The Bloody Pit #217 - THE VISITOR (1979)

In the Cult Italian Movie category THE VISITOR (1979) stands out for many reasons. It is made up of equal parts science fiction, thriller and religious high strangeness shot through with touches of CARRIE and CLOSE ENCOUNTERS OF THE THIRD KIND. For years it was considered one of the least comprehensible movies ever made but with the restoration of the full running time in 2010 it is now only mildly incomprehensible. Indeed, with enough squinting and reading between the lines it is almost possible to find a narrative thread that only occasionally feels absurd. Ridiculous to the point of silliness THE VISITOR defies rational concepts of logical progression of story. Let some other movie have police investigations that go somewhere or examples of simple cause and effect in human reactions to inexplicable events. This film scoffs at such needless exercises. And don’t get me started on the exploding basketball that everyone ignores!

 

Troy Guinn, Bob Sargent and I (Rod Barnett) are the three intrepid film nuts that stutter-step their way through this Euro-madness. We wrestle this monster to the ground, fight off seagull attacks, ponder the eternal battle between good and evil and marvel at the cast of Hollywood stars the producer conned into being in this thing. What other movie of this type can boast John Huston, Franco Nero (playing a blonde, blue-eyed Jesus), Glenn Ford, Mel Ferrer, Shelly Winters (playing Mary Poppins’ cousin Mary Slappington), Lance Henricksen and an out-of-his-depth Sam Peckinpah? Is this the most bizarre film ever shot in Atlanta? Was the city’s mayor bribed to indulge the film’s production? How many times will we reference A Flock of Seagulls? Is the amazing prop that Troy dubs ‘Switch-Beak’ silly or brilliant? I cannot promise answers but we will at least pose the questions. Lots and lots of questions.

 

If you have anything to say about THE VISITOR or any other film that we’ve covered thebloodypit@gmail.com is the place to send them. We thank you for listening and we’ll be back soon. 

THE VISITOR (1979) Poster Art

I think the artwork for the foreign markets was much superior to what we got in the States.

The Bloody Pit #167 - PUFNSTUF (1970)

 

For this very special episode five people have gathered to discuss an influential part of their childhood – H. R. Pufnstuf!  In particular we examine the movie that grew out of the children television show’s immense popularity – PUFNSTUF (1970). So, grab your magic flute and come to Living Island for an adventure you’ll never forget – no matter how hard you try. Wild, man!

I am joined by Beth, Troy Guinn, John Hudson and Steph to talk about the biggest hit of Sid & Marty Krofft’s many Saturday morning TV programs. Each of us relate our history with the various shows and what we thought of them as kids before diving into the specifics of the big screen version. We dig into the Krofft brothers’ background as puppet performers, their early successes on the stage and the genesis of Pufnstuf as a character. We take note of a fun Universal Horror related song from their early 1960’s adult puppet show and then turn things toward the amazing songs created for the film. We talk about the cast with Jack Wild’s place in the hearts of young girls becoming a subject of some amusement while Billie Hayes’ immortal Witchiepoo is lauded as the best reason to watch either the film or the television show. Favorite lines of dialog are quoted and we wonder aloud if some of the best bits were adlibbed by Miss Hayes or not. We also talk about Mama Cass Elliot’s excellent performance as Witch Hazel and single out her song as a highlight. This really is a delightful movie!

If you want to share your own memories of the old Sid & Marty Krofft shows thebloodypit@gmail.com is the place to send them. We hope you enjoy this slightly chaotic trip into Saturday mornings past. Thank you for listening! 

The Bloody Pit #159 - THE HORRIBLE SEXY VAMPIRE (1970)

Cort Psyops returns to discuss THE HORRIBLE SEXY VAMPIRE (1970)! Just how many words in this title accurately describe the film’s contents? Woo boy. Your mileage may vary……

Recently rescued from dodgy video presentations by Mondo Macabro, this Spanish oddity is one of the stranger examples of Euro-Horror. We start our discussion remarking that the story behind the making of the film is probably more interesting than the film itself, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t a lot of onscreen elements to puzzle over. While the movie does sport a standard Lugosi-style vampire lurking around gothic places, the majority of the killings are handled nontraditionally. By that I mean that this vampire can somehow render himself invisible! Was this a stylistic choice on the filmmakers’ part or a budgetary one? It hardly matters as it creates one of the more memorable aspects of the movie. Watching victims flail about fighting someone that isn’t there is sure to keep you staring at the screen wondering just how crazy things will get.

