Lamberto Bava's BODY PUZZLE (1992) Comes to Blu-Ray!

This 90's giallo comes to Blu-Ray from Raro sporting a commentary track from Adrian Smith and Rod Barnett! Wait. I'm one of those people! 

Yes, we discuss this film and its crafters while pointing out what makes it work and ask the difficult questions. Questions such as, are all police detectives in thrillers overly horny incompetents?

LINK

 

Leon Klimovsky's I HATE MY BODY (1974) Comes to Blu-Ray!

I HATE MY BODY (1974)

Director Leon Klimovsky; Spain/Switzerland, 1974

100 minutes; 1.85:1, color

English/Spanish audio choice/optional English subtitles

Starring: Alexandra Bastedo, Narciso Ibáñez Menta, Gemma Cuervo, Manuel Zarzo, Eva León, Manuel de Blas, Blanca Estrada, Byron Mabe

Lecherous businessmen Ernest and Peter go out for an evening of fun with two girls from work. There’s a lot of drinking and dancing and more than a little suggestion of frolics to follow, particularly when Ernest has the idea they swap partners. The two men set off in their cars with their respective dates. Ernest, in no fit state to be behind the wheel, roars with laughter as they speed off into the dark night. Momentarily distracted as he glances at his attractive passenger, he loses control of the car. They crash into the side of a bridge and the vehicle bursts into flames.

The bodies are rushed to the nearest hospital where both Ernest and his passenger are certified dead on arrival. However, the hospital’s surgeon, Dr. Adolf Berger - a former medic in a Nazi death camp - discovers that Ernest’s brain is still intact. Encouraged by his female assistant, Lydia, Berger decides to try out his long-cherished experiment- transplanting a brain from one body to another. However, the only body available is that of a young woman, Leda Schmidt, also technically dead in the hospital morgue. Casting aside all scruples, Berger begins the operation...

This outrageous film, which now has much contemporary relevance, was directed by horror specialist Leon Klimovsky the man behind Paul Naschy’s Werewolf and the Vampire Woman and numerous other Spanish “fantaterror” classics. The disc includes many exclusive extras and the feature has been fully restored.

DISC FEATURES

Region Free

Brand new 4K restoration from the original negative

Interview with actor Manuel de Blas

Interview with Spanish film expert Ángel Sala about the film

Victor Matellano on actor Narciso Ibanez Menta

Audio commentary by Rod Barnett and Troy Guinn of the Naschycast

Trailer

LIMITED EDITION FEATURES

Reversible sleeve with original ad art on both sides; 24 page booklet by Spanish genre film expert Ismael Fernandez; 1000 numbered copies in the usual red case.

Link to Mondo Macabro's order page
 

New Commentary Tracks on the Way!

I have been very busy the past two months working two jobs and also fitting in helping to create brand new Blu-Ray commentary tracks for some obscure genre films. Luckily a couple of them have been announced this week and I can talk about them.

 

First up, from Vinegar Syndrome, Adrian Smith and I collaborated on a track for CURSE OF THE VOODOO (1965). This is producer Richard Gordon's follow up to the better known DEVIL DOLL (1964) and this release features both movies with new commentaries for both and a few other nice extras. We couldn't more pleased to be part of this!

Of course, the bigger surprise is the legendary (for various reasons) Italian monster/gore epic ALIEN TERROR (1980) is coming out on a new Blu-Ray that will have a commentary track by Adrian and I as well! Yes, this is the film also known as ALIEN 2: ON EARTH but it might not be as bad as you remember it. Really! Plus Adrian was able to talk to a couple of the actors that made the film 45 years ago (!) and they gave us some fun details about the production. I'm very pleased with how this track came out and I can't wait for others to hear it!

There will be more announcements in the next month or so! Stay tuned. 

 

CONQUEST OF SPACE/ I MARRIED A MONSTER FROM OUTER SPACE Double Feature From Shout Factory!

