The Bloody Pit #167 - PUFNSTUF (1970)

 

For this very special episode five people have gathered to discuss an influential part of their childhood – H. R. Pufnstuf!  In particular we examine the movie that grew out of the children television show’s immense popularity – PUFNSTUF (1970). So, grab your magic flute and come to Living Island for an adventure you’ll never forget – no matter how hard you try. Wild, man!

I am joined by Beth, Troy Guinn, John Hudson and Steph to talk about the biggest hit of Sid & Marty Krofft’s many Saturday morning TV programs. Each of us relate our history with the various shows and what we thought of them as kids before diving into the specifics of the big screen version. We dig into the Krofft brothers’ background as puppet performers, their early successes on the stage and the genesis of Pufnstuf as a character. We take note of a fun Universal Horror related song from their early 1960’s adult puppet show and then turn things toward the amazing songs created for the film. We talk about the cast with Jack Wild’s place in the hearts of young girls becoming a subject of some amusement while Billie Hayes’ immortal Witchiepoo is lauded as the best reason to watch either the film or the television show. Favorite lines of dialog are quoted and we wonder aloud if some of the best bits were adlibbed by Miss Hayes or not. We also talk about Mama Cass Elliot’s excellent performance as Witch Hazel and single out her song as a highlight. This really is a delightful movie!

If you want to share your own memories of the old Sid & Marty Krofft shows thebloodypit@gmail.com is the place to send them. We hope you enjoy this slightly chaotic trip into Saturday mornings past. Thank you for listening! 

Severin Announces DANZA MACABRA VOL. ONE: THE ITALIAN GOTHIC COLLECTION - BLU-RAY BOX SET

Severin has announced this amazing four film set and I'm proud to have been a small part of the extras! Robert Monell and I have contributed a commentary track for the excellent SCREAM OF THE DEMON LOVER (1970) but that is only one of the many extras included on this amazing set. And any box set with a restored and complete version of LADY FRANKENSTEIN (1971) is well worth paying attention to just for that film alone. Click over using this LINK and pre-order you copy today! Here are the details - 

DISC 1: THE MONSTER OF THE OPERA (1964)

Conceived as a sequel to their landmark THE VAMPIRE AND THE BALLERINA, director Renato Polselli (THE REINCARNATION OF ISABEL, DELIRIUM) and screenwriter Ernesto Gastaldi (ALL THE COLORS OF THE DARK, LIBIDO) resurrected their gothic-fiend-stalks-a-theatrical-troupe framework for an over-the-top aria of reincarnated lovers, sheer nightgowns, sapphic hunger, interdimensional damnation and frenzied ‘opera’ that “looks like the fever dream of an oversexed choreographer” (Fantastic Movie Musings). Marco Mariani (TOMB OF TORTURE), Giuseppe Addobbati (NIGHTMARE CASTLE) and Milena Vukotic (BLOOD FOR DRACULA) star in this surreal and still potently erotic shocker now scanned in 2K from the original negative, featuring an all-new interview with Gastaldi and more. 

Special Features:

*Audio Commentary With Kat Ellinger, Author of Daughters Of Darkness

*Terror At The Opera – Interview With Screenwriter Ernesto Gastaldi

*Capodimonte Gothic – Interview With Italian Film Devotee Mark Thompson-Ashworth 

*Radio Polselli – Archival Audio Interview With Director Renato Polselli 

*French Trailer

Disc Specs:

Aspect ratio: 1.66:1

Audio: Italian Mono

English Subtitles

Region A

Run time: 84 mins

DISC 2: THE SEVENTH GRAVE (1965)

For more than 50 years, it has existed only via rumor, reputation and barely watchable bootlegs. It remains perhaps the strangest Italian Gothic ever made: The sole feature by enigmatic director Garibaldi Serra Caracciolo – here using the anglicized pseudonym ‘Finney Cliff’ – combines familiar murder mystery elements of THE CAT AND THE CANARY with odd dollops of mad doctors, escaped lepers, giallo-style killings and one of the most strikingly original séance sequences in the entire genre. Antonio Casale (‘Bill Carson’ in THE GOOD, THE BAD AND THE UGLY), Ferruccio Viotti (SEX OF THE WITCH) and Gianni Dei (PATRICK STILL LIVES) star in this fascinating rarity now scanned in 2K from the recently discovered negative, with all-new Special Features that explore the bizarre circumstances behind the film’s production, release and half-century disappearance. 