Mondo Macabro’s Blu-Ray has a few excellent extras that give an explanation for how and why this film was made. The most interesting information involves the star of the picture and how he started an acting career. This disc proves that any film can be made fascinating the more you know about it. I can only imagine what viewers in the past thought of this bizarre movie with no frame of reference for what went on behind the scenes. This is the kind of thing I live for!

If you have any comments or questions thebloodypit@gmail.com is the place to send them. Cort and I thank you for your time and attention! Happy Halloween.

THE GREEN ARCHER (1940) - Serial Madness!

One of my favorite strange avenues of cinema is the longform cul-de-sac of the classic movie serials. I love the old chapter plays and get a kick out of digging into even the most obscure examples. Often, they can be bizarre in ways that even the most unhinged low budget Hollywood offering can only imagine.

 

Recently I got my hands on a decent copy of Columbia’s The Green Archer (1940) so Beth and I started watching it about a week ago. I was impressed that it is based on an Edgar Wallace novel because I’m a fan of his work and the later krimi films made from his novels in Germany. We were anticipating a twisty murder mystery with all the usual serial action grafted onto 15 chapters of fast paced crazy. What we got was a level of madness that is stunning! We knew we were in for oddness when the opening information scroll of the first chapter reads like we are watching either a sequel to another story or we were somehow joining this adventure in the middle. We had to compare notes at points to be sure we understood where some characters were and why they were doing things. We were not always successful.

We limited ourselves to one chapter a night at most and found ourselves incredibly amused but certainly not for the reasons that we expected. It turns out that The Green Archer is one of the most completely crazy examples of the serial form that I have yet seen. There's the usual bad guy when a couple of dozen henchman carrying out a dastardly plan that seems a little silly at times. In fact, we have repeatedly lost track of what his plan evil plan might actually be. At one point in a particular episode this bad guy decides to fake having his castle’s antiques stolen to collect on the insurance. This random attempt to fool the insurance company that the serial’s hero works for comes out of nowhere, leads in a big flat circle and winds up nowhere at the end of two chapters. That is a good example of what makes this serial fascinating and something Beth and I look forward to every time we sit down for an episode. What unexpected action will be the engine of this portion of the story?

 

Another strange element is that the head bad guy is so comical in his reactions to his henchman's constant failures that, at times, The Green Archer plays like a comedy. Because it's a Columbia product there's a part of me that keeps waiting for the Three Stooges to wander on set to start slapping each other or attempting to fix the plumbing. An early episode actually spent the entire 15 plus minutes with the bad guys battling themselves after having stupidly divided into two separate groups over anger with yet another failure. This is incredibly entertaining but I suspect has little to nothing to do with the Edgar Wallace novel it is supposedly based upon. Often, I see the lead actor playing the hero Victor Jory with a look on his face that seems to indicate that he knows that this entire scenario is insane and is just enjoying the ride.

I don’t know if I can fully recommend this serial and it is definitely not the best pace for a new viewer to try out the form. But if you have seen a few of the more sane examples of the classic serials The Green Archer can be an amusing sideroad that might give you some wide-eyed chuckles. 

 

The Bloody Pit #147 - FLESH FOR FRANKENSTEIN (1973)

Where is the line between grotesque horror and dark comedy? Paul Morrisey’s FLESH FOR FRANKENSTEIN (1973) explores that blurry line with colorful delight. Often known as Andy Warhol’s FRANKENSTEIN this is a one-of-a-kind experience and is now finally available on Blu-Ray!

