Beyond Naschy #39 - ATTACK OF THE ROBOTS (1966)

Our journey through Naschy adjacent Jess Franco films continues with ATTACK OF THE ROBOTS (1966)! Part of the brief spurt of Euro-Spy films that sprang up in response to Bond-mania the film features Eddie Constantine playing a slightly comedic version of his many tough guy roles. The film centers on a mysterious group of bronze-skinned automatons who are assassinating important European dignitaries. When their eyeglasses are removed, they turn into vegetative zombies and when killed their odd skin tone changes to pale white. Interpol calls in Constantine’s character Al Pereira to investigate. Throw in a seductive villainess, some mad science and Q-style gadgets and you have a breezy, fun adventure – at least for some. Not all Franco fans seem to like this one.

Bob Sargent joins Troy and I as we romp our way around Alicante with Pereira and try to unravel this bizarre mystery. We discuss the year the world turned to color and how this final black & white Franco film fits into his 60’s output. Bob recommends other Eddie Constantine films and I vow to track down more of his earlier crime movies. Where is the much hoped for Lemmy Caution boxed set, already? We relate our various reactions to the film’s amusing tone and note how easily it could fit into the Pink Panther universe. This is definitely not your average Jess Franco crime thriller and that might be why we enjoyed it.

 

If you have any comments about this or any other of Uncle Jess’ movies naschycast@gmail.com is the place to send them. We may not let Bob chose the next Beyond Naschy topic but you never know! Thanks for listening. 

New Release - EXORCISMO: DEFYING A DICTATOR & RAISING HELL IN POST-FRANCO SPAIN

We are very happy to have been a small part of the generous extras on this amazing set! Robert Monell and I collaborated on a track for the brilliant A BELL FROM HELL and Troy Guinn and I Naschycast-ed our way through THE PEOPLE WHO OWN THE DARK. But there are so many great films in this set it is mind-bending, including several that have only been viewable in horribly degraded copies for decades. Cinema fans are living in wonderful times!

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EXORCISMO: DEFYING A DICTATOR & RAISING HELL IN POST-FRANCO SPAIN

Order Link: https://severinfilms.com/.../exorcismo-defying-a-dictator...

SEVERIN FILMS ILLUMINATES FRANCO-ERA/POST-FRANCO SPANISH GENRE CINEMA WITH EXORCISMO COLLECTION

This Release Showcases 19 Feature Films Including Award-Winning Documentary, Plus New 168-Page Book & 21+ Combined Hours of Bonus Features

Having endured decades of strict censorship laws under General Franco’s authoritarian rule, Spain’s entertainment industry fought to liberate cinematic expression before and after the dictator's death in 1975. Faced with an opportunity to subvert the regime’s values and protest the Catholic Church’s rigid restrictions, Spanish filmmakers began to defiantly explore banned themes such as sex, violence and horror. With the post-Franco Clasificada “S” rating, which restricted these films to audiences over 18, this active rebellion marked a shift in the nation and audiences considered this period of cinema to be a cultural ‘exorcismo.’ Honoring the art of resistance-by-cinema, EXORCISMO: DEFYING A DICTATOR & RAISING HELL IN POST-FRANCO SPAIN spotlights 18 films that launched a celluloid revolution, including infamous features directed by Eloy de la Iglesia, León Klimovsky, Javier Aguirre and Eugenio Martín. 

Also included is writer/producer/director Alberto Sedano’s acclaimed 2024 documentary EXORCISMO: THE TRANSGRESSIVE LEGACY OF CLASIFICADA “S”, which explores the history behind the notorious rating that rocked Spanish culture, changed the face of genre films and left its mark on global cinema forever. The 168-page EXORCI“S”MO! features new essays by Alberto Sedano, Alejandro Melero, Álex Mendíbil, Shelagh Rowan-Legg and Daniel Kowalski, plus poster/stills galleries and more. The majority of the titles in this unprecedented collection are Worldwide Blu-ray Premieres scanned in 4K from original camera negatives, with over 21 combined hours of new and archival Special Features.

