The Werewolf Versus Vampire Woman – Vinegar Syndrome (4k UHD/Blu-ray Combo)

Theatrical Release Date: Spain/West Germany, 1971
Director: León Klimovsky
Writers: Paul Naschy, Hans Munkel
Cast: Paul Naschy, Gaby Fuchs, Barbara Capell, Andrés Resino, Yelena Samarina , José Marco, Betsabé Ruiz, Barta Barri, Luis Gaspar, Ruperto Ares, María Luisa Tovar , Julio Peña, Patty Shepard

Release Date: October 24th, 2022
Approximate Running Times: 87 Minutes 3 Seconds (International Export Version), 93 Minutes 49 Seconds (Spanish Clothed Version), 94 Minutes 46 Seconds (Spanish Integral Version)
Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1 Widescreen / 2160 Progressive / HEVC / H.265 / HDR10 (All Versions)
Rating: NR
Sound: DTS-HD Mono Spanish (All Versions), DTS-HD Mono English (International Export Version)
Subtitles: English (All Versions), English SDH (International Export Version)
Region Coding: Region Free
Retail Price: $52.98

"Infamous werewolf, Waldemar Daninsky has been brought back from the dead after a mortician carelessly removes a silver bullet from his heart. Unable to stop himself from viciously killing anyone in his path, he begins a search for a sacred cross which can finally cure him of his monstrous affliction. Meanwhile, Genevieve and Elvira are scouring the French countryside for the final resting place of Countess Wandesa who, according to legend, was a vampire who thrived on the blood of young virgins in order to retain her beauty. One night, they encounter Waldemar, who offers to aid them in their quest and leads the two women to Wandesa’s tomb. However, while in the process of opening it, a drop of blood falls onto her skeletal remains, thus reanimating and rejuvenating her desire for blood and revenge from beyond the grave. Now faced with an evil capable of even more brutality than his own, Waldemar realizes that he is the only hope in defeating Countess Wandesa…" - synopsis provided by the distributor

Video: 5/5 (4K UHD), 4.5/5 (Blu-ray)

Here’s the information provided about this release's transfer, "Newly scanned & restored in 4K from its 35mm original camera negative."

The Werewolf Versus Vampire Woman international export version comes on a 66 GB dual layer 4K UHD.

Disc Size: 58.8 GB

Feature: 58.5 GB

The Werewolf Versus Vampire Woman international export version comes on a 50 GB dual layer Blu-ray.

Disc Size: 44.8 GB

Feature: 23.8 GB

The Werewolf Versus Vampire Woman Spanish clothed version and Spanish integral version come on a 50 GB dual layer Blu-ray.

Disc Size: 44.6 GB

Feature: 22.9 GB (Spanish Integral Version), 21.3 GB (Spanish Clothed Version)

Audio: 4.25/5 (DTS-HD Mono Spanish), 4/5 (DTS-HD Mono English)

The international export version comes with two audio options: a DTS-HD mono mix in Spanish and a DTS-HD mono mix in English. This version comes with removable English and English SDH subtitles for the Spanish language track and removable English SDH for the English language track.

The Spanish clothed version and the Spanish integral version each come with one audio option, a DTS-HD mono mix in Spanish. Both versions come with removable English subtitles.

All of the audio mixes are in great shape. Dialog comes through clearly, everything sounds balanced, ambient sounds are well-represented, and the score sounds appropriately robust. That said, the Spanish language track for the international export version sounds slightly more robust than the English language track.

Extras:

All of the extras are on the Blu-ray disc with the international export version. Extras include a stills gallery (promotional images/archival articles/behind-the-scenes photographs), alternate title and end credit sequences (7 minutes 17 seconds, Dolby Digital mono), a theatrical trailer for The Werewolf Versus Vampire Woman (1 minute 3 seconds, Dolby Digital mono English with removable English SDH subtitles), a theatrical trailer for Werewolf Shadow (3 minutes 14 seconds, Dolby Digital mono English with removable English SDH subtitles), an interview with Sergio Molina, the son of Paul Naschy (29 minutes 4 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo Spanish with removable English subtitles), and a documentary about Paul Naschy tilted The Man Who Saw Frankenstein Cry: Paul Naschy, the Life and Legend of a Horror Icon (80 minutes 28 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English/Spanish with non-removable English and Spanish subtitles).

Other extras include reversible cover art and a limited edition embossed and spot gloss slipcover limited to 5,000 units.

Summary:

The Werewolf Versus Vampire Woman is a significant film in the oeuvre of Paul Naschy in that it marked the first time that he worked with director León Klimovsk. Paul Naschy and León Klimovsky would work together a total of six times. Paul Naschy’s collaboration with León Klimovsky would lead to some of his most memorable films. Besides working with Paul Naschy, some of León Klimovsky’s other notable films are Dracula Saga, The Vampires’ Night Orgy, and I Hate My Body.

The Werewolf versus the Vampire Woman is one of those films where everything clicks. León Klimovsky’s direction flawlessly captures the nightmarish dream quality of the story. The scenes were the vampires’ torment. Elvira is one of the most hauntingly beautiful horror movie characters ever. The most memorable moment in the film is a scene where the countess and Genevieve have kidnapped Elvira. They slit a vein on her throat and drained her blood into a cup.

The narrative is as good as any that Paul Naschy has ever worked with. And the pairing of a werewolf and a vampire is a satisfying one. Also, The Werewolf Versus Vampire Woman features a deliriously kitschy score from composer Antón Garca Abril that somehow suits the film in a bizarre kind of way.

The performances are all very good all around, with Barbara Capell as Genevieve and Patty Shepard in the role of Countess stealing every scene they are in. Needless to say, The Werewolf Versus Vampire Woman oozes with eroticism. All the female cast members are very attractive, and they often parade around in little or nothing at all. Paul Naschy’s performance is the most refined and memorable of his career. 

The Werewolf Versus Vampire Woman was the film that introduced me to the films of Paul Nashcy, and its charms haven’t diminished over the years. That said, no horror film would be complete without violence and bloodshed. Both of which are abundant in The Werewolf Versus Vampire Woman. Ultimately, The Werewolf Versus Vampire Woman is one of Spanish cinema's best horror films.

The Werewolf Versus Vampire Woman gets a definitive release from Vinegar Syndrome, which comes with three versions of the film and a pair of informative extras, highly recommended.

Note about the 4K screenshots: It is not possible to make Dolby Vision or HDR10 screenshots that faithfully match the experience of watching a film in motion on a TV. Instead of not having any screenshots, all of the 4K screenshots are m2ts taken with a VLC player and lossless PNGs.

Written by Michael Den Boer