Wild, Wild Podcast - NOSFERATU IN VENICE (1988)

Venice is stalked by an aging madman with a perverse attraction to beautiful young women, and then they turned the cameras on and started filming Nosferatu in Venice. Yes, this is that one where Klaus Kinski turned up and made impossible demands on an under pressure film crew, and it is a miracle that there was any kind of finished film at the end. But what will Rod and Adrian make of it? And just how will Donald Pleasence attempt to steal his scenes with that kind of ego on the set?

This season is dedicated to that great quiet man of British cinema, Donald Pleasence, who spent a great deal of time in the 1980s in Italy. We would love to hear from you about your favorite Donald Pleasence films from this period, or if you have ever had to deal with an insane megalomaniac with artistic pretensions.

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*Apologies for the occasional lapse in sound quality. This is because Adrian recorded next to an open window. In his defense, it was really hot that day, and how was he to know that his mic would pick up every passing breeze as well as every passing ice cream van?*

'Witches Tales' Cover Gallery

Continuing my Harvey Horrors explorations.

 

'Chamber of Chills' Cover Gallery

I've finally started reading collections of the Harvey Horror titles and I'm really enjoying them. Quite a shift in my vision of the company that became most famous for Richie Rich and Casper the Friendly Ghost comics.

 

The Bloody Pit #237 - THE TORTURE CHAMBER OF DOCTOR SADISM (1967)

Holger Haase returns to discuss a German horror film that owes a bit to American, British and Italian films of the Gothic persuasion. THE TORTURE CHAMBER OF DOCTOR SADISM (1967) is an excellent combination of the films it is borrowing from but still manages to put its own unique spin on the genre. It balances Bava-like lighting and atmosphere, Edgar Allan Poe tropes and Hammer-style costuming and sets with a forward momentum evocative of the Krimi films its director was known for. It’s a shame it wasn’t more successful so that it might have spawned a few copycats of its own. I guess we’ll just have to be happy with the colorful gem we have!

Holger and I discuss the film from stem to stern including its Christopher Lee sandwich structure and his almost vampire character. The rest of the cast is of interest with the more obscure German character actors getting their moments in the multicolored spotlight. We never puzzle out why Carl Lange plays three separate roles, but we try. Both of us are impressed with the location shooting and the evil castle/laboratory sets with its many traps and pits. Holger reads Christopher Lee’s rather odd recollections about shooting this film which has both of us wondering if he had a different, more salacious production in mind. And, of course, we lament that director Harald Reinl never made another horror film considering his obvious facility for the form. And as a side note I took great pleasure in Holger’s reaction to a certain portion of the film’s score. The pain in his voice is what I imagine he would sound like trapped in a snake pit with a bladed pendulum descending toward his throat.

 

If you have any comments or suggestions thebloodypit@gmail.com is the place to send them. Happy October! 

October is Here!

Now if we could just got the temperature to drop below 85 degrees Fahrenheit! 

 

The Incredible Hulk Comic Book Covers

These are a few of the first Hulk comic books I had in my collection as a kid. I still think of them fondly and plan to reread them eventually. 

 

Doctor Solar, Man of the Atom Comic Book Cover Gallery