The Curse of the Werewolf (1961)

The Curse of the Werewolf is a 1961 British horror film based on the novel The Werewolf of Paris by Guy Endore. The film was made by the British company Hammer Film Productions and was shot at Bray Studios on sets that were constructed for the proposed Spanish inquisition themed The Rape of Sabena, a film that was shelved when the BBFC objected to the script. While the original story took place in Paris, the location of the film was moved to Madrid to avoid building new Parisian sets. The leading part of the werewolf was Oliver Reed‘s first starring role in a film and composer Benjamin Frankel’s score is notable for its use of twelve-tone serialism, rare in film music. It was also the first werewolf film to be shot in color.

Upon its initial release, the film was heavily censored in the UK, and a restored print was first aired on the BBC in 1993. While a premiere TV screening of the restored print had been planned to air on BBC2 on 31 October 1992, during the Vault of Horror all-night marathon hosted by Dr. Walpurgis (played by Guy Henry; later named Dr. Terror), the censored version was aired by mistake.

• Clifford Evans as Don Alfredo Corledo
• Oliver Reed as Leon Corledo
  • Justin Walters as Young Leon Corledo
• Yvonne Romain as Servant girl
  • Loraine Carvana as Young Servant girl
• Catherine Feller as Christina Fernando
• Anthony Dawson as Marques Siniestro
• Josephine Llewelyn as Marquesa Siniestro
• Richard Wordsworth as Beggar

• Hira Talfrey as Teresa
• John Gabriel as Priest
• Warren Mitchell as Pepe Valiente
• Anne Blake as Rosa Valiente
• George Woodbridge as Dominique the goat herder
• Michael Ripper as Old Soak
• Ewen Solon as Don Fernando
• Peter Sallis as Don Enrique

• Martin Matthews as Jose Amadayo
• David Conville as Rico Gomez
• Denis Shaw as Gaoler
• Sheila Brennan as Vera
• Joy Webster as Isabel
• Renny Lister as Yvonne
• Charles Lamb as Marques’ Chef
• Desmond Llewelyn (uncredited) as Marques’s footman