Happy Halloween!

Please have a safe and happy Halloween! Don't eat too much candy and don't scare anyone too badly. 

Casting the Runes radio show

For your Halloween listening pleasure here is an excellent episode of the CBS Mystery Theater! This is yet another version of M.R. James' brilliant story 'Casting the Runes' and the second radio adaptation of this story that I've posted here. For a listen to the earlier show try this LINK. 

And for this slightly altered version of the tale entitled 'This Will Kill You' you can download the MP3 HERE or listen through the player below. Both shows are good and I recommend them for an entertaining and creepy night of audio fun. 

Halloween Fun

FRANKENSTEIN CREATED WOMAN (1967)

For the past decade I’ve harbored a strong dislike for the film FRANKENSTEIN CREATED WOMAN (1967). I love most Hammer films and rate their Frankenstein series as far superior to their Dracula run but with repeated viewings of the entire set of six (or seven if you’re charitable) I kept finding myself irritated by FCW. Most horror fans disparage the true oddball of Hammer’s ‘Adventures of Baron Frankenstein’ films THE EVIL OF FRANKENSTEIN (1964) and there are many reasons to single it out- it’s the only one not directed by the great Terrance Fisher; its story doesn’t fit in with the previous film’s continuity; the hypnotism element is silly; the monster is a box-headed freak, etc. But I’ve always liked EVIL for many of those same reasons. I think it’s wonderful to have an alternative tale of a slightly different Baron played by the superb Peter Cushing while he was in his prime. His performance in EVIL is a little sunnier, maybe even more relaxed, which makes his bursts of vengeful anger at the townspeople that destroyed his earlier experiments much more effective. EVIL doesn’t fit the films before or after it but I’ve always cherished it, warts and all, for the quirkiness of its tale and the way it’s told.

But FRANKENSTEIN CREATED WOMAN began to bother me from the first viewing. Why was the Baron suddenly trying to mess around with ‘souls’? What is this crap!? The Baron I knew would have laughed at the very idea of such a thing. He was a man of reason and science, dammit! Souls were silly fictions made up to scare the ignorant masses into being nice, obedient slaves. Frankenstein dealt in reality! He dealt in the grimy, bloody viscera of the human animal and knew what made it function. This is the man who constructed a body from corpses and zapped life into it! Souls? Show me one! Where is it? The fact that this story posits that he would care about a soul much less attempt to construct a way of capturing one just struck me as ridiculous.

Then I rewatched the movie last week. The fine podcast 1951 Down Place wasthe push I needed. When the show’s hosts decided to cover FCW for its October show I cringed. I like to be able to add comments for them when I can and since I hadn’t seen the film for years I felt it was time to revisit the Baron’s soul experiments. I did not look forward to it.

Imagine my surprise when, this time, the film worked for me. The process by which the Baron might come to shift his experimental focus from only surgery to this line of inquiry became clear. After multiple failures, that he often could not account for, his ever quick mind seems to have moved to new areas. Since he had clearly perfected the physical aspect of the process (after a fashion) it would be only natural to look into a better way of moving the human mind from one person’s corpse to a fresh creation. The question of how to insure a stable ‘creature’ is then solved- fix the damaged body then insert the consciousness of another person into the repaired body. No more screwing around with brains and transplants – he can just swap the mental essence of a person from one place to another. Genius! Of course, the bizarre machinery he builds that can capture the ‘soul’ is completely crazy in both concept and in the way it’s depicted. With its floating ball of energy held in a colorfully lit room it comes off as absurd even in context of a Frankenstein film but that’s a secondary concern here that the film wisely moves past as soon as possible.

So then once my dislike of this core element of the story dropped away I was able see how good FRANKENSTEIN CREATED WOMAN really is overall. It has the same wonderful Gothic production values I love in Hammer movies, great performances (Thorley Walters is fantastic), extremely nasty villains, a sympathetic pair of leads/lovers and a great logical progression for the story as it winds to its tragic conclusion. I have to say I now consider this to be my third favorite Hammer Frankenstein movie behind REVENGE OF FRANKENSTEIN and FRANKENSTEIN MUST BE DESTROYED. That is quite a leap. I can hardly believe how radically my view of FCW has shifted- it’s a full 180 degree switch. This surprising reevaluation makes me excited to revisit other movies from the studio to see what happens. Maybe SCARS OF DRACULA will turn out to be a work of brilliance that I’ve been snubbing? No- I doubt that!

Cross-Section of an Alien!

Because its better to know where the vulnerable parts actually might be - if there are any! 

Monster and Halloween Toys!

NaschyCast #32 - THE NIGHT OF THE WEREWOLF (1981)

With much joy and some sadness we finally talk at length about THE NIGHT OF THE WEREWOLF. We have been holding off discussing this one for many reasons- its the last of Naschy's werewolf films for us to cover; it's a standout entry in the series; its the only Waldemar Daninsky film available on Blu-Ray; etc. The good news is that it is such a solid effort that repeated viewings only make it more impressive. Many key players return, both in front of and behind the camera making this a fun time for longtime fans but the lycanthropic action is plentiful enough to also make it a good bet for neophytes. This is a big, bold, colorful, violent and atmospheric slice of Gothic Horror and it is a worthy addition to not just Spanish Horror cinema but to the genre as a whole. With Naschy writing the script, directing the film and starring in the title role how could it be anything else but an earnest splash of monster fun?

Naschy really lets his film-fan side show in this one with many nods to older classic horror moments from THE CURSE OF THE WEREWOLF, DRACULA- PRINCE OF DARKNESS, THE MASK OF SATAN (a.k.a. BLACK SUNDAY) and several others. We hope you'll enjoy our conversation on this wonderful film. As we had little feedback in the mailbag we conclude the show with a brief look at the amazing MUCHAS GRACIAS SENOR LOBO book that showcases an extensive collection of Naschy movie memorabilia. Please let us know what you think by dropping us a note at naschycast@gmail.com or joining us over at the NaschyCast Facebook page. Oh- and Happy Halloween! 

iTunes LINK 

Direct Download LINK

Muchas Gracias Senor Lobo