Originally posted on 10/31/2019
I've always loved movies about werewolves (not today's hulking CGI beasts but good old-fashioned "actors in monster makeup" ones). So it's a special treat to discover this vintage Italian thriller WEREWOLF IN A GIRLS' DORMITORY, aka "Lycanthropus" (1961) which, up till now, I've known only via tantalizing pics in monster magazines and books.
For a first-time viewer who's also a longtime Monster Kid, this modestly budgeted but exquisitely photographed (in luscious black and white) horror tale is something to savor, especially thanks to Severin Films' new 2-disc Blu-ray release (including a bonus CD of the musical score) which is, in their words, "newly scanned in 2k from archival elements recently discovered in a Rome lab vault."
Most of the exteriors and interiors are shot in an actual Italian mansion surrounded by stone walls, deep within a dark forest. This adds greatly to the film's production values and atmosphere, yet doesn't detract from its charm as a modest and at times slightly hokey thriller that's nonetheless sober and intelligent enough to easily transcend the "so bad it's good" label.
The story takes place in an upper-class reform school for troubled girls, where headmaster Mr. Swift (Curt Lowens) maintains order while the school's lecherous benefactor Sir Alfred Whiteman (Maurice Marsac) pays certain students to have sex with him. Creepy groundskeeper Walter (Luciano Pigozzi of CASTLE OF THE LIVING DEAD as "Alan Collins") acts as his procurer.
This not only prompts a jealous Mrs. Whiteman (Annie Steinert) to take drastic measures but also opens up her husband to blackmail by a saucy young blonde (Mary McNeeran) with incriminating letters.
When the blonde is found mauled to death in the forest, suspicion wavers between vicious wolves known to roam the vicinity and a new addition to the staff, handsome Dr. Julian Olcott (Carl Schell, THE BLUE MAX), whose outwardly benign demeanor hides a shady past.
The dead girl's plucky friend Priscilla (Barbara Lass) puts her life on the line to investigate, forming an uneasy alliance with Dr. Olcott while risking a nocturnal foray or two into the forest where the carnage occurred.
This results in some tautly suspenseful encounters with the ferocious fiend, plus a few of the more menacing human characters inhabiting the reformatory. There's also a laboratory scene where experiments in lycanthropy management yield unfortunate results.
The fact that we aren't told who the werewolf is until near the end (unlike your usual lycanthrope tale where we know from the start) makes this a nifty whodunnit as well as a classically cool werewolf tale in which the title character is featured to very good advantage. This uncut version includes mild gore and brief semi-nudity you probably didn't see if you caught it on TV as a kid.
The wolf man's makeup is less hairy than usual but is well-designed and looks delightfully feral, with some very effective closeups. In fact, this fanged terror easily joins the hallowed ranks of my favorite werewolves.
Performances are fine and the film is neatly directed by Paolo Heusch (THE DAY THE SKY EXPLODED), who fashions screenwriter Ernesto Gastaldi's brisk, straightforward story into a low-key but involving tour through the same sort of territory Dario Argento would explore years later with much more artistic intent.
For me, finally getting to see WEREWOLF IN A GIRLS' DORMITORY--especially such a lovely print as this--is a distinct pleasure that really satisfies my sweet tooth for classic old-school horror in a lycanthropic vein. I'm happy to add it to my rotation of fun Monster Kid gems to revisit whenever the morbid mood strikes.
Buy it at Severin Films
Special Features:
Commentary Track with David Del Valle and star Curt Lowens
Bad Moon Rising: Interview with Screenwriter Ernesto Gastaldi
Alternate Opening
Italian Trailer
US Trailer
English Dub and Original Italian Soundtracks
BONUS: CD Soundtrack and Special Booklet (w/rare photo-comic)
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