Bloody Pit of Rod

NaschyCast #24.5 - Beyond Naschy- HORROR EXPRESS (1972)

2012-02-01T12:27:00.007-06:00

We have the pleasure of finally bringing you the show we have threatened/promised for over a year -HORROR EXPRESS! The film that some call the best Spanish horror film ever made gets the NaschyCast treatment and to keep things interesting we've brought along a friend. Randy Fox has known your boisterous hosts for longer than any of us would care to think about. He is a warm, unique individual and his enthusiasm for movies of all types is second only to his knowledge of esoteric subjects. Where else are you going to find someone fascinated by Russian history who is also a fanatical gun collector? Throw in the fact that he's a Godzilla fan of the highest order and has been known to track the elusive Bigfoot in his spare time and its easy to see why we value his opinion. On some things.

So join this mad trio of movie nuts as we discuss the sheer wonder of this film and touch upon the many joys it holds. We talk about the magic of the year that was 1972; learn about old porno theaters in Nashville; speak about the surprise of Christopher Lee as an action hero; talk about the fantastic film team of Cushing & Lee; discuss what kind of edged weapon a Cossack would use to stab lesser mortals; remark on the difficulty of acting while blinded by special effects; thrill at seeing Helga Line again; and experience the joy of having character actor Victor Isreal pop up just to be choked out. The train is leaving the station in Peking- or is it Shanghai? Regardless- hop aboard and hang on as we hurtle through the cold winter night while a monster stalks our every step.

Remember to drop us a note at naschycast@gmail.com or visit us over on the NaschyCast Facebook page. Follow the download link below as usual or grab the show from iTunes. And for extra fun here are the various weapons we play with during the podcast. Randy has helpfully labeled them so everyone can see what we're talking about.

NaschyCast 24.5 LINK!

Spaghetti Western Orchestra

2012-01-30T19:45:00.008-06:00

If you've not yet heard of the Spaghetti Western Orchestra let this clip be your introduction. Five men using over 100 instruments perform selections from Ennio Morricone's classic Italian western scores. In this brief, statically filmed piece they recreate the song Angel Face from A PISTOL FOR RINGO and the best part is that the original vocalist Maurizio Graf joins them to sing the tune. This is doubly nice in that he wrote the English lyrics for this song back almost fifty years ago. I hope these guys eventually tour on this side of the Atlantic even if there will be few chances for such great special guests as London allows.

Horror Rises From Spain

2012-01-28T00:12:00.007-06:00

For over a year and a half the lovely and talented Elena has hosted an English language internet radio show that focuses on Spanish horror. Titled 'Horror Rises From Spain' it has been hosted on the site Cult Radio-A-Go-Go since its inception but a few weeks ago Elena broke from from that carrier's restrictive broadcast policies. That means that you can now hear every single episode whenever you want by simply downloading the show as an MP3! No longer do you need to be in front of your computer at a specific time on Saturday to listen to Elena's interviews, reviews and often wild music choices. Now you can check them out as you wish.

I can recommend the entire run - not just the excellent BLIND DEAD episodes David Z and I guested on back last summer - for some great insight into Spanish Horror and a stunning amount of information on some of the classics of the genre. If nothing else, Elena should be up for some kind of award for her two part interview with the fine actor and Naschy co-star Antonio Mayans. Getting him on record about his career is a truly important addition to the history of European horror filmmaking.

But don't take my word for it. Follow the link below and grab the shows yourself. You'll get a kick out of hearing from a lady in Madrid who knows her stuff and loves what her native country has contributed to the world of fantastic cinema. Her enthusiasm and good humor will keep you entertained and coming back for more.

HORROR RISES ROM SPAIN download page

Janet Munro

2012-01-26T08:05:00.006-06:00

Most 'normal' film fans would know of Miss Janet Munro from her roles in DARBY O'GILL AND THE LITTLE PEOPLE (1959) or THE SWISS FAMILY ROBINSON (1960) but for me she will always be the sexy lady from Val Guest's excellent apocalyptic science fiction classic THE DAY THE EARTH CAUGHT FIRE (1961). She was also a welcome sight in THE CRAWLING EYE (1958) but she was simply amazing no matter what she appeared in - or out of!

Hammer Horror Blu-Rays!

2012-01-24T20:10:00.007-06:00

Like millions of other fans of Hammer films I'm thrilled by the announcement that several of the studio's classic movies will be coming soon to Blu-Ray disc in special editions. That these releases promise not just fancy extras but the reinstating of snippets of film cut at the time of their initial theatrical runs is news of the most stunning kind. If this turns out to be true it might well be the best thing to happen to horror fans since the dawn of the digital disc age. For decades rumors of longer, more violent versions of HORROR OF DRACULA and others have kept drooling Hammer Heads seeking foreign prints for extra bits but this is the first time we've been promised anything new. They plan to start with DRACULA, PRINCE OF DARKNESS (1966) and then push forward with THE DEVIL RIDES OUT, THE MUMMY' SHROUD, THE PLAGUE OF THE ZOMBIES and more. For me, the best news was in the final paragraph--

"Also lined up for future release are The Legend Of The 7 Golden Vampires, Captain Kronos Vampire Hunter, Frankenstein And The Monster From Hell, Frankenstein Created Woman, The Witches, The Lost Continent, Slave Girls, The Viking Queen and The Vengeance Of She."

THE LOST CONTINENT in Hi-Definition? Where do I send the money?

LINK

HORROR EXPRESS trailer

2012-01-23T12:35:00.002-06:00

Coming soon to the NaschyCast's Beyond Naschy series of podcasts!

BEYOND THE TIME BARRIER (1960)

2012-01-21T09:10:00.008-06:00

I recently watched two post-apocalyptic movies back to back without realizing what I was doing. Or, more accurately, I didn’t know BEYOND THE TIME BARRIER (1960) was such a story but I knew SHE (1982) was an entry in the 80s post-ROAD WARRIOR dystopian action genre. I also knew SHE was going to be pretty terrible but I have a sick love of the awful post apocalyptic films of the 80s so nothing was going to stop me from pressing play on that baby!

I have wanted to see BEYOND THE TIME BARRIER for a long time but its poor reputation kept me from seeking it out for over twenty years. There were two big reasons I finally pulled it up on NetFlix and sat through its short running time. The first reason I was drawn to the film is my love of science fiction movies in general and those made before I was born in specific. I’m not sure exactly what element of older sci-fi it is that appeals to me so strongly. It might have to do with the thrill of seeing the future projected from another time to discover what the people of that age thought we would find important or strive to accomplish. I’m usually stunned by how little we’ve done in comparison to what was expected. Another aspect that calls to me is the fun of watching a visualization of the far future by filmmakers working to craft something believable and functional enough to not be thought ridiculous. This is often a minefield and that deadly land is littered with more sad leisure suits and sexy mini-skirts than any respectable person should ever have seen. Often just the whacked out costumes are more than enough to put a stupid grin on my face and make me happy I watched the film!

The second thing that called out to me about it is that this movie was directed by Edgar Ulmer, the genius who made my favorite Universal Horror film THE BLACK CAT (1935) and one of the all time great Film Noirs DETOUR (1946). His earlier science fiction film THE MAN FROM PLANET X (1951) is a fantastic example of creepy atmosphere on a low budget and a great little movie as well so I had some hopes for this to be better than its reputation. Unfortunately Ulmer could not overcome the lack of money with this one. There are some interesting moments scattered throughout but overall its a pretty dull affair that feels stagy and very often silly. After Air Force pilot Major Bill Allison (played by the reliable Robert Clarke) flies an experimental new aircraft to sub-orbital spaceflight something strange happens and when he lands at the airbase it is now is abandoned and seems old and unused. Baffled by his situation, he wanders around until he sees a futuristic city on the horizon. He walks to the city (a fair matte painting) where he attacked, knocked out and captured by the inhabitants. Here he learns that he has somehow traveled through time and landed in the year 2024. The only people alive are survivors of a cosmic plague that hit the Earth starting in 1971. The inhabitants are slowly dying out and live in an underground city called The Citadel. The leader of these people thinks that Allison might be able to help them as they are no longer able to reproduce. Military stud to the rescue!

I am sad to report that this sounds more interesting that it is. The movie is pretty slowly paced, the dialog is mostly flat and the story isn't very compelling. Once some other accidental time travelers are introduced the endgame is clear and its just a slog through the romantic triangle with the only good distraction being the lovely ladies walking around in mini-skirts and high heels. Strange what production designers think will end up being worn in the future. I got some joy out of the few interesting miniature scenes and the diamond shaped set design but even at only 75 minutes its a long trudge.

CURSE OF THE DEVIL trailer

2012-01-20T07:49:00.003-06:00

During our most recent NaschyCast Troy made mention of the fact that in the United States 'El retorno de Walpurgis' not only had its title changed to something less European sounding, but seems to have been sold as anything other than what it actually is. He pointed out that the English language trailer makes no mention of werewolves, never shows the beast in full and the usual hyperbolic voiceover appears to be trying to convince potential audiences that CURSE OF THE DEVIL is some kind of exorcism story. Check it out and see for yourself.

NaschyCast #24 - CURSE OF THE DEVIL (1974)

2012-01-17T07:15:00.005-06:00

The podcast reaches the two year mark with a howl! Our second anniversary episode focuses once again on our old pal Waldemar Daninsky in his sixth big screen outing (or seventh depending on how you count). CURSE OF THE DEVIL marks our coverage of the last of the four collaborations between Naschy and director Carlos Aured and we're pleased to find it as impressive as the other three/ As usual, things are not easy for Naschy's greatest creation as he struggles through not just a terrible curse but depression brought on by accidentally murdering a score of people - some of whom he actually likes. This is the first El Hombre Lobo film to have a period setting and this pays off in some nice atmosphere and mood. The photography is top notch with especially great attention to detail in the many sequences shot at night. THE WOLFMAN (1941) gets referenced quite lot in this one and even has one of the same central mysteries as that classic. We discuss that question near the end along with others such as - Why does no one gag the witch before they burn her so she can't issue a curse? Are we supposed to think Waldemar is a virgin?? Are there rules for when a loved one can kill a werewolf? All of these issues are addressed as we are puzzled by the story's oddities, stunned by the sexy little sister and impressed by the cool threads Waldemar sports in this adventure. Woo hoooooo!

For those wishing to skip the spoilers as we go through the final section of the film, the listener's emails are cracked open at about the 2 hour and 45 minute mark. This leads to a discussion of several things but mostly it turns into a listing of our favorite Christmas movies. We come out in favor of an undervalued version of A Christmas Carol and cap the show with my favorite song of all time.

Please drop us a line at naschycast@gmail.com and tell what's on your mind. We love hearing from our fellow fans. Also, join us on the NaschyCast Facebook page for updates and trailers. We'll be back here in a couple of weeks with an in depth look at HORROR EXPRESS. The show can be grabbed at the link below or downloaded from iTunes.

NaschyCast #24 LINK

Spaghetti Western Poster Art

2012-01-16T00:36:00.011-06:00

I feel the desire to watch a few of these rising within me. The urge is almost always there but a late Christmas gift has rekindled it strongly.

Matte Shot- a blog worth reading

2012-01-13T15:06:00.008-06:00

I am pleased to direct you to this fantastic blog dedicated to the Golden Age of special effects. I'm just beginning to delve into the joys it provides but this one post I want to highlight is stunning. Here the blogger goes into great detail about the amazing Matte Paintings and Miniature work in the genre films of Hammer Studios. I'm still just staring goggle-eyed at some of the screen captures and really looking at the fine craftsmanship on display. I've often remarked on the beauty of this type of work especially in the Hammer gothics but to have them laid out like this is a fine reference for lovers of the movies. Go check it out!

MARLOWE (1969)

2012-01-11T16:49:00.016-06:00

Recently I finally quit putting off the event and watched the 1969 Raymond Chandler adaptation MARLOWE staring James Garner. I have always read that it is a bit of a disappointment and that sadly turned out to be true. Its a shame really since the source novel 'The Little Sister' is very interesting and rarely tackled by Hollywood. And to add salt to the wound Garner is physically just right to play the role of hard bitten private investigator Philip Marlowe. So, what went wrong? Good question.

The problem isn't really the script. From my memory of the book the film follows the twisted tale pretty faithfully even including the nastier and trickier parts in which one character briefly attempts to take credit for a murder. The tale unravels at a good pace and the characters are given just enough time onscreen to register well. Its not the actors because, along with the very reliable Garner, the cast list reads like a dream for a modern noir/mystery with Carol O'Connor and Kenneth Tobey as cops, Gail Hunnicut as a femme fatal, Rita Moreno as a world weary dancer and William Daniels as a reluctant Marlowe client. No, if I was to point to one overall problem its with the direction. It is consistently flat and uninvolving leading me to think that the approach was to remain at a distance as things played themselves out. This detached feel might also have been related to the director being unfamiliar with the very widescreen aspect ratio used as it seems often that he is avoiding close ups that would have served several scenes better than the long shots used. This is a flaw I see with a number of widescreen movies from the 1950s and 60s so when I notice that Paul Bogart's credits are mostly for directing television I suspect a fear of the wider image playing hell with the film.

