minutes were cut by censors, and it is unclear if they were ever put back in. The movie focuses a lot on Leon as a human, and it builds slowly through his life (spending a fair amount of time on his father). Those who want to see the wolf early and often will not be pleased. But if you like a solid plot, good story structure and a piece of humanity, this film has a lot to offer.Oliver Reed deserves recognition for having a strong breakout performance here, though he was surely not the man in the makeup for all the roof-jumping scenes. Richard Wordsworth (the beggar) is the strongest actor here, and he needs to be singled out. Hammer fans will also know him from "The Revenge of Frankenstein" (1958), also directed by Terence Fisher.Viewers will take notice of Catherine Feller, Leon's love interest, as she has a very distinct look. Feller is something of a mystery, not having a long list of credits to her name; even her birth date seems a mystery. If a decent DVD were to be released of this film, it would be incredible to track her down for an interview or commentary.Bonus: the name Leon means lion, a kind of cat. In this film, however, he transforms into a wolf, a kind of dog. Was this intentional?