Poster Art - THE FINAL CONFLICT (1981)

This was my first encounter with Sam Neill and it left a mark!

 

New Commentary Track Announced! - BLACK CANDLES (1982)

Today Severin announced the details of their forthcoming Blu-Ray of the Jose Larraz film BLACK CANDLES (1982) and listed first among the extras is the commentary track that Troy Guinn and I contributed! We've been sitting on this news for months and are very happy that we can finally crow about this this one. Or baa. Or bleat. Or whatever noise a sexually satisfied goat makes. If you've seen the film you know I mean.

But I think that the other extras are even more interesting! Check them out.

Audio Commentary With Rodney Barnett And Troy Guinn, Hosts Of NaschyCast

La Dama Del Fantaterror — Documentary Short On Actress Helga Liné By Filmmaker Diego López

Made By The Devil — Interview With Gavin Baddeley, Author Of Lucifer Rising: Sin, Devil Worship & Rock'n'Roll

An Exception To The Norm — Interview With Antonio Lázaro-Reboll, Author Of Spanish Horror Film

A documentary on the amazing Helga Line? Plus two other interviews with knowledgeable film writers? This is looking like one heck of a disc!

Also - because Severin are sly merchandisers - they are offering replica necklaces as seen in BLACK CANDLES so you too can join in the Satanic depravity.

 

These items go on sale on the Severin website on Black Friday a.k.a. midnight of November 26th! So go grab you a big Blu piece of Spanish horror history packed with nudity, Satanism and beastiality. If you wonder what in the world it was all about just listen to Troy and I and we'll help you through.

LINK!

 

The Bloody Pit #139 - EVILSPEAK (1981)

I am joined by John Hudson and Bobby Hazzard to discuss another strange horror film from the 1980’s. 

EVILSPEAK (1981) is an independently made supernatural tale of teenage bullies and the righteous revenge eventually visited upon them. It introduces us to poor charity case Stanley Coopersmith (the great Clint Howard) attending a California military academy where he is the target of verbal and physical abuse from most of his classmates. Oddly, he is also insulted and demeaned by the faculty as if he is somehow repulsive to their vision of who should be allowed in this school. What is a miserable misfit to do? Of course, any and all similarities to CARRIE (1976) are completely on purpose. But is it any good?

 

John Hudson makes his case for this often-maligned horror movie with more than a little pushback from the rest of us. We all agree that the film is character actor heaven with R. G. Armstrong, Richard Moll, Claude Earl Jones, Charles Tyner, Joe Cortese and Hamilton Camp lending their skills to the slow destruction of Clint Howard’s sad loser, Coopersmith. But the film has a number of points of interest beyond the cast. For cinephiles curious about movies that present early 80’s computers being used to accidentally invoke a centuries dead Spanish Satanic monk so that hell on earth can be unleashed – this is your film! If you have ever wondered what an attack of satanic pigs erupting from the netherworld would look like – this is your film! If the sight of a sweaty Clint Howard makes you happy – this is your film! If you are working your way through a list of the British Video Nasties – this is one you have to see. And if you are curious to see what one million dollars and a three-week shooting schedule can give you in 1981 – here you are! We can’t promise a smooth ride or that you won’t spot the flying-harness wires but we do all agree that the pig and sword violence infused finale is well worth seeing. It’s debatable that this is good, but it certainly is EVILSPEAK good!

 

If you have any comments or concerns for our sanity thebloodypit@gmail.com is the address. Let know what you think! We’ll veer back into covering European films shot in America next time out. 

Apple Podcast LINK

Direct MP3 Download LINK 

NaschyCast #65 - Satanic Naschy with Samm!

We begin our eleventh year of the show by having a Satanic discussion!

Author and podcaster Samm Deighan returns to dig into two specific Paul Naschy films. In both EXORCISM (1975) and INQUISITION (1977) Naschy plays a man of God working to help his flock overcome the influence of The Evil One. In one he is a paragon of virtue and in the other he is definitely not. Both films feature women placed in horrible positions by outside forces that seem to be Satanic in origin. But in each case the question of the how or even if these terrible things are happening is central to the story. Are these people possessed by the Devil or is there a more human quality to the awful events depicted?

Samm, Troy and I engage in a freewheeling discussion of these movies jumping from topic to topic as one point leads to another. The conversation assumes that you are familiar with both films and spoilers are certainly in the air. Religion is the main part of our talk but we also look at the obvious class commentary layered into the scripts. We talk about the movies that influenced these Naschy classics and how some later movies may have taken some ideas from them for sleazier effect. We drag in everything from HIGH PLAINS DRIFTER (1973), MALIBIMBA (1979) and ANGEL HEART (1987) as we look at different ways of portraying the Dark One onscreen. Of course, as with any such chat, we end up ranging off the main topic which is how we somehow end up in nipple territory again! I’m not sure how this happens but I’m going to blame Samm. Yeah! It’s her fault. I also make time for a short anecdote about subjecting my unsuspecting beloved to a Jess Franco directed Fu Manchu film. Give her your sympathy.

