[.ca] Werewolf in a Girls' Dormitory

An impressive, different kind of werewolf movie:
I'm probably in the minority on this, but I think Werewolf in a Girls' Dormitory (1962) is a darn near excellent film (and probably the best non-Universal werewolf movie I've seen). I think some horror fans are a little disappointed in it because the story doesn't really revolve around the werewolf himself, which means it's comparatively short on beastly action. Truly, this is more of a mystery thriller than anything else, but that's one of the reasons I like it. Let's face it; a traditional werewolf movie doesn't require the viewer to think at all. You know who the werewolf is, you see how he struggles (or not) against his cursed affliction, and you wait to see if he will be killed or cured. Werewolf in a Girls' Dormitory isn't like that at all. Here, you aren't shown the identity of the werewolf until the end (even though it's pretty obvious all along), you have a number of suspects to weed through, and the werewolf's struggle to be free of his condition isn't particularly compelling. The original name of this Italian/Austrian movie is Lycanthropus. For the American release, the film was dubbed in English (the dubbing really isn't that bad), and the name was changed to the more eye-catching Werewolf in a Girls' Dormitory. The girls' dormitory in question is a sort of school for wayward girls - made possible by the school's benefactor, Sir Alfred Whiteman (Maurice Marsac), who turns out to be a rather pathetic creature who sees the school as his own private brothel. His main squeeze, who was threatening to let his little secret out of the bag, quickly ends up dead - apparently killed by a wolf. No one seems all that upset about the girl's death - except for her best friend Priscilla (Barbara Lass, a Polish actress who would later marry Roman Polanski). Priscilla is convinced that her friend was "assassinated" and sets out to discover the truth. It's a dangerous game she is playing, as her friend is only the first of several characters to wind up dead as events unfold. The obvious suspect is the school's new professor, Dr. Julian Olcott (Carl Schell). All we know about him is that he used to be a doctor and that the jury found him innocent of some crime in his past. Of course, there are several other strong suspects as well. Some viewers seem to tire of all the story's false leads and red herrings, but I see this aspect of the story as a real strength - of course, it would be much more effective if the killer's identity isn't so obvious early on. The script of this film impressed me. While it may not answer all of the questions some viewers like to ask, it weaves a number of sub-plots together most effectively, thus maintaining the viewer's attention and interest from start to finish. I also have no problem with the presentation of the werewolf. The makeup looks just fine to me, and I think the werewolf transformations are also pretty good - nothing fancy, not even any time-lapse photography magic, but certainly effective. Opposite the beast, you have great beauty in the fair Barbara Lass, a talented actress blessed with an extraordinary pair of eyes. There you have it: a strong script, quite good acting, a gorgeous female lead, more than adequate werewolf makeup and effects, and an actual murder mystery. If the killer hadn't been so easy to finger early on, I would have given this film five stars. The verdict is by no means unanimous, but I personally think that Werewolf in a Girls' Dormitory is an excellent, memorable entry in the werewolf movie genre.