 

Mark Maddox and I discuss the film and our history with it as we look at what we like and/or love about this bizarre piece of cinema. The movie was produced without a full script while the director composed pages on the way to Cinecittà Studios every day of its three week shoot. This creates a strangely meandering story about Baron Frankenstein (Udo Kier) attempting to bring about a Serbian master race by creating a perfect mating pair. As you might expect, things do not go as planned. Scattered about the story we find the mad doctor’s sister/wife, their creepy children and the lower-class servants who are asked to participate in some grisly experiments. It’s a bloody, nudity filled madhouse of a movie and is sure to please or anger an almost equal number of viewers. Our talk ranges from the very talented cast and the opulent sets to the well-done gore effects and the disgusting visuals. Of course, by the end we are off track and talking about other things but we start with good intentions. Forgive us!

The email address is thebloodypit@gmail.com and we’d love to know your thoughts on this odd work of cinema or any other subject we bump up against in our discussion. Thank you for listening. 

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Review - THE DEMONS OF LUDLOW (1983)

Last week I finally dipped my toes into the mysterious waters of the Weird Wisconsin Blu-Ray box set. To be clear, I originally had no intention of buying this career retrospective of independent filmmaker Bill Rebane simply because the one effort attached to his name that I had seen before was the abysmal MONSTER A-GO-GO (1965). Rarely has a movie deserved derisive discussion more than that failed mess. But after reading a bit I learned the odd history of the film’s convoluted production and realized that Rebane’s other work might be more interesting and less sleep inducing. I’ve purchased films for flimsier reasons.

Simply because I liked the title, I pushed play on THE DEMONS OF LUDLOW (1983) and was mildly rewarded. It tells the story of a small rural community that receives the gift of a special piano from a European benefactor. It seems that the foreigner is a member of the family that established this small town but was made to retreat to the old country for some local crime. Regardless of the dubious reasoning, on the two hundredth anniversary of its founding the mayor is proud to accept the gift with the explanation that the European family wishes to contribute something to the townspeople. As you might expect, this piano is part of a curse that serves, each time it is played, to call up vengeful dead folks to kill the descendants of the people that forced the European family to flee. Cue the carnage!

I’m not going to claim THE DEMONS OF LUDLOW is a great movie or an undiscovered classic. It’s very low budget hampers its ambitions several times and the cast is peppered with some non-actors that just can’t convincingly play most of the emotions that are required. But the movie does have something. It might be that it has a certain charm that grows from its outsized ambition or the ‘let’s put on a show’ feel of the entire affair. I found myself wanting the often teetering narrative to find its footing and get its tale told. To be honest, the film got me on its side with what I can only call its earnestness! I wanted the film to succeed and so when it firmly connected, I was happy and when it stumbled, I was more forgiving of its lapses. Even though I was constantly amused by whether the gifted musical instrument was supposed to be a piano or a harmonium I found myself overlooking the confusion about the very non-piano sounds it produced. Would it have been so difficult to dub in piano music when its being played? Or was there some larger reason for the music used? Maybe Stephen Thrower’s book included with the box set will have some information about this mystery.

There are four more Bill Rebane films in the set that I have yet to see and, mixed feelings aside, this viewing has made me eager to try them out. I’m not going to rush through them but I’m no longer dreading the experience. But I doubt I’ll ever watch the high-definition version of MONSTER A-GO-GO. That pain I do not need!

The Bloody Pit #132 - AMERICAN RICKSHAW (1989)

John Hudson and the mighty Bobby Hazzard return to discuss this late 80’s mystical mystery filmed in Miami.

Directed by Sergio Martino, AMERICAN RICKSHAW (1989) surely would not be nearly as entertaining or as coherent if it had been handled by someone with less experience behind the camera. Juggling enough disparate elements for two movies Martino somehow makes it all come together in a mad mishmash of sex criminals, televangelists, magical fires, mysterious ladies and the stolen pig idol that starts the whole crazed affair. Along the way we are witness to Donald Pleasance drifting in and out of a Southern American accent which might be worth the price of the Blu-Ray all on its own. Our hero is played by Olympian Mitch Gaylord and, for some reason, his performance gets better the more unshaven and sweatier he becomes. Maybe desperation breeds more believable acting in professional athletes?

