No, this one has nothing to do with the Universal Monsters character the Wolfman, not the Lon Chaney Jr. version or the Benecio Del Toro version. Rather this Spanish feature (alternately known as WOLFMAN NEVER SLEEPS) is the fourth in the multi-picture series of films featuring the character Waldemar Daninsky, portrayed by actor Paul Naschy. I’ve been aware of these films for many years but had never seen one. I always knew I’d get around to them eventually. Now that I’ve seen one, I wish I’d started sooner. If the rest in the series are as wonderfully, gloriously bad as this one, I have much to look forward to!
It’s possible that in its original Spanish this one isn’t as nonsensical as it is when watching it dubbed—but why would you want it to make more sense? It’s perfect as it is! I could almost believe that Ed Wood himself provided the translation, as the dialogue is so quirky, at times bizarre, and frequently divorced from the emotions that the characters speaking ought to be experiencing. In fact, you’d be forgiven for suspecting, if you didn’t know any better, and if Mr. Wood were Spanish, that this movie was one of his creations. It’s that bad. And that good!
Bitten by a Yeti (?!) while on an expedition to Tibet, the hero develops a trapezoid (not a pentagram!) on his chest and occasionally transforms into a werewolf that makes sounds like the Tasmanian Devil from the Bugs Bunny cartoons when it runs. (And it runs when it’s not walking calmly and leisurely, as it does most of the time.) The makeup for the beast isn’t bad, but everything else about this clunker is bargain basement treasure! Oh, Daninsky, where have you been all my life!
