Beyond Naschy #23 - Spanish Horror Favorites with Cort!

I thought it might be fun to make a list of favorite non-Naschy Spanish Horror films and also get Troy to make one of his own so we could argue the various qualities of the films we love. Then I realized how much fun it might be to get others to play along! So, Cort Psyops joins us to indulge in one of fandom's great games - the making and comparing of lists of favorites!

No conversation about shared passions can go on for too long before people are arguing their favorites and explaining the reasons for rating one beloved thing over another. It is in these discussions that fans come to know each other. The communal exploration of Spanish Horror is something that we've tried to foster with the Naschycast and shows like this might be one of the best ways to bring more people to the party. I know we had a blast trying to name our three favorite of this very thin slice of the genre! Of course, only one of us was able stick the limit of three so the conversation ranges across the decades with many extra titles getting honorable mentions. And the sidetracks are numerous! Be warned - we digress from the topic more than once. We just hope that our ramblings are amusing enough keep you entertained.

One note - when Troy and I return near the end to talk about the Lists left on the Naschycast Facebook page there is a strange crackling on the audio that I could not remove. It only lasts for the first few minutes but it is distracting. Sorry! Technical difficulties are sometimes unavoidable (and mysterious).

If you've never heard Cort's excellent podcast Cinema Psyops you are cheating yourself out of a damned good time. Head on over there and give that show a listen. If you have any comments about this episode or just want to give us your list of favorite non-Naschy Spanish Horror films the email address is naschycast@gmail.com. We'd be glad to hear from you. The music this time comes from Jonathan Coulton, Piero Piccioni and The Decemberists.

iTunes LINK 

Direct Download LINK 

THE BANDITS OF SHERWOOD FOREST (1946)

THE BANDITS OF SHERWOOD FOREST (1946) is set up to play as a direct sequel to the 1938 ADVENTURES OF ROBIN HOOD film with Errol Flynn. The story takes place a couple of decades after the end of the previous film with tyranny unfortunately returning to England and Sherwood Forest in the form of William of Pembroke. William is the regent for the child King but has evil plans. Robin as the Earl of Huntington is the only lord to rise up in defiance of this new tyranny as the Regent makes his first moves to claim the throne for himself. To accomplish this he will need to shore up his base of power with the landowners, somehow do away with the boy King and find a way to undermine and destroy the Magna Carta.

Adding the revocations of the Magna Carta to this story is a nice bit of historical detail that sets things in an specific historical period. I like this addition to the Robin Hood story giving some real modern flavor to the reasons why we should be rooting for the Barons and Lords. Robin's tale was always one of overcoming the cruelties of the wealthy ruling class so having the document that first provided for the protection of individual rights, protection from unlawful imprisonment and access to swift justice makes the concepts being fought for all the clearer. I wonder if this film helped any young lads answer a question correctly in history class?

THE BANDITS OF SHERWOOD FOREST is a pretty good little movie with some good scenes and some fair action. The cast is game, the tone light but serious and the Technicolor photography is vivid. Cornell Wilde is a little American to be playing the son of Robin Hood but since the elder Hood is played by another American I guess I should shut up and enjoy. Besides, Henry Daniell as the villain is British enough for everyone! This isn't one of the best Robin Hood films ever but it's not bad.

THE CORRUPTION OF CHRIS MILLER (1973) on YouTube!

This film got mentioned by a Naschycast listener as a favorite Spanish Horror film and I have to agree that it is exceptional. If you've never been able to see this dark thriller (or if you've never even heard of it) I recommend settling in and checking it out. If we are very lucky it will get a Blu-Ray release one day. Until then, YouTube saves the day - again! 

Euro-Trash Poster Art

Until this morning I had never seen this art for THE MILLION EYES OF SUMARU (1967) and it's kind of amazing! 

What I Watched in June

I truly thought that SOLO (2018) might be the first Star Wars film that I did not see in a theater. I thought I would actually refuse to see it on the grounds that I've not been enjoying most of the recent Star Wars films since roughly 1983 and this one in particular seemed a truly unnecessary film. I found episodes 7 and 8 to be both lackluster, pointless, silly, redundant and poorly constructed. The only good thing that I could say about the more recent Disneyfied version of Star Wars is that ROGUE ONE (2016) was something that I actually enjoyed. So, what the heck, I decided to go see SOLO and boy am I glad I did! Turns out that this is a truly enjoyable film. Possibly the most enjoyable of the recent Star Wars films. It's a fun heist movie with some memorable characters, some nice twists and turns, a pretty decent story and a few surprises that I wasn't expecting. It's not great, it's not going to change anybody's attitude toward these films really but overall this is a pretty darn good little movie. Quite a surprise.

HEREDITARY (2018) is one of the best horror films of the decade. The past few years have been very strong for the genre and this movie deserves to be added to the list of top-rated efforts. I won't discuss things beyond some very general comments as I feel the tale is best discovered cold. What I will say is that the film's performances are astounding with the great Toni Collette taking top honors in a very difficult role. The dark family drama that plays out would fly apart if she was less than brilliant but she anchors the film so well I have trouble picturing anyone else as the character. The second half turn the story takes is smartly handled with only a few subtle hints laying breadcrumbs to the hellish final act. Also, the nerve jangling tone of the entire piece is excellent and something I hope other filmmakers study for future exercises in suspense. This film knows when to withhold information and how to reveal it well. 