 

Disc 1: Exorcismo: The Transgressive Legacy of Clasificada "S" / Far from the Trees (Lejos de los árboles)

Exorcismo: The Transgressive Legacy of Clasificada "S" Special Feature:

● Trailer 

Exorcismo: The Transgressive Legacy of Clasificada "S" Disc Specs:

Runtime: 123 mins

Audio: Spanish / English 5.1, Spanish / English Stereo

Subtitles: English For Spanish Audio, English For All Audio

Region Free

Aspect Ratio: 1.78:1

Far from the Trees Disc Specs:

Runtime: 103 mins

Audio: Spanish Mono

Subtitles: English

Region Free

Aspect Ratio: 1.66:1

Disc 2: The Bell from Hell (La campana del infierno) / Creation of the Damned (El refugio del miedo)

The Bell from Hell Special Features:

● Audio Commentary With Kat Ellinger, Author Of Daughters Of Darkness

● 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

● Censorship And Curses – Film Scholar Dr. Álex Mendíbil On THE BELL FROM HELL

● Trailer

● LUCIANO (1965) – Short Film Co-Written/Directed By Claudio Guerín, Director Of THE BELL FROM HELL 

The Bell from Hell Disc Specs:

Runtime: 97 mins

Audio: Spanish Mono, English Mono

Subtitles: English, English SDH

Region Free

Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1

Creation of the Damned Special Features:

● Audio Commentary With Antonio Lázaro-Reboll, Author Of Spanish Horror Film

● I'm Proud Of My Films – Interview With Director José Ulloa

● Being There – Interview With Camera Assistant Paco Marín

● Trailer

● Still Gallery 

Creation of the Damned Disc Specs:

Runtime: 96 mins

Audio: Spanish Mono, English Mono

Subtitles: English, English SDH

Region Free

Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1

Disc 3: The Devil's Exorcist (El juego del diablo) / After... Part One: Can't You Be Left Alone? (Después de... Primera parte: No se os puede dejar solos?)

The Devil’s Exorcist Special Features:

● Play Film With Alternate Opening

● Audio Commentary With Shelagh Rowan-Legg, Author Of The Spanish Fantastic, And Film Critic/Educator Simon Laperrière

● A Daring Film – Interview With Actor Jack Taylor

● Horror Comes From The Church – Interview With Cinematographer José Luis Alcaine

● Sound Experiments – Interview With Composer José Nieto

● Trailer 

The Devil’s Exorcist Disc Specs:

Runtime: 84 mins

Audio: Spanish Mono, English Mono

Subtitles: English, English SDH

Region Free

Aspect Ratio: 1.66:1

After... Part One: Can't You Be Left Alone? Disc Specs:

Runtime: 94 mins

Audio: Spanish Mono

Subtitles: English

Region Free

Aspect Ratio: 1.66:1

Disc 4: The People Who Own the Dark (Último deseo)

The People Who Own the Dark Special Features:

● Audio Commentary With Rod Barnett And Troy Guinn, Film Historians/Co-Hosts Of NaschyCast (Spanish Cut Only)

● Joking On Set – Interview With Actor Antonio Mayans

● A Unique Iconography In Spanish Terror – Ángel Sala, Head Of Programming At The Sitges Film Festival, On THE PEOPLE WHO OWN THE DARK

● Trailer

 

The People Who Own the Dark Disc Specs:

Runtime: 100 mins (Spanish Cut) / 83 mins (U.S. Cut)

Audio: Spanish Mono (Spanish Cut Only) / English Mono (U.S. Cut Only)

Subtitles: English (Spanish Cut Only) / English SDH (U.S. Cut Only)

Region Free

Aspect Ratio: 1.66:1 (Spanish Cut Only) / 1.85:1 (U.S. Cut Only)

Disc 5: Battered Flesh (Carne apaleada) / The Priest (El sacerdote)

Battered Flesh Special Features:

● Audio Commentary With Shelagh Rowan-Legg, Author Of The Spanish Fantastic, And Spanish Cinema Professor/Scholar Alejandro Melero

● A Spain To Break – Interview With Actress Sandra Alberti 

Battered Flesh Disc Specs:

Runtime: 99 mins

Audio: Spanish Mono

Subtitles: English

Region Free

Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1

The Priest Special Features:

● The Socialist Priest – Interview With Actor Emilio Gutiérrez Caba

● A Provocative Filmmaker – Interview With Actor Martín Garrido Ramis

● EL OTRO LUIS (1975) – Short Film By Eloy De La Iglesia’s Friend And Collaborator Alejo Loren

