doctor Jekyll y EL HOMBRE LOBO

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At this point, this is the most requested film in Naschy's filmography, aside from the 3D version of the first Daninsky movie. While nice DVD releases have come from Spain and England, these were versions without nudity. Even the uncensored versions are difficult to get, as the most uncensored is an element from Germany.  The film was released in the States, but possibly because of tax shelters,  little seen. So far, we only have a showing in Rochester, New York, where the film supported others. The ad or poster to the right is the only evidence of any promotion.

Leon Klimovsky was back to direct after the monumentally successful LA NOCHE DE WALPURGIS, establishing a working relationship with Naschy. He was Naschy's most frequent director and responsible for many of Naschy's early successes. 

Though there are various opinions about this film, to me it is as perfect as a can be given the resources and the vision. The plot, the pacing, the acting, the haunting music that is a continual coda of the film's emotional intent. This is the most perverse of Naschy's Waldemar Daninsky films, too. After all, Mr. Hyde is interested in women, lots of women, and his cane and a whip will make anyone a believer.

After playing the werewolf Waldemar Daninsky four times in less than four years, Paul Naschy was beginning to be somewhat exhausted from playing his character, and as early as 1972 he declared that he did not want to make more werewolf movies due to the difficulties he had to go through. [1] Even so, and after the enormous success of LA NOCHE DE WALPURGIS, not only did he return to the character, but he also challenged himself with DR. JEKYLL Y EL HOMBRE LOBO.

Paul Naschy considered the dual character created by Robert Louis Stevenson "one of the most exciting myths of fantaterror and, of course, along with the lycanthrope, the most human..." A lycanthrope was also the most similar: "As in the legend of the werewolf, the beast also emerges here, but in this case as a result of the use of a drug and without magical elements. " [2]

The script was commissioned by producer José Frade, “who was in bed with hepatitis. I greatly admired Frade, whom I considered the most successful young producer in the world of cinema. I spent many days at his house reading the text, and he made pertinent suggestions. We finished the script to the liking of both. But, after recovering from the illness, he injured an ankle playing soccer. Then time began to pass and Frade stopped showing signs of life. I called him several times at the office, but he would never get back. Bored, I stopped calling. Shortly after, Arturo González called me, asking for a horror script. I offered him this one, he liked it and decided to produce it. Days later, Arturo González told me that José Frade, aware of his intention, had telephoned him to advise him not to make the film. But the project went ahead. " [3]

Seeking to repeat the success of LA NOCHE DE WALPURGIS, the new production also featured its director, León Klimovsky, an Argentine of Russian descent who signed his 52nd film with it, as well as his second fantastic film, and from which he would keep on doing horror and Naschy films. A summary of DR. JEKYLL Y EL HOMBRE LOBO follows:

Imre Kosta (José Marco) and his wife Justine (Shirley Corrigan) are traveling in Baliavasta (Transylvania), where, ignoring the warnings received at the tavern, they go out and are attacked by three thugs who kill Imre and try to rape Justine. Rescued by Waldemar, he takes Justine to his castle. 

That same night the surviving bandits return to take revenge, but they encounter a werewolf. Two of them are killed, the other later when he confronts Waldemar in the daylight. Justine, who has fallen in love with Waldemar, discovers the evil that grips him and offers to travel to London with him, where he can be treated by her friend Henry Jekyll (Jack Taylor), grandson of the famous doctor.  

When Waldemar goes to the clinic to start treatment, the elevator in which he goes up with a nurse breaks down. It is full moon and the beast is unleashed, killing the unfortunate young woman (Marisol Delgado) and later another woman in the night streets of London (Maria Luisa Tovar). The incident forces Dr. Jekyll to set up a laboratory in the basement of Justine's house, away from people's eyes. The intention of Dr. Jekyll is to inject Waldemar, during the next full moon, with his grandfather's serum so that he becomes Hyde, defeating the transformation of the lycanthrope, then supplying Waldemar with an antidote and thus eliminating Hyde.

But Sandra, the ambitious doctor's assistant (Mirta Miller), is jealous of Justine and bitter at Henry’s romantic betrayal. She stabs Henry when Waldemar is transformed into Hyde, freeing him and thus starting the nightmare for Justine, who is forced and tortured by both.

Hyde murders and spreads panic in London until in a nightclub the effect of the formula wears off and, after transforming into Waldemar, he becomes a werewolf again.