We end the show with an email that was sent to naschycast@gmail.com in which we are asked to make a terrible purchasing choice. It takes us a while to decide! You can ask similar question or tell us your favorite onscreen Satan at that same address. Thank you for listening and we’ll be back soon.

Apple Podcast LINK 

MP3 Download LINK 

Poster Art - THE OMEN (1976)

INQUISITION (1976) is coming from Mondo Macabro!

We've known for  few months that Mondo Macabro was planning to release two top notch Paul Naschy films this year and today the company made the official announcement for the first - INQUISITION (1978). This is, of course, extremely exciting and not just because it is the beginning of a stream of Naschy Blu-Ray releases coming in 2017. This is one of the least well known of Naschy's horror films as it falls outside the area of his more famous monster tales. Indeed, this movie hews much more closely to WITCHFINDER GENERAL (1968) or THE DEVILS (1971) than to any of his werewolf films. Regardless, this an excellent film with a strong script, excellent cast and some fantastic ideas driving the actions. I can't wait for more people to be able to finally see this film!   

This will be INQUISITION 's Blu-Ray debut and the disc will sport a few nice extras - and that is the big news for the Naschycast. Troy and I were asked to contribute a commentary track for this release and we did so! Yes! We recorded a track that will be included on this Blu-Ray in which we try to provide some information about the film and circumstances around it. We're very excited about this and are very thankful to the fine folks at Mondo Macabro for this opportunity. We hope you will enjoy our track but even if you never listen to us babble at you for the entire running time of the movie I think you'll enjoy the film itself.

Keep an eye on this page to pre-order the Limited Edition or wait a few more months for the regular edition (which will still have our commentary!). This a great film and a must for Naschy fans. It might even be capable of creating NEW Naschy fans!

Here are the official specs for the disc -

We hope to have the limited edition of this title on sale in late April or early May, with the retail version landing in June or so.

Brand new cover illustration by Gilles Vranckx

Region-free worldwide Blu-ray premiere

HD transfer from the original negative

Spanish and English Language Tracks

New created optional English subtitles

Audio commentary by Rod Barnett and Troy Guinn of the Naschycast

Archival video introduction to the film by Paul Naschy

“Blood and Sand”, Eurotika! documentary on Spanish horror

Mondo Macabro previews

LIMITED EDITION CONTENTS

666 numbered copies

Reversible cover

Booklet featuring brand new writing on the film by Pete Tombs

And of course, the red case

Oh! and here is the other side of the reversible cover-

ASYLUM OF SATAN (1972) / SATAN’S CHILDREN (1975) Double Feature DVD Review

For years now Something Weird Video has been the savior of the drive-in exploitation film. SW has rescued hundreds of low budget or no budget flicks from (in most cases, well deserved) obscurity and made them available to fans of cheesy, badly made classics the world over. No other company is as tireless in their efforts to bring American regional filmmakers to the notice of an appreciative audience and thankfully, SW has taken to the digital video era the way a turkey-headed drug maniac takes to sin! After first issuing several single movie DVDs with loads of extras the company decided that they could do better if they packed two (or more) movies on each disc and loaded them with juicy extras. This was a brilliant idea as, for the most part, the movies on these DVDs are not very good. But the sheer amount of fun material turns each disc into a three hour bad movie party. Fans of strange cinema can find everything from adventure films, horror films, sword and sandal epics and crazed biker movies on SW double feature DVDs — truly something for every bizarre taste.

Here I present a review of one of these double feature discs but I must warn you that it is now out of print. There are ways to see these two mad films but this disc now fetches ridiculous prices on the secondary market. Just think - I bought this DVD off the shelf at a Borders in 2002. Wow! Both disc and store are long gone.

