gavin6942 An evil witch brings back to life the infamous Elizabeth Bathory (Julia Saly), who was executed several hundred years previously for murdering young women and bathing in their blood.This film was written by, directed by, and starring Paul Naschy. In the United States, the film was released theatrically and on VHS as "The Craving" in 1985, and more recently on DVD and Blu-ray as "Night of the Werewolf".It is interesting how often Elizabeth Bathory has been portrayed in various horror films. This may be the only film in which she co-stars alongside a werewolf, however. And not just any werewolf, but one of the most famous wolves of all.

BA_Harrison The Night of the Werewolf was made in 1981, during the midst of the slasher craze, but actor/writer/director Paul Naschy was either unaware of or just didn't care much about the contemporary horror scene, because once again he happily camps it up as werewolf Waldemar Daninsky in this cheesy Euro-horror monster-mash that throws in every last creaky Gothic horror cliché imaginable.In the film's 16th century prologue, sorcerer Countess Elisabeth Bathory (Julia Saly) is executed for witchcraft, along with her cousin Otava, her loyal followers, and werewolf slave Waldemar Daninsky. Cut to the present day and sexy scientist Erika (Silvia Aguilar), who is under the spell of Elisabeth Bathory's spirit, has arranged a trip with her equally beautiful boffin pals Karen and Barbara (Azucena Hernández and Pilar Alcón) to examine the recently discovered tomb of the evil countess; once there, she intends to use the blood of her friends to bring Bathory back from the dead. Daninsky, having recently been revived by grave-robbers and subsequently fallen in love with Karen, attempts to thwart Erika's plans...If you're already familiar with Naschy's earlier Daninsky efforts, then you should have a pretty good idea of what to expect from The Night of the Werewolf, which offers absolutely nothing that we haven't seen many times before from Spain's numero uno horror star: crumbling cobweb-covered, corpse-strewn castles; stormy nights; dusty rat infested dungeons; topless babes; vampire maidens; bad werewolf make-up; hammy acting from Naschy; old-school transformation effects; and cheapo gore. All present and correct!I've never been a huge fan of Naschy's particular brand of Gothic horror, finding it all rather silly, and in this case, extremely 'old hat'—Hammer did it all so much better a decade or so earlier—but if the star's other werewolf movies happen to have tickled your fancy, I guess there's no reason why you shouldn't enjoy this one too.

BloodTheTelepathicDog Like many Euro-horrors, this film can be bought under a variety of different names. I picked this little gem up via Amazon.com for a couple bucks, under the title The Craving, and was not letdown.The film opens with Paul Naschy getting staked in the heart with a silver cross while his cohort, Elizabeth Bathory (Julia Saly) is sent to death for witchcraft and murder. Fast-forward several centuries and we get three college girls trying to locate Bathroy's tomb while some grave robbers find Naschy's tomb and remove the silver cross in his heart. Of course, once the cross is removed, Naschy is able to terrorize the countryside as a werewolf again.Paul takes up residence in a castle and offers lodging to the college girls while they search for the tomb. The ringleader of the girls, the ravishing Silvia Aguilar, has desires of her own: bringing Elizabeth Bathory back to life. Paul, who is a decent guy when not a werewolf, tries to thwart Silvia's plans while he falls for her friend Azucena Hernandez. But when Silvia resurrects Miss Bathory, all the fun begins.STORY: $$$$ (We've see his premise before: lovely college girls searching for ruins and falling into evil and the manly clutches of Paul Naschy, but this doesn't detract from the entertainment value. Paul Naschy, who also directed this feature, spices up the genre with more baddies. We get werewolves, vampires and undead Goliaths here).VIOLENCE: $$$ (While in full werewolf get-up, Paul gets to devour some poor folks. The vampire babes make a few attacks but they aren't as gory as the scenes with Naschy in face makeup).ACTING: $$$$ (Paul Naschy is first rate here. He also shows a good hand for direction, creating some creepy images. His ladies are quite good as well. Julia Saly is terrific as Elizabeth Bathory and Azucena Hernandez is wonderful as the good girl that Naschy must keep safe from all the supernatural bumps in the night. Silvia Aguilar is the best of the lot as the twisted twist determined to bring evil back from the grave. Her menacing looks are cold and sensual at the same time, making her a perfect actress for this role of desirable vixen).NUDITY: $$ (Paul kills a topless broad who was about to get naughty with her man in an abandoned castle. Also, Silvia Aguilar shows her amazing breasts when she washes them in a basin before heading off to bed).

Leroy Gomm The Night Of The Werewolf aka El Retorno Del Hombre Lobo aka The Craving is a revamped update on Paul Naschy's original film, Werewolf vs Vampire Woman.The film is a visual feast for Gothic horror fans. It's most memorable scene takes it's inspiration from the resurrection shown in Dracula Prince Of Darkness , while rendering it in a seductive if slightly misogynistic fashion. It's opening credit scene is reminiscent of Black Sunday, as an iron mask is used as a means of torture. And so it goes, until the climactic battle with Elizabeth Bathory herself.Horror fans that have found their way into the world of Naschy's Waldamar Daninski already know that they have ventured so far into the genre that there is no turning back. You can throw plot and logic out the window, it's really not what matters here. The eccentric Daninski is a Wolf Man chick magnet displaced out of time who is in an eternal struggle with the blood Countess Bathory, the stuff of Warren's old Creepy, Eerie, and Vampirella comic books genuinely realized on screen. While at times some scenes begin to slow with romantic interludes it never takes long for something interesting and horrific to happen.Very much a throwback to 60's Gothic Euro and Hammer horrors, The Night of The Werewolf might still delight the more modern fan with it's pounds of flesh tearing, buckets of bloodletting, and it's sexy vixen vampires.