Like many Euro-horrors, this film can be bought under a variety of different names. I picked this little gem up via Amazon.com for a couple bucks, under the title The Craving, and was not letdown.

The film opens with Paul Naschy getting staked in the heart with a silver cross while his cohort, Elizabeth Bathory (Julia Saly) is sent to death for witchcraft and murder. Fast-forward several centuries and we get three college girls trying to locate Bathroy's tomb while some grave robbers find Naschy's tomb and remove the silver cross in his heart. Of course, once the cross is removed, Naschy is able to terrorize the countryside as a werewolf again.

Paul takes up residence in a castle and offers lodging to the college girls while they search for the tomb. The ringleader of the girls, the ravishing Silvia Aguilar, has desires of her own: bringing Elizabeth Bathory back to life. Paul, who is a decent guy when not a werewolf, tries to thwart Silvia's plans while he falls for her friend Azucena Hernandez. But when Silvia resurrects Miss Bathory, all the fun begins.

STORY: $$$$ (We've see his premise before: lovely college girls searching for ruins and falling into evil and the manly clutches of Paul Naschy, but this doesn't detract from the entertainment value. Paul Naschy, who also directed this feature, spices up the genre with more baddies. We get werewolves, vampires and undead Goliaths here).

VIOLENCE: $$$ (While in full werewolf get-up, Paul gets to devour some poor folks. The vampire babes make a few attacks but they aren't as gory as the scenes with Naschy in face makeup).

ACTING: $$$$ (Paul Naschy is first rate here. He also shows a good hand for direction, creating some creepy images. His ladies are quite good as well. Julia Saly is terrific as Elizabeth Bathory and Azucena Hernandez is wonderful as the good girl that Naschy must keep safe from all the supernatural bumps in the night. Silvia Aguilar is the best of the lot as the twisted twist determined to bring evil back from the grave. Her menacing looks are cold and sensual at the same time, making her a perfect actress for this role of desirable vixen).

NUDITY: $$ (Paul kills a topless broad who was about to get naughty with her man in an abandoned castle. Also, Silvia Aguilar shows her amazing breasts when she washes them in a basin before heading off to bed).

In the Sixteenth Century, in Hungary, Waldemar Daninsky (Paul Naschy), Countess Elisabeth Bathory (Jully Saly) and her worshippers are executed by a court. In the Twentieth Century, the researchers Erika (Silvia Aguilar), Karen (Azucena Hernandez) and Barbara find the location of Bathory´s grave and Erika is possessed and decides to reanimate the evil being.

"El retorno del Hombre Lobo" is a flawed movie with a beautiful cinematography. The plot is a mess but entertains fans of European horror films from the middle of the Twentieth Century. My vote is five.

Title (Brazil): "A Noite do Lobisomem" ("The Night of the Werewolf")

Again Waldemar stricken by ancient curse that turn into Werewolf at the full moon. Middle Age, Waldemar Daninsky (Paul Naschy or Jacinto Molina) and a sorceress , the infamous Countess Elisabeth Bathory (Julia Saly ,usual producer of Molina films) are executed by the authorities for murdering young girls . At the Dark Age she pronounces a curse against their future heirs . Modern time , several hundred later , Daninsky is relived by two gravediggers (Rafael Hernandez , Ricardo Palacios). Then Waldemar continues a murderous rampage every time the moon is full . An evil young (Silvia Aguilar) brings back to life Elizabeth Bathory and going on bathing in young women's blood . Daninsky contacts a student (Azucena Hernandez) who falls in love with him and she tries to cure his Lycanthropy with love .

Acceptable Werewolf movie with the unforgettable Waldemar Daninsky-Jacinto Molina ,under pseudonym Paul Naschy . Continental Europe's biggest horror star again with his classic character and frightening to viewer . He returns as El Hombre Lobo for the umpteenth time and once again battles enemies . Jacinto Molina Aka Paul Naschy ,who recently passed away, was actor, screenwriter and director of various films about the personage based on fictitious character, the Polish count Waldemar Daninsky. The first film about Waldemar was ¨The mark of the Wolfman (1967)¨ by Enrique Eguiluz , after that , went on the successful ¨Night of Walpurgis¨ by Leon Klimovsky , ¨Fury of the Wolfman¨ , ¨Doctor Jekill and the Wolfman¨ ,¨The return of the Walpurgis¨, ¨Howl of the devil¨, ¨The beast and the magic sword(1982)¨ that was filmed in Japan and finally ¨Licantropo(1998).

After ¨The craving¨ it was such a box office disaster that Jacinto was bankrupt . He was forced to turn to Japan for making artist documentaries, as he filmed ¨ Madrid Royal Palace and Museum of Prado¨ and he gets financing from Japanese producers for ¨The human beasts¨, the first co-production Spanish-Japan and followed ¨The beast and the magic sword¨ that was lavishly produced for the Paul Naschy standards.

¨The night of the werewolf¨ or ¨ El Retorno del Hombre-Lobo¨ is a B series entertainment with abundant sensationalistic scenes and a Naif style . The movie has a bit of ridiculous gore with loads of blood similar to tomato and is occasionally an engaging horror movie full of slow-moving fights, witchery , beheading , and several other things . This time Paul Nashy/Jacinto Molina exhibits little breast but he was a weightlifting champion . Here Waldemar takes on vampires in some unforgettable fighting scenes . Pretty slow going, but hang in there for the Werewolf versus witches , vampires and spirits. In the film appears numerous secondary cast who starred innumerable films of Spaghetti and horror genres during the 60s and 70 as Ricardo Palacios, Tito Garcia ,Rafael Hernandez, Charly Bravo , Luis Barboo and another terror icon named Narciso Ibañez Menta ( Chicho Ibañez Serrador's father). Good cinematography by Alejandro Ulloa (Horror Express) is accompanied by a correct remastering. Eerie and atmospheric musical score with some sound ripped from ¨Ennio Morricone's One upon the time in the West¨ .The motion picture is professionally directed and played by Jacinto Molina , a slick craftsman and average actor . The flick will appeal to Paul Naschy fans and terror genre enthusiast. Rating : 6, passable and entertaining.