Meanwhile, Henry, dying, finds Justine and indicates to her before expiring where she will find a pistol loaded with silver bullets with which she can kill the beast. The werewolf returns and attacks Justine, who before dying shoots and frees Waldemar, leaving the two forever united by death.

Paul Naschy faces, as we see, a whole interpretive challenge embodying three characters, of which, for Tim Lucas, the actor emerges triumphant: “like Hyde with his strange eyes and skin color, Naschy exudes a very intimidating palpable evil, and as Waldemar has a good number of transformations, (…) including one that Corrigan witnesses and in which the beast visibly shows his sadness, aware of his own monstrosity."   [4]

For the authors of the first published study on Paul Naschy, their Mr. Hyde "turns out to be a character in the vein of John Barrymore in his day, but on the formal and sparkling guidelines of the ironic 'Testament of Doctor Cordelier' by Jean Renoir.” [5] 

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1. Cernuda, P.  "Paul Naschy: 5 veces hombre lobo." Interview in the magazine Pronto (1972).

2. Naschy, P. Crónicas de las tinieblas. 1993. Page 34.

3. Naschy, P. Memorias de un hombre lobo. Alberto Santos Editor, Madrid 1997. Pages 90-91.

4. Lucas, T. Video Watchdog 66, USA, December 2000. Page 23. 

5. Porto, J. J. and Falquina, A. Cine de terror y Paul Naschy. Editorial Madrid, 1974. P 132-133.  

(Continued in the section below the next one.)

Filmed at Estudios Roma, Navacerrada, Talamanca del Jarama and the surroundings of Madrid, some exteriors were also shot in London to give credibility to the setting of the story, a common practice with this type of production, although in Klimovsky's film these scenes were somewhat special, as they forced the actor “to parade through the streets of this city disguised as Mister Hyde, with an Inverness cape, a hat and a cane and some annoying gold contact lenses that barely allowed me to see. Dressed in this getup, I had to strut through Soho, where passersby treated me with all sorts of insults and ironic compliments. ” [6]  "People looked at me like I was crazy because they didn't know the movie was being filmed (…) they didn't see the cameras that were hidden in some cars."  [7]

These annoying lenses caused more than one problem for the actor: “I lost one of the gold lenses that I was wearing as Hyde. Since we were in a haystack, you can imagine the panic that ensued. We were all crazy to find it, when it suddenly started popping out of the top of my eye. It turned out that it had got inside me, and since I had local anesthesia in my eyes..." [8]

Also the elaborate makeup that the actor wears as a werewolf, in which the prolific and still active Miguel Sesé used for almost 5 hours, caused problems. While the makeup artist was making a mold of the head: “The plaster stuck to my hair and couldn't be removed. Sesé went crazy and I endured hours and hours while I tried to get the makeup off. In the end they removed it with a scalpel. (…).” [ 9 ] Although fortunately the fangs did not cause him so much trouble: “They fit me very well, I am comfortable with them. I remember that last time during LA NOCHE DE WALPURGIS they bothered me so much that I spent the entire movie bleeding from my mouth. " [10]

The film featured a not very inspired score by Anton García Abril, a work he also did in LA NOCHE DE WALPURGIS. García Abril is responsible, among more films, for the unforgettable soundtrack of LA NOCHE DEL TERROR CIEGO, for which he composed the infernal and gloomy Gregorian chant that accompanied the apparitions of the skeletal Knights Templar of Ossorio. The film is also noteworthy since it is an “unusual example of a Spanish horror film shot directly in English, with synchronized dubbing that makes the actors look more connected to what they are saying, all offering a performance more genuine.” [11]

In addition to Paul Naschy, the film featured the Irish Shirley Corrigan, a pretty and rather bland actress who, after starting her career in the theater, went to Brazil, Italy and Calcutta, where she stayed for five years with Mother Teresa and was affectionately called Shirleybelle, a nickname that she also once used in the movies. The nun (perhaps fed up with her presence) ended up recommending that she resume her acting career, and with Italy as a base she shot films such as THE DEVIL'S NIGHTMARE (Jean Brismée, Belg-Ital. 1971), CRIMES OF THE BLACK CAT (Sergio Pastore , Ital. 1972) or the erotic comedy AROUND THE WORLD WITH FANNY HILL (Mac Ahlberg, Sweden 1974).