 

The Priest Disc Specs:

Runtime: 100 mins

Audio: Spanish Mono

Subtitles: English

Region Free

Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1

Disc 6: Sins of a Nympho (Bacanal en directo) / Dimorfo

Sins of a Nympho Special Features:

● I Regret Nothing – Interview With Assistant Director Alejo Loren

● Trailer 

Sins of a Nympho Disc Specs:

Runtime: 85 mins

Audio: Spanish Stereo

Subtitles: English

Region Free

Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1

Dimorfo Special Features:

● The Haunted Cartoonist – Spanish Film Scholar Dr. Álex Mendíbil On The Films Of Rodjara

● Alternate Credit Sequences

 

Dimorfo Disc Specs:

Runtime: 95 mins

Audio: Spanish Mono

Subtitles: English

Region Free

Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1

Disc 7: Bloody Sex (Sexo sangriento) / Morbus

Bloody Sex Special Features:

● Audio Commentary With David Flint, Author Of Babylon Blue: An Illustrated History Of Adult Cinema

● A Bohemian Life – Interview With Producer Gloria Sancho

● Lobby Card Gallery 

Bloody Sex Disc Specs:

Runtime: 82 mins

Audio: Spanish Mono

Subtitles: English

Region Free

Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1

Morbus Special Features:

● Sex And Horror – Interview With Director Ignasi P. Ferré

● A Well-Deserved Recognition – Interview With Actress Carmen Serret

● THE EVIL FACES OF VĺCTOR ISRAEL (2010) – Archival Documentary 

Morbus Disc Specs:

Runtime: 87 mins

Audio: Catalan Mono

Subtitles: English

Region Free

Aspect Ratio: 1.66:1

Disc 8: Faces (Rostros) / Triangle of Lust (Desnuda ante el espejo)

Faces Special Features:

● An Unclassifiable Movie – Ángel Sala, Head Of Programming At The Sitges Film Festival, On FACES

● Trailer 

Faces Disc Specs:

Runtime: 93 mins

Audio: Spanish Mono

Subtitles: English

Region Free

Aspect Ratio: 1.66:1

Triangle of Lust Special Features:

● Audio Commentary With David Flint, Author Of Babylon Blue: An Illustrated History Of Adult Cinema

● Extended/Alternate Scenes 

Triangle of Lust Disc Specs:

Runtime: 91 mins

Audio: Spanish Mono, English Mono

Subtitles: English, English SDH

Region Free

Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1

Disc 9: That House in the Outskirts (Aquella casa en las afueras) / Supernatural (Sobrenatural)

That House in the Outskirts Special Features:

● A Very Strong Character – Interview With Actress Silvia Aguilar

● Trailer 

That House in the Outskirts Disc Specs:

Runtime: 101 mins

Audio: Spanish Mono

Subtitles: English

Region Free

Aspect Ratio: 1.66:1

Supernatural Special Features:

● Audio Commentary With David Flint, Editor Of Desperate Living

● Supernatural Effects – Interview With Actor Máximo Valverde

● English Title Sequence

● Trailer

● TV Spot

 

Supernatural Disc Specs:

Runtime: 90 mins

Audio: Spanish Mono, English Mono

Subtitles: English, English SDH

Region Free

Aspect Ratio: 1.66:1

Disc 10: Poppers / After... Part Two: Tied Up and Tied Up Well (Después de... Segunda parte: Atado y bien atado)

Poppers Special Features:

● A Bold And Delirious Movie – Interview With Art Director Javier Fernández

● A Film Like No Other – Interview With Assistant Director Eduardo Campoy

● Trailer

 

Poppers Disc Specs:

Runtime: 83 mins

Audio: Spanish Mono

Subtitles: English

Region Free

Aspect Ratio: 1.66:1

After... Part Two: Tied Up and Tied Up Well Disc Specs:

Runtime: 103 mins

Audio: Spanish Mono

Subtitles: English

Region Free

Aspect Ratio: 1.66:1

 

Video - ZORRO THE AVENGER (1962)

This is far from the best Zorro film that exists but it has more than a few points of interest. A Spanish production, it involves the talents of Joaquín Romero Marchent behind the camera and his brother Rafael Romero Marchent in front of it. Also, the main villain is played by the great Howard Vernon and it seems Jess Franco had a hand in the script. If we are very lucky there will be a restoration of this film so that we can give it the evaluation it deserves. 

