Night of the Werewolf (1981)
Return to Index
Villian(s)
Werewolf, vampire
Actor(s):
Paul Naschy, Silvia Aguilar, Azucena Hernández, Julia Saly
Brief Description
Night of the Werewolf (originally titled El retorno del Hombre Lobo and also released as The Craving) is a 1981 Spanish gothic horror film written, directed by, and starring Paul Naschy. It is the ninth installment in Naschy’s famous Hombre Lobo (Wolf Man) franchise, where he portrays his recurring, tragic lycanthrope character, Waldemar Daninsky.
Plot:
In medieval Hungary, the bloodthirsty Countess Elisabeth Báthory (Julia Saly) is executed for witchcraft, devil worship, and murdering young women. Her mind-controlled werewolf servant, Waldemar Daninsky, is also executed by being stabbed through the heart with a silver dagger and locked away in an iron mask. Centuries later, a group of traveling college students and researchers—led by a woman named Erika (Silvia Aguilar) who harbors dark, occult motives—arrives in the area to locate Báthory's tomb. Meanwhile, foolish graverobbers accidentally remove the silver dagger from Daninsky's chest, reviving him. Posing as a local nobleman, Daninsky allows the students to stay at his remote castle. However, Erika successfully performs a bloody ritual to resurrect her undead mistress, Countess Báthory, who quickly begins turning the local populace into vampire slaves. Having fallen in love with one of the innocent college girls, Karen (Azucena Hernández), Daninsky fights back against his former mistress to protect her, leading to a bloody, supernatural showdown between the werewolf and the vampire queen.