Paul Naschy is GOD. Well, maybe not THE God, but he certainly is one of the greatest b-movie gods to ever grace this earth. When one thinks of Spanish horror, one inevitably thinks of Paul Naschy. When one thinks of Paul Naschy, one certainly thinks of werewolves, cause it's what Naschy did best. He may not have made the best or most stylish films, but Naschy sure did one thing right. He made some of the most ENTERTAINING werewolf films, ever. On that note, let it be said that fans and first timers will want to check out Mondo Macabro's DVD of Dr. Jekyll versus The Werewolf as it's the most respectful presentation of Naschy on DVD to date.

While honeymooning in Hungary, Newlyweds Imre and Justine take a decidedly wrong turn when Imre detours to visit the graves of his deceased parents. While at the cemetery, Imre is assaulted (and killed) by a gang of bandits and just as they are about to "deflower" the lovely Justine, out of the shadows pops Waldemar (Naschy) to her rescue. Waldemar brings the distraught Justine to his castle in the "middle of nowhere", for some down home R&R. Justine soon discovers that there's more than meets the eye when it comes to good ole' Waldemar, as he may only look like a meatier Neil Diamond by day, he's actually a werewolf by night. Despite Waldemar's "wolfiness" Justine falls madly in love with him (can you blame her?). Waldemar and Justine decide to head for London (just in time) as an angry mob descends upon the castle (torches in hand) to kill the "mysterious" beast. Once in London, Justine visits her good friend Dr. Henry Jekyll who winds up having one hell of an idea. Jekyll decides to inject Waldemar with his grandfather's formula, and turn him into Hyde (the ultimate evil). If he does this on a night of the full moon, Hyde will defeat the wolf in Waldemar. Great! But what about Hyde you ask? Well, it just so happens that Jekyll also has an antidote for the "Hyde Syndrome" and figures he'll just administer it after Hyde defeats the wolf. C'mon folks you know it CAN'T be that easy, and it sure as hell isn't.

I said it once and I'll say it again, Naschy did not make the greatest films. Sometimes cheap, quite often silly, there's really nothing here that's going to impress the hell out of you. The effects aren't great, performances aren't always on target, and the film composition gives new meaning to the word flat. But, this is really a b-movie at heart after all and b-movies are really only meant to be one thing, and that's fun. This is the one area in which Dr. Jekyll versus The Werewolf is a monumental success; it's one hell of a great time. Seeing Naschy running around 70's London as the ultra creepy Hyde is a sight that needs to be seen to be believed. Silly yes, but there is also a lot to admire as well. There are some great gothic sets, and Naschy is just overflowing with screen presence. While not particularly scary (on any level) there is plenty of atmosphere and some scenes do provide some mild chills. One standout scene involves Waldemar trapped in a broken elevator with a cute nurse, as the full moon approaches, Waldemar knows the inevitable is coming, as do we.

Dr. Jekyll versus The Werewolf simply put, looks stunning. Mondo Macabro has done an incredible job of bringing Paul Naschy to the digital format. Colors are so sharp and vibrant they leap off the screen. There is barely a hint of print damage, the feature itself is in immaculate shape. This is one of the top DVD transfers I have seen for a genre title. Definitely in the upper echelon, along with Blue Underground's most recent release, The Toolbox Murders. Of interest is that while this version of the film is "uncut", this is also the "clothed" version of the film. Many films (back in the day) had scenes shot with/without clothes in order to avoid censorship. One can still enjoy the scenes of whipping and torture scantily clad, rather than nude.

Sound is stated to be in Dolby Stereo, however, as with Alucarda you'll notice that most if not all of the sound is coming from the center speaker. There is very little left and right activity if any. This is not a problem however as the original Spanish soundtrack sounds great with little to no distortion. Dialogue is crystal clear, and the awesome 70's score truly shines. The English subtitles are both nice and readable, and most importantly removable.

Extras include your standard cast and crew bios, and a text essay on the history of Spanish horror films. Also included (and this is the icing on the cake) is an awesome video interview with the man himself Mr. Paul Naschy. This is a great interview that runs about 20 minutes. Fans of Mr. Naschy will want this disc for the interview alone. The extras along with the stellar presentation of the film itself makes this disc a must have for genre fans.

I have to stress that I cannot recommend this DVD enough. This is easily one of the best genre presentations I've seen to date on DVD. Everything from the image quality, to the sound, to the incredible video interview makes this disc a MUST for all Naschy fans. If you are a Naschy virgin, there is no better way to acquaint yourself with the master of Spanish horror than with this disc. Go ahead and indulge, I can almost guarantee that you WON'T feel guilty in the morning.

This is a PAL DVD. You will need a PAL compatible player in order to view it if you have an NTSC system. For more info on this and other Mondo Macabro titles, or to order click here.