I can honestly say I've never seen a good William Girdler film. I haven't seen all of his movies, but having screened several of them I can truthfully state that they all stank. Of course, I must also admit that although they were all bad, each successive film was a little better made than its predecessor. (Of course this gradual improvement ultimately results in The Manitou, so it's not as if this path led to greatness.) While it's tempting to call him the Ed Wood of the South the analogy doesn't quite work because Girdler seemed to be aware of his faults and tried to compensate for them. I would like to think that if Girdler hadn't died in a tragic helicopter accident he could have eventually been a major player in Hollywood. He might still have never made a good movie, but it would've been fun to watch him try. Since Asylum of Satan (1972) was his first movie I'm willing to cut it some slack, but it's still pretty damned bad. Filmed entirely on locations in Girdler's hometown of Louisville, Kentucky, the film follows the story of hapless concert pianist Lucina Martin (Carla Borelli). While recovering from a nervous breakdown she is transferred against her will to an asylum run by the sinister Dr. Jason Specter (Charles Kissinger). Here she's introduced to several fellow patients with phobias or anxieties as well as seeing strange silent inmates who wear hoods at all times. When Lucina's beefy, plaid-wearing boyfriend Chris Duncan (Nick Jolley) starts trying to locate her the film shifts from neutral to first gear and doggedly stays there for the duration. It soon becomes apparent (even to Lucina) that the good doctor is up to no good as the other patients are forced to suffer their worst fears come to life. (Or at least as close to their worst fears as can be handled on a shoestring budget.) As Dr. Specter and his staff prepare his girlfriend for a satanic sacrifice, Chris goads the local police to raid the asylum to save the poor girl. 

Complete with a fiery and incomprehensible finale, this is fine low-budget cheese. Never once scary or involving, Asylum of Satan still manages to entertain on the so-bad-it's-good level. There are a number of things to love about the film — the groovy 1970s guitar-laden soundtrack, the multiple roles played by Louisville TV personality Charles Kissinger, the hysterically overdone dialog between Chris and local cop Tom Walsh, the loud plaid clothing Chris sports throughout the film, the inept special effects, etc. The movie is a bad film lover's goldmine and this DVD even makes it more fun by including a great commentary track with Majestic International Films' Jeffery Houge and William Girdler biographer Patty Breen. Ms. Breen, webmistress of WilliamGirdler.com, truly loves the flick and understands that it's awful but endearing at the same time. She packs the track with tons of information and is also very funny when suggesting possible drinking games for the film as well as pointing out how Nick Jolley is the most anti-sexy leading man of all time.

The second movie on the DVD is Satan's Children. This one was lensed in Florida and is actually a step further down in quality from its co-feature. Troubled teenager Bobby (Stephen White) has a lousy time at home with a jerk of a stepfather and a sexually teasing stepsister making life unbearable. He storms out of the house one night only to be beaten up and gang-raped by gay bikers! Let me say that again - Gay Bikers. He is raped by gay bikers. Madness!

The bikers dump Bobby near a compound of Satanists who take him in and, under the orders of Sherry (Kathleen Archer), nurse him back to health. Sherry is in control of the commune... uh... I mean coven while their leader Simon is away. She takes a liking to Bobby but others in the group feel he's unworthy of suckling at the Devil's teat. After Sherry tortures a lesbian coven member (Satan appears to really hate homosexuals) and hangs several others that disagree with her orders, Simon shows up and punishes Sherry by burying her in the ground to the neck and letting ants sting her. Simon then tells Bobby that because homosexuals raped him he is too weak to be a member of Satan's worshipers. Bobby decides to take matters into his own hands, starting with tracking down the biker trash that started this whole mess. 

This film is truly demented. Hilarious and mind-bendingly homophobic it seems to have been made by folks with little or no idea of reality or filmmaking. It does reach a wonderful level of twisted sleaze that keeps it fairly entertaining but all the fun to be had is unintentional. Satan's Children is a great example of mid-70s regional filmmaking at its best...or worst, depending on your outlook. Inept, cheap and poorly done on almost every level, it could only be loved by the people who made it — or sick freaks like me!

Something Weird has packed this DVD with plenty of extras to make the wretched movies go down easier. There is the aforementioned commentary track and also about seven minutes of rare Asylum of Satan behind-the-scenes footage. Included in the DVD keepcase is a 4-page booklet of liner notes by Patty Breen (entitled The Devil Went Down to toLouisville: Girdler, The Devil and Asylum of Satan) that go into detail about the making of the film and provide an outline of Girdler's life and career. Other extras include a welcome set of drive-in horror film trailers, a gallery of horror comic covers set to music by The Dead Elvi, and two shorts from the Something Weird vaults. The first is a short bit of burlesque called Satan's Dance that's exactly what you would guess. The second is the almost indescribably insane 30-minute featurette entitled The Soul Snatcher, which tells the story of a pair of evil, satanic shoes. Has to be seen to be believed!

While the audio and video on this DVD is far from top quality, I'm sure everything looks as good as possible. I'm just grateful for the chance to see these odd little films which would remain hidden if it weren't for Something Weird Video. Some may complain that the films are awful — and they are — but if you watch a movie called Satan's Children and expect a quality production you're living in a dream world. These movies are a different kind of cinema. Eccentric cinema! So gather some like-minded friends, make some popcorn, grab a drink and settle back for a close approximation of the 1970s drive-in experience.