Werewolf Woman
Directed By Rino Di Silvestro
Released: 1976
Starring: Annik Borel, Howard Ross, Dagmar Lassander, and Tino Carraro
Running Time: 98 minutes
DVD Released by Shriek Show 2003

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Daniella Neseri (played by Annik Borel) believes she is the descendent of a woman burned at the stake for being a werewolf. This leads her to all kinds of antisocial behavior, the worst of which is luring men to her bed and biting their throats out. Her father, Count Neseri (Tino Carraro), and her sister, Elena (Dagmar Lassander), put Daniella into an insane asylum before she hurts anyone else. She escapes the asylum and meets the man of her dreams: a sensitive stuntman (Howard Ross). Things start looking up until some rapist thugs take Daniella’s newfound happiness away. Her wild side reemerges even worse than before but is it too late for Count Neseri to save his daughter.

Ah, finally an Italian film that I can honestly refer to as a complete clusterfuck. If any of the several plot threads of this film had been even moderately successful… Werewolf Woman might have actually worked. Part werewolf horror, part rape-revenge flick, part psychosexual exploiter… all bad. There are some bloody moments and the trashiness of the plot will surely earn an audience but this is one overly talky and uneven effort from exploitation director Rino Di Silvestro. The surprisingly good cinematographic duties are held down by two gentlemen, one of them being Mario Capriotti who worked with Ruggero Deodato on Waves Of Lust (AKA Una Ondata Di Piacere). Big points are earned in my book by the funky soundtrack.

Our leading lady is the sexy Annik Borel who puts forth an incredibly manic performance as Daniella. She’s willing to the extra mile and leave very little to our imagination as far as nude scenes go. Thank you for the bare crotch gyration, Miss Borel, the film just wouldn’t be the same without it. Oh, if only you’d stuck with the genre, you’d have made one hell of a scream queen. Despite some horrid werewolf boobs and a howl that sounds like a pigbird (a genetic mutation that hasn’t happened yet), Annik Borel is friggin’ awesome. The way I figure it, Daniella is  doing the world a service by ridding the world of rapists and scumbags. Plus, she kills people too who are only moderately interested in sex! The woman is a saint!

I love seeing Howard Ross (New York Ripper, 5 Dolls For An August Moon) in a completely likeable role. Doesn’t it just tear your heart out when he… No! I can’t bear to think about it! Dagmar Lassander (House By The Cemetery, The Black Cat) is pretty much wasted here as Daniella’s sister, Elena. Her character just kind of disappears. The opportunity for a good old fashioned catfight is grievously overlooked here. Dang!

Werewolf Woman is yet another missed opportunity in Italian sleaze filmmaking. At least Di Silvestro tries (BUT DOES NOT SUCCEED) to satisfy every viewer. There are even some Exorcist-like moments thrown in for good measure. In some respects, I wouldn’t change a single frame of this film if I had the chance and yet I can’t recommend it. Look, just don’t expect this one to be any good. If you’re ideas of entertainment and fine Italian filmmaking are as bent as mine, then by all means, seek this badboy out. Otherwise, stay far away from Werewolf Woman. Owooooooooooooo, duder!