This is a love story by three names: Werewolf’s Shadow, The Werewolf Versus the Vampire Woman, or La noche de Walpurgis. No matter how you cut it, this movie is a fight… for love. Not only is this a tale of love between a man and a woman, it’s love between a beast and a human, and a vampire and herself. According to IMDB, Werewolf’s Shadow kickstarted the Spanish horror boom of the 70s with the general success at the box office. And I can see why, Werewolf’s Shadow is a provocative 70s creature love story that pairs monster magic with a sexy edge.
Two friends travel the French countryside hoping to find the tomb of a vampire. In doing so, they find a castle that is believed to have the tomb and mistakenly bring the vampire back to life.
Werewolf’s Shadow, Screambox
Elvira and Genevieve travel the to the French countryside to work on their final thesis, a deep dive into the mysterious Countess Wandesa Dárvula de Nadasdy, who was thought to have practiced Satanic rituals and drink the blood of young women. After getting lost, they meet secret werewolf Waldemar, who helps them find the Countess’s tomb. She rises from the grave, turns Genevieve into her vampire minion, and tries to kill off both Elvira and Waldemar. With many an adventure and a werewolf turning or two, the couple fight for their lives, hoping to remain together after this nightmare is over.
There is something just so special about Werewolf’s Shadow. European horror films from the early 70s have this innate sex appeal to them — and I’m not just talking about the multiple instances of boobage seen throughout this film. It is the wispy hair, the slow motion, the big eyes, and the raw sexual tension between each and every character. Everyone in Werewolf’s Shadow is likely to hook up at some point. The ease at which Elvira goes from her city loverboy Marcel to the rugged, rural Waldemar is quick as lightning. Genevieve and Elvira are so close that they look like they’re about to make out, and Genevieve and the Countess pretty much do at one point. There is such a freedom felt here, like constant summertime.
Werewolf’s Shadow is this kind of case study on different types of love… well, maybe not a case study, but a film full of examples. We have the love between Elvira and Waldemar that is the typical man-woman relationship; the same can be said with Elvira and Marcel. Elvira and Genevieve have a friendly, girls-girl type of love that makes us think they wouldn’t mind being together themselves. Genevieve and Countess Wandesa have a love that is more sexual and based purely on excitement and pleasure, orgasmic even. Wandesa even shows love towards herself in her rituals to stay young and beautiful. We could even go farther out to the townsfolk; Pierre and his girlfriend have a romance that is dwindling, with Pierre showing an aggressive need for Elvira to the point of assaulting her, pushing his own girlfriend to the side. And while that’s definitely not love (and may even be the result of Wandesa’s hold on the villagers), it is worth noting in a movie about monsters and romance; there is more than one type of love, and there is more than one type of monster.
While Werewolf’s Shadow is definitely heavy on the love story, it is still a horror movie at its core featuring the two most well known rivals in monster history: werewolves and vampires. And let me say that these scenes are some of my favorites based on pure atmosphere alone. As I mentioned before, Wandesa and Genevieve’s vampiric frolicking is shot so beautifully. It is entrancing the way they move about in slow motion with their dresses flowing so elegantly through the air. A disembodied voice bellows as they show their fangs and drink the blood of their victims. But to show they’re not just pretty faces and that they are still a threat, there are quick flashes of the Countess’s face, a little jumpscare for the audience. These scenes give a “female gaze” vibe, whereas Waldemar’s werewolf transformations and following debauchery has “manly man” written all over it. Hairy, gnarling, drooling Waldemar throws his arms wildly across the screen, scratching up his victims beyond recognition. It is that ample push of violence that really brings the horror home.
Werewolf’s Shadow is great for many reasons. There are fight scenes. There is blood. There are boobs. And they storyline is packed with adventure and fantastic set pieces. It’s honestly a terrific date-night movie and one I would have loved to see at a drive-in. Werewolf’s Shadow brilliantly straddles the line between gushy horror romance and brash creature feature. It may be over 50 years old, but it’s a classic that itches that scratch for both men and women.
Looking for a love triangle between humans, beats, and vampires? Werewolf’s Shadow is streaming on Screambox now!