One other problem is the inclusion of Bruce Lee in a small role as an enforcer for a big time gangster. He is in two scenes and while the first is fun just because its amusing to see Lee destroy Marlowe's office the second encounter on a restaurant rooftop is the film's low point. Its a stupid scene that should have never have even been filmed as it exists in the movie. This sequence was the moment I realized the film probably wasn't ever really going to kick into gear and work for me.

This really is a shame because on paper this should have been a really good movie. Something just got lost in the process as it often can in the world of filmmaking.

HANDS OF STEEL (1986) - trailer

2012-01-09T09:30:00.004-06:00

Some buddies in an online fourm have been talking about the great Sergio Martino's movies and I was reminded that I haven't yet seen this one. I think I'll have to change that in the next few days.

What I Watched In December

2012-01-06T07:43:00.002-06:00

December is usually a very busy month for me with Christmas parties and other social events taking much of my time. The annual gift giving season finally became that thing I've dreaded since I was old enough to notice my parent's holiday stress levels- a time wished to be over with soon. That's not to say that I didn't enjoy myself. Any month that includes extra time with friends and family is going to be a good month, but the constant tug of often conflicting responsibilities and expectations can be rough. Luckily I saw several good movies.

The first theater visit was with my girlfriend to see the excellent new Muppet movie. The first new adventure of Kermit and friends in years was a return to greatness. The story was touching, the songs were funny and seeing the characters onscreen again was one of the best events in movies all year. The clever humor of the film includes commentary on selling out personally and professionally, ruminations on what it means to be a friend and reflections on the perils of love all with a smile inducing energy that keeps everything moving. And I can honestly say I never expected to see veteran character actor Chris Cooper rap and dance but now that I have I can report that its the funniest thing ever. Ever! Its even funnier than the sly song about the sad joys of masturbation.

The fourth MISSION IMPOSSIBLE film proved that given enough tries the producers can eventually bring the series up to the level of 'good' even if I still dislike the impossible aspect of some of the over the top stunts. The final, tense action scene in a high tech car garage is one of the best fist fights I've seen in a big budget movie in years. The second Guy Ritchie SHERLOCK HOLMES film was almost as much fun as the first although I felt the plot took too long to kick into gear. That impression may have more to do with my preference for the BBC TV production SHERLOCK than the flaws in this souped-up version of Holmes, but the emphasis on action sometimes works against the story. The cast was fantastic with Jared Harris turning in one of the all time great Moriarity performances and Jude Law showing real flair as a very fine Watson. I also liked Stephen Fry as Mycroft and his habit of calling his younger brother 'Sherlie' was a nice touch.

BATMAN: YEAR ONE (2011)- 8
HORROR EXPRESS (1972) - 8 (rewatch)
STUNT ROCK (1978)- 5 (plot less combination of hard rock, stunts and stage magic serves as a love letter to Grant Page)
WILDERNESS (2006) - 6 (solid British revenge/survivalist tale)
RED STATE (2011)- 8 (surprising film from Kevin Smith)
MARY SHELLY'S FRANKENSTEIN (1994)- 8 (rewatch)
THE MUPPETS (2011)- 8 (They're back and awesome)
WALL-E (2008)- 8 (excellent Pixar tale)
THOR: TALES OF ASGARD (2011)- 6 (good animated 'Young Thor' story)
WAKE WOOD (2010)- 8 (damned good horror story from Hammer)
A CHRISTMAS CAROL (1984)- 8 (very good version with George C. Scott)
THE RACKETEER (1929)- 6 (gangster love story)
MISSION IMPOSSIBLE: GHOST PROTOCOL (2011) - 7
JUJIN YUKI OTOKO (1955)- 6 (Honda's Abominable Snowman film)
CURSE OF THE DEVIL (1973)- 7 (rewatch)
ALIEN (1979)- 10 (rewatch)
SHERLOCK HOLMES: A GAME OF SHADOWS (2011)- 7
GODZILLA VS. HEDORA (1971)- 3 (terrible but still fun in a silly way)
BEGINNERS (2010)- 8 (touching and funny drama about what makes us)
SLITHER (1972)-8 (amazing, funny road film with James Cann as a hapless ex-con)

Jungle Girls

2012-01-05T20:12:00.002-06:00

Spring is just a few months away. Really.

Fritz Lang poster art

2012-01-02T19:43:00.008-06:00

I just caught up with Lang's excellent western RANCHO NOTORIOUS so I've got the mad German on my mind. There are still several of his Hollywood films I need to eventually see and the raw, terse tone of this revenge tale was a reminder of his skills. I haven't been this ready to watch more of his work since I read that fine biography of him called The Nature of the Beast by Patrick McGilligan.

Viking Dead

2011-12-30T07:09:00.010-06:00

When the winter months descend on me I tend to want to find ways to hibernate or at least stay close to comfortable, warm surroundings. My usual outgoing nature becomes less so and I turn more than normal to older entertainments or at least ones that key some relationship to the joys of my youth. A part of this manifests itself in what I am inclined to read in the colder seasons and, since it also touches on one of my favorite films since childhood, I like to read tales of Vikings. I've been fascinated with the dreaded Northern raiders because of several forgotten tales in kids books, THOR comics from Marvel and the incredibly fun Kirk Douglas film THE VIKINGS (1958). I love this movie and rarely go a year without watching at least part of it just to enjoy the amazing pulpy energy of it. If you've never seen the film I highly recommend you do. If you like adventure tales involving swords, villains and lusty men battling over women I suspect you'll get a thrill or ten.

So, to supplement my desire for Viking tales I am always on the lookout for new or previously unknown examples of this admittedly small genre of fiction. I've been told by several friends that I need to read the classic novel 'The Long Ships' but I have as yet to find a copy. I'll get to it one day but it hasn't happened yet. But earlier his year I learned of a book that made my eyes widen in shock. The title is 'Viking Dead' and I was told that it was a novel length tale pitting Viking raiders against zombies! Holy Crap! Its like author Toby Venables looked inside my head and wrote the story I had been begging to read for years. There was no way I wasn't going to get my hands on this and read it as soon as possible. Actually, it took months but I finally did find a used copy and have now read it in a blaze of horror geeky speed.

I am glad to report that the book is very good. As a matter of fact it is much better than I expected in that I expected it to be a fairly silly romp, poorly written and badly researched that sloppily threw together these two iconic character types in a jumbled tale to make a quick buck. Imagine my surprise to find with in the first few pages a competently told story that spent plenty of time establishing strong characters and relationships before the living dead problem enters the picture. This is the author's first novel and his background as a Cambridge lecturer shows in the attention to detail and careful, evocative descriptions. As much as I love the zombie element of the book I have to admit that even if it were left out of the story it would still be a damned entertaining novel. It would have a very different ending (hoo, boy- would it) but it would still be a great read.

I won't give anything away so that potential readers can come to it fresh but just let me say that I rate this very highly and consider it a great piece of modern pulp adventure fiction. Check it out!

NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD radio show

2011-12-29T00:01:00.004-06:00

I'm not sure where this compelling audio version of the great 1968 zombie classic originated, but if you are a fan it is well worth checking out. It's well narrated and follows the screenplay very closely while still shrinking the tale down to about an hour. It has been posted in two parts and you can listen in below.

JUJIN YUKI OTOKO (1955)

2011-12-27T20:30:00.007-06:00

I've been busy over the last few days doing the standard Christmas things but my return to the house the other night was the when I finally finished watching Ishiro Honda's follow up film to GOJIRA. I have been slow to catch up with the great monster filmmaker's lesser known projects and this film falls into that category for odd reasons. According to Wikipedia Japan, the movie was removed from general circulation due to the original screenplay describing the inhabitants of the remote village similar to the Ainu people as being deformed from generations of inbreeding. Knowing this going in I was on the lookout for a nasty attitude in the dialog or even in the way characters act when dealing with the natives but I found no such thing. The version I watched is a poor copy of the full length Japanese film as far as I know and the fan-made subtitles were clear and typo free but perhaps the unknown translator smoothed over the racially charged moments in the story. There were certainly no such references made in the film's dialogue as I saw it, but I would be happy to learn if the translation I have is not quite accurate.

Soon I'll have to watch the American version of the film HALF HUMAN to see what was left after the US scissors went to work. If this Wikipedia entry is true there is probably not much similarity between the two movies--

" The 1958 nationwide U.S. release of this film took sequences of Jujin Yuki Otoko and added extensive new scenes starring John Carradine and featuring Morris Ankrum and two lesser-known American actors, and the entire soundtrack was replaced with American stock music cues, sound-effects, and voice-over narration by Carradine replacing all dialogue in the Japanese scenes.
Toho's costume for the snowman's son was even imported by the new film's makers and used in a scene where the creature has supposedly just been autopsied by Ankrum and is seen lying on an operating table. Including the extensive American footage, this version runs only 63 minutes in total. "

That means that there is a 33 minute run time difference between the two movies and the American version has scenes shot just for the English language film. Holy crap! This should be interesting, especially as I think the Japanese version was a little too long.

Twas the Night Before Christmas

2011-12-24T11:36:00.002-06:00

Merry Christmas everyone!

NaschyCast #23.5 - The Return of Tim Lucas!

2011-12-22T19:47:00.001-06:00

Once again we have the pleasure of bringing you a conversation with Tim Lucas. This time both Troy and I are able to sit down and delve deeply into three specific Paul Naschy movies. Tim is always gracious with his time, energy and thoughts often seeing elements your humble podcasters miss or simply barrel past. Of course, good critical insight is what you might anticipate when you realize that he has been writing about film and the horror genre for nearly four decades. While we aimed to stay focused on certain films, as you might expect, the talk turned to various subjects and none of us are above the occasional salacious joke or silly statement. Luckily Tim doesn’t mind when we Tennessee fellows go off on bizarre tangents or disagree with his assessment. We’ll have to name Mr. Lucas a sadly displaced Southern Gentleman as well as a fine Naschy scholar.

We hope you enjoy this romp through the Naschy-verse with Tim. Besides the three films under direct discussion the inevitable talk about Jess Franco is present as well as THE LEGEND OF BLOOD CASTLE; QUATERMASS AND THE PIT; the directorial style of David Cronenberg and its relation to Naschy; the talent of various Spanish actresses; as well as cannibal films and animal cruelty in art. Its always fun to talk with Tim about anything but these periodic Naschy dialogs are a great way to shake up the way we see these films and offer a fantastic challenge to our preconceived notions. I have to say that he's got me thinking hard about my impressions of BEAST AND THE MAGIC SWORD.

Remember you can drop us a message at naschycast@gmail.com or join us over on the Facebook page to put in your two cents worth. We're thrilled by the great feedback from listeners and it makes for a much more lively show. Let us know what your favorite Naschy film is and give us suggestions on other Spanish Horror films you'd like us to cover. Have a great Holiday week and we'll see you again in 2012!

NaschyCast #23 LINK

Santa image drop!

2011-12-22T05:42:00.012-06:00

Is there nothing that jolly old elf won't get up to doing?

A Christmas Card from Terry Gilliam

2011-12-18T20:59:00.001-06:00

A Calvin & Hobbes Christmas Tableau

2011-12-16T07:10:00.003-06:00

I have hundreds of wonderful memories of the great Bill Watterson's classic comic strip and this brilliant animation gives us a new view of one of them. This is sure to put a smile on the face of even a Scrooge.

Christmas comic books of my youth

2011-12-13T21:03:00.014-06:00

I can't remember how I got my hands on these over-sized comic treasuries when I was a lad but I do remember reading them until they came apart. They were so much a part of those Christmas seasons I still get a warm rush of joy thinking about how exciting it was to curl up in bed and anticipate the 25th. Those were such simple, fun times.

A Krampus Carol!

2011-12-12T19:39:00.003-06:00

According to glorious legend, the demonic Krampus accompanies Santa Claus during his Christmas night rounds, warning and punishing bad children and, in contrast to kindly Santa, doesn't give gifts to them. No, no! When the Krampus finds a naughty kid, he stuffs the child in its sack and carries the stupid runt away to its lair, presumably to be devoured for its Christmas dinner. Talk about 100 proof nightmare fuel! Be good or the Brainiac looking monster will eat you! The teaching of this darker side of the Christmas tale might have steered some kids onto the straight and narrow if I'm any judge of childish thinking. And I've had a lot of practice lately.