Mondo Macabro Announces Naschy's NIGHT OF THE EXECUTIONER (1992)

Paul Naschy is back! And this time he’s out for vengeance! Making its worldwide disc debut, it’s …

NIGHT OF THE EXECUTIONER (1992)

Dr. Hugo Arranz (Paul Naschy) is commemorating his 50th birthday with his wife and daughter. As the celebrations reach their height, the family are terrorized by a gang of violent street thugs who have broken into their home. Initially the gang are after jewels and cash. But once they have their helpless victims tied up and defenseless, their thoughts turn to violence. They rape Arranz’s wife and daughter and then, annoyed by the doctor’s protests, they cut out his tongue and leave him for dead.

Arranz survives the attack and recovers after a stay in hospital. Abandoning his medical practice, he seeks vengeance on the men and women who destroyed his life. He embarks on a strenuous course of physical training, involving knives, guns and punishing bouts of weight lifting. Finally, he is ready to go in pursuit of his prey. But to track them down, he must enter the sleazy underworld which his potential victims inhabit. In the process, Dr. Arranz begins to learn much, not only about his targets but also about himself.

NIGHT OF THE EXECUTIONER was Paul Naschy’s last complete film as writer/director/ actor. It’s a shocking and thrilling ride into the dark underbelly of the city and a true tribute to its star’s ability to craft exciting and thought provoking entertainment.

DISC FEATURES

Region Free

Brand new 4K restoration from the original negative

Spanish language track with optional English subtitles

Audio commentary by Rod Barnett and Troy Guinn of the Naschycast

Interview with Sergio Molina

Interview with actor Pepe Ruiz

Interview with actor Manuel Zarzo

LIMITED EDITION FEATURES

Full color booklet with a brand new essay on the film by Troy Howarth; 1500 numbered copies in the usual red case

This release will go on sale Thursday, May 4th at 9 AM Pacific/12 noon Eastern ONLY at mondomacabro.bigcartel.com! We tentatively expect to be able to begin shipping sometime in May.

 

Beyond Naschy #35 - SHE KILLED IN ECSTASY (1971)

Troy and I (finally) return with a new episode!

 

This time we dive back into the Franco pool of cool and look longingly at the luminous Soledad Miranda. SHE KILLED IN ECSTASY (1971) was the final collaboration between the young actress and Jess Franco before her untimely passing. While it is generally not considered their best film together it contains many scenes that display the brilliance that they could achieve. Soledad’s skills are on full display in her role as a vengeful wife extracting blood from the people who hounded her husband into suicide. As the story plays out, she runs the gamut of human emotions from deep concern and grief-stricken to seductively aloof and finally filled with violent rage. Her performance is mesmerizing and is carried out so well that she could have embodied her character without dialog and still communicated every nuance necessary to engage the viewer. She was a powerhouse screen presence and her loss is only more deeply felt when watching her in this film.

We dig into why we enjoy this film as much as we do with much attention paid to the strength of the central performance. We point to reoccurring plot elements within Franco’s work and his love of a certain visual metaphor involving boats at sea. We discuss the movie’s odd choice to rush past the possible mad scientist idea at the beginning to get to the righteous vengeance at the heart of things. We try to define what makes Soledad such a memorable screen actress even as this film refuses to even give her character a first name. Each of the murders is dissected as we try to understand what Franco might have had in mind as his story gains force, climaxing in a fascinating sequence in which the director is himself the victim. It certainly raises some questions about Jess’ sexual desires and points toward what might have been included in future unrealized projects.

 

We hope you enjoy the episode and if you have any comments naschycast@gmail.com is the show’s address. Thank you for listening and we’ll be back soon. I promise! 

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MP3 Download LINK 

Brief Thoughts - UNKNOWN ORIGINS (2020)

The other night I was scrolling through Netflix looking for something interesting to watch in a few spare hours before bedtime. I spotted a movie described as a police thriller with detectives on the hunt for a serial killer with an odd methodology for choosing victims. Intrigued, I pushed play and that is all it took for me to stumble across quite a fun, entertaining movie that I will now recommend to you. UNKNOWN ORIGINS (2020) is exactly what it says on the tin but it's also packed with much more.