I've been keeping my mouth shut about this release until the official announcement of extras, but - I contributed to the commentary track for I Married a Monster From Outer Space (1957) and I'm thrilled about it! I've loved the film for years and have written about it here a few times so I was very happy to join Troy Howarth to talk about this excellent example of smart science fiction cinema. Of course, the co-feature is a great movie too and the extras for it look fantastic. I can hardly wait to see both films in HD and I hope this disc introduces these classics to a new audience. Good times! I think it comes out in May.

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Bonus Features for Blu-ray

CONQUEST OF SPACE (1955) 

Audio: DTS-HD Master Audio Mono 2.0

NEW Audio Commentary By Podcasters Emily Higgins And Billy Dunham

Audio Commentary With Film Historians Barry Forshaw And Kim Newman

A Fellow Journeyman: Byron Haskin At Paramount

The Conquest Of Space: From Book To The Screen

Trailers From Hell – Joe Dante On Conquest Of Space

Still Gallery

Theatrical Trailer

I MARRIED A MONSTER FROM OUTER SPACE (1958)

Audio: DTS-HD Master Audio Mono 2.0

NEW Audio Commentary By Film Historian/Author Troy Howarth And Podcaster Rodney Barnett (NaschyCast)

Still Gallery

Theatrical Trailer

 

Jess Franco's THE OTHER SIDE OF THE MIRROR (1973) Comes to Blu-Ray!

On June 30th Mondo Macabro will offer pre-orders of this amazing psychological drama from writer/director Jess Franco. I consider it one of his best films and I was very happy to be asked to contribute to the release. Here's the full announcement and at the bottom I'll provide a link to the page that will carry the sale on the 30th. Exciting to see this lesser know film finally get the kind of attention it deserves!

Ana, a young songwriter and piano player, lives alone with her father in a large house on the island of Madeira. She meets a boy and they plan to marry. However when she tells her father of their intentions he tries to persuade her to call off the wedding.

With the help of her aunt, Ana continues with her plans and one day her expensive wedding dress is delivered. Ana puts on the dress and runs happily through the house to find her father. Entering his study she sees, reflected in a mirror, her father hanging by a rope. He has killed himself.

Ana leaves the island for the mainland and gets a job playing with a jazz band. However, she is haunted by visions of her dead father calling to her from beyond the mirror, summoning her to murder any man who gets close to her. Gradually the mirror world takes over Ana’s life until she can no longer separate fantasy from reality.

With a stunning performance by Emma Cohen as Ana, this was one of Jess Franco’s most unusual and personal films. This is its first ever US release and a world premiere on Blu-ray.

DISC FEATURES

Region Free

Brand new digitally restored 4K scan of the film negative

Spanish audio with optional English subtitles

Brand new hour-long interview with author Stephen Thrower

Brand new audio commentary by Robert Monell and Rodney Barnett

LIMITED EDITION FEATURES

Reversible sleeve with brand new art by Justin Coffee on side A and original ad art on side B; 20 page full color booklet with brand new writing on the film by Francisco Cesari and Roberto Curti; 1200 numbered copies in the usual red case.

Mondo Macabro LINK

New Commentary Track Announced! - BLACK CANDLES (1982)

Today Severin announced the details of their forthcoming Blu-Ray of the Jose Larraz film BLACK CANDLES (1982) and listed first among the extras is the commentary track that Troy Guinn and I contributed! We've been sitting on this news for months and are very happy that we can finally crow about this this one. Or baa. Or bleat. Or whatever noise a sexually satisfied goat makes. If you've seen the film you know I mean.

But I think that the other extras are even more interesting! Check them out.

Audio Commentary With Rodney Barnett And Troy Guinn, Hosts Of NaschyCast

La Dama Del Fantaterror — Documentary Short On Actress Helga Liné By Filmmaker Diego López

Made By The Devil — Interview With Gavin Baddeley, Author Of Lucifer Rising: Sin, Devil Worship & Rock'n'Roll

An Exception To The Norm — Interview With Antonio Lázaro-Reboll, Author Of Spanish Horror Film

A documentary on the amazing Helga Line? Plus two other interviews with knowledgeable film writers? This is looking like one heck of a disc!

