Video - Mario Bava Tribute

Happy birthday to Italian genre cinema maestro Mario Bava! Today would've been his 108th birthday, and even though he left us in 1980 his amazing artistic legacy only continues to grow with his influence visible in recent films such as LAST NIGHT IN SOHO, MANDY and THE NEON DEMON just to name a few. He's been name-dropped by filmmakers as diverse as Martin Scorsese, John Carpenter, Quentin Tarantino, Francis Ford Coppola and Guillermo del Toro - and for good reasons. We can continue to enjoy his work even as we mourn his absence. Happy Birthday, Maestro! 

GOTHIC FANTASTICO: FOUR ITALIAN TALES OF TERROR

I'm proud to share the announcement of this amazing set of Italian Gothic films from the 1960's. I contributed in a small way to this release by writing an essay on one of the included movies but even if I had not I would still be very excited about this. Check out the details below and the links to where it can be pre-ordered ahead of the October release date.

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While groundbreaking director Mario Bava (Black Sunday, Black Sabbath) remains the most well-known purveyor of Italian Gothic horror, many other filmmakers tried their hand at the form throughout the 1960s as part of a hugely prolific and popular cycle. Gothic Fantastico presents four off-the-beaten path titles from this classic period, all of which demonstrate Italy’s ability to expand genre beyond the classic literary monsters that dominated elsewhere.

Gaslighting abounds in Massimo Pupillo’s Lady Morgan’s Vengeance – a delicate tale of romance and mystery, with a sprinkling of sadism and the supernatural – as newlywed Sir Harold Morgan (Paul Muller, Nightmare Castle) attempts to destroy his new bride (Barbara Nelli, Double Face) with help from his sinister maid (Erika Blanc, Kill, Baby… Kill!). Meanwhile, the perverse influence of Poe is used to great effect in Alberto De Martino’s The Blancheville Monster – a tale of family curses and madmen in the attic, as Emilie de Blancheville (Ombretta Colli, Gladiator of Rome) returns home to her brother Roderic (Gérard Tichy, Hatchet for the Honeymoon) and discovers her own family may be out for her blood. Mino Guerinni’s The Third Eye features not only a very early role for Italian cult film icon Franco Nero, but a plot that borrows several elements from Hitchcock, layered with a whiff of necrophilia. Finally, Damiano Damiani’s The Witch takes a more avant-garde approach, when a young historian (Richard Johnson, Zombie Flesh Eaters) is lured to work for an ageing woman, only to be held captive when he becomes obsessed with her beautiful daughter (Rosanna Schiaffino, The Killer Reserved Nine Seats).

Madness, obsession and messed up families are the order of the day in these four lesser-known monochrome gems from Italy’s peak Gothic period, now fully restored in 2K from their original camera negatives for the first time and presented alongside an array of in-depth extras.

Product Features

• Brand new 2K restorations from the original camera negatives of all four films
• High Definition Blu-ray™ (1080p) presentations of each film
• Original Italian and English front and end titles on The Blancheville Monster, The Third Eye and The Witch
• Original lossless mono Italian soundtracks on all four films
• Original lossless mono English soundtracks on The Blancheville Monster, The Third Eye and The Witch
• Optional English subtitles for the Italian soundtracks
• Optional English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing for the English soundtracks
• Brand new video introductions to each film by Italian film devotee Mark Thompson Ashworth
• Image galleries
• Limited edition 80-page book featuring new writing on the films by Roberto Curti, Rob Talbot, Jerome Reuter, Rod Barnett and Kimberly Lindbergs
• Fold-out double-sided poster
• Limited edition packaging with reversible sleeves featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Colin Murdoch

DISC ONE: LADY MORGAN’S VENGEANCE

• Brand new audio commentary by author and critic Alexandra Heller-Nicholas
• Brand new video essay on the film by author and producer Kat Ellinger
• Brand new video interview with actress Erika Blanc
• Newly edited video interview with actor Paul Muller
• Newly edited audio interview with director Massimo Pupillo
• The complete original cineromanzo, published in Suspense in April 1971
• Trailer

DISC TWO: THE BLANCHEVILLE MONSTER

• Brand new audio commentary by filmmaker and film historian Paul Anthony Nelson
• Brand new video essay on the film by writer and pop culture historian Keith Allison
• Brand new video interview with author and filmmaker Antonio Tentori
• Opening credits for the US release of the film
• Trailer

DISC THREE: THE THIRD EYE

• Brand new audio commentary by author and critic Rachael Nisbet
• Brand new video essay on the film by author and filmmaker Lindsay Hallam
• Newly edited video interview with actress Erika Blanc

DISC FOUR: THE WITCH

• Brand new audio commentary by author and producer Kat Ellinger
• Brand new video essay on the film by author and academic Miranda Corcoran
• Brand new video interview with author and filmmaker Antonio Tentori

Pre-Order LINK - Arrow Site

Pre-Order LINK - Zavvi Site

Krimi Poster Art!