Shirley Corrigan, an adventurous spirit, currently lives in London and continues to act. She remembers Paul well:  “He was a very serious man. Introvert. Always preparing his role, his interpretation and makeup (…) He was very close to the director and they were very friends. They always talked about making movies together. Mr. Klimovsky was a great director. He always spoke through the megaphone. We were in the bush shooting a good number of shots and Paul Naschy had his own megaphone too and answered him with it. It was an extremely funny situation. Paul was a very perfectionist and didn't even have a stuntman to prepare lighting. He did everything himself. ” [12] The actress signed on to make the film with only a vague idea of ​​her plot: “The director, Mr. Klimovsky, told me the story when I arrived in Madrid and I thought, 'If it's as simple as you tell me, it won't pose any challenge for me." She also knew first-hand the popularity enjoyed by her co-star: “When I arrived in Madrid and met Paul Naschy, we went to his house and he introduced me to his family, all of them charming and hospitable. We decided to go to dinner to talk about the script, but it was impossible because there were about 300 people waiting outside the restaurant to get autographs. It was like a stampede! He addressed people by saying, 'This lady is Shirley Corrigan, a beautiful English actress who is going to give me good luck.' He was a generous man and I liked working with him, he was very respectful, he always told me 'You're too good.' " [ 13]

The film also featured two actors very familiar to Spanish Fantaterror fans: Jack Taylor and Mirta Miller. The American Jack Taylor, whose aristocratic demeanor was used by other directors in titles ascribed to the genre such as LA VENGANZA DE LA MOMIA (Carlos Aured), EL BUQUE MALDITO (Amando de Ossorio) or EL CONDE DRACULA (Jesús Franco), is still in active and does not miss the opportunity to participate in projects that are interesting to him. The exotic Mirta Miller (Mirta Jovita Bogni Chatard), is a beautiful Argentinian who since she was 20 years old has served as a model and actress, being in more than 70 films. Her beauty can be admired in other Fantaterror pearls such as  LA REBELION DE LAS MUERTAS (León Klimovsky, 1973) and EL GRAN AMOR DE CONDE DRACULA (Javier Aguirre, 1973), both also with Paul Naschy. She was a declared lover of the late Alfonso de Borbón, and although she has never quite left the cinema, she has recently returned determined to stay if she is offered attractive roles.

The role of innkeeper is played by Barta Barry, a dancer and circus artist born in Budapest who can also be seen in LA NOCHE DE WALPURGIS (León Klimovsky, 1971) or  PANICO EN EL TRANSIBERIANO (Eugenio Martín, 1972), to name two titles. of his prolific career. The evil boss of the bandits is the Italian Luis Induni, who in his 28-year career in Spain appeared in a good number of genre films, mainly westerns and adventure films, as well as horror, working again with Naschy in EL MARISCAL DEL INFIERNO (León Klimovsky, 1974), EXORCISMO (Juan Bosch, 1975) and LA MALDICION DE LA BESTIA (Miguel Iglesias Bonns, 1975), where he plays the memorable Mongolian villain Sekkar Khan. Imre, Justine's husband, is played by the Barcelona-born José Marco, another all-purpose actor with a 42-year career in cinema who can also be seen in, in addition to various westerns, LA NOCHE DE WALPURGIS, LA FURIA DEL HOMBRE LOBO, and PANICO EN EL TRANSIBERIANO. In the anecdotal section, it is curious to see the participation of María Luisa Tovar, Loreta Tovar's dark-haired sister, relegated always to playing small, but memorable roles, in films such as LA RESIDENCIA  (Narciso Ibáñez Serrador, 1969), LA NOCHE DE WALPURGIS, where is the first victim, LA SAGA DE LOS DRACULA (León Klimovsky, 1973) and LAS GARRAS DE LORELEI (Amando de Ossorio, 1974), in which she can be seen with Bárbara Rey as one of the cave inhabitants in a bikini at the end. In DOCTOR JEKYLL Y EL HOMBRE LOBO her character is killed again, this time under the clutches of the lycanthrope. With such a resume, she cannot be blamed for choosing to give up her intention to enter the world of cinema 