Also - because Severin are sly merchandisers - they are offering replica necklaces as seen in BLACK CANDLES so you too can join in the Satanic depravity.

 

These items go on sale on the Severin website on Black Friday a.k.a. midnight of November 26th! So go grab you a big Blu piece of Spanish horror history packed with nudity, Satanism and beastiality. If you wonder what in the world it was all about just listen to Troy and I and we'll help you through.

LINK!

 

Severin to Release Jess Franco's BLACK BOOTS, LEATHER WHIP (1983)!

I'm pleased to relay the information about this release not just because it's an excellent 80's Franco film but because Robert Monell and I contributed a commentary track for it!

This Blu-Ray is to be part of Severin's big sale this week along with a second Franco film HOUSE OF LAST WOMEN (1983) and both of them are well worth grabbing for the Franco fan. And I think even folks less enthusiastic about Ol' Uncle Jess will find much sleazy joy in these two movies. 

Here's the details for each - 

Special Features for BLACK BOOTS, LEATHER WHIP:

*In The Land Of Franco Part 5

*Murderous Passions Author Stephen Thrower On BLACK BOOTS, LEATHER WHIP

*Audio Commentary with I'm In A Jess Franco State Of Mind Writer Robert Monell and NaschyCast's Rodney Barnett

Feature Specs for BLACK BOOTS, LEATHER WHIP:

*Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1

*Audio: Spanish Mono

*Subtitles: English

*Region: All

Special Features for HOUSE OF LOST WOMEN:

*In The Land Of Franco Part 6

*Murderous Passions Author Stephen Thrower On HOUSE OF LOST WOMEN

*Audio Essay with I'm In A Jess Franco State Of Mind Writer Robert Monell

*CD – Daniel J. White In The Land Of Franco Vol. 2

Feature Specs for HOUSE OF LOST WOMEN:

*Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1

*Audio: Spanish Mono

*Subtitles: English

*Region: All

TOMBS OF THE BLIND DEAD on the way to Blu-Ray!

News broke today over at the Rue Morgue website that Synapse will be bringing out the Spanish horror classic TOMBS OF THE BLIND DEAD later this year! Some details of the extras were part of the announcement including that the disc will sport three commentary tracks - one by film historian Troy Howarth; another with one of the film's stars Lone Fleming (!) and a third by myself and Troy Guinn! We are thrilled to have been able to be a part of this release which looks to be one of the most impressive packages Synapse has ever put together. Click on over to the Rue Morgue page for more information and add this disc to your 'must buy' list! 

Paul Naschy's BEAST AND THE MAGIC SWORD (1983) on Sale Soon!

On October 18th Mondo Macabro will be offering two new Limited Edition Blu-Ray releases for pre-order and the most anticipated one is THE BEAST AND THE MAGIC SWORD! This isvery exciting for many reasons. I'll let Mondo's ad copy present the details -

BEAST is the last great film from Spanish horror legend Paul Naschy. Although he would go on making and planning films until his death in 2009, he never again attempted the epic sweep and grandeur of this 10th entry into the saga of Waldemar Daninsky, the man afflicted by the curse of lycanthropy.

In this film we get for the first time an origin story of how the Daninsky curse began back in the 10th century. We then move forward to 16th century Japan where Daninsky has travelled in search of a cure to his affliction. Co-starring Japanese stage and screen veteran Shigeru Amachi, and shot in the studios of Toshiro Mifune, The Beast and the Magic Sword is a highly successful and colourful melding of European werewolf legends and dark Japanese fantasy. It features a fight between werewolf and tiger, an evil scarlet cloaked witch who imprisons Daninsky, a sword fight with a troupe of ghost samurai, and many other unforgettable scenes.

This is the first Blu-ray release of this film and its first ever US release.

