My Latest Patreon Post - SILVER BULLET (1985)

Almost exactly 40 years to the day it was released to theaters I finally watched this Stephen King adaptation (with a script by the author). My reaction to it was foretold by Roger Ebert. 

 

The Bloody Pit #222 - HOUSE OF FRANKENSTEIN (1944)

It’s Monster Rally time! Troy and I have been looking forward to discussing this Universal Horror film for a long time. Easily one of the most fun of the studio’s 1940’s horror films HOUSE OF FRANKENSTEIN (1944) has extraordinary highs and some bizarre lows. We dig into every single one we can think of including my obsession with werewolf footwear. I’ll admit that I may have been overprepared for this episode which explains how the show’s running time stretches to double the length of the film itself!

Of course, this movie marks Boris Karloff’s return to the Frankenstein series but in a new role as a mad scientist. He is fantastic here with his character’s short-sighted goals always overruling wiser choices. Stepping into the oversized boots of the Frankenstein Monster for the first time is Glenn Strange, causing us to look at the common use of his version of the creature in products aimed at fans. John Carradine becomes Universal’s new Dracula in the episodic film’s first segment but I make the argument that he might be playing an imposter. “Is you is, or is you ain’t my Dracula?”

 

J. Carrol Naish appears as the hunchbacked assistant to Karloff and the actor does his usual excellent job playing a character that swings wildly from brutal murderer to pitiable, lovelorn soul. We also discuss several of the returning bit players that always show up in these movies and lament that George Zucco doesn’t get more screentime. At a certain point we realize that we have gotten lost on the brain swapping carousel trying to figure out which noggin should get which lump of gray matter. Luckily the film has a proper torches and pitchforks villager attack to bring things to a destructive end. Plus – quicksand!

 

If you have any comments about this film or any of the Universal horror movies thebloodypit@gmail.com is the place to send them. Thank you for listening and Happy Halloween!

Video - Trailer for HOUSE OF FRANKENSTEIN (1944)

This film is on my mind this week as I prepare for October podcasting! 

Naschycast - More Emails for 2024!

Just in under the wire – a Naschycast episode! We wanted to get at least one more show out to everyone before 2025 strikes so here is our latest run through several emails.

The concept of Naschycast goat plushies is submitted and both Troy and I love the idea! See the image attached to this episode for an example from Don Cunningham. Don also brings up the idea that perhaps all of the Daninsky werewolf’s victims are deserving of their fates but we think that requires some deep surmising. We then discuss the strange origin story of the show’s theme music complete with our clueless wondering about a CD release. Then Stephen Follows writes in to point the way toward his incredible and fascinating Horror Movie Report! This amazing study of (all?) horror films and the various revealing and noteworthy pieces of information that can be gleaned from even a surface examination of them is endlessly eye-opening. I recommend the curious to check out the full report here and Stephen’s website here. And Zach Lewis writes in to point all good Naschy fans to his excellent article about our beloved filmmaker on MUBI called Werewolf of Madrid. It’s well worth a read and could serve as a good introduction for newcomers curious about our hairy subject.

We end the show with an unexpected pleasure – Troy presents his book report on the legendary novelization of WEREWOLF VS THE VAMPIRE WOMAN! This begins a discussion of film novelizations in general and possibly points the way toward a future aspect of shows over on The Bloody Pit. As soon as Troy finishes the doorstopper version of Hell of the Living Dead!

Naschycast #75 - Don Cunningham Visits!

Independent filmmaker Don Cunningham joins Troy and I to talk about Paul Naschy and how he has influenced Don’s work. We discuss favorite Naschy movies with our guest naming some surprising choices. I love getting different perspectives on the icon’s career and this conversation has a few curves I was not expecting.

Of course, we could barely wait to ask about Don’s wonderful short film THE CASTLE OF BARON FINCH (2024). For this movie Mr. Cunningham writes, directs, produces and stars making him very much a man following in Paul Naschy’s footsteps. We dig into the production process, the genesis of the film’s story and the influences other than Naschy. The film is a (mostly) black & white silent movie featuring a vampire or two and a poor lovestruck soul with a moonlight and hair problem, so naming Jacinto Molina’s work as a major touchstone is perhaps a bit obvious. But this atmospheric little cinematic love letter stands on its own just fine. Don gives some details on the film’s release and places to see it. Oh! And I’ve scattered a bit of the fantastic score by Andreu Jacob into the latter half of the show as well.

If you have any comments or questions naschycast@gmail.com is the place to send them. If you want to reach out to Don you can message him on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/CastleBaronFinch or through email at drcushing@yahoo.com – thanks for listening! 

 

Naschycast #74 - WEREWOLF VS THE VAMPIRE WOMAN (1971) with Robert Kelly

Troy and I are joined by fellow podcaster Robert Kelly, host of Record All Monsters and author of Record All Monsters: the Book of the Essays from the Podcast. Don’t worry – he eventually explains the book’s title and his fascination with kaiju films.  