After nearly a decade and a half of waiting Brad Bird and crew finally bring us a sequel and it's almost as good as the original. INCREDIBLES 2 (2018) picks up right after the end of the first film with a super-villain battle in the heart of the city making the ban on Supers even more popular. Destitute and depressed, the Parr family are surprised when a pair of wealthy siblings recruit them to engineer a return to the old days of public acceptance of costumed super-heroes. Thus begins a multilayered and clever adventure that is also very funny and exciting. This is how these types of films should always be done. It's a near perfect crowd-pleaser that doesn't insult your intelligence. 

THE LIST 

THE SCARECROW OF ROMNEY MARSH (1963) - 8 (rewatch of all three parts) 

ZOMBIE 3 (1988) - 2 (rewatch on Bly-Ray)

BULLDOG DRUMMOND (1929) - 7 

SOLO (2018) - 7 (solid if unnecessary Star Wars tale) 

SEPTEMBER STORM (1960) - 5 (OK 3D sunken treasure tale) 

FROZEN ALIVE (1964) - 6 (SF drama) 

HEREDITARY (2018) - 9 (incredible horror film) 

LA LOBA (1965) - 6 (good Mexican werewolf tale) 

INCREDIBLES 2 (2018) - 9 

HAUNTED HONEYMOON (1940) - 7 (Lord Peter Whimsey) 

THE RETURN OF BULLDOG DRUMMOND (1934) - 6 

THE AMAZING COLOSSAL MAN (1957)- 4 (rewatch) 

THE LIVING COFFIN (1959) - 6 (Mexican horror western) 

THE MONSTER SQUAD (1987) - 8 (rewatch) 

SANTO VS THE VAMPIRE WOMEN (1961) - 7 (Spanish language version!) 

WAR OF THE COLOSSAL BEAST (1959) - 4 (rewatch) 

MURDER MANSION (1972) on YouTube!

The amazing Spanish horror film La Mansión De La Niebla in it's English language version! If you've never seen this movie I recommend it and would then point you toward our Beyond Naschy episode on the subject. 

Beyond Naschy #13

THE LOST CONTINENT (1968) Advertising Art, Production Stills and Poster Art

And I don't feel the slightest bit guilty for loving it! 

Trailers From Hell - HIGH PLAINS DRIFTER (1973)

Edgar Wright explains why he loves this violent, dark classic so much. I also consider this one of Clint's best westerns and share Wright's man-crush on the director/star. But that's as far as I'm taking it! 

Naschycast Mini-Episode - Troy Howarth Interview

Sorry for the break! We're back with a Mini-Episode - we'll not call it a .5 episode, I guess. This time out we bring a new voice to the show. Author Troy Howarth has just published a new book about Jacinto Molina entitled Human Beasts: The Films of Paul Naschy. He debuted this look at the career of our favorite Hombre Lobo at this year's Monster Bash in Pittsburgh, PA. I took the opportunity to sit down and ask Mr. Howarth about the book, his first encounter with these films and even his three favorite Naschy movies. We also make time to badmouth cover artist Mark Maddox just because we can!

So check out this brief conversation focused on a few aspects of Naschy's career and then pick up a copy of Troy's book and let us know what you think. With a little luck this will be the start of a wave of books published on the subject to match the flood of Blu-Rays we've been seeing lately. I could do with an entire shelf in my house dedicated to just this field of study! There are links to the book below.

We'll be back very soon with the next Beyond Naschy episode. If you have any comments the email address is naschycast@gmail.com - we'd love to hear from you.

iTunes LINK 

Direct MP3 Download LINK

The Bloody Pit #70 - VENGEANCE (1968)

Antonio Margheriti directed several westerns over his very long career. VENGEANCE (1968) was his second effort in the genre after 1967's DYNAMITE JOE and the evidence here shows he was very comfortable in the field. Margheriti also takes a full writer's credit on this one meaning that he had a strong hand in shaping the story instead of just being a director for hire. Perhaps this means we can see what 'Mr. Dawson' was thinking in the late 1960's about westerns and the specific Italian slant on them when looking at this early in the cycle example. What are the necessary elements that need to be included?

Attention grabbing opening scene? Check.
Clint Eastwood-style loner? Check.
Revenge plot fueling the action? Check.
Intricate crime with backstabbing and betrayal? Check.
Gorgeous female character with little to do? Check.
Charismatic bad guy with odd affectations? Check.
As much violence as the times will allow? Check.

Seems like he had everything in place. But did he craft a good movie? Join John Hudson and I as we go through this well produced film starring Richard Harrison and a host of excellent European actors including Margheriti regular Luciano Pigozzi. (Was there an actor who appeared in more of his movies?) I complain about the plain nature of Harrison's name while Hudson laments the missed opportunity for a cameo by the Invisible Chimp. We talk about the Savina score, the title song, the joys of catching smaller onscreen details and pointing out where the film could/should have been shortened. We also take a few unexpected side roads with the lengthy DAWN OF THE DEAD conversation being pretty ridiculous even if it did relate to the 'less is more' concept.

