Like every Paul Naschy vehicle I've seen, "WvsTVW" compares to a classic Hammer or Universal horror film the way an Arby's Roast Beef sandwich compares to a standing rib roast - there's some flavor there, a bit of enjoyment, but it's no substitute for the real thing.
The film looks pretty good in spots - someone knew his way around a camera and someone else knew how to build a nice set - but the hopelessly underdone story,cheesy dubbed dialog, and the draggy pacing of most of the scenes, makes this film strictly a bush league imitation of the real stuff. As a friend who was watching this with me observed, none of the characters reacts to the horrific events in the opening scenes of the movie in any way that makes sense, and no human beings ever spoke like this.
Also, Naschy's insistence on being both the monster and the hero of his films, when he's not nearly good enough an actor to pull either role off, drains his movies of any real impact or weight - it's the same kind of thing my friends and I used to do on school in sixth grade, before we starting reading real books.
I'm reasonably sure that the movie was better in its native language, so I give it an extra star...and in spite of my remarks, I have to admit that Naschy's stuff has the same kind of pull that the best Jesse Franco material does - you get the same guilty enjoyment that you do from wolfing fast food.
The film looks pretty good in spots - someone knew his way around a camera and someone else knew how to build a nice set - but the hopelessly underdone story,cheesy dubbed dialog, and the draggy pacing of most of the scenes, makes this film strictly a bush league imitation of the real stuff. As a friend who was watching this with me observed, none of the characters reacts to the horrific events in the opening scenes of the movie in any way that makes sense, and no human beings ever spoke like this.
Also, Naschy's insistence on being both the monster and the hero of his films, when he's not nearly good enough an actor to pull either role off, drains his movies of any real impact or weight - it's the same kind of thing my friends and I used to do on school in sixth grade, before we starting reading real books.
I'm reasonably sure that the movie was better in its native language, so I give it an extra star...and in spite of my remarks, I have to admit that Naschy's stuff has the same kind of pull that the best Jesse Franco material does - you get the same guilty enjoyment that you do from wolfing fast food.