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Romasanta: The Werewolf Hunt

2004 ‘Romasanta’ Directed by Paco Plaza

A terror is stalking the land: people are disappearing daily, their bodies appearing covered in savage gashes coupled with precise surgical cuts. The legend of the 'Werewolf of Allariz' spreads across the land like wildfire. When Barbara (Elsa Pataky) falls in love with travelling vendor Manuel Romasanta, she is at first besotted with him - but soon begins to be suspicious of him. What has happened to her sister, who - after being escorted by Romasanta to the city - seems to have disappeared forever.

Julian Sands Elsa Pataky John Sharian Gary Piquer David Gant Maru Valdivielso Luna McGill Carlos Reig-Plaza Reg Wilson Ivana Baquero Laura Mañá Sergi Ruiz Itziar Fenollar Carlos Sante Jaume Montané Arantxa Peña Anna Estellés Ben Temple Tacho González Pep García Alejandra Juno Jesús Berenguer John Easthman Macarena Gómez

Alternative Titles

Romasanta, la caza de la bestia, Romasanta, a Casa da Besta, Ромасанта: Ловът на върколака, L'enfer des loups, Romasanta - Im Schatten des Werwolfs, Romasanta - Auf den Spuren der Bestie, Romasanta: To kynigi tou lykanthropou, Farkasvadászat, I delitti della luna piena, Romasanta - A Caça ao Lobisomem, Ромасанта: Охота на оборотня, Romasanta: La caza de la bestia, Romasanta, a caza da besta, Ромасанта: Полювання на перевертня, Werewolf Hunter, Werewolf Hunter: The Legend of Romasanta

Genres

Action Horror

Themes

Horror, the undead and monster classics Thrillers and murder mysteries Gory, gruesome, and slasher horror Terrifying, haunted, and supernatural horror Gothic and eerie haunting horror Suspenseful crime thrillers Creepy, chilling, and terrifying horror Show All…

Theatrical

13 May 2004

20 May 2005

France12

Digital

22 Jul 2021

France

21 Nov 2021

France16

Physical

05 Jan 2006

France

France

20 May 2005

Theatrical12

05 Jan 2006

Physical DVD

22 Jul 2021

Digital VOD

21 Nov 2021

Digital16 Prime Video

USA

13 May 2004

Theatrical

90 mins More at IMDb TMDb Report this page

Popular reviews

Review by C4rlo5 ★★½

Here we have another Spanish movie based on real events, events that took place here in Galiza. Movie directed by Paco Plaza.
It’s about lycanthropy, that delusion of becoming a wolf, therefore that involves acting like if you were one, by eating human flesh, for example.
This movie is a bit dull, slow paced and it’s also a bit boring, anyway the fact of being based on real events give to it an extra power that is able to hold it and keep it into the 2,5 ⭐️ umbral.
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Review by Anselm Neft ★★½

(english version below)
Ein seltsamer und unterhaltsamer Mix aus Historiendrama, Serienmörder-Thriller und Lykanthropen-Grusler. Die Settings sind hübsch, Elsa Pataky als weibliche Hauptfigur auch, und der größte Horror ist, wie der gruselige Seifensieder (Julian Sands) an ihr rumgrabbelt. Der Film bietet starke Bilder, deftige Leichen, eine gar nicht üble Werwolf-Transformation, eine nackte Pataky und einen meldoramatischen Violinen-Score, bei dem weniger mehr gewesen wäre. Die Schauspielleistungen sind durch die Bank solide und der Film ist kurzweilig, wenn auch nicht rundum befriedigend. Die Wölfe in dem Film sehen wahlweise aus wie Stock-Material oder putzige Dingos, die Plausibilität ist nicht durchgängig gegeben und das letzte Drittel ist zwar interessant und eben an einer "wahren Geschichte" angelehnt, aber auch nicht gerade der payoff, den man…
Review by Robert Berlin ★★★

HORRORx52 (2021)
20. Spain
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Don't let the Van Helsing-esque cover art fool you. This film is not about stylish and gothic werewolf hunts, it is rather a period piece focusing on the real story of Manuel Blanco Romasanta, an 19th century serial killer who claimed that he was controlled by a werewolf curse.
If you can get over the lying cover art this is actually not that bad! The setpieces and the costumes are as lavish as you'd expect from any decent period piece. The performances are fine with some exceptions (wow lady-who-just-found-her-dead-daughter-in-the-woods, that sure is some acting you got there.."). I did quite like the courtroom drama that this turns into towards the end, with a know-it-all-scientist fighting…
Review by Tom Morton ★★½

Classic "last remaining film in a box set" energy here, I wasn't too enthusiastic about this but now I can move the Fantastic Factory collection off my to-watch shelf, hell yeah!
For a movie directed by the [REC] guy and produced by Brian Yuzna, this is an oddly sedate affair - it's a based-on-a-true-story film about a Spanish murderer who attempted to use lycanthropy as his defence, which is an interesting take on the werewolf subgenre. It looks pretty nice and there's an interesting bunch of people in the cast (including the girl from Pan's Labyrinth, before Pan's Labyrinth!) but there's a lot of clichéd Olden Times dialogue and ponderous subplots that stop it from really amounting to anything particularly…
Review by Natto80 ★★½

