Directed by Terence Fisher • 1961 • United Kingdom
Starring Oliver Reed, Clifford Evans, Catherine Feller

Having found success with their gothic reimaginings of classic movie monsters like Frankenstein, Dracula, and the Mummy, Britain’s legendary Hammer studios embarked on their one and only foray into the werewolf film—and the result is one of their darkest and most emotionally charged achievements. In his first starring role, Oliver Reed plays Leon, the savage offspring of a mute servant girl and a bestial madman whose troubled upbringing is marked by violent episodes that occur during the full moon. Upon adulthood, Leon’s only relief from his murderous impulses comes from the love of Cristina (Catherine Feller), but he soon begins to fear that even this cannot contain the beast within.