Robert came to his love of Naschy in a very different manner than either of your Naschycast hosts, getting an unexpected full-strength version of WEREWOLF VS THE VAMPIRE WOMAN (1971) as a gift at far too young an age. The ways in which this may have warped his movie loving mind come under discussion as well as his more adult thoughts about the werewolf as a monster. We use the recent Vinegar Syndrome Blu-Ray as a reference to compare some of the differences in the Spanish and English dubs with crazy Pierre getting attention once again. The conversation ranges from odd spots in the narrative to random details that stick in our minds so don’t expect a coherent march through a synopsis. We were much more interested in picking each other’s brains about Naschy’s werewolf films and other favorites from his career. If you have half as much fun as we did you’ll completely enjoy yourself!

If you have any comments or questions naschycast@gmail.com is the place to write. We do plan to record an email episode in the near future so now is the time. Thank you very much for listening and we’ll be back soon.

 

 

Then Is Now Ep. 132 – 13 Days of Hallowtober – Paul Naschy Part 1

I was thrilled to be a guest on the 'Then Is Now' podcast! This time the occasion was to talk about Paul Naschy, which I have a habit of doing even if there is no one listening. I've been on the show before and it is always a fun time. This is the second episode of their '13 Days of Hallowtober 2023' and we discuss the Naschy classics “Horror Rises From the Tomb” (1973), “Werewolf Shadow” aka “Werewolf vs the Vampire Woman” (1971), and “The Mummy’s Revenge” (1975)! Its a fine show and if you want to check it out you can follow the LINK below. 

Then Is Now Ep. 132 – 13 Days of Hallowtober – Paul Naschy Part 1 with Rod Barnett

THE CURSE OF THE WEREWOLF (1961) Poster Art

Hammer's wonderful werewolf film had some fine ad art.
 

Magazines and Monsters #53 - THE BEAST MUST DIE (1974)

 

On the latest episode of Magazines and Monsters Nic Brown and I are guests to discuss a 1970’s werewolf movie! THE BEAST MUST DIE (1974) is a rare non-anthology horror film from Amicus productions and that is one of many reasons it stands out. Another is that this is a werewolf film in which the creature eschews the standard cinema two-legged Wolf Man variant for a four-legged wolfy monster. This choice is usually given by viewers as they turn up their noses at the film but fans of the movie think it has caused this mystery/horror hybrid to age very well. Others dismiss the film for it’s famous Werewolf Break in which the audience is given a minute of paused screentime to make a guess about the identity of the secretive lycanthrope. I’ve often wondered how many people actually solve the mystery before the final reveal.

The three of us discuss the movie from top to bottom defending much of it and suggesting fixes for certain strange moments. We had a great time with this film and hope you’ll enjoy listening. 

Man-Wolf Cover Art

Werewolf By Night Comic Cover Gallery

What in Watched in February 2022

I love a good werewolf tale, especially one that isn’t afraid to sling a bit of gore around. But if you fear that THE CURSED (2022) is going to be some mindless splatter fest you will be surprised. Written, directed, and shot by Sean Ellis this film is much more interested in mood and a sense of place than in shock value. The film is best described as a slow-burn that rewards patience with excellent creature effects and a creative twist on werewolf mythology. Indeed, the vision of what happens to the people transformed into the beasts after being bitten is a glorious horror to behold.

I’ll admit that the middle section does meander a little as the characters learn what we are already aware of but the creepy atmosphere remains enthralling the entire time. The feeling evoked is of a bit of classic folklore brought to life and that is a wonder to see. THE CURSED is an exciting, fascinating work of horror that will no doubt be one of the year’s best genre releases. It’s an R-rated monster film that is merciless in how it treats its characters and sometimes shocking in its violence. Good stuff!

 

THE LIST 

THE NAUGHTY NINETIES (1945) – 5 (spotty Abbot & Costello effort buoyed by the Who’s On First routine)

BEYOND DARKNESS (1990) – 4 (jumbled Euro-horror)

THE MAN WHO WOULDN’T DIE (1942) – 6 (OK Shayne mystery)

SLEEPERS WEST (1941) – 8 (rewatch) (very good Michael Shayne film)

THE PLOT THINKENS (1936) – 7 (well done Hildegard Withers murder mystery)

MARK OF THE GORILLA (1950) – 5 (juvenile and silly but it moves)

NOBODY (2021) – 8 (excellent action film)

DON’T LOOK UP (2021) – 5 (not as funny or clever as it should be – excellent performances though)

BLUE, WHITE AND PERFECT (1942) – 7 (another good Michael Shayne mystery)

BLOOD CURSE (2006) – 6 (a.k.a. Bad Blood) (Portuguese haunted house story)