Our conversation meanders all over the film and its various strange elements as we attempt to come to grips with the way that the plot is both insane and – eventually – straightforward. Of course, it is impossible from the start to realize that this tale of a poor college student working as a rickshaw driver in Miami will transform into the endgame of a decades long mystic war between rival sorcerers so I think it is understandable that we can’t maintain a straight-line plot discussion. In fact, it might just be impossible to talk about AMERICAN RICKSHAW in a completely linear fashion. There are simply too many things going on all at the same time! Luckily, I think we only lose track of what we’re doing a couple of times with the worst moment being when we are nearly derailed by tales of small-town strip clubs. And Hudson is still obsessed with transparent simians. Of course.

If you have any comments or questions thebloodypit@gmail.com is the email address where notes or recordings can be sent. Thank you for listening to the show and please let others know if you enjoy what we do here.

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The Bloody Pit #127 - THE FINAL PROGRAMME (1973)

Randy Fox returns to dive back into the science fiction films of the 1970’s.

Unfortunately, THE FINAL PROGRAMME (1973) is one of the lesser-known SF movies from the 70’s. There are many reasons for that including it being savagely cut for American release and that its cast is devoid of major movie stars. But a more relevant reason it is largely unknown is the type of science fiction tale it tells. Adapted rather faithfully from the first of Michael Moorcock’s series of Jerry Cornelius novels it hews closely to the arch tone of the book in ways that might frustrate some viewers. Plot points are not spoon-fed, explanations for odd occurrences are not always made and anyone looking for a solid hero will be left wanting. The motivations for the main character are, by turns, dark or driven by melancholic grief when they aren’t just completely inscrutable. Aware that the world is crumbling around him Jerry seems content to chase his psychotic brother Frank but often affects a disinterest in nearly everything else. “Well, for a start, I'm going to sit here and get smashed out of my mind. And I also have it on very good authority that the world is coming to an end. I thought I'd go home and watch it on television.”

Randy and I spend the first thirty minutes of the show discussing the book series with a focus on the first, of course. We then (eventually) get into a deep look at the film using a faulty synopsis that causes me to complain about one of the more common errors made when summarizing this movie. We talk about the fine cast, the director’s comments about the movie and the difficulty of crafting such a large-scale tale on a small-scale budget. We touch on the locations and the music as well as author Moorcock’s choice for sonic accompaniment that was overridden by designer/writer/director Robert Fuest. And we finally wind our way to the mad ending that is the sole false note for Randy. This touches off a spirited discussion of how I would have liked the final scenes to play out to move things closer to the unfilmable ideas in the book. And then I quote star Jon Finch from an old interview about his involvement in the film. We have a pretty good time!

If you have any comments on the film or the podcast thebloodypit@gmail.com is the place to reach us. Which 1970’s science fiction film should we dig into next time? Let us know. And thank you for listening!

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Ralph Bakshi's LORD OF THE RINGS (1978) Poster Art and Lobby Cards

I'm feeling the desire to rewatch this one. 

THE LEECH WOMAN (1960)

It’s difficult to explain why I have real affection for THE LEECH WOMAN (1960). It is easily one of the weakest of Universal Internationals' sad late 50’s horror thrillers with a retread story and set-bound look. It’s silly, derivative and the details of the plot are so obvious that you can predict nearly every action minutes before they occur onscreen. So, what is it that has made me watch this movie half a dozen times over the years? The characters!

This movie accomplishes what I think was not possible in a film of this type until the late 1950’s. There is not a single likeable or even semi-likeable person in this story. Not one! Everyone either starts out as a despicable scumbag or is eventually revealed to be one as the story plays out. It’s incredible!

It was only in the 50’s that some science fiction and horror films were starting to be aimed at a more mature audience. The Hollywood horror product of the 1940’s war years was gauged for a younger crowd as escapist monster tales suitable for kids. But after this infantilizing of much of the genre the 1950’s had ushered in higher minded adult stories that could be better enjoyed by older audiences. Of course, not every production had a huge budget to swing around for creating nifty effects or believable creatures. Some had to rely on mature themes and, just as is true now, that meant melodrama and/or sex. This being the 1950’s melodrama was easier to add but if you were crafty sex could spice things up pretty well too.

