Werewolf in a Girl's Dormitory

 

 

Create your own review

AKA): Bei Vollmond Mord (Austria) / The Ghoul in School / Ghoul in a Girl's Dormitory (USA) / I Married a Werewolf / Monster Among the Girls (USA). Original title was "Lycanthropus." This is supposed to be a disease brought on by a full moon but for that in the know Lycanthrope is really just another name for werewolf.

Expecting a hairy James Belushi in Technicolor, I was surprised to find that this is a dubbed biting Italian film dredged up from the golden age of Italian horror films to be a pretender to today's cult classics.

The film is B&W and takes place in an Italian castle that is being used as a girls' reformatory. The girls picked for this film were chosen for their tasty looks and includes Barbara Lass who was Roman Polanski's first wife (1959-62). There are may other well and no so well known actors. Joseph Mercer known as the Peter Lorre of Italian horror films plays the part of "Tommy the porter". Carl Schell is the brother of Maximilian Schell.

The title song "The Ghoul in School" was written by Marilyn Stewart, Frank Owens and sung by Adam Keefe. However, most to the music is by Armando Trovajoli; Armando composed for over 200 films and videos, many of them were Italian horror films.

The story opens up with Dr. Julian Olcott (Carl Schell) and is greeted at the gate by the limping sneaky looking Tommy the Porter (Joseph Mercer) and the porter's German Sheppard that does not appear too friendly. A young girl swoons at the sight of the Doctor. From here we are introduced to a bevy of babes (each with some sinister past) and a staff of extremely strange people in their own way. Girls are being lured to the woods by cash. But shortly after the arrival of Dr. Olcott, one girl is dispatched. This of course is attributed to tray wolves. So did the girl go astray or the wolf or the supplier of cash or any of the other mysterious characters? It is up to her girl friend Priscilla (Barbara Lass) that thinks her friend was murdered, and with the sometime help of Director Swift (Curt Lowens) that wants to protect the school's reputation, to find if there really is a perpetrator before someone else is dispatched.

Oops, too late.

Werewolf of Washington ~ Dean Stockwell

I'm probably in the minority on this, but I think Werewolf in a Girls' Dormitory (1962) is a darn near excellent film (and probably the best non-Universal werewolf movie I've seen). I think some horror fans are a little disappointed in it because the story doesn't really revolve around the werewolf himself, which means it's comparatively short on beastly action. Truly, this is more of a mystery thriller than anything else, but that's one of the reasons I like it. Let's face it; a traditional werewolf movie doesn't require the viewer to think at all. You know who the werewolf is, you see how he struggles (or not) against his cursed affliction, and you wait to see if he will be killed or cured. Werewolf in a Girls' Dormitory isn't like that at all. Here, you aren't shown the identity of the werewolf until the end (even though it's pretty obvious all along), you have a number of suspects to weed through, and the werewolf's struggle to be free of his condition isn't particularly compelling.

The original name of this Italian/Austrian movie is Lycanthropus. For the American release, the film was dubbed in English (the dubbing really isn't that bad), and the name was changed to the more eye-catching Werewolf in a Girls' Dormitory. The girls' dormitory in question is a sort of school for wayward girls - made possible by the school's benefactor, Sir Alfred Whiteman (Maurice Marsac), who turns out to be a rather pathetic creature who sees the school as his own private brothel. His main squeeze, who was threatening to let his little secret out of the bag, quickly ends up dead - apparently killed by a wolf. No one seems all that upset about the girl's death - except for her best friend Priscilla (Barbara Lass, a Polish actress who would later marry Roman Polanski). Priscilla is convinced that her friend was "assassinated" and sets out to discover the truth. It's a dangerous game she is playing, as her friend is only the first of several characters to wind up dead as events unfold. The obvious suspect is the school's new professor, Dr. Julian Olcott (Carl Schell). All we know about him is that he used to be a doctor and that the jury found him innocent of some crime in his past. Of course, there are several other strong suspects as well. Some viewers seem to tire of all the story's false leads and red herrings, but I see this aspect of the story as a real strength - of course, it would be much more effective if the killer's identity isn't so obvious early on.

The script of this film impressed me. While it may not answer all of the questions some viewers like to ask, it weaves a number of sub-plots together most effectively, thus maintaining the viewer's attention and interest from start to finish. I also have no problem with the presentation of the werewolf. The makeup looks just fine to me, and I think the werewolf transformations are also pretty good - nothing fancy, not even any time-lapse photography magic, but certainly effective. Opposite the beast, you have great beauty in the fair Barbara Lass, a talented actress blessed with an extraordinary pair of eyes.

There you have it: a strong script, quite good acting, a gorgeous female lead, more than adequate werewolf makeup and effects, and an actual murder mystery. If the killer hadn't been so easy to finger early on, I would have given this film five stars. The verdict is by no means unanimous, but I personally think that Werewolf in a Girls' Dormitory is an excellent, memorable entry in the werewolf movie genre.

This movie was never meant to be scary. The scenario is the forte of this charming fire camp story. Well-acted and well-shot, this one can be enjoyed by veteran horror film lover..... AND THEIR GIRLFRIEND.

Interresting characthers, some sexy chicks and just a touch of cliches make this "werewolf" flick a refreshing one. I loved it. The movie is not focusing on the beast itself, which is a unusual twist to WW movie. It has more of a serial killer (even a WHODUNIT) feel to it.

A recommanded movie. By the way, you can find this one in hard-to-find double-feature and box sets.

Share your thoughts with other customers: Create your own review

› See all 3 customer reviews on Amazon.ca

 

Search Customer Reviews
Only search this product's reviews

Search Listmania!