So take advantage of MM's Great Halloween Sale and get your hands on this fantastic werewolf film. You might even enjoy the commentary track from the Naschycast hosts. That's right! Troy and I have commentated again and it comes as part of this excellent release! We think you'll have a good time with the film and the Blu-Ray so buy two. It's the perfect gift for the holidays - Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas, Thursday, etc. 

Swimming with ORCA (1977)

I've avoided ORCA (1977) for decades. The reason for this is that I've been told by many people - critics and regular folk alike - that it is a simply awful movie. The way I first heard about the film was, in fact, because of it's inclusion in one of the famous Medved brothers' books about bad movies. Having long since realized that those particular critics were a little too clueless to be trusted as guides to interesting cinema I have found that many films they derided as crap have become personal favorites. But ORCA has remained a movie that I've avoided except for a chance viewing of a single scene involving Bo Derek's leg. My curiosity has remained low but got a boost after I finally watched JAWS 2 a while back. Jaws rip-offs have suddenly become of interest to me so, I began to seriously think it might be time to give ORCA it's day in court. How bad could it be, right? So when I heard recently about a Blu-ray release in Australia that included a film historian commentary track I leaped at the chance to not only see this legendary bad movie but to listen to someone talk about it as well. Who knows - he might even defend it from it's bad reputation.

Now that I've seen ORCA I can say that - sadly - I have to fall on the Medved side of the opinion scale for this one. That doesn't mean I have to like the Medveds but when they're right, they're right. The movie's central problem is that takes the mistake made by the fourth JAWS film and runs it around like it's sheer brilliance. This film would have you believe that because the brain size of a Killer Whale is large, that it therefore has the reasoning power, emotional responses and desire for vengeance that a human being would have. To demonstrate this we have a male Orca seek bloody revenge on all it holds responsible for the death of it's mate and unborn child. It's at this point in plotting this story that several someones should have stood up and explained how stupid the idea was so that a new avenue of story could be taken. But that did not happen. So, we have a film in which a Killer Whale stalks and murders human beings until it kills all but the last fisherman standing. I'm not kidding. If you were a sane person you might point out that these people could have escaped danger from an ocean dwelling mammal by...... moving away from the shore, maybe. Or not going out onto the water anymore. Taking a job inland someplace. Someplace dry, perhaps. But then we would have no film called ORCA and, to be honest, that would a loss to the world of bad cinema.

Let me be clear - this a terrible film. It's core conceit is so ridiculous that it could never have recovered from it no matter what tricks were tried. To anthropomorphize a whale to the degree this film does is to shove aside any chance of anything being taken seriously. They try their best by hiring some damned good actors and Richard Harris in particular is really giving this stupid idea his best effort. There are a number of scenes in which his acting is exceptional and very affecting. He does everything he can to bring a sense of pathos to his character as he comes to regret his actions and begins to see a (ludicrous) parallel between his life and the male Orca. But the fact that Harris puts so much talent in service of this extremely silly story is kind of sad. It makes the stupidity of the whole affair almost insulting and definitely sad. Like leaving a cake out in the rain.

So, after finally watching this 70's silliness I settled in for the commentary track by Lee Gambin and I'm glad I did. Mr. Gambin brings a film fans' enthusiasm and a film historian's depth of research to bear on this harebrained mess doing his level best to defend it. Interestingly, he doesn't even seem to feel that he has to do all that much to prove his point about the film's qualities and plunges right into reeling off reams of background information about the cast, the crew, the production history and reception of the film with little more than a nod toward those who might dislike the thing. Gambin is a bit of a specialist in Nature Gone Amuck films and his comments show a wide knowledge of the genre that makes for fascinating listening. In fact, he made me wish I could have a few minutes with him to talk more about some specific subjects. I'd like to discuss the obvious missing scenes scattered throughout the film. Clearly, this was meant to be a much longer film before it reached the editing room. Maybe there's a podcast in that?

