EUROCRIME! Trailer

I cannot wait to finally be able to see this documentary about the glory days of Italian crime movies. Just the list of interviewees is stunning- Franco Nero, John Saxon, Henry Silva, Fred Williamson, Luc Merenda, Enzo Castellari, Chris Mitchum, John Stiener, etc! Its an all-star cast of people that make me smile when their name appears in the credits of any film. Come on Blu-Ray packed with extras! Now!

Jess Franco Poster Art - Part 21

Jess' 1963 Noir-ish crime film. 

1950's science fiction Trailer Time!

NaschyCast #37 - THE MAN WHO SAW FRANKENSTEIN CRY (2010)

This episode brings us to our first documentary review for the show- and what a doc to start with! THE MAN WHO SAW FRANKENSTEIN CRY is a wonderful film and worth seeking out through whatever means available. More than just the story of Paul Naschy's life and career it is also a frank and loving tribute to the man with a string of celebrities talking about his work. I expected some of the folks that they talk to in the film to discuss the man's various collaborations but the effusive praise is stunning to hear from such a wide variety of people. My eyes filled with tears on more than one occasion and both of us highly recommend seeing this fantastic gift to the memory of the greatest of Spanish Horror icons. It is nearly perfect! 

After having little reader response last month we are overwhelmed with emails this time out! Feast or famine I guess. Thanks to everyone that wrote in and if you would like to let us know what you think please write us at naschycast@gmail.com or come see us on the Facebook page. We love hearing from you even when you pose us tricky questions.

iTunes LINK 

MP3 LINK

Games and Toys of my youth!

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

STAR WARS comic book covers

Th recent passing of comic artist Carmine Infantino made me realize that the first place I aw his work was in the many issues of the Marvel Comics STAR WARS series of my youth. This sent me on a search for copies of those books and BINGO - memory lane here we are. Several different artists are responsible for these gorgeous covers but they all trigger n me a desire to read the books again. I don't even remember what the hell was going on with that big green rabbit dude! Seriously- what is that all about?

Random Poster Art

WHITE ZOMBIE (1932) and Good Bye MOZ

With Brother D’s recent sad announcement that his influential, long lasting podcast Mail Order Zombie would be signing off for the final time very soon I got to thinking about zombie films in general. I certainly could never sit through the 200 plus examples of the genre that Derek has subjected himself to over the last five years but I have seen my fair share.

Although I do prefer the Romero style creatures I also have a lot of respect for the older, Haitian Voodoo type too and its been interesting lately to have two non-zombie podcasts cover the grand-daddy of that kind of shambler-  WHITE ZOMBIE (1932).  Brother D participated in a thorough review of the film over on the excellent B-Movie Cast adding his insight and knowledge to the regular show hosts’ wry enthusiasm. And then just a couple of weeks later, in a nod to the news of the end of MOZ the fine fellows over at Outside the Cinema stretched out of their comfort zone to cover the film as well. Both shows offer great discussion of this classic, if creaky, piece of horror history with much attention paid to Bela Lugosi’s arresting performance. If you aren’t already a listener to these two fine shows allow me to recommend both to you. They are great weekly podcasts that manage to both inform and entertain in very different ways. This neat bit of synchronicity around WHITE ZOMBIE provides a good entry point for new listeners and can give you a multi-faceted view of how impressive the variety of views can be in the pod-o-sphere.

It’s just a shame that it was the news of the passing of Mail Order Zombie that gives us this great opportunity. Good- bye MOZ. You will be missed.

MOZ iTunes

OTC iTunes 

Euro-Spy Poster Art

Adam Quigley Understands SUCKER PUNCH (2011)

I have been a fan and defender of SUCKER PUNCH since I caught it in its theatrical run back 2011 so I'm thrilled to have someone articulate the brilliance of the film in such an easily digestible way. Even if you don't like the film I urge you to check this out and see if it gives you new food for thought.

William Sachs & Pete Walker - Interviews!

If you are unaware of filmmakers William Sachs and Pete Walker now is a good time to learn about them. Sachs is known in the industry as a 'Fixer' - an editor/director brought in to attempt to repair fatally broken productions deemed too messed up for the original creators to fix. His story is fascinating and you can read it HERE.

Pete Walker is a nearly forgotten British director who made a series of mostly self-produced sex and horror movies. With titles like HOUSE OF WHIPCORD, SCHOOL FOR SEX and THE FLESH AND BLOOD SHOW you know what attracted a weirdo like me to his work but if you check out the brief article HERE maybe you will interested in seeing a few of his movies too.

Jess Franco Poster Art - Part 20!