Also playing a small role is Henry Gregor, a curious figure in the cinema, since behind that pseudonym was the Austrian prince Heinrich Rüdiger Karl Georg Franciscus von Starhemberg whose family, when  their country was annexed to Hitler's Germany, preferred to emigrate to South America. Son of the actress Nora Gregor, who has an extensive filmography, in which THE RULES OF THE GAME (Jean Renoir, 1939) stands out, he became interested in cinema and theater, becoming an actor, producer, director and screenwriter in Argentina, Chile, Spain and Austria, four countries in which he lived until his death in 1997. He would work with Paul Naschy again in MUERTE DE UN QUINQUI (León Klimovsky) and LOS PASAJEROS (José Antonio Barrero), both shot in 1975. Marisol Delgado, the nurse who is trapped in the elevator with Waldemar Daninsky when the full moon rises, is an actress who did not go beyond playing tiny roles, generally as a maid or servant, in films such as LAS GARRAS DE LORELEI (1974) or the second "Blind Dead" picture, EL ATAQUE DE LOS MUERTOS SIN OJOS (Amando de Ossorio, 1973).

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6. Prada, J. M. ‘El ciclo de Waldemar Daninsky’ in La marca del hombre lobo. Alberto Santos Editor, Madrid 2003. Pág. 129.

7. Naschy, P. ‘Memoirs of a Wolfman’. Dr. Jekyll Vs the Werewolf’ (DVD Mondo Macabro).

8. Gómez Rivero, A. ‘La fuerza del mito’ in Transilvania Express 2. March 1981. Pages 38- 39.

9. Agudo, A. Paul Naschy, la máscara de Jacinto Molina. ScifiWorld, Pontevedra 2009. Page 112.

10. Cernuda, P. Opus cit .

11. Lucas, T. Opus cit.

12. Brice, A. "Interview with Shirley Corrigan" in The Dark Side. Agosto, 2008.

13. Ibid.

 (Continued in the section below the next one.) 

The story has two distinct parts, the one that takes place in the Transylvanian area of Valiavasta and the final part in London. Although there is considerable unanimity in highlighting how unbalanced both parties are, there is no consensus regarding which of them is more effective. Luis Alboreca believes that "The first hour is quite poor in all aspects, but later, with the arrival of Waldemar Daninsky in London, the action happens"[14], coinciding with Shane M. Dallmann, for whom "The first half of the film it is quite slow and melancholic.” [15]

For his part, both for Ángel Gómez Rivero [16] and for Naschy himself, the second part is more irregular in terms of production concepts: “In general terms, I think that Klimovsky did not live up to the level that we all expected from him. Some scenes were resolved in a hasty way; others, on the contrary, were frankly good, but in general the film suffers from structural imbalances: the first part has a calm rhythm that then precipitates the part that is somewhat sloppy. Leon Klimovsky did not direct at the level of LA NOCHE DE WALPURGIS: sometimes he was looking forward to it and that day he was shooting well; but other times as if in a hurry to finish. Once I asked him: 'Leo, why are you going so fast? There are still several weeks of filming left.' And he replied: ‘Yeah, yeah… But if I can't finish in five weeks, I run the risk that they won't hire me for other films; everyone considers me the fastest director in Spanish cinema, and I cannot disappoint my legend. ' [17] In spite of everything I must say that León Klimovsky has sequences that are best in universal fantastic cinema: sometimes he is superior to Terence Fisher, but when his directing is normal , León has inexplicable ups and downs. "" There was money and there were possibilities. But the filmmaker, because he did not know, did not like or did not want to, did not get the most out of it. Still, I think it's a very interesting movie." [18]

Regarding the doses of eroticism and violence, I agree with Narcis Ribot when he thinks that DOCTOR JEKYLL Y EL HOMBRE LOBO is "the most brutal and sadistic of Waldemar Daninsky's career" [19], although not so much as to reach the supposed doses of violence and terror with which the distributor Regia Films-Arturo González promoted the film, defining it as "A movie for strong spirits' with 'The most terrifying scenes that cinema could offer us.' What the film did contain were higher doses of eroticism than in previous films of the saga, scenes that, naturally, were cut out for exploitation in Spain. This chaste version is the one that has been released in Spain, both in VHS and DVD format, bt Divisa, as well as in the United States by the prestigious Mondo Macabro label, respecting the original screen format and exhibiting brilliant colors.