 

The Bloody Pit #153 - THE GREEN ARCHER (1961)

Author Nicholas Schlegel joins me for a deep dive into the underappreciated genre of the ‘krimi’! These underseen films are German adaptations of Edgar Wallace crime novels. During their most popular period in the 1960’s more than four or five were being released every year and they remained a huge box office draw for nearly fifteen years. Mr. Schlegel has just published a book about these crime thrillers called ‘German Popular Cinema and the Rialto Krimi Phenomenon: Dark Eyes of London’ and it is a perfect springboard for discussion.

THE GREEN ARCHER (1961) came pretty early in the cycle and is a good example of the black & white period of the series. At this time the scripts were trying to stick as close as possible to the adapted novel’s content which can make for an often confusing number of characters and subplots. Luckily, the film’s fast pace and sly humor keep the many strange happenings from feeling overwhelming with most loose ends wrapped up in the ‘ende’. Mr. Schlegel and I range across the krimi output of Rialto productions discussing the changes the series went through including moving to color and the gradually increasing horror elements incorporated into the scripts. We touch on the production history of the films and their evolution into another genre altogether. Eventually we compare lists of favorites with some concern for how to break the films down for newcomers or the mildly curious. We both hope that bringing attention to these entertaining gems will encourage more people to give them a try.

If you have any comments, suggestions or ideas thebloodypit@gmail.com is the address. Let us know about your favorite krimi and how you discovered the genre as well. If you could, please rate and review the podcast wherever you grab it. And thanks for listening!

Book Review - German Popular Cinema and the Rialto Krimi Phenomenon by Nicholas Schlegel

Author and cinema academic Nicholas G. Schlegel has published his second book and it is just as welcome as his first, Sex, Sadism, Spain and Cinema. That book insightfully discussed the dark exploitation films of Spain’s Golden Age of Horror with an eye for what set them apart from similar movies produced in Europe. This new books digs into another sadly neglected subset of popular European film – the ‘krimi’. It is a fascinating topic and one worthy of much attention. Schlegel points out how few English language works exist that are focused on this years-long cycle and seems to have chosen this subject out of a sense of filling this odd gap. Hopefully this new work will spur more writers (and curious cinema thrill seekers) to pay attention to this fascinating genre. I was pleased to learn in his introduction that his journey of discovery mirrored my own in many ways, reminding me that any attention brought to underappreciated areas of film can create new fans.

German Popular Cinema and the Rialto Krimi Phenomenon: Dark Eyes of London is as meticulous and well researched as one could hope for and as good as I expected. It is structured smartly to introduce neophytes to the subject through a discussion of the history of post World War II German cinema and the precursor films that lead to this type of thriller. This earlier period of German cinema was completely unknown to me and it was educational to have its evolution laid out in such a succinct and interesting fashion. He delineates the various factors that led to the birth of the ‘krimi’ subgenre, explaining the influences and peculiar requirements of the times, many of which were unique to Germany. The author does an excellent job of pointing out the threads that lead from one type of film to the next with our destination seeming to be nearly inevitable. Clearly, the need for escapist entertainment is always a driving force in the business but having some of the other influences laid bare is fascinating.

Of course, there have always been crime films but rarely has there been an odder combination of elements merging to create a fresh variation like this. No matter how many examples of them a film fan may have encountered over the years, a krimi will stand out in some way. Either a viewer will be amused by the bizarre style of humor incorporated into the film’s story or be surprised at the way violence is sometimes used to shock. Maybe the strange tone of the film will draw attention to itself or the creepier elements will make the entire affair feel more like a horror movie than a crime thriller. It is in examining these odder elements of the genre where Schlegel’s book does its most interesting and insightful work and luckily that is the bulk of the page count. For over 130 pages of the text the book goes chronologically through the entire run of thirty-two Rialto krimis giving both a brief plot synopsis and background information on each. Folded into these entries Schlegel has included an analysis of the film in question and makes note of how it fits into the slowly evolving format of the series. He let’s his favorites be known but has much to say about every film that comes under his gaze. This helps to make this new book invaluable for both long time fans and those newly curious about this underseen thriller form.

Without overstating the matter, German Popular Cinema and the Rialto Krimi Phenomenon could be one of the most important new works on genre films in a decade or more. For me, it is a necessary addition to my reference library and a book that I know will serve to answer dozens of questions as I continue to explore these fun thrillers. I highly recommend this book to the newly curious and to the fan already enamored of the genre. There is much food for thought within its pages.