Enter THE LEECH WOMAN (1960)! The central horror of this tale is the awful specter of old age. Well – old age for women. As the movie lays out very clearly, old age for men brings a distinguished wisdom along with the graying hair. But women become hideous monsters subject only for pity and derision! They are horrible harridans hobbling around making demands of the virile men in their lives who are simply attempting to accomplish great things and breed with younger, prettier women. At least, that’s the picture this film paints. Needless to say, I find this entirely entertaining. Rarely has a low budget horror film so perfectly captured the patronizing attitudes toward older women in service of a ridiculous story. Because not only the men but the women hold these backward beliefs! The film repeatedly demonstrates the disgust of everyone for elderly women and it is the bedrock of the entire plot. The main male character is striving to find a way to become rich by reversing the aging process; the central female character wishes to be young looking again to keep her slightly younger husband attracted to her; and the old lady that set things in motion needs money to return to her native African village so she can restore her youth for an end of life bacchanal. Good lord! Why don’t all these people kill themselves at the age of thirty to avoid the hell of middle age?

So, yes - THE LEECH WOMAN (1960) is a completely insane film. Although it integrates its jungle stock footage much better than most movies of the time it never fools anyone into thinking that everything we see isn't on a stage. And while I am impressed that the film actually treats the African characters with more respect than average even casting actual black people in the roles instead of black faced white dudes, they are still presented as ignorant savages. But the reason I am fascinated with the film is that it takes a standard societal attitude of the times and blows it out to create a story that either illustrates the idea perfectly or displays it for mockery. And I can’t decide which of these two choices the filmmakers were aiming for! Were they so immersed in the belief that old women are useless hags that it seemed like a natural jumping off point for a story or did they want to point out the horrors of such a view of life? I don’t know but I suspect I have put more thought into this than anyone involved in the film’s production. This is my curse.

My most recent time through the film (on Blu-Ray, no less!) I was paying attention to the characters again. I was sure that there had to be at least one person in this nasty tale that came off as likeable in some way. And I thought I had someone pegged as the one that was going to hold her head up and exit this sordid mess with dignity intact. The doctor’s secretary seemed like a perfectly nice young woman with no real personality flaws. And then she pulled a gun threatening another woman with death if she didn’t leave town and keep her hands off her fiancé! Insane! Everyone in this movie is one jealous or greedy moment away from violence or murder and that is why it fascinates me. It’s like watching a pit of trapped vipers fight each other. I’m entranced watching their sad struggle to come out on top and escape across the lip of that trap as they keep pulling each other back into hell. Probably not everyone’s idea of a fun night’s viewing.

Argento's THE STENDHAL SYNDROME (1996)

THE STENDHAL SYNDROME was Dario Argento’s final great film. Not that I knew it the first time I watched it. That first time through I enjoyed it but was disappointed in the rather downbeat and slightly unsatisfying ending. But I liked it enough to watch it again and on that second viewing it opened up like a flower stretching toward the sun. My god! What a beautiful but deadly thing. Much like a gorgeous plant far too poisonous to touch THE STENDHAL SYNDROME is easy to admire but nasty in its effects. Bleak to the point of teeth gritting nausea it boasts a rape and murder scene that is rough even for a horror movie veteran. And the thing the killer does with a razor blade still makes me flinch just to think of the specifics. But alongside these terrible things are some beautiful moments of cinematic excellence. This was the last time I felt that Argento really had a handle on what makes a thriller work. Not that he hasn’t made some interesting stuff since then but THE STENDHAL SYNDROME was the last time I felt he made an entire film that stood up and rewarded repeated viewings. It also has one of the most surrealistic scenes I have ever witnessed in a horror film involving Asia Argento kissing a fish. This has to be seen to be believed, if not understood.