REC’s Paco Plaza directed this horror tale under Brian Yuzna’s production team. Based on a true story from the 1850’s about Spain’s first documentation of a serial killer, who some believed was the work of wolves or a werewolf as it may be. This film looks terrific and has some solid performances, especially Pataky. But it’s all a little non eventful and seems to drag in parts. If it was only more thrilling then it could of been pretty solid.
Review by Luke Pauli ★★ 2

Yawnsville. What a dour and dull "werewolf" film. Lavishly mounted production undoubtedly, but a deathly slow and non-thrilling film. DIrected by Paco Plaza, who would later make the terrific [Rec] series of films, but Romansanta doesn't have a whole lot to recommend, except Julian Sands as a sex pest. I wanted trashy werewolf fun. I did not receive it.
Review by Jacob ★★½

"It is not the wolf you should be frightened of."
I thought this was going to be hot garbage, but it actually wasn't too bad. Romasanta has decent production value, with some good variety in locations, moody lighting, and some nice practical effects. The story is conceptually interesting, but the script is hollow and the performances are mostly middling. The film doesn't live up to what could've been more thrilling or otherwise engaging. I did like Gary Piquer, but there's only a few moments where he has time to stand out.
I still have one more movie to go in the Fantastic Factory Presents ... box set that Arrow put out years ago, but this is the best of the three I've seen so far.
Review by CJ ½

I loved Paco Plaza's [REC] films and I love werewolves so thought I'd take a chance on this. Unfortunately, this is not a lot of fun. It's a super-slow, dour period drama and for a film that was sold in several markets under the title Werewolf Hunt, it's sad that THERE ISN'T EVEN A WEREWOLF IN IT. Just Julian fucking Sands as a creepy sex pest. It's a disaster. To make it worse, the true story it's based on (an 18th century Spanish serial killer who believed he was a werewolf) is actually pretty haunting and weird. They just somehow managed to strip all that out and make something that plays mostly like a tedious, faintly repuslive am-dram production of The Thorn Birds. Oh, and the "transformation" scene looks like Julian Sands bursting out of a calzone.
Review by paolo2000 ★★★½

Paco Plaza es tan buen director que coge una producción de Filmax, exprime el presupuesto y le saca un manantial de imágenes bellas y turbadoras al mismo tiempo de contarnos uno de los X Files clásicos españoles de una manera eficaz y significativa.
Review by martin_eden ★★★½

It is pretty weird to have a werewolf movie that’s based upon actual events and a title person who was actually a serial killer and a convicted lycanthrope. A very fascinating story!
I know most people are pretty negative toward this film, but I really like it. The historical setting, costume design and cinematography are all very good. I also think that the screenplay is cleverly constructed and I like the different strands of narrative: Romasanta’s, the investigation with the detective and doctor and Antonio’s. While the film tries to be an epic historical drama it dosen’t really have the scope nor the budget to produce that scale. I do, however, appreciate the ambition.
It is pretty weird that British…
Review by JReciosa ★★½

Un primerizo Paco Plaza como director, un modesto presupuesto y un reparto muy discreto con la excepción, por motivos obvios, de Elsa Pataki.
Siempre es de agradecer que existan película así, que exploren nuestras leyendas y tradiciones. Agradecido queda. Sin embargo, la película en sí es plana y lenta. Una mezcolanza de romance y cine detectivesco con ligeros toques de terror. Hay que subrayar la grotesca y recreada transformación del licántropo.
En definitiva, una película discreta que tiene más como anécdota por quien la dirige y el tema que toca (una historia real de la criminologia patria) que como producto.
Review by HombreGato ★★½

Romasanta is based on an actual murder trial, recorded during the reign of Queen Isabel II of Spain, and while the movie’s presentation falls flat, this has in my opinion the best transformation sequence of any wolfman picture. The performances are also fairly decent, including Julian Sands of Warlock fame, Elsa Pataky, who has since become Fast and Furious, and a lesser known actor doing his best Marlon Brando, which isn't half bad. The movie, sadly, is half bad.
It’s a shame Romasanta is such a difficult one to find, because on the scale of werewolf movies it’s worthwhile, but unless you’re explicitly searching for another deeply romantic werewolf period piece after watching Nazareno Cruz and the Wolf, I doubt you’ll find this one worth the hunt required.

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Romasanta: The Werewolf Hunt

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Theatrical

13 May 2004

20 May 2005

Digital

22 Jul 2021

21 Nov 2021

Physical

05 Jan 2006

Releases by Country

France

20 May 2005

05 Jan 2006

22 Jul 2021

21 Nov 2021

USA

13 May 2004

Popular reviews

Where to watch

Romasanta: The Werewolf Hunt

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Producers Producers

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Casting Casting

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Art Direction Art Direction

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Studios

Countries

Language

Alternative Titles

Genres

Themes

Theatrical

13 May 2004

20 May 2005

Digital

22 Jul 2021

21 Nov 2021

Physical

05 Jan 2006

France

20 May 2005

05 Jan 2006

22 Jul 2021

21 Nov 2021

USA

13 May 2004

Popular reviews

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