My first surprise was that it is a Spanish film – sometimes I forget that most Spanish movies are not horror!  NetFlix offers both an English dubbed soundtrack or the original Spanish with English subtitles so I choose the subtitled version. Because I want to have other viewers experience this tale in a similar way to myself, I'll refrain from giving away some of the neat little details that really turned this into a fun exercise. I'll just say that there is a hunt for a serial killer and that there is one character who is steeped in comic book stories and history whose knowledge factors into the investigation. Beyond that I'll just point the curious toward this movie and urge you to check it out. It's not quite perfect as there are at least a couple of moments when the script is rushing relationships to a friendlier status than it should. But overall, this is a smart, entertaining thriller with at least one foot stuck firmly in the superhero realm. It manages to be ‘of’ that genre while still commenting on it from several different angles. The subtitles were excellent but recent Spanish films that I've seen on Netflix with English dubs have been respectable and not something you have to overlook. Whichever audio you pick I think you’ll enjoy this little gem.

Naschycast #67 - TODOS LOS GRITOS DEL SILENCIO (1975)

The busiest years of Paul Naschy’s career were the early 1970’s. Moving from one project to the next at incredible speed he often finished one film while still writing the final draft of another and negotiating a deal for a third. During this period, he produced some of his best work including a large percentage of the movies that still define his image as a Spanish horror icon. But a few of his films from the 1970’s were thrillers that, for various reasons, were rarely distributed outside of Spain or even dubbed into English. This has made it very difficult to see these movies and for non-Spanish speakers to comprehend them in the rare instances of locating a copy to watch. Thank the stars for the fun-subbing community out there on the internet!

Troy and I finally get a chance to see TODOS LOS GRITOS DEL SILENCIO (1975) and we are so happy that not even the crappy VHS sourced print can dull our enthusiasm. Yes, there are a few scenes that are a little too dark to be sure of what we’re supposed to be seeing but the fact that solid subtitles are onscreen means that we can follow the story anyway. And that turns out to be very important with this film because it is a twisty murder mystery that falls easily within the giallo genre even if it doesn’t have a few of the usual elements you might expect. ALL THE SCREAMS OF SILENCE has very little blood since the killer’s preferred method of dealing death is a silenced gun (hence the title) and the amount of flesh on display is low which might factor into this thriller being so underseen for the past forty plus years. No gore or nudity? What were they thinking? But the film does have a great performance from Naschy as a journalist chasing the bullet-slinging murderer while at the same time trying to locate his missing girlfriend. Are the two mysteries connected? With a script by Jacinto Molina you can bet some surprises are coming in the third act.

 

We begin the episode with some news about the upcoming Blu-Ray release of TOMBS OF THE BLIND DEAD and hint at a few more commentary tracks from the Naschycast down the road. Also, we mention a new podcast project coming soon from our buddy Adrian Smith that will be of interest to fans of European Cult cinema. And we end the show with several letters from listeners that put some fresh ideas in our head for possible YouTube projects too. If you have any comments on the podcast naschycast@gmail.com is the address and we’d love to hear from you. Thanks for listening to the show! 

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MP3 Direct Download LINK 

NaschyCast #64 - Samm Deighan Visits!

As 2020 rolls on we continue to bring new voices onto the show! This time Troy and I sit down with the amazing Samm Deighan to talk about the joys of Spanish horror. Miss Deighan is an associate editor of Diabolique Magazine and co-host of the Daughters of Darkness Podcast. She is also the editor of Lost Girls: The Phantasmagorical Cinema of Jean Rollin and her book on Fritz Lang’s M (1931) is a must read for those interested in movie serial killers. We are very lucky to have her on the show!

While the main subject of this episode is the brilliant and underseen A BELL FROM HELL (1973) there is no way to be a guest on the Naschycast without talking a (long) while about the hirsute icon of the genre – Paul Naschy! That means that at some point chest hair is brought up and wigs are discussed. It cannot be avoided.

Samm comes with a list of her favorite Naschy films and manages to gives us a fresh perspective on a couple of them. The repressed Spanish society is a major topic with the country’s rigid genre roles playing into the ways that these stories are told. A BELL FORM HELL is especially interesting when examining the skewed power dynamics of the story with the wheelchair-bound aunt exerting her control over the only male in the family. Also, we dig into the often bizarre 1970’s film attitude toward rape as a plot point or harmless joke with the women sometimes seeming to long for the act or even encourage it. Repressive cultures shape psyches into twisted forms! The genre’s common scenes of animal cruelty get into the mix with Samm’s take on modern sensibilities bringing some unexpected laughs to Troy and I.