Near the end we discuss an email sent in by a listener and if you'd like to comment on the show the address is thebloodypit@gmail.com. We would love to hear from you! Thank you for downloading and listening to us babble. We'll be back soon with more.

iTunes LINK

Direct Download LINK 

VENGEANCE (1968) - On YouTube!

If you don't have access to the recent Blu-Ray release or even the years old DVD presentation, here is the fully uncut version of Antonio Margheriti's western VENGEANCE (1968). We'll have a podcast posted about this film in the next couple of days so here's your chance to see what we're babbling about!

Science Fiction Magazine Covers of the Past!

Is it just me or did the future used to be cooler? And sexier? 

Bulldog Drummond's Best Friend - Algy!

Because Turner Classic Movies recently showed several of them I've been working my way through the earliest adaptations of author H. C. McNeile's Bulldog Drummond stories. I've read the earliest Bulldog Drummond novel but have yet to really dive into the early film adaptations until now. One of the things that kept me from getting into them initially was that, although they are seen as a series of films, no one seems to ever played Drummond in more than one movie. So although the films have been very entertaining and good adaptations, having the lead actor switch in every film is a little disconcerting. Each actor seems to twist the character a little to his own capabilities without changing him much but it's still odd.

Strangely enough in at least the first three films in the very loose series is that Drummond's sidekick Algy is played by the same actor - Claud Allister! And he even shows up as another character in 1938's ARREST BULLDOG DRUMMOND. When you first encounter him in BULLDOG DRUMMOND (1929) you assume that he's going to be someone left behind as the action begins because he is the epitome of an upper class twit. Indeed, I suspect he could have competed very strongly in the Upper Class Twit of the Year Contest!  

But as that first movie goes on he proves himself too be - although perhaps a little behind the always quick-witted Drummond - an eminently capable person willing to jump into the fray and do the right thing. It helps that in playing this role Allister is so clearly having a grand time mixing things up with both his fists and his rather agile eyebrows. His eyes go from haughtily clenching a monocle in perfect imitation the dumbest silver spoon buffoon you've ever seen in your life to directing menacing glares at the villains he's helping Drummond take down.

It doesn't matter if it's Ronald Coleman, Ralph Richardson or John Lodge in the title role as long as Claud Allister is in there giving it his all, you've got something to look forward to seeing.

Happy 4th of July From Cap!

SUPERGIRL (1984) Comes to Blu-Ray!

Why am I so happy that this mess of a film is coming to Blu-Ray? Because it IS such a mess! It's a disaster of huge proportions wasting so much money, talent and effort that it still - 34 years later - blows my mind that this got made. I know the producers were coming off the high of the first two Superman films and surely thought this was going to be another massive hit. They just forgot to come up with a script that was better than a Saturday morning cartoon. 

No. That's too cruel. There were Speed Buggy and Hong Kong Phooey episodes that were on par with SUPERGIRL's screenplay. Most were better but not every one was great. I'll admit that. But there is still something I like about this crap-show of a film. Part of it is watching great actors flail around trying to find something to do onscreen that won't totally embarrass them when their friends see the finished product. Part of it is trying to dope out the idiotic plotline that even Peter O'Toole can't describe well enough to register. (Do you know how bad a script has to be for Peter O'Toole to fail to bring life to it? He brought energy to PHANTOMS (1998) and that thing is moldering garbage!) 

The real reason I'm thrilled is that I can toss away my old special edition DVD of this film because this Blu will have all the versions of that release. Yes! There is more than one edit of this dreadful mess and I WANT THEM ALL! 

It's an illness. 

I should seek treatment. 

A Visit With THE AMAZING COLOSSAL MAN (1957)

Yesterday was the 60th anniversary of the release of Bert I.Gordon's one and only sequel film WAR OF THE COLOSSAL BEAST (1959). A few days before I had rewatched the original picture THE AMAZING COLOSSAL MAN (1957) because I recently gotten a new bootleg of that and a few other 50's science fiction gems. Well - gems in the loosest of terms really.  Although I get a big kick out of Mr. BIG's films I've never found them to be more than pretty good in general with some memorable scenes scattered around to make them pop.

Indeed, my return visit to THE AMAZING COLOSSAL MAN was a bit of a disappointment as I found it's flaws more in evidence this time around than the last time I caught it. The dialog is pretty bland, the acting mostly dull, the big scenes staged in an overly stiff manner and the always ropey special effects even less effective than I remembered. But it has something. A certain low budget charm, I guess. It's rough edges are obvious but most of the time they are forgivable because the film is such a brave attempt to do much with little. Now that I see the film with older eyes I can appreciate it for what it is even as I lament that it could have been better in almost every way. This is a sloppy, silly SF monster film made with more gumption than skill. I'm glad it exists! And I'm glad it spawned a sequel.

Now, if someone could just get James Nicholson's widow Susan Hart to relinquish the home video rights so we could get sparkling new releases of this and several other AIP films from the period!