So, this turns out to be a rare instance in which I enjoyed the commentary for a film more than I enjoyed the film itself. ORCA is a silly, lunk-headed attempt to make a modern Moby Dick story by way of JAWS and it really only served me as an unintentional comedy most of the running time. Great acting can't save a flawed script idea. But Lee Gambin's contribution is what I'll be returning to this Blu-Ray for in the future. He didn't convince me that this is a good film but he did convince me that Gambin's name on a release is a good reason to pick it up.

NaschyCast Commentary for NIGHT OF THE SEAGULLS (1975) Announced!

Scream Factory has finally announced the extras for the forthcoming Blu-Ray of Amando De Ossorio's final Blind Dead film THE NIGHT OF THE SEAGULLS and I'm proud to say that it contains our seventh Spanish horror commentary track! We recorded this late last year and were thrilled to be able to expand on our previous Ossorio track for THE LORELEY'S GRASP. We took the time to talk a bit about the entire series, it's influences on other films and the qualities that make the Blind Dead so iconic. We might have even gotten a little too professorial for once! We'll let you decide when this disc streets in February. 

The Paul Naschy Collection II

Let the word ring out - the NaschyCast fellows (that would be Rod Barnett and Troy Guinn) have contributed another commentary track to Blu-Ray! This time it is for the amazing Paul Naschy film HUNCHBACK OF THE MORGUE (1973) and it is part of the second Scream Factory set of five Naschy films. The set features a number of other extras and a couple of other commentaries so I would consider the set well worth your time and money. Check it out - 

Bonus Features
HUNCHBACK OF THE MORGUE (EL JOROBADO DE LA MORGUE)
In Castilian With English Subtitles And English Dub
NEW Audio Commentary By Rod Barnett And Troy Guinn Of The Podcast, NaschyCast
Theatrical Trailers (Spanish And English)
Still Gallery

THE DEVIL'S POSSESSED (EL MARISCAL DEL INFIERNO)
In Castilian With English Subtitles And English Dub
Theatrical Trailers (Spanish And English)

THE WEREWOLF AND THE YETI (LA MALDICIÓN DE LA BESTIA)
In Castilian With English Subtitles And English Dub
Still Gallery

EXORCISM (EXORCISMO)
In Castilian With English Subtitles And English Dub
NEW Audio Commentary By Author Troy Howarth
Alternate “Clothed” Versions Of The Nude Scenes For The Original Spanish Release
Theatrical Trailers (Spanish And English)
English Credit Sequence
Still Gallery

A DRAGONFLY FOR EACH CORPSE (UNA LIBÉLULA PARA CADA MUERTO)
In Castilian With English Subtitles And English Dub
NEW Audio Commentary By Author Troy Howarth
Still Gallery

The set would be a good purchase if it only included HUNCHBACK and  THE WEREWOLF & THE YETI but the other three films are very good as well. This is a great time to either be a Naschy fan or to be discovering his work. 

New Commentary Tracks for Naschy Films!

As I have already gleefully announced here, 2017 is turning out to be the year Paul Naschy came to Blu-Ray in a serious way! Last year got things off to a good start with CRIMSON (1976) and COUNT DRACULA'S GREAT LOVE (1973) getting special edition releases with beautiful new transfers and some tasty extras. But this year promises to be even better as the Naschy trickle becomes a flood with Mondo Macabro's INQUISITION (1978) due any day now along with the forthcoming set of five Naschy classics from Scream Factory streeting in late June. It's a great time to be a fan of Spanish Horror!

Of course, for Troy and myself, these releases are of special significance. We were asked to contribute a commentary track for INQUISITION and were thrilled to do so. It was hard, headache inducing work and we are still nervous about the reception our efforts will receive. Overall, we're confident we've produced an entertaining, informative track that will add to the viewer's experience.  INQUISITION is a great film and one that has been very hard to see for the last few decades. We're very excited for people to finally get a chance to see this lesser known Naschy film especially in hi-def!  It's a gorgeous looking movie that has been hidden behind fuzzy VHS transfers for far too long. This is the work of a mature filmmaker exploring dark religious history and the insidious nature of fear meaning there is more than just thrills and shocks to engage the audience.