NaschyCast #23 - THE MARSHALL OF HELL (1974)

2011-12-10T16:28:00.005-06:00

Not even computer melt downs, cold weather or the time pressures of the holiday season can keep your Naschy podcasters from their appointed rounds! This month we bring you bright shiny joy in the form of a swashbuckling tale bent about the legend of the infamous Gille de Rais. Full of derring do, evil machinations, swordplay, romance and cruel torture MARSHALL OF HELL is a bit of a surprise for both of us. It turns out to be a reworking of the classic Errol Flynn film THE ADVENTURES OF ROBIN HOOD with Naschy taking the villain role. By combining aspects of the King John and Sheriff of Nottingham characters he creates in his ersatz Gille a sneering bad guy but still endows him with a guilt complex big enough to overwhelm the biggest ego. Naschy also throws in a hunt for the Philosopher's Stone and enough Satanic worship to justify the alternate title of DEVIL'S POSSESSED. Back in the director's chair is Leon Klimovsky who's films have received almost as much coverage in our show as Paul himself. We make note of the standard Klimovsky touches and are impressed that this time out he somehow got a score that is far above average.

So join us as we dissect this very entertaining film with our usual digressions and asides. Where else are you going to hear two detail oriented movie fans talk about THE HOUSE BY THE EDGE OF THE LAKE; point out the Lady MacBeth character in a Robin Hood rip-off; debate the tinting problems in shooting day -for-night; discuss the politics of the torture dungeon and the complex connections between power and corruption. Well- we also lament that the film has no nudity so don't think that we get too intellectual! For those that want to skip the serious spoilers, we dive into the mailbag at about the 2:33 mark for some back & forth about snarkiness in the podcasting world and the merits of making fun of movies we love. Please drop us a line at naschycast@gmail.com or join us on the NaschyCast Facebook page. We love hearing from our fellow fans and getting ideas for future episodes. As always the show is available on iTunes or at the Link below. Thanks!

NaschyCast #23 LINK

Monster Freeze'ems

2011-12-08T06:57:00.004-06:00

20% real fruit juice? That's all I needed to know!

What I Watched In November

2011-12-07T17:24:00.008-06:00

I only got out to the theater twice in November but each tip was rewarding. APOLLO 18 turned out to be much better than the derisive bitching I had read online lead me to believe it would be. The reaction of the angry petulant fanboy seems the only critical response I’ve been able to find with the words ‘boring’ and ‘stupid’ being the main descriptors tossed around. I found the film to be neither of these things and indeed, to be tense, fascinating and creepy. I can understand disliking the ‘found footage’ types of movies that is coming back into vogue with the success of the PARANORMAL ACTIVITY franchise’s huge box office take but the form has never bothered me and this film really worked for me.

The second trip out was for Soderbergh’s intriguing CONTAGION. This is a film that will not play well for a casual film fan as it tells its story in an almost documentary style giving you information in a mostly detached way that requires the viewer to kind of lean into the tale being told. Character traits are communicated subtly, plot points are given without dramatic underlining and the horror of the situation grows slowly until the size of the danger seems overwhelming. This is a well acted, well scripted and deliberately paced adult story about a worldwide pandemic. Its straightforward way of relating its story is one of its most effective elements. This is the way it would probably happen and that is one of the scariest things about it.

Now that I’ve caught up with BREAKING POINT (1976) on DVD I’ve seen all of director Bob Clark’s work from his period for greatness. Say what you wish about the movies he produced from the 90s until his unfortunate death in 2007 but from the early 1970s to the mid-1980s Clark made some of the best entertainments available in multiplexes. That he worked in multiple genres during this fertile period and still maintained a high level of quality shows how good a filmmaker he was regardless of what you might think of individual movies. Anyone who can make DEATH DREAM, BLACK CHRISTMAS, MURDER BY DECREE, PORKY’S and A CHRISTMAS STORY clearly knows how to craft a screen story for the intended effect. BREAKING POINT demonstrated that Clark also could make an action/revenge film in the mold of DEATH WISH without succumbing to either outright copying or cloying simplification to more easily manipulate the audience. The hard choices are laid out as very difficult and even after the cathartic violence that climaxes the film there is still the lingering doubt that this action will end the threat that hangs over the main character’s family. Although the movie boasts a strong cast I was disappointed that Robert Culp’s cop character didn’t have more to do but that is my only real complaint.

APOLLO 18 (2011)- 7 (pretty clever ‘found footage film)
THE FRENCHMAN’S GARDEN (1978)- 8 (rewatch)
THE GAMMA PEOPLE (1956)- 6 (fun Cold War/mad scientist tale from John Gilling)
THE DEADLY INTRUDER (1985)- 2 (miserable, boring slasher)
HALLOWEEN III: SEASON OF THE WITCH (1982)- 8 (rewatch)
THE HELLFIRE CLUB (1961)- 8 (excellent swashbuckler)
THE DRAGON MURDER CASE (1934)- 6 (fun Philo Vance mystery)
VACATION OF TERROR (1989)- 4 (low budget Mexican POLTERGIEST rip-off)
SUCK (2009)- 7 (fun musical, vampire comedy)
THE NEST (1988)- 6 (rewatch)
PONTYPOOL (2008) - 9 (rewatch)
ISLAND OF LOST SOULS (1933)- 9 (rewatch on Blu-Ray)
MINOTAUR (2005)- 4 (retelling of the legend falls flat)
THE HORDE (2009)- 7 (French zombie/crime film)
YOR, THE HUNTER FROM THE FUTURE (1983)- 7 (rewatch)
CONTAGION (2011)- 7 (well done, documentary style drama)
GIALLO IN VENICE (1979)- 5 (incredibly sleazy but dumb mystery)
MYSTERY HOUSE (1938)- 6 (fun, short, locked room mystery)
DEVIL (2010)- 6 (pretty good mystery/horror tale)
TROLLHUNTER (2010)- 8 (a blast!)
TEENAGE MONSTER (1958)- 4 (not good but what other juvenile delinquent, horror western is better?) (rewatch)
SLEEPWALKERS (1992)- 2 (rewatch) (so bad its almost MST3K good)
BREAKING POINT (1976)- 7 (Bob Clark makes a man against the mob film)
CHARLIE CHAN ON BROADWAY (1937)- 6

Christmas Art - Pulp Magazine style!

2011-12-04T16:53:00.010-06:00

For many the painted images that the Christmas season brings to mind are the classic Norman Rockwell covers for the Saturday Evening Post. For me it is the equally gorgeous covers of science fiction, detective, western and horror pulp magazines that I only discovered in my twenties. I wish there was a coffee table book collecting such images together for convenient gift giving. I know more than a few people that would love to have such a tome.

Lon Chaney Jr. -Monster's Holiday!

2011-12-03T18:34:00.002-06:00

Sorry I've been AWOL for the past few days but a computer meltdown has curtailed my time online. I planned to do a lot more Creepmas style posting but better late than never. Here is one of my favorite Holiday songs and a fitting scary introduction to the season.

Still no CALTIKI DVD?

2011-11-27T23:33:00.007-06:00

I was looking around for Christmas gifts this weekend and realized that CALTIKI THE IMMORTAL MONSTER (1959) is still not available on domestic DVD. WTF? Co-directed by Riccardo Freda and Mario Bava this one should have already been snatched up by some fine DVD company for Region 1 and given a bells & whistles release. There are bootlegs out there sourced from a fine Italian disc but come on- this is long overdue. Is there some question of rights?

Well, until it finally hits these shores legally I feel no shame or guilt in pointing you toward the YouTube upload of the entire English version in 10 minutes segments. Enjoy!

Christmas movie poster art

2011-11-26T00:44:00.011-06:00

Thanksgiving has come and gone and my thoughts turn to Christmas and the joys this time of year brings. I love spending time with family and friends and I love watching holiday themed movies with them. Here is the poster art for several of my favorite films to watch during the season of giving.

THANKSGIVING - the trailer

2011-11-24T09:08:00.003-06:00

This is literally the only thing Eli Roth has ever directed that I have enjoyed- and I've seen all of his work. I guess if he keeps his films to less than five minutes he isn't too bad. Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

YOR, THE HUNTER FROM THE FUTURE (1983)

2011-11-22T12:27:00.005-06:00

I recently reviewed the mighty YOR over at Eccentric Cinema and this new viewing of it has made me thrilled to be able to praise it publicly. If you never seen this great, crazed movie you need to correct this oversight. You'll be glad you did. After all, Yor is the man!

In case you were wondering....

2011-11-20T22:55:00.001-06:00

Damned Cthulu.

Reviews of MINOTAUR (2005) & THE HORDE (2009)

2011-11-17T07:57:00.006-06:00

MINOTAUR (2005) is a good try at a modern retelling of the Greek myth of the powerful beast in the heart of the labyrinth. It has many things that point to the possibility of it being good including a strong cast of veteran actors and talented newcomers, nice location shooting and pretty interior sets but it doesn’t quite succeed. Once the action moves to the lair of the beast the characters trapped there trying to survive are poorly defined and interchangeable. There is some very good physical acting by Tom Hardy and other members of the cast as they struggle to kill the Minotaur but too often the film looks and feels thinner than it should. This shows in some shaky cave walls, a few bad CGI monster effects and in the already mentioned lightweight characters. Still, no movie that gives Tony Todd the central villain role and more than 10 lines of dialog can be a total loss and seeing Rutger Hauer as Hardy’s protective father in the opening scenes was good as well. In the end it’s just not a very good film and I can understand its lack of cult movie buzz.

On the other hand, the French film THE HORDE (2009) I heard about solely because of its cult movie buzz. That I watched these two back to back is interesting as it points out what type of film I enjoy more at this point in my life. Although I still really like the peplum genre (mostly the examples from the 1960s) I more often lean toward hard bitten crime stories especially if they are mixed with odd elements. This film is one of the few movies best described as RESERVOIR DOGS crossed with horror that could actually hold a candle to the incredibly fun FROM DUSK TO DAWN. Not that THE HORDE is perfect. Like MINOTAUR this movie could be accused of having stereotypical or thinly written characters but somehow in this taut, fast paced tale it works. Part of what may cause it to appeal to me might be that having the dialog filtered through subtitles makes me engage in a deeper way automatically. Or it might be that in this story the characters mostly become defined by their actions and in MINOTAUR they are all bland with little to differentiate them. Another thing that makes this one much more of my kind of entertainment is that it does deftly handle slamming two different genres together. If I haven’t already mentioned it, THE HORDE is a zombie film and a pretty effective one at that. The film opens with a police raid on a high rise building to take down some Nigerian criminals when the zombie apocalypse interrupts the bad situation in progress. That’s when things get interesting! This a tight 90 minutes of badass zombie action with very little that I found distracting or dumb and these days that is about the best critique of a zombie film I can give. More like this and less like …… the vast majority of zombie films out there.

Batgirl!

2011-11-16T07:57:00.002-06:00

How long has it been since we've had a sexy, live-action Batgirl? Has it really been since the 1960s BATMAN TV show? I know they tried in that fourth lame-ass Batman film to foist off Alicia Silverstone as a modern crime fighting partner for the Caped Crusader but that entire movie was a disaster and Miss Silverstone was about as sexy as wet rag.

Monster Constellation Chart

2011-11-14T19:42:00.003-06:00

If you have ever wondered about the connections between the various monsters in various the universes (universi?) from across the speculative fiction catalog this image might help. I am impressed wit the work but have already spotted some gaps. Where is the Skunkacabra, for one thing! And where is the Love for Lovecraft? Click to enlarge!

DANGER 5 - coming soon!

2011-11-11T07:46:00.003-06:00

I have no idea if this direct to YouTube film project will be as fun as the trailer promises it will be but I have my fingers crossed. The first episode premieres on November 21st so tune and let's get our Euro-Spy groove on!

DANGER 5 website

Creepmas- the new December Holiday!

2011-11-10T19:00:00.005-06:00

Now here's an idea I can really get behind! CREEPMAS!

"CREEPMAS is for those Halloween lovers and Monster Kids who want to say "enough is enough" - if they're going to put their Christmas into our Halloween, then let's put our Halloween into their Christmas! The 13 Days of Creepmas is an online Celebration of Spookiness from December 1 - 13. The idea is to bring a macabre twist to Christmas and the holidays. Get creative and post it on your blog - share your twisted yule visions with the world!"

I think I'll try to participate in this new Yule celebration by posting Holiday themed horror things the first two weeks of December. Should be fun!

