Romasanta: The Werewolf Hunt
By Chris Hyde
November 29, 2004
With 2004’s earlier Kill Bill 2 you got a neo-Shaws’s bit of cinema; this time, a new piece of European horror mines a territory that looks decidedly neo-Hammer.
Throughout both literary and film history, tales centered on the idea that inside human beings there lurks an animal nature have long been popular. From before Robert Louis Stevenson’s Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde (a book that has haunted me since kindergarten) on through Lon Chaney, Michael Landon, David Naughton and beyond, the beast within has remained a fertile place for genre exploration. Though it’s tough to break new ground in reworking a theme that has previously been so well developed, the idea remains a fascinating one — perhaps because the question involved is one that is so integral to what we are as a species.
Given that legendary stories of the wolf inside often have a European setting, it seems quite fitting that this newest canine cinema outing comes to us via Spain. Shot in the beautiful Galician countryside, Paco Plaza’s Romasanta: The Werewolf Hunt might not be startlingly original in approach but is certainly a well-made and occasionally surprising bit of horror cinema. This variation has its origins in a true story from the middle of the 19th century, as the events are based on the exploits of a man name Manuel Blanco Romasanta — a polyglot traveling salesman who was convicted of murdering 13 people for their body fat during the 1850s. The crux of the plot here centers on whether or not this man — as well as his balding troglodyte sidekick — are merely human manifestations of evil or if their essence has a more supernatural basis.
Here, the character of Romasanta is played by actor Julian Sands and all of the action is given an arch Gothic turn through the broad use of English accents by the entire cast. This choice truly echoes the classic genre films once churned out by Britain’s legendary Hammer Studios, where plots set in areas like the Carpathians never failed to be accompanied by voices that would never seem out of place in Sheffield or Liverpool. Plaza’s film also reflects these predecessors through its focus on atmosphere and setting rather than the gorier moments; though the film undoubtedly contains a stomach churning scene or two, these are tangential rather than primary. This movie remains far more concerned with the nature of Romasanta’s condition and its human ramifications than with the fleshy damage wrought by the man — or wolf — responsible for the crimes.
It’s difficult to discuss the way that the story unfolds during this film without ruining the subtler ways in which Plaza’s confident direction subverts the audience’s expectations, so we’ll forgo the usual synopsis beyond what’s already been cursorily covered thus far. (Interested readers can surely find spoiler-filled recaps elsewhere on the Web if desired). Instead, let’s turn towards the filmmaking facets on display here that allow Romasanta to be the success that it is — among them some very skilled helmsmanship, a generally capable cast, great period costumery, gorgeous principal photography and an intellectual heft that adds depth to the proceedings without accompanying stodginess. Director Paco Plaza looks to be one of the rising European stars of the genre, demonstrating a nice low-key feel for atmospheric horror both here and in his previous El Segundo Nombre (an adaptation of a Ramsey Campbell novel) that bodes well for the future. Demonstrating a great ability for hooking viewers with plot points before yanking the rug out from under them, Plaza’s approach is steady enough that these moments don’t seem at all cheap or contrived. He also appears to have a good feel for pace as well as for using actors in a manner that best suits their talents; even the dramatically challenged (though stunningly beautiful) Elsa Pataky comports herself well in this instance.
Other members of the cast offer up dramatic performances that are of quite high caliber in this one - especially notable are Sands in the title role, with supporting crewmen David Gant and John Sharian’s work also being integral to the film’s excellence. Gant’s part as a professor versed in what passed for psychiatry in the 1850s is extremely important to the film’s thematic concerns, and his full-fleshed portrait of the character is both effective and riveting. Beyond the direction and acting on display, Romasanta is also fascinating in the way that it sets up its milieu through brilliant period dress (created by Goya award winner Sonia Grande) and the lovely cinematography done by long time Spanish industry veteran Javier Salmones. Shot in a fairly muted color palette that matches the material ideally, the camerawork helps show off the Galician forests and hills that give the film its authentic feel.
Though Romasanta has reportedly been picked up by Lions Gate for some kind of North American release, thus far it’s only been shown mainly in Europe and has just now hit DVD shelves with a Region 2 PAL disk by Warner Home Video’s UK arm. This disk offers a nice 16:9 transfer of the film with accompanying Dolby 5.1 surround sound, which all in all looks wonderful and has good sonic clarity. This edition is a little bit shy on bonus material, though it does at least contain a brief “making of” featurette and some sketchy interview bits with various members of the cast and crew. While both of these extras could have used some more meat on their bones, we’ll give some credit to the issuing company for including this stuff since it does contain some interesting asides. Completing the disk’s features is the movie’s theatrical trailer, a well-executed promo that sells the film in an enticing manner.
While Paco Plaza’s Romasanta: The Werewolf Hunt really isn’t too shockingly original overall when executing its classic tropes, the insightful way with which the film is directed allows it to be both entertaining and occasionally expectation shattering. Employing a type of neoGothic style that very obviously has its prior antecedents in the movies of Hammer Studios, this new piece of Eurohorror nonetheless has enough of its own creative energy and verve to make it a nice modern addition to the long history of lupinalia. As it’s sure unlikely that there will be much resolution going forward on the question of man/beast duality and the inner darkness of the human race’s more animalistic nature, it’s probably doubtful that this is the last time we’ll see this bit surface in our entertainment. But what we can hope is that all future instances of this timeless theme will be handled with the care and craft that are shown in this newest Spanish entry — for both we and our wolfish ancestors deserve that it be so.
Print this column