Adding to the Naschy news a few weeks ago Scream Factory quietly updated their website's listing for the upcoming set and, much to our surprise, announced that some fresh extras had been added. That's right! Your favorite Naschy podcasters have also recorded three new commentary tracks for the films in The Paul Naschy Collection! We were asked to add our voices to the new Blu-Rays and we leapt at the opportunity. In a way, we've kind of been prepping for this for seven years.

The tracks are for HORROR RISES FROM THE TOMB (1972), BLUE EYES OF THE BROKEN DOLL (1974) and NIGHT OF THE WEREWOLF (1981). We chose these because they are some of Naschy's best, showing different sides of his screen persona and also a bit of his range. Discussing these films allowed us to dig into Waldemar Daninsky, Carlos Aured's excellent giallo and our personal favorite of his horror movies. How could we refuse?

We would've liked to have recorded tracks for all five films in the set but we had to carefully manage our time to get them done and in a form we could be proud of - even if, when listening, I will always hear the things left out, the side roads not explored and the anecdotes left unrecorded for a lack of time. But, in general, we're very happy with the finished product and can't wait to hear fan reactions to these loving audio tributes to our cinematic hero. Who knows what other Naschy movies might get new high definition releases if these sell well! Fingers crossed, fellow Spanish Horror aficionados! 

INQUISITION (1976) is coming from Mondo Macabro!

We've known for  few months that Mondo Macabro was planning to release two top notch Paul Naschy films this year and today the company made the official announcement for the first - INQUISITION (1978). This is, of course, extremely exciting and not just because it is the beginning of a stream of Naschy Blu-Ray releases coming in 2017. This is one of the least well known of Naschy's horror films as it falls outside the area of his more famous monster tales. Indeed, this movie hews much more closely to WITCHFINDER GENERAL (1968) or THE DEVILS (1971) than to any of his werewolf films. Regardless, this an excellent film with a strong script, excellent cast and some fantastic ideas driving the actions. I can't wait for more people to be able to finally see this film!   

This will be INQUISITION 's Blu-Ray debut and the disc will sport a few nice extras - and that is the big news for the Naschycast. Troy and I were asked to contribute a commentary track for this release and we did so! Yes! We recorded a track that will be included on this Blu-Ray in which we try to provide some information about the film and circumstances around it. We're very excited about this and are very thankful to the fine folks at Mondo Macabro for this opportunity. We hope you will enjoy our track but even if you never listen to us babble at you for the entire running time of the movie I think you'll enjoy the film itself.

Keep an eye on this page to pre-order the Limited Edition or wait a few more months for the regular edition (which will still have our commentary!). This a great film and a must for Naschy fans. It might even be capable of creating NEW Naschy fans!

Here are the official specs for the disc -

We hope to have the limited edition of this title on sale in late April or early May, with the retail version landing in June or so.

Brand new cover illustration by Gilles Vranckx

Region-free worldwide Blu-ray premiere

HD transfer from the original negative

Spanish and English Language Tracks

New created optional English subtitles

Audio commentary by Rod Barnett and Troy Guinn of the Naschycast

Archival video introduction to the film by Paul Naschy

“Blood and Sand”, Eurotika! documentary on Spanish horror

Mondo Macabro previews

LIMITED EDITION CONTENTS

666 numbered copies

Reversible cover

Booklet featuring brand new writing on the film by Pete Tombs

And of course, the red case

Oh! and here is the other side of the reversible cover-

The Bloody Pit #7 - THE GIANT BEHEMOTH (1959) commentary

This time out I'm using the podcast format to reintroduce the commentary track I made for the fine 1959 monster film THE GIANT BEHEMOTH. I love this movie and was unhappy with the track provided on the otherwise excellent DVD so I took it upon myself to record an alternate. You can synch the track up with the film or just listen to me prattle on as if it were a normal podcast. Of course, the more familiar you are with the movie the more sense certain things will make as I comment on scene specific events.

