Screening Log

This new site feature is a collective effort to summarize our viewing habits. Occasionally, you will find titles here that are coming to a theater near you, in addition to films viewed on television, and even films viewed in piecemeal. The screening log is archived each month; to view past entries select a month in the menu below.


May 2006 activity

Total Log Entries: 54

Total Comments: 16


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The Curse of the Werewolf / UK / 1961

This lone lycanthropic tale of terror from the venerable Hammer Studios offers a unique explanation of werewolf origins by introducing the concept of evil wolf spirits floating about in the atmosphere. If an unfortunate soul is conceived or born under inauspicious circumstances, these diabolical spirits are given license to invade the body, and grapple against the soul for ultimate ownership. The mysterious powers of the full moon serve to enhance the strength of the wolf spirit, and the only possible buffet for the soul is genuine love.

Although the annals of horror contain many instances of the werewolf monster depicted as pitiable figure, Hammer’s take on the subgenre goes a step further than most. Not only is Leon, our hero/villain, beset by the desperate life circumstances described above, he is time and again given a glimpse of the eternal bliss of true love, only to have it snatched away. As the bulk of the visceral horror moments are held in check until the film’s climactic scenes, our attention throughout is focused on Leon’s lamentable saga, and the inevitability of his ill-fated existence. The result is a film both horrific and tragic, a superb example of werewolf horror that deserves to be ranked alongside Universal’s The Wolf Man as one of the best around.

by Thomas Scalzo | Source: Universal DVD
10 May 2006 10:23 PM | Submit Comment


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