Very disappointed :(

Tied for the best movie I have ever seen

Although it has its amusing moments, in eneral the plot does not convince.

The tone of this movie is interesting -- the stakes are both dramatic and high, but it's balanced with a lot of fun, tongue and cheek dialogue.

An uproar is caused when some mutilated cadavers are discovered, giving way to the legend of the "Werewolf of Allariz"... starring Julian Sands! On Netflix, it is listed as "Werewolf Hunter" and has an incredibly stupid cover. This made me dread it as a disposable straight-to-video, poorly made film. The straight-to-video part may be correct, but it is hardly disposable and certainly not poorly made.I love the talk of genetics versus conscious criminality, and also the coroner's analysis of a corpse, showing where canine teeth caused damage as opposed to human blades. I feel like the writer really wanted to capture the science of the time, and the director and effects crew lived up to the challenge. (There is also a pretty cool transformation scene.) I especially love that this film is loosely based on the story of Manuel Blanco Romasanta (1809 - 1863), Spain's first serial killer. Although I have spent more than my fair share of time studying serial killers, I have to say his story was not one familiar to me. So, I appreciate this film bringing it to my attention. Is it accurate beyond the parts about soap made from human fat? Maybe not. But even getting me to look into things more made this worthwhile.

Romasanta: The Werewolf Hunt is set in the Galicia region of Spain during 1851 & starts as fear sweeps through the area as several dead, mutilated bodies have turned up recently. The locals suspect Wolves in the forest & a mass hunt to kill as many as they can find begins, meanwhile Maria Pereira (Maru Valdivielso) leaves the area with her fiancé Manuel Romasanta (Julian Sands) & her young daughter Teresa (Luna McGill) but once they are alone in the forest Romasanta kills both of them & then travels back to seduce Maria's sister Bárbara (Elsa Pataky). While Romasanta is sleeping Bárbara finds evidence that he murdered her sister & niece & manages to lead the police to him but when put on trial Romasanta says that he had no choice but to kill his countless victims as he is a Werewolf. A British Professor (David Gant) takes an interest in the case & tries to scientifically prove that Romasanta is indeed a Werewolf & can be cured of his curse...This British & Spanish co-production was directed by Paco Plaza & certainly wasn't what I expected but unfortunately not in a good way, you see while Romasanta: The Werewolf Hunt tries to be different it forgets to be any good with it. Apparently based on a true story which happened in Spain, in 1851 & involving a serial killer named Romasanta who claimed he was a Werewolf in court when captured this could have been a great little film but I found the script very ponderous, slightly confusing at times & I also found it difficult to care about anyone or anything. The film feels disjointed, parts feel missing or edited wrongly & Romasanta: The Werewolf Hunt is very slow going with very little action or incident. Sure there's plenty of dull human drama & high emotion played out but like I said I never cared about anyone & I never got involved in the story. Ay a little over 90 minutes long Romasanta: The Werewolf Hunt could have done with a good ten minutes cut out & a few more moments of horror rather than dull drama. Romasanta: The Werewolf Hunt isn't terrible & if you can get into the story & care for the people involved then I could see you enjoying this but I didn't, I couldn't & so I never.On thing that Romasanta: The Werewolf Hunt has going for it is that it's incredibly well made & a visually very nice film, the period locations, sets, costumes & detail is superb & that's the main reason I gave it four stars out of ten & not less. Forget about any real gore or violence, there are some graphic shots of dead mutilated bodies but nothing else. There's a Werewolf transformation scene that unusually has the actual Wolf creature turn into a human rather than the other way around. Apparently the obscure Spanish film The Ancines Woods (1970) is also based on the story of Manuel Romasanta.Obviously filmed on location in Spain this looks very slick with great photography that captures the period very well, a lack of quick fire editing & shaky hand-held camcorder shots is most welcome. The acting is alright, the performances are better than usual for a low budget horror film but the main name in the cast British born actor Julian Sands.Romasanta: The Werewolf Hunt doesn't seem to know what it wants to be, a historic period piece, a horror film, a drama or a murder mystery & ends up somewhere between them all without ever satisfying in any aspect. I just didn't like it despite it's high production values & attempt at doing something original & slightly different.

Is her a serial killer or a werewolf? That question is left for you to answer.Francisco Plaza's thrill/horror film is based upon true events that happened a couple of hundred years ago in Spain.Julian Sands, who plays Manuel Romasanta has appeared in a lot of horror movies. He is also scheduled to be in Ocean's 13. Will we have a werewolf there? He dispatches his victims in a gruesome manner, some quickly, and some he takes time to enjoy, like the lovely Elsa Pataky.This is not a great film, but it is slightly interesting. It also stars Ivana Baquero, who was in last year's El Laberinto del fauno. More on that film later.

An interesting story, with good acting, well told. Good direction, visually appealing, atmospheric.However, scientifically, and/or historically literate viewers will find one nagging, glaring blunder; at one point in this story, which is supposed to be set in the mid 19th century, there is a reference to a person being controlled "by his genes". Come on! The term "gene" wasn't even proposed until half a century later, and additionally, around mid 19th century the mechanism of inheritance was entirely unknown; Mendel's work lay undiscovered until early 20th century, and even Mendel didn't use the word "gene" (so it couldn't have been a case of some exceptionally insightful scientist having discovered the term in some ).That sort of a slip may not seem much, but for someone aware of this history, it does brake the illusion of an authentic world in which the events are set, making it harder to enjoy the movie. I'm surprised that anybody reviewing the script didn't pick up on it... but then again, the state of scientific literacy among filmmakers is often abysmal. In a movie set in a historical period, accuracy should be more of a priority though, I think.The story proceeds almost languidly, punctuated by moments of violence and terror; perhaps too slow for most horror fans to appreciate, and those who do appreciate the subtlety are likely to be bothered by the "gene" mishap. The score is beautiful, and lighting is used to good effect; the combination makes for a visually and auditorily pleasing experience.Perhaps because of how the movie is portrayed as a werewolf movie, the people who might best enjoy it, aren't likely to see it, and the people expecting a traditional supernatural horror movie might feel a bit let down.In conclusion, Romasanta is a movie not as good as it could have been, and somewhat misleadingly advertised on the cover, but well worth seeing nonetheless. I was torn between 7 or 8 stars, and decided to be generous. :)