Romasanta: The Werewolf Hunt (2004)

Excellent but underrated film

A Disappointing Continuation

A lot of perfectly good film show their cards early, establish a unique premise and let the audience explore a topic at a leisurely pace, without much in terms of surprise. this film is not one of those films.

This is one of the best movies I’ve seen in a very long time. You have to go and see this on the big screen.

I must say that this was better than expected. It helps if you do some research on the Tallow Man himself, Manuel Blanco Romasanta, before watching. That way you know not to expect a traditional werewolf film. ROMASANTA is more of a drama/biography/thriller. It tells the tale of a traveling salesman/serial killer/self-professed wolf from Spain in the mid 1800s. There are a bit of facts either left out or just completely wrong in the film, but it is still worth the watch. Like I said, I do recommend reading about the actual case first though. And if you don't like reading, all I can say is don't expect a straight-up werewolf horror story and you should enjoy it.

Is her a serial killer or a werewolf? That question is left for you to answer.Francisco Plaza's thrill/horror film is based upon true events that happened a couple of hundred years ago in Spain.Julian Sands, who plays Manuel Romasanta has appeared in a lot of horror movies. He is also scheduled to be in Ocean's 13. Will we have a werewolf there? He dispatches his victims in a gruesome manner, some quickly, and some he takes time to enjoy, like the lovely Elsa Pataky.This is not a great film, but it is slightly interesting. It also stars Ivana Baquero, who was in last year's El Laberinto del fauno. More on that film later.

"Romasanta: The Werewolf Hunter" is an interesting and original take on the werewolf genre.**SPOILERS**In 1851, a series of wolf attacks is plaguing Europe, forcing Manuel Romasanta, (Julian Sands) and his family, Maria, (Maru Valdivielso) Teresa, (Luna McGill) and Barbara, (Elsa Pataky) to move to a new village. As the attacks continue, the authorities, District Attorney Luciano de la Bastida, (Gary Piquer) and Professor Phillips, (David Grant) try every effort in their power to try to end the threat, but are unable to stop them. When they determine that a man is responsible for the murders, she is convinced that the likely suspect is Romasanta. Struggling to believe the story even though she doesn't believe it, when finally confronted with the evidence of who the killer is and what their intentions are, she must fight to stay alive against the overpowering enemy.The Good News: This is one of the more interesting werewolf films around. It has a the feel of a serial killer film while in the context of a werewolf as the main villain. It takes its time getting to the point, allowing the audience to get a feel for the characters and to submerge themselves in the story. We're given the opportunity to get to know these characters, to observe their lives as the killer walks undiscovered amongst them. To make what is essentially a character study film about werewolves is pretty original and allows for a nice watch. When the film decides to abandon the thriller aspect and goes for the action set-pieces, it gets more interesting. The sequence where a victim is trapped inside a burning horse-drawn carriage traveling through the forest out of control is a hauntingly beautiful image and a fantastically suspenseful scene. Trying to see how the escape will occur is really nerve-wracking and is given an extra shot by the fact that it's on a moving obstacle. A nice bit that adds to the film. That it also includes a really ripping transformation sequence is nicely included. For a change, it's from a wolf to a man, and there's a change in how it plays out that's quite a real surprise. This helps it out from the pack that show this feature. It's all done in real life as well, and there isn't any CGI to be found in the scene. These help it rise above the traditional werewolf fare.The Bad News: There are some really big problems with this one. The biggest one is that, for a period piece, it never really gives the feeling that this was supposed to take place then. Everything looks too clean and feels too modern. It's not the best look for the movie. The other big problem is that this a more talkative film than I would have liked it to be. For only being an hour and a half, it really does manage to drag itself out in almost endless dialog and exposition that never really seemed to interest all too much. Thus, it rambles on for the first thirty minutes, before it actually sets itself down into the story and gets moving. That leads into the middle section, where the film features a lot of these conversations instead of doing anything for the sake of the plot. It's all a love story angle that's being played out with a let-down on the werewolf action. That really slows the film down and it never really recovers from that. That also plays out when it becomes about the hunting down the killer. The action doesn't come at all and is all spoken in order to be revealed, and that just makes the film a lot harder to get through than normal. What hurts the film the most, more so than the other factors, is that there isn't a werewolf at all in the film, in the traditional sense. The only one on display is shown as a wolf rather than a werewolf, and it makes it all the more confusing when there's shots of interaction between the others and the wolf is shorter than the victim. That really takes the dread and fear out of the situation really quickly when the main villain is so not terrifying. There's really no reason why it had to have been done in that manner, since it would really make the situation more frightening knowing that the killer was in this manner. It's a really annoying technique that only irritates and doesn't frightening. All in all, these factors really dampen the film from what it should be.The Final Verdict: While this isn't the greatest werewolf film ever made, it's got enough good features in it to really be worthwhile for werewolf fans. It's a pretty slow film, so it's got to be recommended for only the most patient and understanding members of the audience, as they are going to be the ones who can stand who slow the pace of this one really is.Rated R: Graphic Violence, Language, Full Male and Female Nudity, scenes of children in danger and animal violence

I really liked this movie. This is not a B movie, although the title is rather hokey. I like the original title better, but on the other hand it might not have piqued my interest if it hadn't had "werewolf" in the title! It is a horror story and a love story. The acting is above average and the cinematography is absolutely beautiful. The story is somewhat based on a true story about a man tried and imprisoned for 15 murders in 19th century Spain. His defense was that he was in fact, a werewolf and had no control over himself once he transformed. The murders are quite gruesome. The few scenes of animal abuse disturbed me more, but that's just me.If you love the genre as I do, this movie is worth watching.