But nothing can prepare you for the out-of-left-field discussion of Yeti nipples! You’ll just have to listen to understand. Plus, Troy and Samm briefly talk about their mutual love for the severely neglected folk horror film EYES OF FIRE (1983) and their wonder that it has yet to appear on any form of digital media. What is up with that?

If you have any comments or questions the show can be reached at naschycast@gmail.com or over on the podcast’s FaceBook page. Thank you for listening!

Apple Podcast LINK

Direct MP3 Download LINK

YouTube - KILMA, QUEEN OF THE JUNGLE (1975)

Here is the first section of the rare Spanish jungle girl movie by the director of THE WEREWOLF AND THE YETI (1975). Not sure if there will ever be a great release of this film so this might be your only chance. And Paul Naschy plays a hunter on a strange safari so that is well worth seeing! 

Beyond Naschy #30 - THE MAN CALLED NOON (1973)

Westerns are not the most frequent category of cinema covered on this podcast. In fact, this episode marks only the third one in the ten years we’ve been doing this! That might be considered strange when you know just how many fine examples of the genre were made in Spain employing Spanish actors and technicians. Because of the low costs of production many westerns were shot in the Spanish countryside and on the standing sets built for countless Italian movies including some American productions. The cleverest of filmmakers found ways to make those places look fresh and interesting. Such is true of THE MAN CALLED NOON (1973).

We discovered this film while digging into the credit listings of one of Paul Naschy’s most impressive female co-stars. The sight of Patty Shepard aiming a six-gun while dressed in an all black cowboy ensemble encouraged our curiosity and the online plot synopsis grabbed our attention. Based on a Louis L’amour novel? Directed by the guy who made THE ITALIAN JOB (1969)? The lead is played by Rambo’s boss? And the luminous Rosanna Schiaffino is in it as well? How could we resist?

The mystery at the heart of this twisty tale is unraveled slowly over the film’s running time so we do our best to keep spoilers out of our discussion. There are so many reveals and discoveries along the way that we thought it would be best to let new viewers find them as the story plays out. This is a movie with a lot of interesting characters and learning about them is more than half the fun.

We don’t have any new emails or messages to respond to in this episode so if you have any comments for the show we can be reached at naschycast@gmail.com or over on the FaceBook page. We’d be thrilled to hear from you!

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Beyond Naschy #29 - THE CORRUPTION OF CHRIS MILLER (1973)

The Naschycast returns for October! Barely. And we work diligently to NOT spoil this film for newcomers!

THE CORRUPTION OF CHRIS MILLER (1973) is one of the most overlooked and least talked about of the Spanish horror films of the 1970’s. In a way this is good because its rarity leaves its many secrets and revelations unknown to modern viewers. There’s a good debate to be had about how the film should be labeled. Is it a thriller or a horror film? Often the line between those two symbiotic genres can be teased apart but I think this film straddles the fence right up until the mid-point farmhouse set-piece. That is a sequence that is sure to impress even the most jaded of horror fans! Mark this film down as another precursor of the slasher genre.  

We start off this show with some news and a sad goodbye to a good friend and contributor to the podcast. As stated, Troy and I do our best to not spoil the many third act disclosures that twist this amazingly well written thriller into new and wholly unexpected shapes. We talk a little about the three actors at the center of this pressure cooker drama with some attention to the earlier careers of the two female leads. Jean Seberg is a screen legend with a dozen films on her resume that would be the highlight of any actor’s life. The lovely Marisol is great here but it’s fascinating to learn of her very successful music career as a young woman. And we speculate that Barry Stokes may have been asked by a British director to essentially play exactly the same role he does here in a later film. I’d love to find out how much this movie influenced that 1977 picture. We marvel over the fine direction and cinematography, the sharp dialog and nuanced characters as we strain to keep from discussing the end of the story. It is not easy!

If you have any thoughts about THE CORRUPTION OF CHRIS MILLER or anything else we discuss in this episode please drop us a line at naschycast@gmail.com and we’ll include them in the next episode. Thank you for listening and we’ll talk to you again soon.

