Villain(s)  Werewolf

Actor(s):  Clifford Evans, Oliver Reed, Yvonne Romain, Catherine Feller

Brief Description  The Curse of the Werewolf is a 1961 British horror film produced by Hammer Film Productions. Directed by Terence Fisher and starring Oliver Reed in his first leading role, the movie is a loose adaptation of Guy Endore's 1933 novel, The Werewolf of Paris, though the setting was famously moved to 18th-century Spain. It stands out historically as the first werewolf movie shot in color (Technicolor) and for its unique, tragic lore surrounding lycanthropy.

Plot:
The story begins decades earlier in the castle of the cruel, sadistic Marques Siniestro. During his wedding banquet, an impoverished beggar arrives asking for food. Instead of showing charity, the Marques publicly humiliates him and locks him away in the castle dungeons. Over many years, the beggar is entirely forgotten by the court, left to rot in isolation until he becomes feral and deranged. The only person who shows him any kindness is the jailer's mute daughter, who grows into a beautiful young woman. When she rejects the unwanted advances of the aging Marques, he throws her into the same dungeon cell as the feral beggar. The madman brutally rapes her. Shortly after being released, the traumatized girl stabs the Marques to death and flees into the wilderness.

The girl is discovered in the woods by a wealthy, benevolent landowner named Don Alfredo Corledo. He and his housekeeper, Teresa, nurse her back to health. She gives birth to a baby boy on Christmas Day, but dies immediately during childbirth. Because he was conceived in violence and born on Christmas (deemed an affront to the holy day in local folklore), the child is born carrying the "mark of the beast". Don Alfredo names the boy Leon and raises him as his own. As a young child, Leon begins exhibiting strange symptoms, including terrifying nightmares and unexplainable physical traits. During full moons, local livestock are found savagely slaughtered. Don Alfredo discovers that young Leon is transforming into a wild beast. A local priest explains the tragic nature of the curse: unconditional love and spiritual purity can restrain the wolf, but any moral weakness will unleash it.

Under Alfredo’s loving care, Leon's transformations stop for years. As an adult, Leon leaves home to find work at a winery in a nearby town. There, he falls deeply in love with Cristina, the daughter of the vineyard owner. However, when Leon goes out drinking at a brothel with a rowdy co-worker, the alcohol and debauchery weaken his spirit. The full moon triggers a massive, horrific transformation. Leon turns into a savage werewolf and murders his co-worker along with a local prostitute. He wakes up covered in blood with no memory of his crimes but a deep sense of dread. Soon after, he is arrested by authorities for the murders.

Imprisoned in the town jail, Leon begs to be executed before the moon rises again. Night falls, and the transformation takes over in full view of the town guards. Breaking out of his cell with supernatural strength, the werewolf rampages across the rooftops of the town. Cristina tries desperately to calm him, and for a brief moment, her voice pacifies the beast. However, the angry townspeople corner him in a church belfry. Realizing that his adopted son can never truly be cured and is doomed to a life of agony, a heartbroken Don Alfredo shoots Leon with a silver bullet cast from a holy crucifix. Upon his death, the monster reverts back into the human form of Leon, and Don Alfredo covers his son's body in tears.