Spaghetti Western Orchestra

If you've not yet heard of the Spaghetti Western Orchestra let this clip be your introduction. Five men using over 100 instruments perform selections from Ennio Morricone's classic Italian western scores. In this brief, statically filmed piece they recreate the song Angel Face from A PISTOL FOR RINGO and the best part is that the original vocalist Maurizio Graf joins them to sing the tune. This is doubly nice in that he wrote the English lyrics for this song back almost fifty years ago. I hope these guys eventually tour on this side of the Atlantic even if there will be few chances for such great special guests as London allows.

Horror Rises From Spain

For over a year and a half the lovely and talented Elena has hosted an English language internet radio show that focuses on Spanish horror. Titled 'Horror Rises From Spain' it has been hosted on the site Cult Radio-A-Go-Go since its inception but a few weeks ago Elena broke from from that carrier's restrictive broadcast policies. That means that you can now hear every single episode whenever you want by simply downloading the show as an MP3! No longer do you need to be in front of your computer at a specific time on Saturday to listen to Elena's interviews, reviews and often wild music choices. Now you can check them out as you wish.

I can recommend the entire run - not just the excellent BLIND DEAD episodes David Z and I guested on back last summer - for some great insight into Spanish Horror and a stunning amount of information on some of the classics of the genre. If nothing else, Elena should be up for some kind of award for her two part interview with the fine actor and Naschy co-star Antonio Mayans. Getting him on record about his career is a truly important addition to the history of European horror filmmaking.

But don't take my word for it. Follow the link below and grab the shows yourself. You'll get a kick out of hearing from a lady in Madrid who knows her stuff and loves what her native country has contributed to the world of fantastic cinema. Her enthusiasm and good humor will keep you entertained and coming back for more.

HORROR RISES ROM SPAIN download page

Janet Munro

Most 'normal' film fans would know of Miss Janet Munro from her roles in DARBY O'GILL AND THE LITTLE PEOPLE (1959) or THE SWISS FAMILY ROBINSON (1960) but for me she will always be the sexy lady from Val Guest's excellent apocalyptic science fiction classic THE DAY THE EARTH CAUGHT FIRE (1961). She was also a welcome sight in THE CRAWLING EYE (1958) but she was simply amazing no matter what she appeared in - or out of!

Hammer Horror Blu-Rays!

Like millions of other fans of Hammer films I'm thrilled by the announcement that several of the studio's classic movies will be coming soon to Blu-Ray disc in special editions. That these releases promise not just fancy extras but the reinstating of snippets of film cut at the time of their initial theatrical runs is news of the most stunning kind. If this turns out to be true it might well be the best thing to happen to horror fans since the dawn of the digital disc age. For decades rumors of longer, more violent versions of HORROR OF DRACULA and others have kept drooling Hammer Heads seeking foreign prints for extra bits but this is the first time we've been promised anything new. They plan to start with DRACULA, PRINCE OF DARKNESS (1966) and then push forward with THE DEVIL RIDES OUT, THE MUMMY' SHROUD, THE PLAGUE OF THE ZOMBIES and more. For me, the best news was in the final paragraph--

"Also lined up for future release are The Legend Of The 7 Golden Vampires, Captain Kronos Vampire Hunter, Frankenstein And The Monster From Hell, Frankenstein Created Woman, The Witches, The Lost Continent, Slave Girls, The Viking Queen and The Vengeance Of She."

THE LOST CONTINENT in Hi-Definition? Where do I send the money?


LINK

HORROR EXPRESS trailer

Coming soon to the NaschyCast's Beyond Naschy series of podcasts!

BEYOND THE TIME BARRIER (1960)

I recently watched two post-apocalyptic movies back to back without realizing what I was doing. Or, more accurately, I didn’t know BEYOND THE TIME BARRIER (1960) was such a story but I knew SHE (1982) was an entry in the 80s post-ROAD WARRIOR dystopian action genre. I also knew SHE was going to be pretty terrible but I have a sick love of the awful post apocalyptic films of the 80s so nothing was going to stop me from pressing play on that baby!

I have wanted to see BEYOND THE TIME BARRIER for a long time but its poor reputation kept me from seeking it out for over twenty years. There were two big reasons I finally pulled it up on NetFlix and sat through its short running time. The first reason I was drawn to the film is my love of science fiction movies in general and those made before I was born in specific. I’m not sure exactly what element of older sci-fi it is that appeals to me so strongly. It might have to do with the thrill of seeing the future projected from another time to discover what the people of that age thought we would find important or strive to accomplish. I’m usually stunned by how little we’ve done in comparison to what was expected. Another aspect that calls to me is the fun of watching a visualization of the far future by filmmakers working to craft something believable and functional enough to not be thought ridiculous. This is often a minefield and that deadly land is littered with more sad leisure suits and sexy mini-skirts than any respectable person should ever have seen. Often just the whacked out costumes are more than enough to put a stupid grin on my face and make me happy I watched the film!


The second thing that called out to me about it is that this movie was directed by Edgar Ulmer, the genius who made my favorite Universal Horror film THE BLACK CAT (1935) and one of the all time great Film Noirs DETOUR (1946). His earlier science fiction film THE MAN FROM PLANET X (1951) is a fantastic example of creepy atmosphere on a low budget and a great little movie as well so I had some hopes for this to be better than its reputation. Unfortunately Ulmer could not overcome the lack of money with this one. There are some interesting moments scattered throughout but overall its a pretty dull affair that feels stagy and very often silly. After Air Force pilot Major Bill Allison (played by the reliable Robert Clarke) flies an experimental new aircraft to sub-orbital spaceflight something strange happens and when he lands at the airbase it is now is abandoned and seems old and unused. Baffled by his situation, he wanders around until he sees a futuristic city on the horizon. He walks to the city (a fair matte painting) where he attacked, knocked out and captured by the inhabitants. Here he learns that he has somehow traveled through time and landed in the year 2024. The only people alive are survivors of a cosmic plague that hit the Earth starting in 1971. The inhabitants are slowly dying out and live in an underground city called The Citadel. The leader of these people thinks that Allison might be able to help them as they are no longer able to reproduce. Military stud to the rescue!

I am sad to report that this sounds more interesting that it is. The movie is pretty slowly paced, the dialog is mostly flat and the story isn't very compelling. Once some other accidental time travelers are introduced the endgame is clear and its just a slog through the romantic triangle with the only good distraction being the lovely ladies walking around in mini-skirts and high heels. Strange what production designers think will end up being worn in the future. I got some joy out of the few interesting miniature scenes and the diamond shaped set design but even at only 75 minutes its a long trudge.

CURSE OF THE DEVIL trailer

During our most recent NaschyCast Troy made mention of the fact that in the United States 'El retorno de Walpurgis' not only had its title changed to something less European sounding, but seems to have been sold as anything other than what it actually is. He pointed out that the English language trailer makes no mention of werewolves, never shows the beast in full and the usual hyperbolic voiceover appears to be trying to convince potential audiences that CURSE OF THE DEVIL is some kind of exorcism story. Check it out and see for yourself.