Special Features:

*Audio Commentary With Rachael Nisbet, Film Critic And Co-Host Of Fragments Of Fear

*Seven Graves And A Mystery – Interview With Film Historian Fabio Melelli

*English Aesthetic With Giallo Blood – Video Essay By Gothic Scholar And Author Rachel Knightley

Disc Specs:

Aspect ratio: 1.66:1

Audio: Italian Mono

English Subtitles

Region Free

Run time: 77 mins

DISC 3: SCREAM OF THE DEMON LOVER (1970)

Though he made only two horror films, veteran writer/director José Luis Merino (THE HANGING WOMAN) here embraces the genre’s classic elements and ravishes them to vivid extremes: When a beautiful biochemist (Erna Schurer of STRIP NUDE FOR YOUR KILLER) arrives at a foreboding castle to work for a sinister baron, she’ll unlock a nightmare of dark romance, sexual violence, grisly family secrets and some of the most perverse moments in ‘70s Gothic. Carlos Quiney (ZORRO THE INVINCIBLE), Agostina Belli (BLUEBEARD) and Enzo Fisichella (MALABIMBA) co-star in this Italian/Spanish co-production – also known as KILLERS OF THE CASTLE OF BLOOD and released in the U.S. by New World Pictures cut by nearly 20 minutes – now scanned in 4K from the negative for the first time ever. 

Special Features:

*Audio Commentary With Rod Barnett, Film Historian And Co-Host Of NaschyCast, And Robert Monell, Writer And Editor Of I'm In A Jess Franco State Of Mind

*Scream Erna Scream! – Interview With Actress Erna Schurer

*In The Castle Of Blood – Video Essay By Stephen Thrower, Author Of Books On Jess Franco And Lucio Fulci

*Trailer

Disc Specs:

Aspect ratio: 1.85:1

Audio: English Mono / Italian Mono

English Subtitles

Region A

Run time: 98 mins

DISC 4: LADY FRANKENSTEIN (1971)

Co-produced by Roger Corman, “one of the most underrated horror movies of all time” (Classic Horror) features ultra-lurid direction by American-International star Mel Welles (LITTLE SHOP OF HORRORS) from a story by by Dick Randall (PIECES), distinctive cinematography by Riccardo Pallottini (CASTLE OF BLOOD) and score by Alessando Alessandroni (THE DEVIL’S NIGHTMARE), a cast that includes Hollywood legend Joseph Cotten (CITIZEN KANE) alongside EuroCult icons Paul Müller (NIGHTMARE CASTLE), Herbert Fux (MARK OF THE DEVIL), Marino Masé (TENEBRAE) and Mickey Hargitay (BLOODY PIT OF HORROR), and a titular performance by the remarkable Rosalba Neri (THE DEVIL’S LOVER) for whom “only the monster she made could satisfy her strange desires!” LADY FRANKENSTEIN is now scanned in 2K from the original negative, with alternate scenes, all-new Special Features and much more. 

 Special Features:

*Audio Commentary With Kat Ellinger, Author of Daughters Of Darkness, And Annie Rose Malamet, Film Scholar And Host Of Girls, Guts, Giallo

*Audio Commentary With Alan Jones, Author Of Dario Argento: The Man, The Myths & The Magic, And Kim Newman, Author Of Nightmare Movies

*Meet The Baroness – Featurette With Actress Rosalba Neri And Film Historian Fabio Melelli

*Piecing Together LADY FRANKENSTEIN

*The Lady And The Orgy – Documentary Short On Director Mel Welles

*The Truth About LADY FRANKENSTEIN (2007) – German TV Documentary

*Clothed Insert Shots

*Video Short Illustrating BBFC Censorship Cuts

*Italian Opening Credits

*Bigfilm Magazine (1971) – Italian LADY FRANKENSTEIN Photo Novel

*Extensive Image Gallery

*Home Video Gallery

*Radio Spots

*TV Spot

*Trailers

Disc Specs:

Aspect ratio: 1.78:1

Audio: English Stereo / Italian Stereo

Closed Captions / English Subtitles

Region Free

Run time: 98 mins

Poster Art for IT CAME FROM BENEATH THE SEA (1955)

 

Beyond Naschy #36 - ORLOFF AND THE INVISIBLE MAN (1970)

We return to the Beyond Naschy series with guest Bob Sargent making the choice of film this time out.

