An ill-advised autopsy resurrects beleaguered werewolf Waldemar Daninsky in this Spanish offering which combines the Reluctant Monster/Strange Love angle of the Universal films with the Blood and Sex selling points used by Hammer. This time out, Paul Naschy's Wolfman is given a monstrous female adversary in the form of a vampiric witch (the film seems to treat vampirism and witchcraft as mutually inclusive) who also returns from the grave. Danisky encounters two female college students studying the myth of the Vampire Queen. This is full of all the garish 70's attire, gooey romantic graspings, and over-sized vampire fangs you'd expect, but there are many hokey points that are still amusing. Naschy's facial prosthesis is surprisingly expressive and convincing. The vampires move about freely in the daylight in diaphanous slow motion that makes it seem as if they are underwater. Even the hoary old Virtuous Girl/Scarlet Woman diametric works well here, with one girl falling under the sway of the vampire while the other receives the protection of the Beauty & The Beast-inspired lovesick werewolf. Best of all is Satan's brief visit to a sacrifical ceremony held on Walpurgis Night. What we see is basically the shadow of a dime-store devil marionette moving sinisterly along the wall. It's so dopey and simple in its execution that it ends up being a weirdly brilliant effect. Satanic worship flashbacks, a pervert manservant, a mad sister, and decapitation are also thrown in for good measure. The final throw-down between the two monsters is nowhere near as titanic as you'd hope, but this is still a lovable mutt.
