Romasanta: The Werewolf Hunt

Set in Galicia in 1850, this film follows a travelling vendor named Manuel Romasanta, played by Julian Sands, who escorts a young woman to the city. When she does not return, her sister Bárbara, played by Elsa Pataky, grows suspicious of him. Around them, mutilated bodies are being discovered, and the precise cuts on the victims do not match an animal attack, giving rise to the legend of the Werewolf of Allariz. The story draws on the historical figure of Manuel Blanco Romasanta, a nineteenth-century Spanish vendor linked to a series of deaths.

Paco Plaza directed the film, his first feature, released in 2004, three years before [REC]. The screenplay was written by Elena Serra and Alberto Marini, with Julio Fernández producing for Fantastic Factory. The cast of 24 credited performers includes John Sharian, Gary Piquer, David Gant and Maru Valdivielso. Shot as a British-Spanish co-production, the film had a budget of five million dollars and runs 90 minutes.

Audience reception was modest: on TMDB it holds 5.1 out of 10 from 110 votes. Those figures indicate a relatively small viewership and divided response rather than a widely embraced title, and they sit in contrast with the stronger following Plaza's later horror work would attract.