THE WEREWOLF AND THE YETI (1975) – 7 (rewatch on Blu)

DELUGE (1933) – 7 (fascinating disaster and aftermath Pre-Code film)

BACK PAGE (1934) – 6 (small town newspaper intrigue)

CREATURE FEATURE: 60 YEARS OF THE GILL-MAN (2015) – 7

THE MAD DOCTOR (1940) – 7 (Rathbone is superb in this thriller)

HAIL, CAESAR! (2016) – 8 (rewatch on Blu)

THE BRAIN EATERS (1958) – 3 (rewatch on Blu)

DEATH ON THE NILE (2022) – 8 (excellent)

MYSTERIOUS INTRUDER (1946) – 6 (another dark, bleak Whistler noir)

BLUE MOVIE BLACKMAIL (1973) – 7 (rewatch) (Italian crime)

THE CURSED (2022) – 7 (excellent slow burn monster film)

 

 

Paul Naschy Poster Art

NaschyCast #68 - Bob Sargent Interview!

 

The NaschyCast returns with a long episode to reward your patience.

Bob Sargent was the man behind the excellent 1990’s cult movie fanzine Videooze. His issue devoted to Paul Naschy was a major contributor to my early knowledge of the man’s filmography and allowed for fans to have a roadmap for his career. Mr. Sargent is a huge fan of Naschy and reached out recently to gab about our shared fascination with the great Spanish Horror icon. Of course, Troy and I couldn’t wait to get him in front of a Zoom mic and pick his brain about Euro-Horror in general and Naschy in specific. He was even kind enough to put together a list of his personal Top Ten favorite films by Senor Molina! This a is a lively conversation and it ranges over the decades and across a dozen different topics. You might even learn a little about how Videooze came about and who Mr. Sargent credits with pushing him into self-publishing.

If you have any comments or questions naschycast@gmail.com is still the address to send things to. We’ll be back soon with a short episode focused on answering a few emails.

Apple Podcast LINK 

MP3 Download LINK

The Bloody Pit #140 - FRANKENSTEIN MEETS THE WOLF MAN (1943)

Troy and I rejoin the Universal Horror Films of the 1940’s, already in progress.

With FRANKENSTEIN MEETS THE WOLF MAN (1943) Universal’s monster films took off in a radical and cinema altering direction. For the first time the studio combined characters from two different series into one new story regardless of the things that have to be ignored to make this work. In what decade are we supposed to think this movie is happening? It’s a sequel to THE WOLF MAN (1941) which took place firmly in the 1940’s but it’s also a sequel to THE GHOST OF FRANKENSTEIN (1942) which seemed to be happening in the early 1900’s. And dialog clearly states here that four years have passed since Larry Talbot was killed by his father, so mid-1940’s would seem to be accurate. But everything feels like WWI never occurred and certainly like WWII wasn’t a factor in anyone’s thinking. Welcome to the alternative world of Universal Land where several European decades are mashed together with bits taken from any time and place to create a habitat where monsters can come together to work toward shared goals. And then try to kill each other!

We plunge immediately into our long-awaited discussion of this classic, pulling on every loose plot string we can find and marveling at the bizarre changes from the previous movies. Was the last film’s finale set in a modern hospital or an ancient ancestral castle? Who cares! We just need to get a massive amount of dynamite into the hands of the local hot-headed pub owner so we can drown everyone and a castle looks much cooler being ripped apart by water. Fire last time so water this time! How did they never end one of these movies using an earthquake? It seems like the obvious next step. And then a tornado. But, I digress.

In just under two hours we talk about the fine cast, the wonderful atmosphere, the decision to edit out all of Bela Lugosi’s dialog and some subtle moments that are often overlooked even by fans. To us it seems clear that the written work of Doctor Frankenstein must be destroyed if for no other reason than it has the power to turn even the most mild-mannered physician into a mad scientist. I mean, damn! Has there ever been a faster turn to the dark side than Dr. Mannering? Were there any warning signs at all?

We hope you enjoy the show and thebloodypit@gmail.com is how we can be contacted. The next film in this series is another Sherlock adventure and we’ll have a new NaschyCast episode up soon too. Thanks for listening.

Apple Podcasts LINK  

MP3 Download LINK 

FRANKENSTEIN MEETS THE WOLF MAN (1943) Deleted Scenes with Bela Lugosi's Dialogue

This is an excellent video! Using the shooting script they present the deleted dialog and various scenes that were (stupidly) excised from the film showing how much stronger the movie's story would have been. I long for the day we learn of the discovery of the footage from this beloved film that would allow for a patched together reassembly. But since the chances of that happening are virtually nonexistent this is a pretty solid substitute. Check it out!

  

FRANKENSTEIN MEETS THE WOLF MAN (1943) - Poster Art and Lobby Cards