NaschyCast #22 - THE FRENCHMAN'S GARDEN (1978)

2011-11-08T17:37:00.003-06:00

The Naschy Musk is strong in this one! THE FRENCHMAN’S GARDEN is a very rare film with no English language dub and almost no release outside of Spain making it very hard to obtain. Luckily for us it turns out to be one the best we have yet encountered from Naschy’s list of credits. Much like EL CAMINANTE this film is a different kind of tale than we’ve come to expect from the great Spanish horror filmmaker. Best described as a drama or crime film it relates the true story of Juan Andres Aldije (nicknamed The Frenchman) who ran an Inn that doubled as a gambling den and tripled as a whorehouse! Don’t ever say the man was a less than ambitious businessman. All of those things might have been no big deal even in rural Spain but his side business of murdering rich travelers caused him some serious trouble eventually.

This is an excellent movie that, while far from being a horror film, has enough horror elements to make it clear what drew Naschy to the material. He said in an interview “I’ve watched it a number of times, and with what I now know about filmmaking, I’ve come to the conclusion that there is little more I could have done. Nothing is perfect, but this film, for me, is almost perfect. If not my best film, it is among the top two or three.” Neither of us can disagree with that assessment and we can only encourage others to seek out this hidden gem.

Our discussion ranges all over the place, as usual, with talk of Stephen Fry, THE WILD BUNCH, horror movie hosts of Nashville and Chattanooga, the allure of the charming bad guy and the plot elements that might have made this story a natural for Paul Naschy, scriptwriter. Remember that we spoil the film in detail so if you want to have a blind viewing of it but want to hear us answer emails you can skip to about the 2 hour mark. Yes- that means there is about 40 minutes of us going through the mailbag and talking about whatever you people asked about. If you’d like to get in on this segment please write us at naschycast@gmail.com and we’ll dig into your questions next time. And if you subscribe to the show through iTunes please consider leaving us a review or drop us a comment on the Naschycast Facebook page. Thanks to everyone for the love and encouragement. And once again we have to thank our amazing artist director Jeff Nelson. His stunning image above gives an idea of the sinister goings on and the dangers of a well tended but hidden garden. Maybe one day we'll let him see the films before he crafts us an image to represent it! Jeeze! Thanks!

NaschyCast #22 LINK

Planet of the Apes artwork

2011-11-07T07:25:00.002-06:00

I can't resist posting another image from artist Jason Edmiston - I think the reason is apparent. POTA!

What I Watched In October

2011-11-05T09:11:00.010-05:00

I watched 37 movies in October. Wow. I knew I was racking them up but I wasn’t counting as I barreled through the month. I guess it shows what you can do if you’re a lazy, movie-loving freak with the desire to see some horror movies before Halloween night. And by ‘some’ I mean as many as possible.

Among the rewatches were some favorites of my youth and a few mid-level titles I’ve grown to cherish over the years. I showed my girlfriend the second Kolchak TV movie THE NIGHT STRANGLER and really enjoyed her reaction to it. She liked the original NIGHT STALKER better but she loved the character and when she saw my favorite episode of the follow up series ‘The Ripper’ she was hooked. I’ll have to show her more of the series in the future.

Seeing the original FRIDAY THE 13TH on Blu-Ray was a revelation. I’ve liked the movie for years without thinking of it as much more than a cheap cash-in but the sharpness of the new disc made me appreciate the real beauty of the film. The movie looks fantastic and the enhanced clarity actually made me think better of the entire affair. Later in the month I rewatched PART 6 of the series with a buddy and for the first time realized that it and JASON X are the most fun of the sequels. They have a similar playful tone making light of the mad ideas that are being used to advance the crazy story of this immortal killing machine. I’ve often heard hardcore fans claiming that JASON X is a terrible film because of the humorous tack it takes but 6 uses the exact same tone of winking at the hopefully knowing audience right from the beginning. How else do you rationalize the amusing James Bond parody in the opening credit sequence? Both movies are a lot of fun and while delievering on the scares and thrills also manage to poke fun at the silliness of the concept.

Via NetFlix streaming I watched a few films including the newly released to Blu THE NESTING (1980). This is an interesting movie but sadly it isn’t particularly good. The story about a supposedly haunted house is nothing special but the setting makes it a curiosity for anyone fascinated by old country homes with unique architecture. While the actors are certainly trying their best they are mostly an over-eager group of under-talented people that might have needed a few more takes or a better sense of how ‘big’ their performances were playing onscreen. It’s not a bad film but it hasn’t got enough for me to recommend it either.

DARK TOWER (1987) is a film that was started by director Ken Wiederhorn but finished by legendary cinematographer/director Freddie Francis. Francis directed the movie as a favor to one of the movie’s producers but took his name off the released cut because they removed all the things that made him willing to participate at all. This meddling is evident throughout the movie as story elements are dropped randomly and new characters are introduced with little reason. The removal of a key final scene makes Michael Moriarity’s performance ridiculous as the reason for his odd reactions to the strange ghostly goings on have been chopped away. It’s a mess and not even my desire to stare at Jenny Agutter could make me enjoy the ride.

MY DEAR KILLER turned out to be a good giallo that I’m sure I’ll rewatch in the future. I finally caught up with SEVERANCE and really enjoyed it even if there is one scene that should have been left out of the movie. The director’s follow up movie TRIANGLE is a better film and the one I would recommend seeing first. Having now seen 1986’s NEON MANIACS I can state that my avoiding of it for decades was a sign of correctly judging a film by its poster art. It was easily the worst film I saw the entire month and that is truly impressive when you realize that I also finally saw the incredibly bad SLEEPWALKERS in October as well. Those two would make a ‘worst double feature’ list for nearly anyone.

STAKE LAND (2010)- 7 (solid post-apocalyptic vampire tale)
THE NIGHT STRANGLER (1973)- 7 (rewatch)
CORRUPTION (1968)- 6 (interesting if not great)
FRIDAY THE 13TH (1980)- 6 (rewatch)
FINAL DESTINATION 5 (2011)- 5 (about the fifth best of the series)
I SAW THE DEVIL (2010)- 8 (vicious Korean revenge film)
MIMIC (1997)- 8 (director’s cut improves a good film) (sort of a rewatch)
THE ROAD (2009)- 7 (well done, downbeat post-apocalyptic tale)
I MARRIED A WITCH (1942)- 7 (fun supernatural romantic comedy)
EDGE OF THE AXE (1988)- 6 (Spanish made slasher)
THE NESTING (1980)- 5 (tries hard but just can’t manage to be what it wants to be)
DARK TOWER (1987)- 4 (not vey good American made film set in Spain- great cast)
THE RESIDENT (2011)- 6 (pretty good thriller with a strong cast)
FACE OF MARBLE (1946)- 5 (fun, nonsensical Poverty Row combo of mad science & voodoo)
THE STRANGE CASE OF DR. RX (1942)- 6 (rewatch)
DRACULA HAS RISEN FROM THE GRAVE (1968)- 7 (rewatch)
ROGUE (2007)- 8 (rewatch)
THE MAD GHOUL (1943)- 6 (rewatch)
BERZERK! (1967)- 5 (the ending makes no sense but OK until then)
THE FLY (1986)- 9 (rewatch)
THE FLY II (1989) – 6 (rewatch)
THE THING (2011)- 5 (prequel works for a while but then fails when they board the alien craft)
MY DEAR KILLER (1971) – 7 (solid, satisfying giallo)
SEVERANCE (2008)- 7 (good stalker film with a touch of humor)
HUMANOIDS FROM THE DEEP (1980) – 7 (rewatch)
FRIDAY THE 13TH PART 6: JASON LIVES (1986)- 6 (rewatch) (silly, knowing slasher fun)
SLEEPWALKERS (1992)- 2 (mind-bendingly bad – the combo of King & Garris remains one of the worst possible)
THE FRENCHMAN’S GARDEN (1978)- 8
THE MUMMY’S HAND (1940)- 7 (rewatch)
NEON MANIACS (1986)- 1 (stupid, incompetent and dull)
TRICK ‘R TREAT (2009)- 9 (rewatch)
FRIGHT NIGHT (2011)- 7 (remake actually works really well – the R rating helps too)
THE GHOST OF FRANKENSTIEN (1942)- 6 (rewatch)
ZOMBIE (1979)- 8 (rewatch on the big screen!)
SQUIRM (1976)- 6 (rewatch on the big screen)
HUSK (2010)- 6 (killer scarecrow tale)
BROTHERHOOD OF BLOOD (2007)- 2 (lame low budget vampire tale)

Halloween hangover

2011-11-03T17:10:00.006-05:00

I think I'm suffering from a bit of Halloween Hangover. I feel the urge to continue watching horror films but lament the October month is now gone. All I can think of are the movies I had hoped to watch and didn't get to see this year. Since I can hardly believe I didn't catch at least one of the first three HALLOWEEN films I'll fill that gap here by posting these behind the scenes images from the production of the first one.

Happy Halloween!

2011-10-31T16:48:00.006-05:00

Go out and have a good time but don't eat too much candy. And remember to let the Jack O'Lantern candles burn throughout the night.

Stephen King's BATTLEGROUND - animated short film

2011-10-30T22:12:00.003-05:00

As October approached this year I got the urge to revisit some of the old horror fiction I read in my youth. OK. I actually get this urge most years around October but this time I got the specific urge to re-read Stephen King's first collection of short stories 'Night Shift'. Doing so was a wise decision. I really enjoyed the entire book and was impressed all over again by how damned good a writer the man can be. I was surprised by how many of the stories had stuck so firmly in my memory that I remembered small details even when I might have forgotten which tale had which odd turn or clever twist. One that I had almost forgotten was the story Battleground. It plays more like a bizarre science fiction story or Twilight Zone short but horrific elements are there as well.

I was alerted to the existence of this Ukrainian animated version of the story recently and found it an amazing adaptation. Check it out and prepare to be impressed.

HALLOWEEN III: SEASON OF THE WITCH poster art

2011-10-29T09:47:00.008-05:00

I love this film with a burning Halloween season passion but I haven't been able to squeeze in a viewing of it this year. I might have to watch it on the 31st. I've never actually watched it on the big day and that could be fun.

Well Carved Pumpkins

2011-10-28T16:37:00.004-05:00

I wish I had the knife skills to pull off something this impressive.

WHISPERER IN THE DARK (2011) trailer

2011-10-27T17:56:00.002-05:00

This is exciting! Here is the trailer for the new movie from the H.P. Lovecraft Historical Society. They are the fine folks that brought us the fantastic 45 minute silent film THE CALL OF CTHULU back in 2005. Their method is to carefully adapt H. P. Lovecraft stories in the style of the time period in which the story was originally published. That means that their second cinematic effort is being done with the same look and (I hope) feel of a 1930s Universal Studios horror tale. From what I can see in this short teaser they may have another winner. I can’t wait to see it!

GHOSTS comic book cover gallery

2011-10-26T17:03:00.013-05:00

GHOSTS was always a welcome sight on the spinner rack when I was a young comic book fanatic but I rarely bought an issue. Now I hunt 50 cent boxes at comic stores trying to find every one of them I can possible locate. Even the least interesting issue has at one fun tale at minimum. Plus the artwork is always fantastic.

The Madness of George Zucco

2011-10-25T19:54:00.006-05:00

For years I've been a fan of George Zucco's work in horror films of the 1930s and 40s but it was just recently that I noticed the oddest thing. Because I watched THE MAD GHOUL and THE MUMMY'S HAND within a week of each other (and I've watched each film half a dozen times) I spotted Zucco's right hand and became curious. It looks as though he had arthritis or some other ailment that kept his ring and pinky fingers from extending completely. A quick question on Facebook and a friend reported that he thought his hand was the result of a WWI injury. All this thinking and web hunting about Zucco had me wondering if there was a biography of the actor and from what I can learn the only real book on his life is called 'Hollywood's Maddest Doctors: Lionel Atwill, Colin Clive, George Zucco'. Looks like I've got to add another to my ever growing list of books to acquire and read.

For a fun dose of Poverty Row Horror with Mr. Zucco at center stage here is THE FLYING SERPENT (1946). Under an hour in length and as crazy as a jail cell full of clowns it's well worth seeing!

Follow the LINK!

The Legend of Sleepy Hollow radio play

2011-10-24T18:26:00.006-05:00

One of my favorite scary stories of all time is Washington Irving’s classic tale ‘The Legend of Sleepy Hollow’. Most years I’m content to watch the wonderful, funny Disney animated version of the tale narrated by Bing Crosby for my annual fix but this October I had an itch to dig deeper. I re-read the story for the first time since grade school and then went in search of old radio adaptations to see how it had been converted to the format by different producers. By far my choice for best radio rendering is this show from Favorite Stories hosted by Ronald Coleman. Broadcast in 1946 it stands up today as one of the best re-tellings I’ve run across yet. Get a cup of hot cider, turn the lights down low and take a listen to this entertaining tale of the Headless Horseman. You can download the MP3 at this LINK or just listen to it through the player embedded below.

Halloween image No. 5

2011-10-23T19:12:00.003-05:00

Well- two images actually. But who is going to complain?