OASIS OF THE ZOMBIES (1982) by any name reeks just as strongly of the garbage pile but this poster art for it is amazing. I can't recommend the film but this is worthy of framing.  

What I Watched in March

Yet another month without a trip to the movie theater means I dug into the video collection as best I could. I can't wait for Ta x Season to end so I can have a few days off again! Whew!

I finally watched the film QUEENS OF EVIL (1970). A friend had sent me a copy of this dreamy Euro-Trash a long time ago but I hadn't been able to fit it into my schedule until now. Ray Lovelock plays a kind young man whose only real possession seems to be his motorcycle. His cross country wandering brings him to an isolated house in the woods where three beautiful women reside. They allow him to stay in their barn overnight and although he has misgivings about them he eventually accepts further, more intimate invitations from them as well. What starts out as a strange but sexy stopover becomes more bizarre by the day until the mounting questions need answers. The film is a bit too leisurely placed at times but the gorgeous cast of ladies keep it interesting through the lulls and I find Lovelock to be a very personable performer. He was better in THE LIVING DEAD IN MANCHESTER MORGUE but that was also a better film. If Bava's LISA & THE DEVIL was a film you really connected with QUEENS OF EVIL would be a good next viewing.

I was happy to also finally cross Robert Culp's feature directorial debut off my 'to see' list last month. HICKEY & BOGGS (1972) is a surprisingly dark private eye story written by the great Walter Hill. The script is excellent carefully doling out information about the characters in tiny bits as the story rumbles along which forces you to pay attention to every line of dialog or get lost. This attempt to draw the audience in instead seems to have pushed moviegoers away and the film was a flop on release. That's a shame as Culp and Bill Cosby make a fine team here taking the rapport they developed on the TV show I, SPY and moving it to the big screen brilliantly. I wonder if the film's dark and complex nature simply turned off people thinking they were going to see a lighthearted tale similar to that television show. Regardless, I think a modern audience will appreciate the Noir-ish mystery told in this film and I consider the movie to be a neglected classic. 

SKYFALL (2012)- 9 (rewatch)

QUEENS OF EVIL (1970)- 7 (fascinating slow-burn supernatural tale)

NIGHT NURSE (1931)- 7 (fascinating Pre-Code drama)

THE RAVEN (2012)- 3 (silly idea done with flair but little intelligence)

LOVE BRIDES OF THE BLOOD MUMMY(1973)- 3 (dull Spanish Horror effort)

THE WHISTLER (1944)- 5 (OK beginning to the series but it feels like the last scene is missing)

UNIVERSAL SOLDIER (1992)- 4 (dumb but kind of fun action silliness)

THE FINAL CONFLICT (1981)- 7 (rewatch) (OMEN 3 is better than I remembered)

BUCKTOWN (1975)- 8 (damned fine Blaxploitation - a classic)

NIGHTMARE ALLEY (1947)-8 

HICKEY & BOGGS (1972) - 8 (brilliant private eye story with Robert Culp and Bill Cosby)

THE  WARRIOR AND THE SORCERESS (1984)- 4 (goofy but fun barbarian movie)

THE PSYCHOPATH (1966)- 7 (excellent Amicus film)

COUNTESS DRACULA (1971)- 6 (rewatch)

ICE STATION ZEBRA (1968)- 5 (overlong Cold War thriller) 

Jess Franco - RIP

Yesterday filmmaker Jess Franco passed away. I have known this would happen eventually and had even prepared a few thoughts on the subject of his career recently but it was still a surprise to read of his death. I'll miss him.

I'll miss knowing that such a mad maverick is out there still tossing around ideas for cinematic ventures regardless of potential budgets. I can't say I enjoyed much of anything he has produced in the past twenty years but that doesn't matter. I have so much affection for his early work - call it his Golden Period- that his presence is felt almost every time I watch a movie. I am not ashamed to say that there are images and ideas from several of Franco's films that have stayed with me for years and continue to pop into my head given the slightest push. I think one of the things that should be explored by future film writers is his amazing eye for telling detail - detail that illuminates character and story in that magic way that only the moving picture can. Jess Franco was a creator of pure cinema and that is how I'll remember him. That he could shock me and occasionally put a smile on my face just made the trip through his head that much more fun. While the merits of his work may be debated for decades to come what he leaves behind is without a doubt a unique legacy. He was sometimes a maddening creator but he was always worth watching and he will remain so for as long as people are curious about what cinema can do.

I will miss you Jess Franco and so will the rest of the world- even if they don't know it yet. You may be gone but your influence and inspiration will live forever. Rest easy in the knowledge that there are plenty of us out here wishing you well and wishing you were here. 

Peplum Poster Art!