This year marks the 40th anniversary of one of the best
Spanish Horror films of the 1970's but it's also one that gets less attention than
it deserves. There are several reasons that WHO CAN KILL A CHILD is less well
known than other genre movies of the period - there is no overt supernatural
element, there is no monster in the traditional sense and the story is unnerving
no matter how you choose to view it. Director Narciso Ibáñez Serrador is best
known for his two feature films but has had a much more prolific career as a
creator and director for television. Interestingly, his theatrical films are
considered two of the best and most influential of the Spanish Horror boom
leaving fans to lament that he never made more. I guess we just have
to be glad we have the classics we have instead of wishing for more.
Beautifully shot, well acted, smartly paced and very tense
WHO CAN KILL A CHILD brings much to the table for discussion. Besides the
obvious central question of an adult's reaction to a dangerous child there are
questions of abortion, discipline, innocence, gender politics, the human cost
of war and even nods to the idea that survival is by necessity a dirty
business. Moral questions crop up repeatedly in the narrative but these
concepts never slow the story. Troy
and I have been looking forward to talking about this one for a while and we
dig in with gusto. Regular listeners will detect a slight difference in my
voice as, at the time we recorded this show, I was still recovering from a nasty
bladder infection. My energy had returned but not my voice so be aware that I
sound a little off. Or more off than usual!
As always, thank you for downloading and listening to the
show. If you have any comments or questions please write us at
naschycast@gmail.com where we'll be thrilled to hear from you. If you get the
show through iTunes consider rating and reviewing us in the iTunes store. We
announce at the end of the episode what film we'll be covering next and it's
going to be a major surprise, I think. We are certainly broadening the scope of
the podcast!
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