ORLOFF AND THE INVISIBLE MAN (1970) is not a movie that is often called out as a favorite of even the most hardened Euro-Cult horror fanatics. In the past it has been mistaken as a Jess Franco effort with the director’s name, Pierre Chevalier, suspected of being another of the prolific filmmaker’s many pseudonyms. This appears to not be factual but anyone stumbling across this movie unaware couldn’t be blamed for making that assumption. It shares many of the standard tropes and oddities of one of Franco’s color gothics from the period which makes it a good companion piece of Franco’s EROTIC RITES OF FRANKENSTEIN (1973) and DRACULA, PRISONER OF FRANKENSTEIN (1972). It even sports Franco’s original Orloff actor Howard Vernon as ‘Professor’ Orloff who has somehow created an invisible man for the usual mad scientist reasons. The film’s story is a mish-mash of prematurely buried daughters, accidental murders and greedy servants who are not above a bit of graverobbing. Add to that one of the strangest rape sequences in cinema history and some obviously missing story pieces and you have an entertaining if often confusing 76 minutes.

We talk about the cast and crew, including their various Naschy connections. We discuss the missing scenes that can be glimpsed in the French trailer for the film and in the extras included on the old Image DVD. We find some moments of real beauty in the cinematography and some unintentionally funny scenes that just don’t work. The English dialog causes quite a few laughs as we quote some standout circular conversations. Part of our discussion centers on the term ‘guilty pleasure’ and how each of the three of us feel about applying that overused phrase to our love of Euro-Cult cinema. As you might expect, there are more than a few verbal trips down barely connected cinema paths with the final forty-five minute mailbag section becoming a memory lane remembrance of our late friend Craig Ledbetter.

If you’d like to add you voice to the show naschycast@gmail.com is the place to send your thoughts and questions. Troy and I are very happy that Bob has joined us again and with a little luck we will have around for the rest of this year’s shows! Thanks for listening. 

Video - ORLOFF AND THE INVISIBLE MAN (1970)

I'm currently editing an epic length Beyond Naschy episode focused on this strange and mostly unloved Euro-Cult mad scientist film. Check it out and you'll be prepared for our rambling discussion! 

EARTH VS THE FLYING SAUCERS (1956) Poster and Lobby Card Art

I especially love the Italian art. Wow!

What I Watched in January 2023

I was expecting to enjoy Brandon Cronenberg’s latest film INFINITY POOL (2023) but found myself never completely connecting with it. I wanted to ‘feel it’ but it never drew me in. Part of the fault may be in the nature of the story and partly it might be the admittedly smart way the director chose to shoot it.

I noticed quickly that Cronenberg framed the film in an off-center fashion. Nearly no shot is composed with the main focus of the image placed in the middle of the frame. If we are looking at a single person, they are crowding the right or left of the screen. If there are more than two characters in a long shot at least one of the speaking actors will be hidden by the set or another actor. This serves to generate a slightly uncomfortable feeling in the viewer that might not be obvious until the gradual effect of these choices accumulate over time. This seems to have been done to create an unsettling feeling of detached unreality and I think that is an impressive feat. It certainly worked on me in the theater as I immersed myself in the impressions of the odd, vaguely defined European nation in which the film takes place. 

As we witness these wealthy people vacationing in a protected resort, I was aware that there were several possible pointed bits of commentary beyond the obvious being made about what we see. Indeed, the upper-class privilege on display is of the ugliest variety but that seems to be just the first level of what Cronenberg is going for here. He seems primarily to be wrestling with ideas related to imposter syndrome and feelings of worthlessness wrapped around creative production. If given the chance I would be tempted to ask the writer/director if he is working out some of his own concerns about life as the child of a famous person in the same profession. Is INFINTY POOL an exercise in navel gazing taken to self-flagellatory extremes?

Still, the film is an interesting experience. I can’t say it fully worked for me but I do respect what is does or tries to do. And, without a doubt, I look forward to the director’s next film. 

The List

THE HOST (2013) – 4 (Woof!) 

