''Tomb of the Werewolf'' (aka ''The Unliving'') is a 2003 film directed by

Fred Olen Ray Fred Olen Ray (born September 10, 1954) is an American film producer, director, and screenwriter of more than 200 low-to-medium-budget feature films in many genres, including Horror film, horror, science fiction, action film, action/adventure f ...

. It is the twelfth and last in a long series of films about the

werewolf In folklore, a werewolf (), or occasionally lycanthrope (; ; uk, Вовкулака, Vovkulaka), is an individual that can shapeshift into a wolf (or, especially in modern film, a therianthropic hybrid wolf-like creature), either purposely or ...

Count Waldemar Daninsky, played by

Paul Naschy Paul Naschy (born Jacinto Molina Álvarez, September 6, 1934 – November 30, 2009) was a Spanish film actor, screenwriter, and director working primarily in horror films. His portrayals of numerous classic horror figures— The Wolfman, ...

. The film contains a number of adult sex scenes bordering on

softcore pornography Softcore pornography or softcore porn, is commercial still photography or film that has a pornographic or erotic component but is less sexually graphic and intrusive than hardcore pornography, defined by a lack of visual sexual penetration. Sof ...

. The film was shot on Video in 2003 and first distributed directly to VHS (in edited form) as ''Tomb of the Werewolf'' in June 2004. It was later reissued as an uncensored DVD (with bonus behind the scenes material) in 2015 as ''The Unliving'' by Retromedia Entertainment. Director Ray said years later in an interview that the film never made a profit.

Synopsis

Richard Daninsky, the descendant of a werewolf named Waldemar Daninsky, inherits a castle that may have hidden treasure and takes a

reality show Reality television is a genre of television programming that documents purportedly unscripted real-life situations, often starring unfamiliar people rather than professional actors. Reality television emerged as a distinct genre in the early 19 ...

TV crew along to document his search.

Vampire A vampire is a mythical creature that subsists by feeding on the Vitalism, vital essence (generally in the form of blood) of the living. In European folklore, vampires are undead, undead creatures that often visited loved ones and caused mi ...

Elizabeth Bathory Elizabeth or Elisabeth may refer to: People * Elizabeth (given name), a female given name (including people with that name) * Elizabeth (biblical figure), mother of John the Baptist Ships * HMS ''Elizabeth'', several ships * ''Elisabeth'' (sch ...

gets Richard Daninsky to remove a silver dagger from the body of his ancestor Waldemar Daninsky, whose corpse has been residing in a crypt beneath the castle for many decades, causing Waldemar to revive and go on a rampage as a

Cast

as Count Waldemar Daninsky *Jay Richardson as Richard Daninsky, Waldemar's Werewolf ancestor *

Michelle Bauer Michelle Bauer (born October 1, 1958) is an American actress, model, and scream queen. Early life Bauer was born and raised in Simi Valley, California. Career Bauer was ''Penthouse'' magazine's Pet of the Month for July 1981 and also appeare ...

as Elizabeth Bathory, an evil countess *

Stephanie Bentley Stephanie Kay Bentley (born April 29, 1963) is an American country music artist. She made her debut in 1996 as a duet partner on Ty Herndon's single "Heart Half Empty", which peaked at No. 21 on the ''Billboard'' Hot Country Singles & Track ...

in a dual role as Amanda/Eleanor Daninsky *Danielle Petty as Melanie, a TV crew member. *Lacy Andrews as Christie, a TV crew member. *

Beverly Lynne Beverly Lynne is an American actress who is mainly showcased in erotic film. Life and career After attending Pennridge High School in Perkasie, Pennsylvania, she attended college. She was a cheerleader for the Philadelphia Eagles from 1998 to 20 ...

as Leslie, a TV crew member. *Leland Jay as Tony, a TV crew member.

Production

Naschy traveled to Hollywood briefly in 2003 to appear in two filmed-on-video (adult content) horror films directed by

Donald F. Glut Donald F. Glut (; born February 19, 1944) is an American writer, motion picture film director, and screenwriter. He is best known for writing The Empire Strikes Back (novel), the novelization of the second ''Star Wars'' film, ''The Empire Strikes ...

and

, two former horror fans-turned-directors who must have treated him like royalty on the set. The other film he made that week was ''Countess Dracula's Orgy of Blood'' (2003). (Filming got a bit complicated since Naschy had never learned to speak English. Also Naschy had brought his wife and son Sergio along with him, and the day after they arrived, his wife was hospitalized with a stomach virus, so Naschy was a bit preoccupied during the shoot.) While in the States, Naschy visited Universal Studios and the famous "Ackermansion" museum of

Forrest J Ackerman Forrest James Ackerman (November 24, 1916 – December 4, 2008) was an American magazine editor; science fiction authors, science fiction writer and literary agent; a founder of science fiction fandom; a leading expert on science fiction, horror ...

, editor of the legendary magazine ''

Famous Monsters of Filmland ''Famous Monsters of Filmland'' is an American genre-specific film magazine, started in 1958 by publisher James Warren and editor Forrest J Ackerman. ''Famous Monsters of Filmland'' directly inspired the creation of many other similar publicat ...

''. Cameraman

Gary Graver Gary Foss Graver (July 20, 1938 – November 16, 2006) was an American film director, editor, screenwriter and cinematographer. He was a prolific filmmaker, working in various roles on over 300 films, but is best known as Orson Welles' final ci ...

used to work for horror filmmaker

Al Adamson Albert Victor Adamson Jr. (July 25, 1929 – June 21, 1995) was an American filmmaker and actor known as a prolific director of B-grade horror and exploitation films throughout the 1960s and 1970s. The son of silent film stars Victor Adamson and ...

back in the early 1970s.Howarth, Troy (2018). Human Beasts: The Films of Paul Naschy. WK Books. ISBN 978-1718835894

References

External links

* American werewolf films American vampire films 2004 films 2004 horror films Films directed by Fred Olen Ray Cultural depictions of Elizabeth Báthory Waldemar Daninsky series 2000s English-language films 2000s American films {{2000s-horror-film-stub