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S E A R C H    D V D B e a v e r

(aka "Noche de Walpurgis" or "Werewolf vs the Vampire Woman" or "Blood Moon" or "Black Masses of Countess Dracula" )

 

directed by León Klimovsky
Spain/West Germany 1971

 

The Werewolf Versus the Vampire Woman is reviewed on 4K UHD HERE

 

Elvira (Gaby Fuchs) and Genevieve (Barbara Capell) travel to the remote French countryside to find the hidden tomb of the blood-drinking Countess Wandesa Darvula de Nadasdy (Paty Sheppard). They run into Waldmemar Daninsky (Paul Naschy) a man who lives in a remote house with his insane sister (Yelena Samarina) and is in search of the silver cross used to kill the countess in order to end his existence as a werewolf. The three come across the tomb and Genevieve cuts herself while extracting the silver cross bringing the countess back to life. As Elvira and Waldemar combat the countess and fall in love, Elvira's skeptical interpol boyfriend Marcel (Andres Resino) shows up in town in order to elicit expositional information from the townspeople to the audience and play the role of secondary hero in the climax as Wandesa plans to sacrifice Elvira to Satan.

Naschy's most successful werewolf film at home and abroad, LA NOCHE DE WALPURGIS was a surprise hit even though Naschy had doubts about director Klimovsky's style. Naschy virtually remade the film as both star and director (this time with more nubile college students wearing less clothing) as RETORNO DEL HOMBRE LOBO (NIGHT OF THE WEREWOLF - SD comparison HERE and BluRay review HERE). Although the script references the earlier MARCA DEL HOMBRE LOBO/FRANKENSTEIN'S BLOODY TERROR and contains elements that will pop up in later entries in the series, visually the film originates several of the earmarks of Klimovsky's directorial style (giddy slow motion vampire women - zombies in the case of VENGEANCE OF THE ZOMBIES - subversive use of lounge music over horror scenes) which carried over into his non-Naschy vampire movies. Although the US cut of the film has been available on hard-to-find videotape since the mid-eighties, the film remained largely unseen since theatrical playdates and most newer fans were familiar with the film through stills and reviews in reference books. Although the film hasn't quite lived up to its reputation as a horror film, its offbeat approach and rough edges makes it just as entertaining and interesting as a blueprint for future entries in the series.

Eric Cotenas

Posters

Theatrical Release: 1972 (USA)

Reviews                                                                       More Reviews                                                             DVD Reviews

DVD Comparison:

Divisa - Region 0 - PAL vs. Deimos (Export Version with Spanish Scenes) - Region 0 - NTSC vs. Deimos (US Edit) - Region 0 - NTSC vs. Anchor Bay Entertainment - Region 1 - NTSC

Big thanks to Eric Cotenas for all the Screen Caps!

1) Divisa - Region 0 - PAL - LEFT

2) Deimos (Export Version with Spanish Scenes) - Region 0 - NTSC - SECOND

3) Deimos (US Edit) - Region 0 - NTSC - THIRD

4) Anchor Bay Entertainment - Region 1 - NTSC - RIGHT

 

DVD Box Covers

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Distribution

Divisa

Region 0 - PAL

Deimos

Region 0 - NTSC

Deimos
Region 0 - NTSC
Anchor Bay Entertainment
Region 1 - NTSC
Runtime 1:30:48 (4% PAL speedup) 1:31:09 (4% PAL speedup) 1:22:45 1:34:42
Video 1.88:1 Original Aspect Ratio
Average Bitrate: 5.98 mb/s
PAL 720x576 25.00 f/s

1.80:1 Original Aspect Ratio

16X9 enhanced
Average Bitrate: 5.53 mb/s
NTSC 720x480 29.97 f/s

1.81:1 Original Aspect Ratio

16X9 enhanced
Average Bitrate: 5.7 mb/s
NTSC 720x480 29.97 f/s

1.83:1 Original Aspect Ratio

16X9 enhanced
Average Bitrate: 8.39 mb/s
NTSC 720x480 29.97 f/s

NOTE: The Vertical axis represents the bits transferred per second. The Horizontal is the time in minutes.

Bitrate:

 

Divisa

Bitrate:

Deimos (Export Version with Spanish Scenes)

 

Bitrate:

 

Deimos (US Edit)

 

Bitrate:

 

Anchor Bay Entertainment

 

Audio Spanish (Dolby Digital 2.0 mono); Spanish (Dolby Digital 5.1) English (Dolby Digital 2.0 mono); Spanish (Dolby Digital 2.0 mono)

English (Dolby Digital 2.0 mono)

English (Dolby Digital 2.0 mono)

Subtitles none English (for Spanish-only scenes), English , none none English (for Spanish language only scenes), none
Features Release Information:
Studio: Divisa

Aspect Ratio:
Widescreen letterboxed - 1.88:1

Edition Details:
• Paul Naschy and Waldemar Daninsky - essay (in Spanish)
• Leon Klimovsky biography/filmography (Spanish)
• Photo Gallery
• Filmographies
• Crew List

DVD Release Date: 4 February 2003
Amaray

Chapters 8

Release Information:
Studio: Deimos

Aspect Ratio:
Widescreen anamorphic - 1.80:1

Edition Details:
• WEREWOLF VS THE VAMPIRE WOMAN (US edit; 1:22:45 - see caps)
• Still Gallery (5:44)

DVD Release Date: 10 June 2008
Amaray

Chapters 16
 

Release Information:
Studio: Deimos

Aspect Ratio:
Widescreen anamorphic - 1.81:1

Edition Details:

 

DVD Release Date: 10 June 2008
Amaray

Chapters 15

Release Information:
Studio: Anchor Bay Entertainment

Aspect Ratio:
Widescreen anamorphic - 1.83:1

Edition Details:
• Interview with the Werewolf - A Conversation with Paul Naschy (14:50)
• Export Theatrical Trailer (3:10)
• TV Spot (4:3; 1:01)
• Paul Naschy Poster Gallery
• Paul Naschy Biography

 

DVD Release Date: 6 August 2002
Amaray

Chapters 25

 

Comments

The Werewolf Versus the Vampire Woman is reviewed on 4K UHD HERE

Although reportedly mastered in high definition, WEREWOLF SHADOW has arrived on standard definition DVD from BCI via conversion from a PAL down-conversion. Although single-layered (two single-layered transfer on one side of a dual-layered disc), the image is somewhat brighter and sharper than the OOP Anchor Bay transfer (a dual-layered release at the correct NTSC speed from Atlas International's integral cut of the film featuring two dialogue scenes from the censored Spanish language version). There are also some strange motion problems in the opening minutes where things seem intermittently sped up (note the opening panning shot which is far smoother in the Anchor Bay print). The main bonus feature is an anamorphic transfer of what is supposed to be the US theatrical edit THE WEREWOLF VS THE VAMPIRE WOMAN which opens with the appropriate now-defunct distributor logos and is in scratchier condition but the main title music is completely missing from the US credits sequence and the rest of the print turns out to be a patchwork of the US print and an older print of the export version (note the export end titles in place of the ones for the US release). Aspect ratio varies on the US edit as the hard matte dips in and out of the top and bottom of the frame. The US release (and this version of it) features a covered take (capture 3) of the altar scene but the other versions represent Atlas' integral cut from which other versions would have been edited and thus features both the covered and uncovered version of the altar scene shown in succession. A stills gallery rounds out the extras.


The Anchor Bay disc not only included a 15 minute interview with Paul Naschy but also the film's export trailer for WEREWOLF SHADOW and a TV spot for WEREWOLF VS THE VAMPIRE WOMAN. The Spanish disc is non-anamorphic widescreen but boasts different color timing than the other transfers (the US print bears the most strongest resemblance to it). The Spanish language track (in mono and bumped up 5.1) is the same as on the BCI disc with the superior music choices (second only to the choices made by the US distributors with music from Synchronfilm whose music choices also appear in the Jess Franco's VENUS IN FURS which also was post-produced in the US). All available versions on DVD replace the opening credits music with Anton Garcia Abril's loungy end-credits theme (videocassettes of the WEREWOLF SHADOW version used Abril's siren call theme - which appears later in the film and in his score for Armando de Ossorio's NIGHT OF THE SEAGULLS - over the opening credits). The BCI disc with PAL speedup runs slightly longer than the Spanish disc due to the Atlas International logo.

 - Eric Cotenas

 



 

DVD Menus
 

Divisa (Spanish)


 

 

1) Deimos (Export Version with Spanish Scenes) - Region 0 - NTSC - LEFT

2) Deimos (US Edit) - Region 0 - NTSC - MIDDLE

3) Anchor Bay Entertainment - Region 1 - NTSC - RIGHT

 

 

 


 

Screen Captures

1) Divisa - Region 0 - PAL - TOP

2) Deimos (Export Version with Spanish Scenes) - Region 0 - NTSC - SECOND

3) Deimos (US Edit) - Region 0 - NTSC - THIRD

4) Anchor Bay Entertainment - Region 1 - NTSC - BOTTOM

 

Subtitle sample (where applicable)

 

 


1) Divisa - Region 0 - PAL - TOP

2) Deimos (Export Version with Spanish Scenes) - Region 0 - NTSC - SECOND

3) Deimos (US Edit) - Region 0 - NTSC - THIRD

4) Anchor Bay Entertainment - Region 1 - NTSC - BOTTOM

 

 

 


1) Divisa - Region 0 - PAL - TOP

2) Deimos (Export Version with Spanish Scenes) - Region 0 - NTSC - SECOND

3) Deimos (US Edit) - Region 0 - NTSC - THIRD

4) Anchor Bay Entertainment - Region 1 - NTSC - BOTTOM

 

 

 


1) Divisa - Region 0 - PAL - TOP

2) Deimos (Export Version with Spanish Scenes) - Region 0 - NTSC - SECOND

3) Deimos (US Edit) - Region 0 - NTSC - THIRD

4) Anchor Bay Entertainment - Region 1 - NTSC - BOTTOM

 

 


 

1) Divisa - Region 0 - PAL - TOP

2) Deimos (Export Version with Spanish Scenes) - Region 0 - NTSC - SECOND

3) Deimos (US Edit) - Region 0 - NTSC - THIRD

4) Anchor Bay Entertainment - Region 1 - NTSC - BOTTOM

 

 

 


 

Report Card:

 

Image:

Draw (BCI for transfer despite encoding/Divisa for color timing)

Sound:

Draw (BCI for Spanish with subs/AB for English at correct speed)

Extras: Anchor Bay
Menu: Anchor Bay

 
DVD Box Covers

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Distribution

Divisa

Region 0 - PAL

Deimos

Region 0 - NTSC

Deimos
Region 0 - NTSC
Anchor Bay Entertainment
Region 1 - NTSC

 

 


 





 

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