DEAD SOULS (2012) – 4 (pretty bad horror effort) 

SON OF SAMSON (a.k.a. Maciste in the Valley of Kings) (1960) – 7

DEVIL’S CARGO (1948) – 6 (The Falcon moves to Poverty Row) 

THE BLACK CAT (1990) – 6 (the Blu makes it much easier to appreciate this one) 

SHIN ULTRAMAN (2022) – 8 

EXTRACTION (2020) – 8 (excellent action story)

IVANHOE (1952) – 9 (a wonderful technicolor sword & knights adventure)

MURDER AT MIDNIGHT (1931) – 6 (twisty murder mystery)

THREE ON A TICKET (1947) – 6 (solid if flat Michael Shayne mystery)

BLOOD ON MELIES’ MOON (2016) – 5 

MEGAN (2023) – 7 (killer dolls make the next leap forward) 

WILLY’S WONDERLAND (2021) – 6 

SO DARK THE NIGHT (1946) – 8 (Joe Lewis crafts an exceptional noir tale) 

BUCK ROGERS IN THE 25TH CENTURY (1979) – 6 (rewatch on Blu) (nearly all the humor is terrible but it holds up as a solid TV movie)

SAMSON AND THE 7 MIRACLES OF THE WORLD (1961) – 7 (checked out the shorter AIP version this time)

BATMAN AND SUPERMAN: BATTLE OF THE SUPER SONS (2022) – 8 (excellent animated feature)

THE SHINING (1980) – 9 (rewatch) 

THE BANSHEES OF INISHERIN (2022) – 8 

CALL IT MURDER (1934) – 4 (early Bogart role in a poorly directed stage-bound mess) 

THE UNHOLY (2021) – 7 (solid horror tale anchored by a great Jeffery Dean Morgan performance)

THE 10TH VICTIM (1956) – 8  

YETI – THE GIANT OF THE 20TH CENTURY (1977) – 6 (rewatch on German Blu) (ridiculous and goofy)

THE AVENGER (1960) – 7 (good krimi from another Edgar Wallace novel) 

HELL HARBOR (1930) – 6 (interesting island drama with Lupe Valdez) 

LEAGUE OF SUPER PETS (2022) – 6 (fun but slight animated adventure)

DESTINY (1944) – 6 (you can see the original dark road beneath the shiny, happy finished product) 

WICKED WOMAN (1953) – 7 (great, dark noir) 

INFINITY POOL (2023) – 6 (impressive on many levels but I didn’t connect with it)

 

PUFNSTUF (1970) Original Sound Track Album

What started as research for an upcoming podcast has become pure love. This album has turned into one of my favorite things to listen to every day for nearly a week! 

 

Football Pulp Magazine Covers

Hike, hike!

 

Tarzan Movie Poster Art - Johnny Weissmuller Edition

I think it is past time for these to be released on Blu-Ray.

The Bloody Pit #166 - Maciste Movies!

Mark Maddox returns to the show to talk about a pair of Italian Muscle Man epics! Both movies tell tales of one of the oldest reoccurring characters of cinema – Maciste! And if you think you’ve never heard of him you might know him under one of several aliases – in this case, Samson.

We start with a look at the first of the 1960’s film series, MACISTE IN THE VALLEY OF THE KINGS which was released in English speaking territories as SON OF SAMSON (1960). It stars Mark Forrest as the legendary strong man and Cuban dancer Chelo Alonso as the villainous Queen making things very difficult for the people of Egypt. We talk about the gorgeous location shooting and the film’s bigger than average scale for a small budget effort. The film has several spectacular sequences of action and some surprising violence. It’s a big colorful comic book of a movie!

The second film is an even more impressive adventure. Former Tarzan actor Gordon Scott steps into the hero role for MACISTE AT THE COURT OF THE GREAT KHAN which was retitled SAMSON AND THE SEVEN MIRACLES OF THE WORLD (1961). This one has Maciste pop up in 13th Century China to rescue a Chinese prince and princess from the Tartars and then lead the population in a revolt. There are many stand out scenes with the amazing bar fight being my favorite. Watching Scott use part of the building to bash opponents as the place crumbles around him is what I call entertainment! But the showstopper must be the action set piece involving a horse-drawn chariot and our hero’s stunning way of applying the brakes. Incredible!

Of course, there is the occasional side road in the discussion but we amble back into the proper arena before we get attacked by lions. Thank you for listening and please review the show on your pod-catcher of choice. If you love the peplum genre too thebloodypit@gmail.com is where you can send us a list of your favorites. See you next time!

PLANET OF THE VAMPIRES (1965) Poster Art & Lobby Cards