‘Spine chilling horror!!’
Doctor Jekyll and the Wolfman is a 1971 Spanish directed by León Klimovsky (The Vampires’ Night Orgy; Vengeance of the Zombies; The Dracula Saga; et al) from a screenplay by Jacinto Molina (aka Paul Naschy). The latter stars, alongside Shirley Corrigan, Jack Taylor and Mirta Miller.
Newlyweds Imre (Jose Marco) and Justine (Shirley Corrigan) are visiting Transylvania for their honeymoon when they are attacked by bandits. Imre is killed but Justine is rescued by Polish nobleman Waldemar Daninsky (Paul Naschy), who is also a werewolf. The local villagers launch an attack on Daninsky’s castle, so he and Justine flee to London.
Besotted with Daninsky, yet aware of his tragic lycanthropic condition, Justine asks her friend Dr. Henry Jekyll (Jack Taylor) if he can help. Jekyll injects Daninsky with his grandfather’s potion to try and cure him…
Reviews:
“Some of the action scenes seem slow and a bit sloppy, but the plethora of horror elements and gore (Daninsky even pulls chunks of flesh out of one victim) override the shortcomings […] Dr. Jekyll and the Wolfman (1972) is well worth your investment; and for Naschy fans, this tour de force of werewolfery and Hyde’s hedonistic sadist is a howlingly good time.” Brian Bankston, Cool Ass Cinema
“Klimovsky treats the rather campy premise with considerable style, with the action moving from the traditional horror movie motifs of the old country (the angry villagers, local superstitions, freakish looking scavengers) to modern London where the scenic images include a rather seedy early 1970s Soho district. Naschy acts and looks as great as ever as the werewolf, but his Mr. Hyde, well he’s a pisser.” George R. Reis, DVD Drive-In
“Naschy is having so much fun and projects such infectious enthusiasm that it is simply impossible to be overly critical of his endeavours here. And Naschy is actually very effective in parts, particularly when he transforms into the heinous Mr Hyde. And, as the werewolf, he pulls off a good crowd scene in a groovy night-club…” Lee Brougton, DVD Savant
” …there are moments of acknowledgeable proficiency as displayed periodically by director Klimovsky in other films: the awakening of Justine in the centuries old castle and her subsequent meandering through the dark corridors by candlelight is exceedingly spooky, and similarly the locations used for Transylvania’s barren landscapes…” The Grim Cellar
” …gives Naschy the chance to ham it up as two classic monsters for the price of one. Whether growling into the camera or wielding a mean cane, he’s great fun to behold and keeps the film lively through some of the slower spots. Taylor has surprisingly little to do […] but the clash between gothic and groovy environments more than makes up for it.” Nathaniel Thompson, Mondo Digital
“The first half feels exactly like a normal Daninsky-movie – mountain road, attack, castle, lynch-mob, macho-Naschy – but it because extra fun when he flees from there and ends up in party party party-London. The disco scene is way to short, but the whole storyline of Dr Jekyll trying to cure Daninsky from the werewolf-syndrome is fun and creative.” Ninja Dixon
“The set-pieces when Naschy transforms into werewolf or Mr Hyde is wonderfully staged, the best one being in a stuck elevator together with a scared shitless nurse…and of course the famous disco-scene, which still is very cool.” Fred Anderson, Schmollywood Babylon
“His first onscreen wolf transformation is pure unadulterated Shatner but his portrayal of Mr Hyde is worth the price of admission alone. See Hyde complete with full original vintage costume hit the streets of swinging 70’s London, cruising the strip bars and grooving clubs for wenches to play with in his own devilish way – simply brilliant and lots of fun!” Sex Gore Mutant
“Although deliriously implausible (and merely an excuse for Naschy to do double duty acting – once again), this middling Eurohorror benefits from Klimovsky’s always reliable direction and a few nice touches, such as Waldemar’s cool transformation scene in a trapped elevator.” The Terror Trap
“The decent amount of gore (head crushing, throat ripping, severed head) and a lax running time help make Dr. Jekyll and the Werewolf better than the usual Naschy mishmash. The thing that really makes the movie though is the transformation scenes […] And this one has plenty of them.” Mitch Lovell, The Video Vacuum
Choice dialogue:
Sandra: “Good and evil. The eternal make-up of all human beings. And which we can change with a chemical formula. It’s fascinating.”
Cast and characters:
- Jacinto Molina [as Paul Naschy] … Waldemar Daninsky / Wolfman / Mr. Hyde
- Shirley Corrigan … Justine – The Crimes of the Black Cat; Devil’s Nightmare
- Jack Taylor … Dr. Henry Jekyll – Wax; Pieces; Female Vampire; The Night of the Sorcerers; Count Dracula; et al
- Mirta Miller … Sandra – Eyeball; Vengeance of the Zombies; Count Dracula’s Great Love
- José Marco … Imre Kosta – Horror Express; Knife of Ice; Fury of the Wolfman; The Horrible Sexy Vampire
- Luis Induni … Otvos – The Werewolf and the Yeti; Exorcism; The Devil’s Possessed; The Loreley’s Grasp; The Horrible Sexy Vampire; et al
- Barta Barri … Gyogyo, the innkeeper – Horror Express; The Horrible Sexy Vampire
- Luis Gaspar … Thurko, Otvos’s thug
- Elsa Zabala … Uswika Bathory
- Lucy Tiller … Prostitute
Technical credits:
Filmed in 70mm
Release:
The film was released in Spain on 6 May 1972.
Image credits: Cool Ass Cinema
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