Apple Podcast LINK 

Direct Download LINK 

Naschycast #61 - LOS PASAJEROS (1975)

After nearly ten years of covering Paul Naschy films it is no secret that we have reached the final few movies that are available for us to see. Sure, we’ve stayed away from some later efforts with very small roles for our hero that might be worthy of attention. But, of the movies made during his most productive years, there are not many left to dig into and most of those were never released in the United States or, in some cases, outside of Spain. Luckily, the fan-subbing community once again comes to the rescue allowing us to finally check another rare one off our Naschy bucket list. The film’s cast also includes the excellent Aurora Bautista in a significant role as well as Eva León and Loreta Tovar so there are some familiar faces for Spanish Horror fans.

LOS PASAJEROS (1975) is a hard to find film for many reasons. It seems to have been barely released even in Spain and to have been the first of only two feature films directed by José Antonio Barrero. Mr. Barrero contributed the screen story for this effort as well so it seems logical to attribute the film’s quirks to his sensibilities. He appears to have been aiming this movie at the arthouse crowd couching his (supposedly) big statements in arch symbolic actions that often leave viewers scratching their heads. It may be that a Spanish filmgoer in the mid-1970’s would have been able to puzzle out the meaning of what happens onscreen but we might never know. Still, there are points of interest for the hardcore Naschy fan since Mr. Molina has a substantial role as the rich patron presiding over a house filled with subservient people. Naschy commands these visitors to his isolated home to act out scenes from plays while he watches. It’s all pretty weird!

At the end of the show we reply to a pair of recent emails to the podcast. If you have comments or questions the address is naschycast@gmail.com where we’ll be glad to hear from you. If you don’t want us to use your full name on the show let us know. Thank you for listening to this episode and we’ll be back soon with another Beyond Naschy show!

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A BELL FROM HELL (1973) - Missing Scenes

After Troy and I recorded our podcast covering this excellent film I was informed by Robert Monell that the DVD we were using as a reference was actually incomplete. He told me that it was missing a few scenes for some reason and I was flabbergasted! A frantic search had me rechecking my sources looking for details with no luck. But then FaceBook friend Eric Cotenas messaged me with a YouTube link to a copy of the (rather dark looking) Unicorn VHS version of the film with the missing footage. It seems that at around 47 minute 25 second mark is where it can be found so you can use this video to either watch the entire film or jump to that spot to see the three short scenes that were trimmed. They take place at the party John throws for his aunt and cousins. After John and Esther dance around the room these scenes have more dialog between the family members that spell out the 'romantic' entanglements that contributed to John's stay in an asylum. This information is missing from the Pathfinder DVD we used which cuts bluntly from the dancing to the dinner table deleting this rather dark discussion as well as the aunt assuring one of the girls that 'After the verdict we'll sell the house'.  This is a shame as this shows how worried the editor of the print used for the DVD might have been about the film's main character being presented as an attempted rapist. This is odd considering that the DVD cut has more gore and nudity than the version with the missing two minutes of intriguing information delivered with dialog. Here's a link to a spot with details of the missing scenes or you can watch them below -



Also, Mr Cotenas had this note - "I think The Bells is the export title as the font matches the rest of the title sequence and the shot is uninterrupted whereas the Bell from Hell title may be a somewhat more accurate translation but appears in a plain font over a cutaway shot. Perhaps the preparers of the English version were thinking of Poe."  This dovetails well with Troy's idea that someone might have been trying to sell this film as another Poe adaptation!

So, as Mr. Monell stated, there is no truly satisfactory digital version of this film. I once again call for a definitive release on Blu-Ray as soon as possible! It's just not acceptable that you have to watch multiple version of a movie to see the complete film.

Thanks to Robert Monell and Erc Cotenas for their help.

Early 1990's Spanish Cult Films Coming to Blu-Ray!

Exciting news for fans of interesting European cinema was announced today! Two of my favorite Spanish films from the 1990's are being brought to domestic Blu-Ray by Olive Films. This means I can finally show friends good prints of these amazing movies instead of lamenting their status in my collection as lesser quality bootlegs. Both of these are exceptional cinema and come at their subjects in ways that seemed rough and fresh when I caught them in the mid-90's so I can hardly wait to see if they feel as impressive on a return visit. 

