Werewolf in a Girls' Dormitory – Severin Films (Blu-ray)

Theatrical Release Date: Italy/Austria, 1961
Director: Paolo Heusch
Writer: Ernesto Gastaldi
Cast: Barbara Lass, Carl Schell, Curt Lowens, Maurice Marsac, Michela Roc, Mary McNeeran, Grace Neame, Luciano Pigozzi

Release Date: November 12th, 2019
Approximate Running Time: 84 Minutes 33 Seconds
Aspect Ratio: 1.66:1 Widescreen / 1080 Progressive / MPEG-4 AVCC
Rating: NR
Sound: DTS-HD Mono Italian, DTS-HD Mono English
Subtitles: English, English SDH
Region Coding: Region Free
Retail Price: $34.98

"When an all-girl reform school is rocked by a series of grisly murders, it will unleash a nightmare of sexual corruption and lupine depravity." - synopsis provided by the distributor

Video: 4/5

Here’s the information provided about this release's transfer, "newly scanned in 2k from archival elements recently discovered in a Rome lab vault."

Werewolf in a Girls' Dormitory comes on a 25 GB single layer Blu-ray.

Disc Size: 22.7 GB

Feature: 20.3 GB

The source used for this transfer is in very good shape, and any print-related debris is minimal. Though contrast and black levels fare well, there are a few instances where they are not as strong as they are for the bulk of this transfer. The image generally looks crisp, and when compared to previous home video releases, this new transfer is superior in every way.

Audio: 4/5 (DTS-HD Mono Italian), 3.75/5 (DTS-HD Mono English)

This release comes with two audio options, a DTS-HD mono mix in Italian and a DTS-HD mono mix in English. Though the dialog comes through clearly, everything sounds balanced. That said, both audio tracks are limited range-wise. With that being said, the Italian language track is the stronger of these two audio tracks. There are removable English subtitles for the Italian language track and removable English SDH subtitles for the English language track.

It should be noted that, around the sixteen-minute mark during the English language track, there are a few words that are translated in the English SDH subtitles but are not spoken on the track. The line in question is "Take this; this will be for the post.", The first two words, "Take this," can be heard, then the audio drops out for "this will be for the post."

Extras:

Extras for this release include alternate U.S. opening credits (26 seconds, Dolby Digital mono), Italian theatrical trailer for the film (3 minutes 29 seconds, Dolby Digital mono Italian with removable English subtitles), U.S. theatrical trailer (1 minute 12 seconds, Dolby Digital mono English, no subtitles), an interview with screenwriter Ernesto Gastaldi titled Bad Moon Rising (10 minutes 53 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo Italian with removable English subtitles), and an audio commentary with actor Curt Lowens and moderated by David Del Valle.

Other extras include a CD that contains Armando Trovajoli’s score for the film and a ten-page booklet that contains cast information, a reproduction of the original photo-comic, and a track listing for Armando Trovajoli’s fourteen-track score.

Summary:

Though the werewolf is an iconic horror character that’s been featured in cinema from just about every country, when it comes to Italian cinema, the werewolf is woefully underused. Which is kind of ironic since Italian cinema is notorious for making films that borrow elements from other films.

That being said, there was a renewed interest in werewolf films in the 1950s. Most notably, there are films like I Was a Teenage Werewolf, The Werewolf, and The Man and the Monster. By the time that Werewolf in a Girls’ Dormitory was made in the early 1960s, werewolf films were still on the fringe, and it would still be a few more decades before the werewolf films would reach their apex in the 1980s.

Though Werewolf in a Girls’ Dormitory has many elements that have become synonymous with werewolf cinema, the result is a film that sets itself apart from its contemporaries by infusing elements from the Gothic horror and thriller (giallo) genres.

From a production standpoint, Werewolf in a Girls’ Dormitory is a film that takes full advantage of its limited resources. The well-executed premise does a good job balancing exposition moments and werewolf attacks. And though there are a few instances where the special effects call attention to themselves, Ultimately, the special effects work in this films favor.

The performances range from adequate to good, with most of them falling into the former. With Werewolf in a Girls’ Dormitory’s standout performance being Luciano Pigozzi (Blood and Black Lace) in the role of a crippled groundskeeper named Walter Jeoffrey, He’s often been referred to as the Italian Peter Lorre, and his menacing performance is enhanced by his distinctive look. Another performance of note is Barbara Lass (Vice and Virtue) in the role of Priscilla, one of the girls at the dormitory who starts her own investigation into the mysterious killings.

When discussing Italian cinema, the visuals are one area that you can always count on. And when it comes to the visuals, Werewolf in a Girls’ Dormitory delivers in spades with its Gothic-infused visuals that deliver an ample amount of atmosphere.

Severin Films gives Werewolf in a Girls’ Dormitory its best home video release to date, recommend.

Written by Michael Den Boer