Of course, the film has its share of problems- all Argento movies do. There is some dodgy CGI that doesn’t quite work, some of the dubbing is bad and at least one character is too poorly defined for the ending to be completely effective. But still…..this is a good movie. It’s got a great twist, some amazing set pieces, a truly scary villain and what is probably Argento’s last great use of color. Not to mention the sense of dread and horror that breaks at the half way point only to slowly build again in the last half. There are few things scarier than the fear that you are going mad and this film gets that across almost without you noticing.

SINFONIA EROTICA (1980)

I just finished watching Jess Franco's film SINFONIA EROTICA (1980) recently released on Blu-ray by Severin. This is another of Franco's films that I've missed in my various hunts through bootlegs over the past 20 to 30 years and I was glad to see that there are still so many little hidden gems out there for me to find. This one was made in 1979 and is another of Franco's explorations of the works of the Marquis De Sade. While now that I've seen the film I don't agree with the ballyhoo on the back of the Blu-ray calling this a lost masterpiece, I do find it to be absolutely fascinating in many ways. This is once again Franco in experimental mode using the camera as a questing eye roaming around the scenes to lock onto images as the actors deliver their lines. At times these movements and changes in focus are seemingly at random but when sometimes they click the film succeeds in bringing a fresh perspective on the story slowly unfolding before you.

While the film certainly has all of the exploitable elements that you would expect from a 1970's lensed Jess Franco effort it is very much a period piece as well. Filmed on a couple of gorgeous locations with some pretty decent costuming and an attempt to bring a sense of. Reality to things. The movie manages to once again do to me what more and more of Franco from this period of his career is capable of - It manages to mesmerize me. For an hour and 24 minutes I was caught up, dazzled, occasionally frustrated and sometimes overly curious about how he is doing what he's doing and why he is attempting to tell this story in this way.

From the opening we are told that there is a plot involved between Lina Romay's character and her doctor. It's not until the third act, of course, that we will learn what this plot is but along the way we see enough depravity around the home she lives in with her husband the Marquis to know that it would have to be pretty daunting to outdo the sexual nastiness and murderous intent of this woman's husband. Without ruining anything I'll just say that the finale is satisfying and journey there is one I'm glad I took. As with all such Franco works your mileage will vary.

Severin's Blu-Ray has a couple of significant extras too. A brief interview piece with Franco in which he talks about the ladies loves of his life. This was touching, warm conversation and brought a tear to my eyes. I miss old Uncle Jess. The other extra is an excellent 22 minute talk from author Stephen Thrower discussing Franco's work and this film in particular. As always, Thrower is entertaining and incredibly informative making this extra worth the price of the disc for fans.

The Bloody Pit #75 - THIS NIGHT I WILL POSSESS YOUR CORPSE (1967)

After too long a delay Cort Psyops returns to The Bloody Pit to dip back into the Brazilian madness of the second Coffin Joe film - THIS NIGHT I WILL POSSESS YOUR CORPSE (1967)! As I admit in the show, I was hesitant to go back to this series because I felt that Cort and I set a pretty high bar with our discussion of the first of Jose Marins' horror epics. That film forced us to examine our own moral precepts and how humanity's cruelty can easily form a philosophy of life twisted toward nihilism. We touched on the various topics of Marins' obsessions as we went through that film using it as a jumping off point for probing the darker aspects of our own psyches. With this second discussion, we do the same thing but - because all sequels have to go further to shock their jaded audience - we aim to dig a little deeper. Listen in and see if we manage it!

We do slip down a few odd side roads that were not on the original map. Besides a brief discussion of Dario Argento's late trilogy wrap-up MOTHER OF TEARS (there's a good reason) we also find creative new ways to relate the tale of Coffin Joe to modern stories of note. In fact, I'm pretty sure that this will be the first podcast to ever link the horror output of Jose Mojica Marins to the TV shows It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia and Better Call Saul. Visions of monsters might be universal across all cultures in some surprising ways. We do our best to not lean too hard into the Catholic criticism that seems such a vital part of the subtext of the world of Coffin Joe. We get a few Mormon jokes in there to level things out a little! Sorry.