Looking at these versions, it is more than clear the existence of a spicier version for export, as shown by still photos and promotional guides for abroad. And fortunately some foreign version has survived in which to be able to admire its high “doses of violence and nudity explicit enough to prevent the film from ever appearing on small screens. " [20] So much so that the VHS and DVD edited by Sinister Cinema preserve the nude images that appeared in the copy that was shown in theaters by International Cine Film Corporation (as DR. JEKYLL AND THE WEREWOLF), although this English version of 88 minutes, obtained from a 16mm copy, has poor image quality and is adapted to television. This American version is identical to the Spanish one until minute 63, from where slight variations can be seen with respect to the copy exhibited in Spain which, seen now, are extremely innocent: Hyde attacks Justine and tears her blouse showing her breasts. She also shows them when she is flogged, covering them with her nightgown when she reaches her room. Sandra, the character played by Mirta Miller, shows her breasts when she is attacked by Hyde, making it clear, as it is the longest scene, that he rapes her when she loses consciousness. Also the prostitute whom Hyde strangles, exhibits her charms. But in this version, two scenes of which it was known that there was a double version were still missing: that of the attempted rape of the protagonist and the elevator scene.

Finally, and thanks to the North American specialist Mirek Lipinski, our suspicions were confirmed: there was a complete double version, as we were able to verify when reviewing the Dutch VHS edited by Loyal Video, DIE NACHT DER BLUTIGEN WOLFE. The tape contained, in addition to the scenes from the American version, the nude shot of Shirley Corrigan in the cemetery rape scene, as well as the complete elevator sequence and the one that follows, with the werewolf attacking María Luisa Tovar and tearing her dress. These scenes are also in the German VHS editions edited by Action Video and VTD. If you want to have this film in DVD format with all the nude scenes in place, at the moment there is only one edition available, the German DIE NACHT DER BLUTIGEN WOLFE by MP (Motion Picture) edited in 2014, with dubbing in Spanish and German  

We should not forget the wonderful Spanish poster of DOCTOR JEKYLL Y EL HOMBRE LOBO, the work of the illustrator Mac (Macario Gómez) that shows Hyde's split into a lycanthrope, although using an image of Lon Chaney Jr. as a model, in addition to showing Jack Taylor and Mirtha Miller, superbly portrayed, with the unmistakable style of the Catalan poster artist. But despite this attractive poster and the remembered success of LA NOCHE DE WALPURGIS, the film did not obtain a similar response in terms of an audience, bringing 564,843 viewers to theaters and obtaining a gross of € 105,923.47 compared to 1,021. 90.0 spectators and € 182,365.30 from its predecessor.

Neither the critics of the time--nor the current ones--have treated the film too well: “The actors are painful and only the restrained interpretation of Jack Taylor in the role of Henry Jekyll's grandson is saved. ""[21] ] One of the most involuntarily surreal titles in the history of the genre in Spain, as crude and poorly finished as the rest of the Waldemar Daninsky saga. [22] Although it has also had defenders. Just read this early review published in 1974 and that serves as the culmination of this article:

“Perhaps this is the most interesting, most difficult and least understood film that Paul Naschy has done (…) The mocking evil and sadism are reflected by Paul Naschy in his personal Mr. Hyde, without a doubt the most complex and brilliant work of his career. The film was not understood by the majority of daily critics and it is surprising, because this film is possibly one of the most original and important works of Spanish fantastic cinema." [23]

Review by Carlos Benitez.  Proyecto Naschy: https://proyectonaschy.com/

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14. Alboreca, L. Quatermass 4-5. Antología del cine Fantástico Español. Astiberri Ediciones. Otoño 2002. Page 73.]

15.  Dallmann, S. M. ‘The Mark of Naschy’ in Fangoria 7. Ed. Zinco, 1991. Page 10.

16. Agudo, A. Opus cit. Page 350.

17. Prada, J. M. Opus cit. Pages 128-129.

18. Agudo, A. Opus cit. Pág. 350 

19. Ribot, N. ‘Waldemar Daninsky, la lucha contra los elementos’ in Transilvania Express 2, March 1981. Page 28.

20. Dallmann, S. M. Opus cit. Page 10.

21.  Aguilar, C. Guía del Video-Cine. Ed. Cátedra (2000) Seventh edition. Page 332.

22. Alboreca, L. Opus cit. Page 73.

23. Porto, J. J. and Falquina, A. Opus cit. Page. 132-133.