THE CRAVING (1981)

 

PHENOMENALITY: *marvelous*
MYTHICITY: *fair*
FRYEAN MYTHOS: *drama*
CAMPBELLIAN FUNCTION: *metaphysical*

The ninth film in the "Hombre Lobo" series also goes under the title NIGHT OF THE WEREWOLF, which is serviceable enough, though the video title THE CRAVING has the advantage of making the customer wonder who's doing the craving and what they're fancying. CRAVING is substantially a remake of 1971's THE WEREWOLF VS.THE VAMPIRE WOMAN, though with a number of references to other horror films worked in. 

Once again the legend of Waldemar Daninsky (Paul Naschy) gets rebooted. This time he starts out as a nobleman in 15th-century Hungary, condemned to death for the Satanic activities he undertook with his mistress Elizabeth Bathory (played by Julia Saly and based on the real-life mass murderess of the same name). The trial scene apes elements of Bava's 1960 BLACK SUNDAY, wherein a vampire-witch and her servant were executed in medieval times, but in CRAVING, Waldemar is already a werewolf, so he must be sealed in a crypt with a silver cross. (Note: in the 1971 film, a silver cross was used to restrain the titular "vampire woman.") Bathory is executed and consigned to a separate tomb.

Fast-forward to 20th century Europe: Erika, a student of black magic, decides that she wants to resurrect Bathory, and even kills an old professor to gain access to his records. She then talks two other students, Karen and Barbara, into joining her on a trip to the Bathory tomb in Hungary. But before they reach their goal, a couple of unwise tomb-thieves (almost surely copied from a similar pair in FRANKENSTEIN MEETS THE WOLF MAN) invade Waldemar's tomb, swipe the silver cross, and inadvertently revive the werewolf. As in the 1971 film, the recrudescent lycanthrope then somehow gets hold of an estate, so that when the three lissome ladies arrive, he's there to save them from vile rapists with his trusty crossbow, and then to invite them to his home.

Since Waldemar always charms at least one lady per film, this time it's Karen who exchanges goo-goo gazes with Waldemar. This dalliance possibly distracts Waldemar, who has no desire to see his former mistress revived, so that Erika successfully brings Bathory back to life. Bathory sets about vampirizing various locals, particularly hot young women, until Waldemar unleashes his inner wolf and the two fiends battle it out. The fight is better choreographed than the one from 1971, though the ending is more doleful, for Waldemar kills his love even as she kills him.

The budget for CRAVING was higher so that the makeup and photography counts among the best for the Hombre Lobo series, though it never conveys the dreamlike mood of WEREWOLF VS. THE VAMPIRE WOMAN. Though the Naschy-wolf often encountered other monsters, most were generic types-- a mummy, a yeti, etc. Thus CRAVING is the only one in which El Hombre Lobo meets an "established" monster, even if it is a fictionalized version of the historical Bathory, making this the only true crossover in the series.