In any case, I hope you will think I did a good job. This track has some faults –  verbal sloppiness & stammering and occasional stutters- but I hope I got across the information well enough to be enjoyed by fans. I think I've become much better at this kind of thing since I started podcasting three years ago but I'm not too embarrassed by my work on this six year old recording.

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.

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. Please drop me an email at thebloodypit@gmail.com to let me know what you think.

iTunes LINK

My commentary track for THE GIANT BEHEMOTH (1959)

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!

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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.

THE FEAR CHAMBER (1972)

I caught up with THE FEAR CHAMBER (filmed in 1968 but released in 1972) this past week and got just about what I expected. Its one of the four movies that Boris Karloff made right before he passed away and while it’s generally referred to as the best of the bunch its still a pretty terrible movie. The horror icon plays a scientist who discovers a living, possibly sentient rock in some vast underground caverns. Somehow the creature communicates with throbbing sounds and lives off human fear. Now, you may ask- how did a creature living for centuries beneath the earth’s surface evolve to need human fear to survive? Well, just by asking that question you have thought far too hard about this movie. That is only one of the many WTF elements in a story that seems content to throw them around randomly until one sticks.

To get the necessary fear infused blood to feed the rock Karloff and his band of merry mad scientists have constructed a ‘Fear Chamber’ into which they drag duped women to scare the hell out of them. When the ladies (of the night) pass out in terror they drain off some blood and drug the victim so she can’t recall her awful ordeal. This is where we get to see the sadistic turban wearing loon, the crazy-eyed bald midget and the half-wit hulking male nurse with a lobotomy scar do their thing. Which is kind of interesting for five minutes. But then the plot kicks in and the film starts to suck. Boris gives his all even to this crappy material but he can do little to save it.

This is not a good or fun movie and I would not recommend it to any but the most completist of Karloff fans. Its deadly dull and a real chore to slog through. But I can recommend the Elite Entertainment DVD release of the film. The fantastic filmmaker Jack Hill provides a solo commentary track for the movie and it is more than worth the price. It turns out that Hill wrote the script for this and the other three Mexican made movies that Kaloff filmed before his death. Unable to travel to Mexico City because of his health his scenes were filmed in California by Hill with the rest of the picture made south of the border. This is a great commentary that answers nearly all of the questions I had about the film and its production. It turns out that most of the script was tossed out or altered by the Mexican director as he saw fit. Hill thinks what he wrote was much better than what got made but I don’t know if this mess could have ever been too wonderful. Still, this track is well worth listening to even if you don’t want to watch the film itself. Hill is a fount of information and stories about not just THE FEAR CHAMBER and Karloff but filmmaking in general. His tales of editing & sound tricks to save poorly shot scenes was an eye opener for me. As a huge fan of his Blaxploitation and Women In Prison films of the 70s I was glad to have Hill explain himself and relate how the infamous Mexican foursome that ended a horror icon’s career got made. It doesn’t make this movie any better but it makes its low quality worth enduring to learn something new about low budget movie making and Boris.

Commentary track for FRIDAY THE 13TH: PART 5

Ah, the work that gets tossed to the side.

The fine fellows over at DeadPit.com recorded a commentary track that was supposed to actually be on the new DVD special edition of F13: PART FIVE but it got axed with Paramount offering no explanation for its rejection. The DeadPit boys figure its because of their Kentucky accents and the general lack of respect this bastard entry in the series has always gotten. They are pretty proud of the track as it was produced by Michael Felsher and contains audio clips from the director and cast spliced in at relevant moments. Regardless of the reasons it was left off the disc you can now have the track for no cost at all straight from the DeadPit site. Just follow this link to their website and download it for your listening pleasure. I'll be checking it out later this week.

THE GIANT BEHEMOTH fan commentary

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.