SLEEPWALKERS (1992)

2011-10-22T10:42:00.006-05:00

In short, everything I’ve ever heard about this damned thing was correct. Nearly nothing is done well in this film. From the opening scene I knew we were in shit-ville because once again someone (that would be director Mick Garris) didn’t understand that Stephen King is not a scriptwriter. Mr. King is a novelist and, like many novelists, he can’t seem to understand that film/TV is a visual medium. This means you don’t need to have the characters onscreen laboriously tell us what we are seeing. We actually watch a corpse fall into frame (cheap scare), observe clearly that there is a rose tucked behind its left ear and then have the two characters in the scene tell us that there is a rose behind the dead woman’s ear. We freakin’ know! We can see the damned thing. This kind of detailed writing is necessary in a written story but in film it is annoying as hell. Novelists often seem not to be able to grasp that if we see something, having someone tell us what we‘re seeing accomplishes the opposite of what is intended. We are distanced from the story because be are being spoon fed information and the spell is destroyed. In King’s case I suspect that during this period of his stormy relationship with the film industry he tended to not trust that his ‘vision’ would reach the screen properly if he didn’t overwrite. I think he must have felt that if he piled on the detail surely the director would know how to make the movie in his head appear in theaters. The trouble is that, unless you go the voiceover route, the only way to communicate some ideas is through dialog. But trying to get across ALL such ideas verbally is a huge mistake. This is a stumbling block even a great novelist can hit as he struggles to convey concepts to move a screen story along and this film is a perfect example of failing hard. So, much like the similarly disastrous MAXIMUM OVERDRIVE, when you couple this spoken excess with a director willing to simply transcribe his pedantic script to screen you have an accidental Stephen King comedy masterwork. You can have a lot of fun with everything in SLEEPWALKERS that is ham-fisted, badly staged, poorly thought out and just dumb or listen to that little voice in your head that says ‘There are better things to do with my time’. Even the moments that are clearly supposed to be comedic are so braindead and idiotic that you can’t imagine how an adult could think it was going to work. I mean, come on- death by corn on the cob? That’s not even trying.

Amusingly, there are a number of horror celebrity cameos in the film and when I saw John Landis and Joe Dante pop up in one scene I just kept thinking how much better the film would have been with either of them at the helm. They both know how to craft a script for a horror movie spiced with comedy. Neither Garris or King can manage this task.

House of Mystery cover gallery

2011-10-21T17:21:00.009-05:00

Because of comics like House of Mystery I knew I was interested in dark, scary tales long before I could see the really frightening movies the future held in store for me. Creepy, terror filled tales of ghosts, haunted places, demons, and vengeance seeking skeletons were my secret passion after dark when I had to read under the covers with my trusty penlight. I wore a groove in my thumb holding the on switch down long enough to finish a story.

Happy Birthday Bela Lugosi

2011-10-20T18:56:00.006-05:00

On this day in 1882 Béla Ferenc Dezső Blaskó was born. Later rechristened Lugosi he became famous for playing Dracula but my favorite of his horror film roles can be found in the dark THE BLACK CAT (1934) and the wonderful THE RAVEN (1935). Celebrate the day by watching one of his best.

Or you can watch the entirety of his Poverty Row horror classic THE DEVIL BAT right here!

Trick 'r Treat - Making Friends

2011-10-19T08:02:00.005-05:00

This delightful new short film from TRICK 'R TREAT director Mike Dougherty demonstrats that everyone needs a friend on Halloween- even if you have to make one.

Monster Cereal time!

2011-10-18T17:16:00.010-05:00

Its that time of year again when Fall has arrived, horror movies get watched by everyone and Monster Cereals are available in stores. For a few short weeks each year Boo Berry, Frankenberry and Count Chockula can be found on select shelves around the country and poor bastards like me have to fight the urge to eat an entire box in one sitting. Making things even more difficult for us Boo Berry-a-holics is the addition of this extremely cool artwork by Jason Edmiston in which the link to our beloved Universal Monsters is made stronger.

Nice! And if you're wondering if this was a one off by a guy uninterested in the subject just check out this---

Yeah- he's pretty awesome. The beauty of his monster art is so great it has distracted me from my usual whining about the two missing flavors of cereal I wish they would bring back. I'm not sure I ever got to really try them at all when I was a kid. What would Yummy Mummy taste like anyway?

DRACULA HAS RISEN FROM THE GRAVE (1968)

2011-10-17T17:25:00.009-05:00

DRACULA HAS RISEN FROM THE GRAVE (1968) – Because my podcasting partner Troy named this as one of his favorite Hammer films I decided to revisit it and found it to be extremely good. I had good memories of it from past viewings but it turned out to be even more entertaining than I thought it would be. Director Freddie Frances might be reprimanded for his use (overuse?) of oval colored gels for certain scenes but I found it added wonderfully to the mood of gothic horror. The story moves along briskly and the entire affair feels solid and dependable – like a well crafted tale meant to be enjoyed for decades to come. I had forgotten that this is a direct sequel to DRACULA- PRINCE OF DARKNESS with the surprise benefit of Christopher Lee actually deigning to speak dialog in the titular role this time out.
The cast is good, Veronica Carlson is gorgeous, Drac is vicious and even if the revenge plot is a little silly the film plays very well. The graphic death of Dracula in this film is one of the best destruction scenes the character ever met onscreen too. Fantastic stuff! This was just what I needed for a Halloween-time Hammer horror.

Short Halloween cartoons

2011-10-16T19:11:00.004-05:00

One classic from Disney featuring my favorite pissed off duck and one impressionistic, spooky vision of death from John McCloskey. Enjoy!

Mummy movie images!

2011-10-15T11:14:00.007-05:00

I loves me some Mummy Movies!

Corman Poe film caricatures

2011-10-14T16:39:00.006-05:00

I want to watch all of the Roger Corman directed Poe films this October. I wonder how many I'll actually get to.

EDGE OF THE AXE (1988)

2011-10-13T16:53:00.009-05:00

I watched Jose Ramon Larraz’s 1988 horror film EDGE OF THE AXE the other night and was pleasantly surprised. I wasn’t surprised because I don’t expect to like a movie made by Senor Larraz. In fact I have generally loved the horror efforts of that Spanish director with his VAMPYRES (1975) being a truly amazing erotic horror film that stands up to repeated viewings. I was surprised because EDGE OF THE AXE was made so much later in his career and I generally expect such efforts to be less than great if not bad. Adding to my trepidation was the knowledge of it being an 80s film- a period during which the huge success of the slasher genre tended to smother the production of any other kind of horror film. I’m not against watching a fun slasher now and then but I wasn’t in the mood for one which is why I decided to finally see this film. Well, of course, it turns out that this is Larraz’s entry in the slasher cash-in craze and it may be only one of his stabs at the genre in the 1980s as the descriptions of a couple of other titles on his IMDb page sound suspicious. I might have been disheartened except that by the time I realized my mistake I was already fascinated by the film.

Don’t get me wrong- this is not a great movie but it has so many elements that I find entertaining I could not have stopped watching it if you had threatened me with gunfire. The film is one of a number of movies made in the United States by an independent production group with Spanish ties. I’m not sure if any of the movie was shot in Spain but the exteriors were mostly done in rural California. This location work and the 80s fashions on display were of interest to me as I find that decade’s popular clothing and hairstyles to be hysterically awful. I was also intrigued by the two cast names that I recognized from my viewing of Spanish horror cinema. The lovely Patty Shepard plays an aging wealthy woman who has married a much younger man and the mighty Jack Taylor plays a church choirmaster friend of Shepard’s character. As this is a slasher film neither makes it to the closing credits but at least their deaths are entertaining. Both Naschy cast alumni acquit themselves brilliantly with Miss Shepard even getting to be chased through the woods by the masked killer.

And about that masked killer. The film opens strong with something I have never seen before in any movie- an axe murder inside a carwash while the car is being washed! How this white masked, axe toting madman managed to get in and out of the place unseen in broad daylight is beyond me (or the screenwriters) but I loved every second of it. The look of the mask reminded me of the one used in Bava’s excellent BLOOD & BLACK LACE with the only difference being eye-slits. The killer cuts a very imposing figure and the attacks are very well staged with us being able to see the axe striking the victims and leaving bloody marks each time. This is old school special effects and extremely effective stuff. Another plus is that the story throws so many possible killers into the mix that guessing who it really might be is virtually impossible but when revealed the identity still feels satisfying. The film also sports a great final image for the credits to roll over.
It should be understood that this is not a classic horror film destined to be rediscovered and acclaimed by the general populace. The film has the usual faults of European productions shot in the States in this period- dialog that often sounds like is was poorly translated by the cheapest available computer program; odd leaps in logic; bizarre ideas that don’t make sense beyond the dizzy plot; etc. For me these are the things that make such Euro-trash horror movies irresistible and even riveting but I’m aware that not everyone will respond as favorably. I’m not going to pretend this is a great movie but I have to admit I got a big kick out of it. I was smiling throughout the entire running time and I can’t say that about every horror film I watch. How can you not enjoy a movie from this period that has two people getting to know each other romantically over computers hooked up to an embryonic internet system? In 1988! Craziness.

Halloween image No. 4

2011-10-12T16:20:00.005-05:00

Because I always feel the urge to celebrate at least a part of the 31 days of Halloween with Disney animation this image always makes me smile. I love the Haunted Mansion! Did anyone else out there listen to these LPs when they were kids?

NaschyCast #21 - THE BEAST & THE MAGIC SWORD (1983)

2011-10-11T17:55:00.007-05:00

In the past I have heard some fans of Naschy claim that THE BEAST AND THE MAGIC SWORD is one of his best movies. Having spent several hours going through the film with great attention to detail I’m ready to debate that idea and so is Troy. I personally believe that the reason for the reverence this one engenders is that for decades the only way to see it was in washed out, third generation video tapes that barely hinted at the perversity and violence onscreen. Now that it’s possible to see a clear, sharp version of the film its time to reevaluate and decide where this one falls on the mighty Daninsky scale. Is it one of the best Wolf Man movies of all time or…… something else?

No matter what side you come down on it cannot seriously be argued that this film lacks boldness. Starting in the year 938 we are finally shown the genesis of the Daninsky Curse that forces every seventh son born under a full moon to become a werewolf….. or was that every son born on the seventh full moon during…….. or one son every other generation or something. I say the Hell with it! THE BEAST AND THE MAGIC SWORD starts out in Europe but quickly moves the action to 16th century Japan for the world’s first werewolf vs. samurai battles. Ya gotta love that! This is a film that seeks to combine as many disparate ideas as possible into one big lycanthrope adventure and the different elements seem to only occasionally fit together smoothly. I’m still trying to forget the inclusion of freakin’ Ninjas in the story!

Join us as we chat this one to death with tangents into The Jungle Book, Riki-Tiki-Tavi, the Spanish Inquisition, masculine facial hair, long distance travel and well staged tiger fights. The discussion is our usual in depth, scene by scene dissection that goes on for longer than either of us thought probable or possible. The body of the show is two and a half hours long with the mailbag section stretching for the last forty minutes! I hope everyone likes long podcasts.

Remember to drop us a line at naschycast@gmail.com or talk to us over at the Facebook page. If you listen through iTunes please think about giving us a review there - five stars would be nice – and, as Troy says at the end of the episode, have a Happy Halloween!

NaschyCast #21 LINK

Horror Movie Poster Art

2011-10-10T22:18:00.008-05:00

OK. So, VALLEY OF THE DRAGONS isn't really a horror film but it is a monster film based on a Jules Verne story. For that reason it is worth seeing!

Halloween image No. 3

2011-10-09T21:43:00.002-05:00

Belle Dee's fantastic bit of Halloween artwork for 2011.

Poster art for THE THING (1982)

2011-10-08T11:49:00.014-05:00

Carpenter's THE THING is one of my favorite horror films and I'm amazed at how many fans have created excellent alternative posters for this modern classic. Of these images only the bottom one is an official poster - I think.

Eerie Publications mash-up with a classic Horror Record!

2011-10-07T23:19:00.005-05:00

This is simply brilliant! Someone has taken the amazing artwork from the covers of the Eerie Publication horror magazines and matched it to the classic Johnson-Smith Novelty Company Horror Record from 1973. Go full-screen for the best effect.

What I Watched In September

2011-10-06T07:56:00.008-05:00

I only got in twenty movies last month? I guess I was busy out in the world doing stuff. I guess.

