40TH ANNIVERSARY: NIGHT OF THE HOWLING BEAST

NIGHT OF THE HOWLING BEAST aka LA MALDICIÓN DE LA BESTIA  is a strange Waldemar Daninsky’s adventure, not only because of its out-of-the-saga ending – that I promise I won’t say – but also because it is more an adventure film than a horror one. It was premiered on July 26 1975, a time in which part of the audience was leaving the terror monsters to experience new exotic stories. So this was Profilmes attempt to approach this genre with their star Paul Naschy and his all time famous monster Mr. Daninsky.

This flick was written by Jacinto Molina and directed by Miguel Iglesias – M.I. Bonns in the opening credits- who is also responsible of TARZÁN Y EL MISTERIO DE LA SELVA and KILMA, REINA DE LAS AMAZONAS.

Apart from our worldwide famous werewolf played by Paul Naschy, who got a Sitges Film Fest award thanks to this role in 1975, there are other popular faces for Spanish Horror fans as Mercedes Molina aka Grace Mills (EXORCISMO), Silvia Solar (TERROR CANÍBAL) or Victor Israel (HORROR EXPRESS).

In this new Waldemar’s adventure we are told how he has to go to Tibet and work under the orders of a researcher who wants to find the Yeti. While he is trying to get to his destination in the middle of the mountains he is captured by two evil women who live in a cave and who will turn him into a werewolf, giving a new origin for his lycanthropy, as in this case they are the bites from two vampire women the ones responsible of his trouble. At the same time we witness how Waldemar’s companions are kidnapped by Tibetan pirates and he will be the only one able to release them. In the middle of this chaos a Yeti will appear and fight versus the werewolf just when he is trying to get rid of his curse! I can’t say more, if you haven’t watched it you will have to in order to know if he saves his life and lives happily ever after or if he is cursed to death!

Far away from being best Waldemar Daninsky’s movie I have to admit that it is one I will always choose when I want to have a good time. The werewolf make-up is amazing but the Yeti monster may provoke a little smile on your face or even make you burst out laughing.

Happy 40^th anniversary to this Spanish Horror Pulp classic!

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Elena Anele is the woman in charge of SPANISHFEAR.COM, Horror Rises from Spain  and Un Fan de Paul Naschy . A literature and cinema researcher, finishing her postgraduate studies with a thesis about the mystic filmmaker José Val del Omar. She has published in different media and books as Fangoria or Hidden Horror. She has also been in charge of several translations including Javier Trujillo’s complete works, La Mano Film Fest, The Man who Saw Frankenstein Cry and many more.