If you want to contact the podcast the email address is thebloodypit@gmail.com or the FaceBook page is still a thing you can join. I try to post things of interest there and keep the talk fun. Thanks for downloading and listening!

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Brief Thoughts - THE DUNWICH HORROR (1970)

I know that there is a sizable contingent of horror fandom that does not like THE DUNWICH HORROR (1970). I understand this. The first time I saw the film I was unimpressed and found it a rather mixed bag. There were elements I liked but the modern day setting and the use of odd editing choices to communicate some of the supernatural influences were off-putting. But the film stuck with me. Since my second viewing years ago I have come to really like the movie - not in spite of it's perceived flaws but because of those odder ingredients. It's those stranger choices that set the film apart from all but the more experimental Lovecraft adaptations. In trying to find a way to visualize the more uncanny parts of what HPL writes about the director went with something interesting but potentially irritating . Given how disliked the film is I suspect that, for most, it doesn't work. I know that these components were probably used to hide budgetary problems but that just makes them more interesting for me. I'm glad to say that - like an other-dimensional slime mold - it has grown on me.

Plus, Dean Stockwell's performance is slickly mesmerizing. Rarely has such a creepy character slithered across the screen so smoothly. I only wish his third act demise was more satisfying and not another example of a low budget effect.

A Return to the BLOODY PIT OF HORROR (1965)

No sane person is ever going to tell you that BLOODY PIT OF HORROR is a good film. It is not. It is little more than a silly mash-up of cheesecake model ogling and medieval torture chamber madness aimed at base level titillation and thrills. But that is what makes it a sick little charmer and possibly a GREAT film! 

The thin-to-the-point-of-invisibility plot is ludicrous - a horror story publisher is trucking a group of gorgeous cover models around Europe in search of scenic locales for sexy cover photo shots. They find a castle owned by a reclusive body builder (actual body builder Mickey Hargitay) who allows them access to the place but then begins killing them off under the delusion that he is heir to the legend of the Crimson Executioner. This.... story.... gives the film the chance to parade several attractive actresses around in negligees AND have a shirtless Hargitay inflicting dastardly violence on their nubile flesh. Of course, even though this is a European production it is still the mid-60's, so the cruelties are mostly left up to the imagination. Or, at least in some cases, they should have been. I will never understand the thought process that led filmmakers to think the poisoned mechanical spider was a good idea. The sight of it is giggle inducing and no amount of threat from the other devices in the room are going to excuse it. There are some bloody moments in this absurd effort such as the sight of swords smearing red paint across the cleavage of a couple of the pretty ladies. But overall the blood on display is tame enough to pass for a kiddie matinee these days. The film does take a bit too long to kick into gear but once it does it manages to present a reasonable facsimile of a fun time. 

One thing this film has going for it is a real sense of energy in the second half. This is heavily aided by chopping and shortening certain scenes that are viewable on most DVD editions of the film. In almost every case these deleted scenes add very little but make the quick pace the thing that keeps the viewer intrigued, even after they realize that the film is going to constantly pull its punches when it comes to violence. Obviously the filmmakers assumed that the energy and the sight of Mickey Hargitay in full madman mode would be enough to keep viewers in their seats until the end credits.

But there is one bit of torture in the film that is actually pretty effective. And oddly it's effective mainly because of what it suggests rather than what it shows. This is when the book publisher (who one could argue is responsible for this entire disaster) is placed in a cage over an open flame and slowly roasted to death. The director chooses carefully to only suggest the horrible nature of this character's demise but it lingers regardless. The after-effects are never shown and indeed the cage in which the body is suspended is artfully hidden by a stone archway after it's clear he's dead. This ghastly death is disturbing and it stands out as a moment of actual horror in an otherwise silly film. 

Naschycast #60 - THE UNLIVING (2004)

Sharp-eyed or eared (?) listeners to the Naschycast will recognize THE UNLIVING as an alternate title for a film we've already covered on the show. Troy and I took a look at this Fred Olen Ray joint a few years ago under it's more evocative name TOMB OF THE WEREWOLF and you can still check out episode #30 for our original assessment. This time out we revisit this problematic entry on Paul Naschy's credits at the request of our new guest - David Zuzelo! David is an old friend from the early days of Euro-Trash horror online fandom and someone I should have included in the show much sooner than now. He's a horror comic writer and expert on the trashier side of cinema making him the perfect man to talk about this uncut sex-filled werewolf romp.