Anyway, I saw a number of good ones and only a couple of real duds. I made it out to the theater twice and each visit was worth the ticket price. The Guillermo del Toro produced and scripted remake of the 1970s TV horror chestnut DON’T BE AFRIAD OF THE DARK was very good. It is actually a textbook case of how to do a remake well: it uses almost every element from the original but puts a smart new spin on each thing. The smartest move was to recast the lead as a young girl feeling despondent over a recent move to a new place. The atmosphere is prefect, the additions to the story are well conceived and the entire film feels like it was made by people who wanted to craft a solid movie. DRIVE is that rarest of action movies: a smart one that doesn’t keep trying to tell you how smart it is. Owing a real debt to Walter Hill’s excellent 1970s (I sense a theme) film THE DRIVER but based on a novel the film is remarkable for what it doesn’t do more than what it does. So much is communicated by the meaningful silences between people that when words do finally come they carry that much more weight. The film has an excellent cast and each character feels real and alive with full deep relationships to the world we’re watching. This is a film that knows that the details tell us everything we need and gives them to us carefully. DRIVE is a great movie and one I’ll be watching again in the future.

I was disappointed by the full length version of a Toho SF film I’ve been hoping to see for years. THE H-MAN turns out to be far too long with a plot that drags out to the breaking point. When the science fiction elements kick at various points it is really creepy and exciting but the endless scenes of police officers working on a criminal case go on forever. I may have to check out the shorter American version to see if in this instance they made some good deletion choices.

I finally read Bram Stoker’s novel ‘Jewel of the Seven Stars’ after wanting to for years and although I liked the book I felt it had a pretty lame non-ending. The book has been adapted a couple of times and I had vague memories of the 1980 version called THE AWAKENING. I caught it in the early days of HBO and remember not being very thrilled by it as a young'un but now that I had the novel under my belt it was time to see it again. In a way it was like seeing it for the first time. I doubt most folks will have the reaction I did but I really enjoyed this adaptation. The film deviates pretty heavily in the details while retaining the broad story fairly well. The second half feels as if some scenes were left out to speed up the narrative but I enjoyed the slower pace that modern films seem to rarely attempt. Also, I loved the ending the film weaves out of hints in the book that gives the story a great sense of malignant wonder. The cast is very good across even if Charlton Heston isn’t how I pictured the character from the book. And while I’m on the subject, I’m sick of people talking about Heston as if he was always overacting all the time. I could edit together an over-the-top series of scenes for most leading actors that would make them look like maniacs. Focusing on the brief sequences in a few iconic movies to paint Heston as a scenery chewing freak is insulting. (I’ll climb down from the soapbox now.)

Thanks to TCM I got to check out a couple of silent movies I’ve been interest to see for a while. THE HANDS OF ORLOC tuned out to be far too long dragging out the story for at least thirty unneeded minutes. I much prefer the remake from 1935 with Peter Lorre called MAD LOVE. The Lon Chaney film MR. WU was a very entertaining drama of cultures clashing and the drive to take revenge on someone- even if the focus of the vengeance should be a larger target. Chaney is fantastic and the film moves along nicely.

ZARDOZ (1974)- 8 (rewatch) (mad, pretentious and enthralling)
DON’T BE AFRAID OF THE DARK (2011)- 7 (good new version of the tale)
THE HANDS OF ORLAC (1924)- 5 (good silent film but a little too long)
MR. WU (1927)- 6 (Lon Chaney melodrama with a fine ending)
THE MECHANIC (2011)- 7 (solid remake doesn’t improve on the original but isn’t bad)
THE H-MAN (1958) – 5 (glacially paced Japanese combo of THE BLOB and a police procedural)
SUPER (2010)- 7 (harsh drama of an unhinged man pushed into a brief madness)
HUMANOIDS FROM THE DEEP (1996)- 2 (abysmal remake)
COUNT DRACULA (1973)- 6 (rewatch)
BLACK DEATH (2010)- 7 (good companion to THE WICKER MAN and WITCHFINDER GENERAL)
THE FOG (1980)- 9 (rewatch)
THE EXTERMINATOR (1981)- 7 (rewatch)
DRIVE (2011)- 8 (existential action movie)
VANISHING ON 7TH STREET (2010)- 6 (good but unremarkable Twilight Zone style story)
CRY OF THE BANSHEE (1970)- 5 (rewatch)
MOH: DEER WOMAN (2005)- 8 (rewatch)
POSSESSED (1931)- 6 (good pre-code drama with Joan Crawford & Clark Gable)
THE AWAKENING (1980)- 7 (slow but satisfying adaptation of ‘Jewel of the Seven Stars’)
THE BEAST & THE MAGIC SWORD (1983)- 5
THE DROWNING POOL (1975)- 8 (excellent detective story)

Halloween image No. 2

2011-10-05T12:02:00.002-05:00

I'm thinking about carving a pumpkin this weekend. Yeah! It won't look as cool as this, but.....

Creepy Magazine

2011-10-04T07:41:00.010-05:00

When I was a kid I read a LOT of comic books but there were only a few comic magazines that would turn up on store shelves. The Warren Publications horror books were scary looking and I only occasionally used my meager funds to take one home. I leaned more toward EERIE but CREEPY was a good book too with more than one story printed within its pages adding to my young nightmare theater. One of the extra elements these stories had that regular comic books did not was the inclusion of some really sexy images that intrigued but confused me. It was a long time before I knew exactly why the sight of Vampirella was so.... fascinating. I really need to try to get some of those hardbound reprints I see on store shelves now. Nostalgia and horror is a great combination!

CORRUPTION (1968)

2011-10-03T07:57:00.004-05:00

I finally caught up with CORRUPTION a.k.a. CARNAGE because of a recent Turner Classic Movies screening. It is a pretty good movie that wears its status as a rip-off of the much superior 1959 French film EYES WITHOUT A FACE pretty well. It is well shot and well paced with everyone onscreen putting their all into the proceedings. The ending is the weakest section as the various things that come together seem just a bit too convenient and silly to really feel like a natural end to the story. Also, I feel that the great Peter Cushing is slightly mis-cast in his role as the love-blind doctor who resorts to murderous means to save his beloved’s good looks. Don’t get me wrong- he does a fine job but I kept thinking a younger, less aristocratic man might have been a better fit. Maybe I just don’t like seeing Cushing as a wild-haired lunatic fearful that he’s about to be caught with a severed head in his luggage?

Still- its worth seeing for British horror fans, Peter Cushing fans and those curious about face stealing movies. I wonder how many face stealing movies have been made? But be warned that the jazz flavored score is often (and I mean often) inappropriate to the actions and mood onscreen. This is yet another film in need of an alternate musical score.

Oh! And it look like my buddy Randy has been watching films from the same TCM well as I have. Here's his haiku take on CORRUPTION.

THE VAMPIRE BAT (1933) - on YouTube!

2011-10-02T19:42:00.004-05:00

If you are a fan of the classic horror film of the 1930s and 40s and have yet to see THE VAMPIRE BAT I recommend that you check it out. Luckily we live in such a wonderful world for the movie fan that the entire hour-long film is available FREE for viewing on the mighty YouTube! How freakin' cool! Here's the basic plot description from Wikipedia -

"When the villagers of Kleinschloss start dying of blood loss, the town fathers suspect a resurgence of vampirism. While police inspector Karl remains skeptical, scientist Dr. von Niemann cares for the vampire's victims one by one, and suspicion falls on simple-minded Herman Gleib because of his fondness for bats. A blood-thirsty mob hounds Gleib to his death, but the vampire attacks don't stop."

What are you waiting for?

Halloween image No. 1

2011-10-01T09:06:00.003-05:00

As I usually do each October I'm going to try to post something here every day. In most cases it will only be an image but I'll try to get a few short horror movie reviews in the mix as well as I go along. Today's terrifying image comes from Japan and that's about all I know about it. What a gorgeous, creepy painting! I wonder if it illustrates some legend of the sea that would be obvious to someone familiar with Japanese culture or if its just the equivalent of a great pulp magazine cover.

Top 100 Science-Fiction or Fantasy Books

2011-09-29T23:06:00.005-05:00

Recently NPR's editors conducted a a survey of readers to discover the 'best' Science Fiction/Fantasy novels of all time. After reviewing hundreds of nominations they tossed out the ones that didn't fit the survey's criteria and drew up a nicely contentious list. The 100 titles can be seen at this LINK and is pretty interesting and although I'd disagree with some of the choices it is a solid place to start for anyone curious about being well read in either genre. One could argue that they didn't seem to be too stringent about a few of their requirements - I'm pretty sure Matheson's 'I Am Legend' is a horror tale more than a SF story - but that's one of the things that makes things like this fun. Of course, my first instinct was to count how many on the list I had already read and I was disappointed to find it was only 49! Less than fifty percent? I guess it's time to finally read my copy of Scalzi's 'Old Man's War'.

If you're wanting to dive in but feel the need for some guidance the folks over at SF Signal have created the amusing flowchart below. Click to enlarge it and simply follow the path to reading pleasure.

Frankenstein Music Tribute

2011-09-28T12:29:00.003-05:00

This fun piece ranges all over the place and I wish the image quality was better but it is worth the view.

NaschyCast #20.5 - Beyond Naschy - COUNT DRACULA (1970)

2011-09-26T18:30:00.008-05:00

Oh my goodness! Fall weather has arrived in Tennessee and for two Euro-Horror fanboys that can only mean one thing- its time to break out the Dracula adaptations and discuss! In our second Beyond Naschy show focused on Jess Franco we talk about his moderately successful version of Bram Stoker’s classic tale of terror, blood and Victorian manners. “No sex- we’re British!”

While the consensus on this film in fan circles seems to be mostly negative we find a number of laudable things onscreen even if we are unhappy with several odd elements. The fact that the three main stars are never even in the same room is a big problem but there are a number of fine qualities on view – and we don’t just mean the lovely faces of Maria Rohm and Soledad Miranda. As an attempt to mount a faithful adaptation of the novel, COUNT DRACULA deserves to be studied. It is certainly a fine chance to see Christopher Lee speechify haughtily as the Count digs his fangs into Dracula family history to justify his arrogance and natural right to do with lesser humans as he sees fit. Ah, the joys of a self-righteous aristocracy!

As you might expect, the conversation takes many digressions including various versions of the Dracula tale in film; our continuing obsession with actor’s facial hair; Troy’s lustful thoughts about Maria Rohm; my own lustful thoughts about Soledad Miranda; Jack Taylor’s emoting; Jess Franco’s Cockney accent; quality fangs and a number of other strange and wonderful subjects. Neither of us can remember the name of the author of The Memoirs of Elizabeth Frankenstein during the podcast- which is a shame as Theodore Roszak is a great writer and his brilliant novel Flicker should be read by any fan of genre fiction. I also can’t recall the name of director Gordon Hessler for some reason. For me to forget the name of the fellow responsible for THE GOLDEN VOYAGE OF SINBAD, THE OBLONG BOX, and SCREAM & SCREAM AGAIN is unforgivable! All this and we end the show with a lengthy discussion of our favorite Hammer films. See what you can get when you write in with a question!

Send any notes, queries, comments, complaints or praise to naschycast@gmail.com or post same on the NaschyCast Facebook page. Thanks for listening!

NaschyCast 20.5 LINK

Inner Sanctum radio show

2011-09-23T16:15:00.004-05:00

It is that time of year once again when I start to curl up and listen to old horror radio shows. Actually I listen to them throughout the year but as Fall approaches I feel the need to share them everyone else I know, so there! Here's a pretty good Inner Sanctum Mystery tale to get the season off to a fun start. It's called Death Across the Board and I think you'll like it- if you enjoy old radio shows anyway. Enjoy the sound of the creaking door on a dark, cool evening.

Classic Euro-Horror Poster Art

2011-09-21T08:09:00.005-05:00

I'm getting in the mood for this kind of movie!

My commentary track for THE GIANT BEHEMOTH (1959)

2011-09-18T14:34:00.005-05:00

As we read and responded to the letters in the most recent NaschyCast I mentioned that I had recorded a commentary track for a film at one time. The film in question is THE GIANT BEHEMOTH (1959) and I created this fan commentary back in 2008. I love the film and was underwhelmed (to say the least) by the track on the otherwise great DVD. I'm not sure how much crossover there really is between Naschy fans and fans of giant monster movies of the 1950s but just in case anyone is interested I'm re-posting the original info about the commentary here & now. This makes it much easier to find than trying to search through the labels at the bottom of each blog entry. Enjoy!

**********************************************************************************
Last year I was thrilled to pick up a couple of the Warner Brothers three DVD sets of what they called 'Cult Camp Classics'. First on my list to grab was the one labeled Sci-Fi Thrillers because I'm just that kind of guy. In all honesty, the idea of being able to see QUEEN OF OUTER SPACE in its widescreen glory put a big smile on my face. But the real icing on the cake was the inclusion of commentary tracks for the each of the three movies. Genre writer and historian Tom Weaver handled the tracks for QUEEN and ATTACK OF THE 50 FOOT WOMAN but a couple of special effects masters did the track for THE GIANT BEHEMOTH.