Video - THE GREEN ARCHER (1961)

I am currently editing the next episode of The Bloody Pit podcast which will focus on the German 'krimi' films. It's a very interesting subject but if you are unaware of this fun mystery subgenre THE GREEN ARCHER is as good a place to jump in as any other. These films are unique adaptations of Edgar Wallace novels and often try a little too hard to retain all the characters and subplots of their source material. Try this one out to see if the krimi is to your taste and then listen to my conversation with author Nicholas Schlegel in the next few days. 

 

Poster Art and Lobby Cards for THE SHE-CREATURE (1956)

I'm not exactly sure why I love this film so much but I am very pleased to own it now on Blu-Ray. Somehow it pulls me in and keeps me interested no matter how often I watch it.

Wild, Wild Podcast Season 3: Episode 9 - Young, Violent, Dangerous (1976)

Join Adrian and I on a wild ride as we try to escape Milan for Switzerland with a depressed Tomas Milian on our tails, with only a shotgun and a bottle of J&B for company. Will we make it to the border?

Yes, we're finally back to talking about some films, and this time it's the underappreciated YOUNG, VIOLENT AND DANGEROUS (1976), a fantastic police thriller where there is so much to discuss that we completely failed to mention the Fernando di Leo script, or the fact that it is based on another short story from the same collection that inspired Milano, Calibro 9. What were we thinking?

We would love to hear from you if you have any favorite Poliziotteschi or Tomas Milian films. You can contact us on Twitter and Instagram, or by email at wildwildpodcast@gmail.com. Please remember to rate and review us on your podcast platform of choice!

What I Watched in June 2022

I didn’t get out to a theater last month which was not my plan, really. I wanted to go see the Bob’s Burgers movie but the timing was off and then I was out of town for five days to attend Monster Bash so some things fell by the wayside. So, I thought I’d let you folks know about the odd home viewing that has become the norm at Casa Bloody Pit of Rod.

  

Sprinkled in among the various movies is a steady stream of television both old and new. The older stuff is currently mostly from the 1960’s with me using various DVD sets to catch up on and revisit classic series of interest. There is no real plan for this viewing. I also add an old serial to the mix to have something shorter and (often) stranger to keep the evenings slightly off balance. The most recent of those was the 15-chapter Batman & Robin serial from 1949 which proved to be mad fun. Strange to know that it was the first Batman chapter play in 1943 that introduced the concept of the Bat Cave to the hero’s universe. Any way…

The various 60’s shows we’re going through include (in no particular order) -

  

1. The Wild Wild West

2. Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea

3. Star Trek

4. Get Smart 

5. Doctor Who

6. Fireball XL5

7. Thunderbirds

8. Frankenstein Jr. and The Impossibles

I need to pull out the 1966 Batman show and start a full watch of The Twilight Zone too. I’m hoping to add in some 1970’s stuff soon as well to change up the feeling a bit but The Time Tunnel will also be making an appearance soon as well. I wonder if I can make my way through the Logan’s Run TV series again soon. We’ll see. 

The List

GHOST TOWN RENEGADES (1947) – 5 (Lash LaRue B-western)

REVOLVER (1973) – 8 (rewatch)

AGONIZANDO EN EL CRIMEN (1968) – 4 (early Naschy role)

THE PANTHER WOMEN (1967) – 6 (fun, silly Mexican masked wrestler film)

CHALLENGE THE DEVIL (1963) – 3 (dull, silly mess with Christopher Lee)

MURDERS IN THE RUE MORGUE (1971) – 6 (rewatch)

LOVE SLAVES OF THE AMAZONS (1957) – 4 (sub-par jungle adventure)

GUNS. GIRLS AND GANGSTERS (1959) – 7 (sharp heist tale with a young Lee Van Cleef)

THE NIGHT OF THE EXECUTIONER (1992) – 6 (rewatch)

SANTO IN THE BORDER OF TERROR (1969) - 4

Utopia - German Science Fiction Magazine

Straight from Wikipedia (which is never wrong!) - Utopia was the name of several science fiction series published by Erich Pabel Verlag. Together with the Terra series of the rival publisher Arthur Moewig Verlag the Utopia series were the most important science fiction work in the early years of West Germany.

Utopia Zukunftsromane (future novels) was a dime novel series which was produced between 1953 and 1968 and reached 596 volumes. That is a lot of issues! Wish I could easily find English language versions someplace.

It's Captain Scarlet Day!

Yes! July 10th has a special significance for my favorite Gerry Anderson show and for a very strange reason. You can find out why this date is singled out in the brief article LINKED TO HERE and it is amusing. And in the meantime, if you are not familiar with joys of Captain Scarlet, you can watch the very first episode of the series below. I've also included a link to the Primer on the Anderson website that acts as an explainer for those coming to things cold. Enjoy!

Poster Art for THE VIKINGS (1958)

Been thinking about watching this one again.

 

R.I.P. James Caan

 

He always made it look easy.