Here's Olive Films' descriptions of the two movies due out at the end of the month- 

THE RED SQUIRREL (La Ardilla Roja), written and directed by Julio Medem (Tierra) and starring Emma Suárez (Julieta) and Nancho Novo (Lovers of the Arctic Circle), is a stylish thriller à la Hitchcock — with echoes of Vertigo — set in a Spanish campground.

Jota (Novo), a musician with a career in decline and a romantic life in shambles, is on the verge of ending his life by jumping from a bridge when a mysterious figure on a motorcycle comes roaring — quite literally — into his life. Rushing to aid the injured cyclist, Jota discovers the driver is a beautiful young woman (Suárez) who's lost her memory in the crash. Seeing an opportunity to start a new life, Jota creates a fictional backstory for Sofia, the amnesia victim whom he now calls Lisa, claiming that they're a couple. Fearing her growing suspicion of his ruse, Jota cuts Lisa's hospital stay short by whisking her off to The Red Squirrel, a remote campground far away from prying eyes. But they soon attract the attention of the other campers, leading to an escalation in Lisa's erratic behavior. What secrets are hiding in Lisa's past? And who is Félix (Carmelo Gómez, Tierra), the mysterious stranger who appears at the camp site in search of Sofia? Twists and turns abound in The Red Squirrel.

In Spanish, with optional English subtitles."

Set in Spain's Basque Country, VACAS (Cows) tells of a bitter rivalry and a decades-old feud between three generations of the Mendiluze and Iriguibel families, stretching from the Third Carlist War through the Spanish Civil War. These families, not unlike the tale of the Hatfields and McCoys, have carried a simmering, deep-seated hatred dating back to a war-time act that left brave Carmelo Mendiluze dead on the battlefield and the cowardly deserter Manuel Iriguibel crippled but alive. Years have not cooled the animosity between these houses as the film traces the lives, loves, and deaths that propel the atmospheric story forward to its inevitable outcome. Directed by Julio Medem (Tierra, The Red Squirrel) from a screenplay by Medem and Michel Gaztambide, Vacas stars Carmelo Gómez (Tierra, The Red Squirrel), Emma Suárez (Julieta, The Red Squirrel), Ana Torrent (The Other Boleyn Girl) and Karra Elejalde (Tierra).

Director Medem is immeasurably aided by cinematographer Carles Gusi (El Niño), whose camera captures the lush foliage of the Basque countryside and cocoon-like farmhouse interiors, successfully recreating a bygone era. The film also features a dramatic score courtesy of composer Alberto Iglesias (The Constant Gardener).

In Spanish, with optional English subtitles.

Of course, Olive Films never includes any extras but just the chance to see these movies in a good HD presentation is enough for me. If they sound intriguing, you might enjoy them as well.  

NaschyCast #15 - EL CAMINANTE (1979)

Maybe the last thing we expected when we watched EL CAMINANTE (a.k.a. THE TRAVELLER) was that we would discover one of Naschy’s best movies. That it is also an incredibly funny, bawdy, cynical and darkly incisive view of how the world works was a revelation. The last time we strayed away from his horror output we were cursed by CRIMSON but this time we struck blessed gold! Naschy described EL CAMINANTE as the most personal and sensitive of all his films and it was also one of his most critically lauded works. Looked at as a morality play it is brilliant and as a sharp critique of the ethical deficiencies of mankind it is excellent. As writer, director and star Naschy uses the classic tale of the Devil travelling the world to explore his own philosophy of life while never losing sight of the need to make an entertaining story. Even as the fable becomes more disturbing, reflecting his unfortunate disillusionment with people, the film retains its engaging spirit. The story’s episodic nature keeps it unpredictable and fun with one adventure leading to the next as each of the seven deadly sins gets its moment on stage. It may just be that my own view of life lines up pretty closely with Naschy’s but I found a lot with which to identify in this film and I feel that it is easily one of his finest works. Graced with fantastic dialog, fine performances, a good score and a creator in full flower EL CAMINANTE is a true classic that should be seen by anyone with an interest in quality cinema. This is our most surprising discovery from Naschy’s filmography yet and I recommend that everyone seek it out.

Naschycast #15

For more information about one of the many stories Naschy adapted into this film check out this page about El Buscon. And you can write us at naschycast@gmail.com.