But as I listened to this commentary I became angry. The two men clearly thought the film was beneath them and acted more like ADD teenagers than people interested in the qualities of the film they were watching. I found it insulting and switched it off after the fourth or fifth complaint from them about how nothing was happening but 'people standing around talking'. This level of cluelessness I expect from kids but not from supposed fans of the genre. So, I set out to correct that with my own commentary track.

I hope you will think I did a good job. This track has some faults – sloppiness, verbal stammering and stutters- but I hope I got across the information well enough to be enjoyed by fans.

I’d like to clearly acknowledge the sources for the information in the track.

-Two interviews conducted by Tom Weaver were most helpful- one with director Eugene Lourie and the other with leading man Gene Evans.

-Mark Berry’s fine book The Dinosaur Filmography was an invaluable resource.

-The wonderful article from SPFX magazine #26 by Paul Mandell was fantastic and helped me form up my own thoughts about the film.

-And last was Mark Berry’s great interview with Desmond Davis about his career.

I’ve tried to get my hands on a documentary about the life and career of composer Edwin Astley but that has proven harder than I thought. Produced in 2001 it’s never been released on video but I hope to catch up with it one day.

If you decide to listen to this track I hope you enjoy it and I would be glad to hear from you. I hope to eventually do more such commentaries and any feedback would be appreciated.

Oh- and one last thing. I must apologize for my most glaring verbal mistake. Near the very end of the track I seem to think the current year is 1978. I meant to say something else but obviously my mind and mouth were not linked at that moment. Of course, these films often make me feel like I’m 10 years old so maybe my slip was a Freudian one.

THE GIANT BEHEMOTH commentary

Thanks.

Trailers From Hell!

2011-09-16T08:02:00.004-05:00

A couple of weeks ago I was finally able to see the fascinating silent movie THE HANDS OF ORLAC I now feel the urge to watch the brilliant remake MAD LOVE (1935) again. It really is a great movie and - in my humble opinion- an improvement on the original film.

With the weather slowly changing from summer to fall I'm starting to desire a return to the Universal monster movies and GHOST OF FRANKENSTEIN is one of my favorites. It's fun to hear Joe Dante reminisce about seeing these films on TV as a kid. Those days are long past.

Informational Images for the Discerning Movie Fan

2011-09-15T17:19:00.007-05:00

This image boils down the lessons needed to deal with the classic monsters as discussed and put into practice in THE MONSTER SQUAD. I have a small copy of this folded up in my wallet just in case!

This cracks me up every time I look at it! It lays out the method and correct order of each of Jason Voorhees' murders movie by movie. Genius!

This info-graphic gives you a quick & easy way to identify which Caroline Munro movie you are watching. If you've missed the credits. Or are drinking too heavily. Or maybe you got fixated on her breasts and lost the plot for a minute.

HUMANOIDS FROM THE DEEP (1996)

2011-09-13T21:40:00.010-05:00

I should have known better than to watch this film. Everything I knew about it screamed ‘disaster’ but my curiosity once again did me in.

I have been a fan of the original 1980 HUMANOIDS FROM THE DEEP since I finally got to see it back the late 1980s. For years I had wanted to see it because it was one of a handful of movies that got talked about a lot at school when I was in middle school. Cable television and HBO had just crept into our backward part of rural Alabama and the kids lucky enough to live where the wires reached would occasionally get to see something they really shouldn’t have gotten to see. Many a kid my age told tales of catching late night showings of R rated movies with all the dirty parts left in! These were thrilling stories that often expanded in the telling but one film that stood out in repeated tales was HUMANOIDS FROM THE DEEP. The way it was described it had to be one of the most intense things imaginable. Heads got pulled off, arms ripped from bodies, dogs torn apart and most incredible of all – multiple young ladies were seen completely nude! All of this graphic, bloody violence coupled with full female nudity made the film legendary around seventh grade and a kind of Holy Grail for those of us unlucky enough to not get to see it. Damn, but I wanted to see this sucker!

You might expect that once I finally saw the film I was let down. Surely nothing could live up to the madness concocted by puberty struck male minds in full hormonal flower. But, believe it or not, the film turned out to be something I quite enjoyed. It’s not a great film and I would never claim classic status for it but it is a well crafted piece of exploitation monster sleaze and I still enjoy seeing it today. Notorious for its violence and nudity it’s just as infamous for its human raping monsters humping away to reproduce offspring like mad spawning fish. THAT was a surprise! I have to figure the kids in my homeroom class describing the film simply had no words to use to get these disturbing scenes across to the rest of us. We couldn’t understand sex much less ‘fish monster on human female’ sexual violence!

You can easily see why producer Roger Corman would think it would be a snap to remake this trashy gem in the 1990s. He had struck a deal to produce a few monster movies for the Showtime cable channel and this got tossed out there but, as you might expect, the budget is low and the results are bad. Sadly the things that make the original film fun to return to for repeat viewings are one of the many things missing from version 1996. The 1980 film had the feeling of being about a real place with real people that had lives that went on before and after we watched them. There was a sense of a small town community in which everyone knew each other that made the eventual monster trouble have a sharper edge as old grudges and slights are brought to the surface in the tense moments. In the remake there is nothing believable about any of the characters and I couldn’t even tell you what most of them do for a living. In the 1980 film the characters were defined by their jobs and their attitudes grew out of what they considered important. In the remake characters exist only to create situations that drive the story forward. The original was filmed on a lot of real locations giving everything a lived in, comfortable feel but the remake is shot mostly on some of the cheapest, flimsiest sets I have ever seen. One look at a shack/home and I knew it was going to burn simply because you don’t build well if its not going to last past reel three.

I could go on and on but the film bored me and I fear boring you by writing about it. I suggest avoiding the 1996 version of HUMANOIDS FROM THE DEEP and seeking out the nasty 1980 film. It’s a mean-spirited bit of Corman produced monster mash and it can still entertain the sleaze hungry teenager in each of us. The 1996 film will just give you a headache.

Jess Franco poster art - Part 13!

2011-09-12T22:06:00.002-05:00

This is an absolutely terrible film and put the final nail in the Fu Manchu series' coffin but I still get a sick kick out of it. The best way to watch it might be via Mystery Science Theater 3000 just so you have help making sense of the 'plot'.

NaschyCast # 20 - VENGEANCE OF THE ZOMBIES (1973)

2011-09-08T21:01:00.007-05:00

In this episode we follow Master Naschy into the world of Voodoo and check out the mad mystery born of crimes too hideous to explain in detail. Those used to the Romero style movie zombies will be surprised by these grave risen killers as they seek neither flesh nor brains to chew on and tend to only do what they are told. Rather well behaved for monsters, I guess. But that means that the thing to fear is the person creating the monsters and issuing the orders and that just might be our main man Paul Naschy- or it might be some other stocky guy running around London with wax effigies and jars of blood.

As we made clear in our comments at the end of the last episode we were not expecting VEGEANCE OF THE ZOMBIES to be a ‘good’ Naschy experience. Some listeners took us to task for that negativity but my memories of the film from my one previous viewing were less than stellar. Both Troy and I were surprised to discover that this is actually a pretty good, if flawed, horror tale with lots to recommend it. This is another Leon Klimovsky directed film and it has all the pluses and minuses associated with his work. It’s a spooky movie filled with amazing things and creepy ideas sandwiched in between some terrible scenes and lathered in a score that only occasionally seems to be appropriate to what you’re watching. Listen in as we remark on the oddest things, such as one character’s resemblance to Dr. Phibes; the possible deal Klimovsky got on rubber masks; the completely ignored live leopard sitting on a table in one scene; the romantic life of Hindu gurus; and the fact that London police have very strange crime scene practices. Also, we introduce our new sister podcast and we both manage to give the show’s name incorrectly! It’s called the Hello Doomed Show and we highly recommend checking it out. Visit the hosts over at Doomed Moviethone and tell’em we sent you!

Remember you can give us your thoughts anytime at naschycast@gmail.com and, like good southern gentlemen, we’re always glad to hear from you. Thanks for listening.

NaschyCast #20 LINK

What I Watched In August

2011-09-07T07:49:00.006-05:00

August was a weird summer month filled with rewatches of old favorites and some new movies that I know I’ll be returning to in the future. Not quite in the ‘return to’ category is the willfully bizarre RUBBER. How do you make an absurdist tale about a sentient, killer car tire even stranger than it clearly has to be? Simple- you add in a mad commentary on the type of person that would seek out such entertainment and analyze the symbiotic relationship between those that make such films and those that enjoy them. The filmmakers get extra credit for stretching their argument(s) to the breaking point by challenging the viewer to be put off by the very oddness that attracted them in the first place.

Miike’s remake of the (unseen by me) 13 ASSASSINS was easily the most mind-blowing period action film I saw all month. A brilliant variation on Kurasawa’s SEVEN SAMURAI it is perfectly played, very well paced and incredibly exciting. When your film is 125 minutes long and the last 45 minutes is one long battle you really have to be able to bring tension, emotion and great characters together to keep your audience from getting tired of the action. Miike clearly understands how to construct his story and I can’t imagine a better film. The similarly themed British film IRONCLAD isn’t as great but it is still very good. It plays like a variation on THE MAGNICENT SEVEN with all the dilution of themes that referencing a remake might suggest. It is still an excellent film and one that refuses to shy away from the gray areas of hard decisions or the harsh violence of serious swordplay. I really got a kick out seeing the historic King John (played well by Paul Giamatti) dealing with his signing of the Magna Carte in the detestable way I would expect such a bastard would. The entire cast is excellent and I also liked the romantic subplot and that the siege story actually takes place over painful weeks. I hate it when screenwriters try to rush things into too short a timeframe.

K-20: THE FIEND WITH TWENTY FACES is an amazing amalgam of dozens of pulp characters, plotlines, ideas and designs shot through the mind of very clever Japanese filmmaker. A love letter to the era of Pulp Heroes and movie serials it tells a story of an alternate Earth that avoided World War Two and made great strides in super-science because of it. The downside was the rise of smart, subtle fascism that keeps most of the population in poverty while the upper classes live as kings. Into this dystopia steps master criminal K-20 carrying out his mad schemes as the police attempt to stop him. I can’t recommend this enough to its target audience but I will warn you that it drags a lot in the middle as we get to know our circus performer hero and his love interest.

RUBBER (2010)- 6 (not bad, pretty funny and sort of clever)
THE CHRONICLES OF RIDDICK (2004) – 9 (rewatch)
INSIDIOUS (2011)- 8 (rewatch)
THE FISHMEN AND THEIR QUEEN (1995)- 1 (so bad I could hardly believe it exists)
COWBOYS & ALIENS (2011)- 9 (only very minor quibbles)
FIREBIRD 2015 A.D. (1981)- 4 (poorly directed Canadian dystopian tale enlivened by Darren McGavin)
I SPIT ON YOUR GRAVE (2010)- 5 (the remake is about as good as the original)
SPINE TINGLER! THE WILLIAM CASTLE STORY (2007)- 8
THE CAT O’NINE TAILS (1971)- 9 (rewatch)
BLOW OUT (1981)- 8 (rewatch)
HORROR RISES FROM THE TOMB (1973)- 8 (rewatch)
RISE OF THE PLANET OF THE APES (2011)- 7 (good if a little facile and too many plot holes)
A VIRGIN AMONG THE LIVING DEAD (1973)- 8 (rewatch)
13 ASSASSINS (2010)- 10 (Miike hits it out of the park)
ALL STAR SUPERMAN (2001)- 7 (good animated adaptation)
THE ARRIVAL (1996)- 7 (rewatch)
AMUCK! (1972)- 7 (nice, sleazy mystery- Barbara Bouchet is beyond gorgeous!)
BARON BLOOD (1972)- 8 (rewatch)
THE WARD (2011)- 4 (Carpenter’s dull return to features)
THE LINCOLN LAWYER (2011)- 8 (well done courtroom thriller)
K-20: THE FIEND WITH TWENTY FACES (2008)- 7 (insane Japanese combination of several pulp characters and influences)
IRONCLAD (2011)- 8 (violent period action film)
CONAN THE BARBARIAN (2011)- 6
THE DEVIL’S WEDDING NIGHT (1973)- 3 (bad on many levels but it has Rosabla Neri!)
VENGEANCE OF THE ZOMBIES (1973)- 7 (rewatch)

THE BEAST AND THE MAGIC SWORD (1983)- trailer

2011-09-05T21:15:00.002-05:00

We'll be covering this astounding Naschy film next month so I thought it would be good to give you a taste of its charms. Sadly this trailer is in Spanish but I think you can get the idea.

Jonny Quest opening - Stop Motion Style!

2011-09-02T16:22:00.004-05:00

Animator Roger D. Evans is obviously a huge fan of the classic Jonny Quest TV show. His remake of the show's opening credit sequence is brilliant and worth watching more than once. Or even twice. Check it out.

