Frankenstein's Bloody Terror (3-D) – Kino Lorber (Blu-ray)

Theatrical Release Date: Spain/West Germany, 1968
Director: Enrique López Eguiluz
Writer: Paul Naschy (as Jacinto Molina)
Cast: Paul Naschy, Dyanik Zurakowska, Manuel Manzaneque, Rosanna Yanni, Gualberto Galbán, Aurora de Alba, Julián Ugarte, José Nieto, Carlos Casaravilla, Ángel Menéndez, Antonio Jiménez Escribano

Release Date: August 26th, 2025
Approximate Running Time: 78 Minutes 13 Seconds
Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1 Widescreen / 1080 Progressive / MPEG-4 AVCC
Rating: NR
Sound: DTS-HD Mono English
Subtitles: English SDH
Region Coding: Region A
Retail Price: $29.95

"Waldemar Daninsky (Naschy) suffers the bite of a werewolf and seeks the aid of a pair of occultists to rid himself of the curse. But Dr. Mikhelov and his wife (Julián Ugarte and Aurora de Alba) are in fact vampires, and Waldemar’s only defense against them is to unchain the lycanthrope within." - synopsis provided by the distributor

Video:

Here’s the information provided about this release's transfer, "Newly mastered in 4K from 35mm elements of the U.S. release cut of the film (compromised by decomposition), this Kino Cult edition has been meticulously restored by the 3-D Film Archive and is presented in both the stereoscopic (3-D player and monitor required) and anaglyph versions (one pair of red/green glasses provided)."

Frankenstein's Bloody Terror comes on a 50 GB dual layer Blu-ray.

Disc Size: 43.2 GB

Feature: 19.6 GB (3-D Version/2-D Version), 18.4 GB (Anaglyph Version)

There are obvious limitations to these transfers, and without being able to access the original negative, I have no doubt that these transfers cannot look any better than they do here. That said, the 3-D presentation is the strongest of the three included; colors fare much better than the other two versions, in which they look flat.

Audio:

This release comes with one option, a DTS-HD mono mix in English with removable English SDH. The audio sounds clean and balanced; range-wise, it is limited.

Extras:

Extras for this release include three radio spots (1 minute 42 seconds, Dolby Digital mono English, no subtitles), a theatrical trailer (3 minutes 4 seconds, Dolby Digital mono English, no subtitles), alternate opening title sequence under the titled Hell’s Creatures (2 minutes 15 seconds, Dolby Digital mono with text in English), nine deleted scenes with text information about them (15 minutes 41 seconds, 2.35:1 aspect ratio, Dolby Digital mono English, no subtitles), a featurette with novelist and film critic Tim Lucas titled About the 3-D Restoration (25 minutes 28 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), an audio commentary with Tim Lucas, an audio commentary with film historians Troy Howarth, Troy Guinn and Rodney Barnett, a pair of red/green glasses, reversible cover art, and a slipcover (limited to the first pressing).

Summary:

Frankenstein's Bloody Terror, originally known as The Mark of the Wolf Man, was the first of 12 films (11 were completed) where Paul Naschy portrayed a werewolf named Count Waldemar Daninsky. The Mark of the Wolf Man was renamed for its U.S. release; 15 minutes of footage were removed, mostly the opening reel and credits, while newly created opening credits were added. That said, having never seen The Mark of the Wolf Man, the full-length version, this review is only a comment on the U.S. version.

A man suffering from lycanthropy unknowingly invites two vampires into his home who claim their knowledge of the occult can cure him.

Frankenstein's Bloody Terror lacks the style that Paul Naschy’s later Waldemar Daninsky films all have. It was directed by Enrique López Eguiluz, a filmmaker not familiar with the horror genre; his most notable film is Santo Faces Death. Although a lot of effort went into the staging of moments that would exploit the 3-D format, the bulk of the visuals are uninspired.

Paul Naschy, throughout his career, has often paid homage to Hollywood’s classic monsters of the 1920s and 30s, and Lon Chaney has an undeniable influence on him. For Frankenstein's Bloody Terror, the first screenplay he wrote, these influences can be felt throughout; it is a film that has werewolves and vampires, and oddly enough, there is no Frankenstein despite its retitling. That said, despite having many core elements he would often return to, they are lacking the execution that his later films have.

Though things start off strong with the introduction of the werewolf who's awakened by two gypsies who disturbed his tomb, the middle act lacks focus, while things finally pick up momentum in the last act. Most of that middle act is Waldemar Daninsky staying in an abandoned monastery where he is restrained so he cannot hurt anyone, while his friend searches for a cure. Most of the monster action comes in the last act, where Waldemar Daninsky and another werewolf clash against two vampires.

Does the deleted footage improve upon the U.S. version? Despite fleshing some things out, most of these moments feel like filler. That said, seeing The Mark of the Wolf Man in its full-length version and in Spanish would likely enhance many elements that do not work well in the U.S. version. Ultimately, Frankenstein's Bloody Terror is tame, lacking the carnage and exploitation elements that drive Paul Naschy’s later horror films.

Kino Lorber gives Frankenstein's Bloody Terror its best home media release to date.

 

Written by Michael Den Boer