The three of us spend a lot of time on this film discussing it's flaws, it's points of interest and David brings some fascinating behind the scenes information to the table. Of course, as you might expect with Euro-Horror fans, we also branch off onto related subjects with a lengthy musing on Jess Franco and the more obscure films of Amando De Ossorio. David and I reminisce a bit about our first podcast experience together on Horror Rise From Spain and his upcoming work in horror comics. Troy and I wrap the show with a brief email from Our Man In The Field before we let you go.

POWERWOLF! 

If you have any comments or questions the address is naschycast@gmail.com or you can join us on the Facebook page. Thanks for downloading and listening!

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AWAKENING OF THE BEAST (1970) - Coffin Joe Rides Again

It's wasn't until the 21st century that José Mojica Marins was able to get a third full-blooded Coffin Joe film off the ground. Before that movie was finally made we got The Bloody Exorcism of Coffin Joe and this strange little piece, originally titled Ritual Of The Sadist. I guess the best way to look at AWAKENING OF THE BEAST is to consider it an anthology film of several small, depraved tales bracketed by a contrived wraparound story. Although I find some parts of the film to be very interesting, I don't like the movie as a whole. It's disjointed, silly, slow and at times boring. And when you can say a movie involving Coffin Joe is boring, you know something went wrong!

I'm not really sure that the short tales presented in the film were originally made to be a part of a Coffin Joe film. I think it's more likely that the pieces were fit into a framework Marins came up with to craft a feature inexpensively. Although Marins claims to love this movie and thinks of it as one of his best I very much disagree. He seems to be proud of it because of the 'social commentary' elements in the various stories but it's those very bits that drag the movie down and provoke yawns from me. There're few things more boring than being preached at when all you're looking for is an entertaining movie. This is easily the least of Coffin Joe films and it's the one I'd advise skipping if funds are short.

The set-up for the wraparound story is a discussion between several intellectuals and academics about the horrible state of the world because of the lack of morality in people. The men relate various absurd, sinister stories to prove their points. The men are obviously just trying to top each other in a kind of 'Who has the more bizarre tale?' contest but they all take it seriously... so maybe we should too. Naaaah! Each story has illegal drugs as its catalyst, with the point being that they "stimulate depravity and promote corruption". That's all well and good but the stories are so damned silly that there's no way I can take them seriously. You'd expect stories that relate awful circumstances of rape, adultery, murder, violence and humiliation to be depressing or at least interesting, but as presented here they're really just dull. And Marins' attempts at symbolism are so obvious and ham-handed (a fat, lecherous businessman turning into a pig; a shot of bull horns when a cheating wife speaks of her husband, etc.) that they cause laughter instead of reflection. As the stories are told we are gradually shown that one of the men in the discussion is Marins, going under the name of Mr. Mojica.

But it's not until the final story that things really get interesting. In this tale a professor relates the details of a highly unethical experiment in which he dosed four drug addicts with LSD and had them focus on images of Zé do Caixao. As the hallucinogen takes hold the film suddenly jumps to color and Marins parades every bizarre idea of psychedelic insanity he possibly can in front of the camera. Set loose from the constricting need to be coherent he splashes bright colors and shock imagery on screen and if you look carefully I'm sure you'll even see a kitchen sink! Of course, this sequence is more often than not ridiculous and silly but there are several moments that are genuinely creepy. Some of the hellish pictures presented during this segment strike an unnerving chord — even though there is no way the sight of a bunch of men's asses painted with faces is ever going to be anything other than unintentionally funny. This section of the film is like watching the unholy merger of a David Lynch film that's been put through Cronenberg's telepod from The Fly with a copy of an Ed Wood masterpiece. Demented? Yeah, but definitely interesting... which is more than I can say for the first hour of the film.