Jonny Quest Opening Titles from Roger D. Evans on Vimeo.

Barbarian Poster Art

2011-09-01T07:21:00.007-05:00

Since seeing the new Conan film I've had barbarian and peplum films on my mind. I think I'll be watching a few this month.

CONAN THE BARBARIAN (2011)

2011-08-28T20:42:00.009-05:00

I entered the theater to see the new film CONAN THE BARABARIAN with very low expectations. This was the correct way to sit down for a viewing of this film if you have seen more than 25 or 30 movies in your life. I can imagine a teenager, just out of the house with friends for the first time sneaking into a screening of CONAN on a dare because it’s an R rated film and being utterly dazzled. There is nothing wrong with this (other than whatever guilt the universe serves up for the ‘crime’ of watching age inappropriate cinema) and I could understand how a young lad might love the film with its wizards, pirates, naked breasts, fierce bloodshed and even a multi-tentacled monster. Twenty-five years ago I would have been that bright-eyed boy, happy to see some of the things I read about in adventure fiction come to life onscreen. But that was then and this is now so lowered expectations saved the day.

I have officially given up on there ever being a faithful adaptation of Robert E. Howard’s literary character of Conan of Cimmeria. Conan has become far too much a part of the wider pop culture landscape for the brutal pulp fiction written in the 1920s and 1930s to ever be translated to the big screen with real fidelity. But I’m fine with that. For years I had hopes that I might one day see such a film but this new movie has made me come to terms with the fact that I’m wishing for the extremely unlikely- and that’s OK. I understand how a Howard fan could be disappointed or angry that once again Hollywood has missed the chance to put the great warrior onto forty foot tall screens but I am not one of them. I now know that, although it would be great, I will never see it. After the 1982 film, a television series, an animated series, hundreds of comic books and even toys Conan is now and forever part of the larger entertainment environment. There will always be a place for the Barbarian but he will rarely be recognizable as the creation of REH. But that, once again, is OK. The original stories and one novel penned by that young Texas writer will always be waiting on bookshelves (both literal and electronic) for the rest of eternity and his work will be discovered by many a curious lad from now until the sun dies out. For me that is enough.

As for the new film- it’s not terrible. It starts off well with Conan’s birth on a battlefield as he is welcomed into the Hyborian Age by Ron Perlman playing his father. Nice! Any time you include Perlman in your cast I’m already on your side. The early scenes of young Conan proving his strength and sword skills are impressive as is the sequence that takes away his father and sets up the long term plot the film will follow. Overall I liked more of the film than I disliked and one of the things I liked the most was the upfront use of wizards and evil magic as central to the story. This gave a good feeling of threat to the proceedings as it also provided juicy opportunities to showcase some effective CGI work. The fight between Conan and a group of magically conjured Sand Warriors was well staged and quite exciting.

Sadly, there are three spots where the film looses its grip through a combination of poor editing, sloppy scripting and a bad choice in staging a section of the final confrontation. I won’t spoil things but I’ll just say that there was no need to make a certain escape quite so silly in execution by invoking the image of a playground see-saw. Still- the film managed to keep me happy for the most part and one of the main reasons is a bit of a surprise- I really liked the cast. Jason Momoa as Conan was very good at getting across complex things with few words and physically he was very believable in the well done fight scenes. The young actor who played Conan in the early part of the film was good as well but I would have left out the final scream of rage that signals his last moment in the film. Stephen Lang as the madman in a decades long quest to become a god and resurrect his dead wife is fantastic as is the suitable evil Rose McGowan as his wizard daughter. Everyone plays the film straight up the middle with no winking at the camera and for that I was very grateful. The film’s tone was serious and anything that might have disrupted this was wisely left out.

So, in the final analysis, CONAN THE BARBARIAN (2011) isn’t too bad and is actually better than I feared it might be. It’s not great and I still prefer the seriously flawed 1982 film but maybe that’s because I was 14 when it came out. I should really thank my Dad for taking me to see that one at such an impressionable age.

It’s time to pull those new editions of the Howard tales off the shelf for some late summer pulp fiction reading.

Jess Franco poster art - Part 12!

2011-08-26T16:31:00.004-05:00

As I get older I find myself enjoying Women In Prison films more and more. I think it was Franco's 99 WOMEN that actually made my attitude turn from indifferent to fan. What an odd realization.

ZARDOZ (1974) - The Game?

2011-08-24T07:50:00.005-05:00

OK. There isn't and never has been an 8-bit Zardoz video game, but that does nothing to lessen the cool factor on this. Well- it does make me really, really wish there had been a game based on this whacked-out John Boorman film. I am one of the cult of people that name this film a favorite even though its is very easy to mock. Any film that has Sean Connery running around a post-apocalyptic future in a red loincloth while shooting folks is going to be ..... divisive. I may love it because in the 1970s science fiction hadn't been overwhelmed by the STAR WARS blockbuster effect and was able to be thoughtful and (yes) pretentious. Another reason to defend ZARDOZ is that the film has some amazing ideas while sporting an R rating and plenty of Charlotte Rampling! Or is that more than one reason? They all run together as I age normally.

And I still need to read the novelization I have on the bookshelf!

NaschyCast #19.5 - Beyond Naschy - A VIRGIN AMONG THE LIVING DEAD (1973)

2011-08-22T18:45:00.009-05:00

We bring back the Beyond Naschy episodes and take a cooling dip into the Jess Franco pool/pond/sewer with his haunting, beautiful A VIRGIN AMONG THE LIVING DEAD. Much has been written over the years about Franco’s oeuvre both pro and con. Aware of the possible pitfalls Troy and I try to give newcomers an idea of what to expect and how to approach this movie while exploring some of the things that make this particular film so interesting. Of course, we get off track a few times and discuss other subjects as well but overall we stay on topic this time out. Luckily this film allows for a lot of on point digression- how else could we talk about Fritz Lang, crappy VHS releases, lily pads, black phalluses, St. Cecil and the proper use of the zoom lens. One of the funnier things we note is that no matter how much the title may invoke images of shambling zombies there are none in sight- if you watch the correct version! This unfortunate expectation of undead flesh eaters is pointed out and played with in our image for the podcast. Artist Jeff Nelson took the title and created what it conjured in his imagination which perfect illustrates why A VIRGIN AMONG THE LIVING DEAD may have been the wrong choice for a name. But was CHRISTINE, PRINCESS OF EROTICISM any better?

While some fans might point burgeoning Franco-philes to VENUS IN FURS, VAMPIRES LESBOS or FEMALE VAMPIRE as a better start point for his more difficult movies we both feel this film is the one more likely to garner a positive reaction. It sports some of the things that make his work challenging but it is also better paced and more visually inventive than those other movies. The scenes with Paul Muller as Christine’s father are cinematically brilliant and well worth seeing for any film fan. So settle in and let us try to lead you down the dangerous path of actually enjoying a Jess Franco film. You may never be the same again!

Write us at nachycast@gmail.com and grab the show from iTunes or at the link below.

NaschyCast #19.5 LINK

Anne Libert

2011-08-20T00:24:00.008-05:00

While talking with Troy about Franco's A VIRGIN AMONG THE LIVING DEAD we both remarked on the haunting beauty of Anne Libert in the role of The Queen of the Night. A gorgeous woman with eyes that seem to look right through you, she is able to impart paragraphs of meaning with a single lingering glance. In this case that is very good because the script gives her not one line of dialog! Miss Libert seems to have primarily worked with Franco and stopped appearing in movies by 1982. What a shame. I'd love to have seen her classic features mature into an older loveliness onscreen. I hope she's happy where ever she is now.

Cookie Monster as Tom Waits

2011-08-18T07:06:00.003-05:00

This is far from what I would normally post here but I haven't enjoyed a mash-up this much in a long time. Enjoy!

Scenes from A VIRGIN AMONG THE LIVING DEAD (1973)

2011-08-16T19:38:00.007-05:00

I'm working away making notes for the next 'Beyond Naschy' episode of the podcast and I realized I must rewatch all the bizarre, unnecessary additions to the film made by other hands. That is how dedicated I am to providing our listeners with the most informed Spanish Horror information possible - and I'm obsessive. Franco never wanted these sad 'living dead' scenes in his darkly poetic film but Jean Rollin hacked them out for the producers anyway. These dream sequences are pointless and silly but Rollin, as always, manages to get a few good images and ideas into even this cheap-ass crap. Seeing this outside of the film is actually the best way to see it at all. Plus, when seen alone you don't have to laugh at the sad way they tried to hide the actress' face because they couldn't get Christina von Blanc back to film the stuff! Doesn't everyone run around with their face completely covered by their hair?

And to demonstrate how even Franco's excellent dream like atmosphere can be undone by a bad dub job, here is the scene from the film that introduces Howard Vernon's character. Trust me- the French version is much better.

New Poster Art for Older films

2011-08-14T21:18:00.002-05:00

I have no idea where this fantastic poster art for Karloff's THE MUMMY (1932) comes from (I found it over at Calvin's Canadian Cave of Cool) but I love it! What a perfect collection/collage of images from the film.

FIREBIRD 2015 A.D. (1981)

2011-08-12T07:17:00.012-05:00

I am a huge fan of actor Darren McGavin. This stems from several things but primarily from the fantastic 1975 TV series called KOLCHAK: THE NIGHT STALKER. This Dan Curtis produced show was seminal in the development of my love of scary stories and the watching of the show as it aired in the mid-1970s form some of my favorite family bonding memories. I often tell friends about crouching on the end of the couch with my mother as we watched episodes of The Night Stalker. We sat close together and sometimes would pull a blanket or pillow up to our faces to hide our eyes from whatever nasty menace Carl was facing that week. It was (and is) a wonderful show and my mom and I still love watching reruns of it even if we have to watch them via DVD and by ourselves.

My enjoyment of McGavin as an actor was cemented when he played the cursing father in the brilliant film A CHRISTMAS STORY. It is this role that most people will know him from because of the 24 hour marathon of the film each December the 25th but to me he’ll always be Carl Kolchak. I nearly always expect to see him sitting in Ralphie’s living room surrounded by piles of arcane texts researching unexplainable events. Maybe that’s the only way to explain that pink bunny suit.

Over the years I’ve sought out several movies and TV shows with McGavin and in general I’ve been pretty happy with both the quality of the films and his performances- until now. Not that McGavin lets me down this time out, but the film is pretty damned dull.

FIREBIRD 2015 A.D. seems to be one of the dozens of movies made in Canada during the years when that country offered great tax breaks to producers. This flood of movies brought us a lot of great films and filmmakers such as David Cronenberg and Bob Clark but it also brought a lot of mediocre movies that I became familiar with as they crowded the late nights and long afternoons on cable channels in the 1980s. Some of these Canadian movies left a lasting impression on me either because of the stories, themes or stars so over the last few years I’ve been seeking them out to revisit the cable standbys of my youth. This hasn’t always been a positive experiment. I sought out HBO repeat king THE LAST CHASE a while back to see if it held up and was disappointed that, although the dystopian future scenario was still interesting, the film was rather lame. Not even the presence of Lee (Six Million Dollar Man) Majors helped that dull film in the cold light of adulthood.

FIREBIRD 2015 A.D. is very much of a piece with THE LAST CHASE. It, too, is a dystopian tale in which cars have been outlawed for some reason and the police hunt down people in violation of this most un-American of decrees. Both movies came out in 1981 and were clearly a natural outgrowth of the oil shortages and supply problems that had been so much a continuing story throughout the 1970s. I half expected both movies to have been made by the same people but there appear to be no linkages, so color me surprised.

As I said, FIREBIRD 2015AD is, unfortunately, a dull movie. Like many of the films that came out of Canada in this period it is shot in a very basic TV style with no energy or imagination. The setups are obvious, the coverage is clear but uninteresting and the visuals are dreary. The film takes place almost completely outdoors so that we can see a number of cars and motorcycles running around but all the car footage is boring. Only some of the scenes of two characters playing around in a dune buggy can be called interesting and that’s because they are tearing through some dusty hills with real speed. The movie plays out like a middle budgeted television film spiced up with a few dirty words and one flash of welcome nudity from the quite cute Mary Beth Rubens. Even genre stalwart Doug McClure doesn’t do much with his underwritten role as the head soldier trying to chase down McGavin’s legendary Firebird. The script makes a limping attempt to present some reason for all these shenanigans – something to do with driving a sympathetic senator to some important meeting - but its heart isn’t really in it. It’s clear that everyone involved knew that this was just a cheap car-porn film that was about five years too late to the drive-in. No, no. The only reason to watch this film is for the half dozen or so flashes of charm and screen charisma the great Darren McGavin is able to generate with this subpar material. I really can’t recommend anyone else checks this one out even if you’re as hardcore a fan as I am. Instead go rewatch a Night Stalker episode.