Monster Bash-ing!!

After much discussion with a buddy it appears that I'll be attending this year's Monster Bash convention in Butler, PA! This will be my first visit to the con in five years (I think) and I'm really looking forward to it. The dealer room at this show is a cult film lover's dream come true and it's always a blast to meet like minded movie fans to discuss the geeky things we love. I can hardly wait! Two of my long time crushes will be there- Dawn Wells and Caroline Munro. I have to take up meditation or something to keep me calm when I meet them. Gotta stay cool. Gotta be composed. Breathe.

Tina Louise - TV dream girl

She wasn't my favorite female cast member but Gilligan's Island was a much prettier place with Miss Louise than without her. I especially loved her turn as Count Gilligan's evil bride lurking around that creepy castle! That particular episode should have been a TV series on its own.

The Old Dark Round Table Episode 1 - "The Mummy's Curse"

About a year and a half ago illustrator, filmmaker, screenwriter and actor Frank Dietz (yes, he's all of these things and more) used the opportunity of a gathering of Monster Kids to create something fun. Getting everyone seated and comfortable (hard enough) he presented his opinions on various subjects and then asked the rest of the assembled geeky brain trust to 'discuss' as cameras rolled. That what he was asking about were a number of films considered the lessor lights of the classic horror genre prompted all of us to voice our thoughts with considerable vigor. Indeed, I think the level of defense many of the movies in question received took Frank a bit by surprise. That none of us were above making fun of even those films we loved certainly made the conversation entertaining... at least for us. And it was one hell of a good way to pass a couple of hours with friends.

Frank has started editing some of the footage together for the rest of the world to check out. He's done a fine job of pulling clips from the film under discussion to illustrate points and making most of us sound much more coherent than we have any right to after the large dinner we had all just eaten! The first video focuses on a film I love but that Frank is right to pick apart. His dim view of THE MUMMY'S CURSE turns out to be a minority opinion.

NaschyCast #14.5 - Beyond Naschy- THE STRANGE LOVES OF THE VAMPIRE (1975)

We’re back with our second Beyond Naschy mini-episode in which we talk about…well… a lot of things actually, but we try to stay on topic. The IMDb lists THE STRANGE LOVES OF THE VAMPIRE as a 1977 release but it turns out that Phil Hardy’s guide to horror films claims it as a 1975 film so your guess is as good as ours. I think it is likely that the film debuted in the US in 1977 and Europe two years earlier making both dates accurate depending on your location. Further complicating things is that in the US the film was given the misleading title of NIGHT OF THE WALKING DEAD! I suspect that drive-in patrons in ’77 expecting a zombie movie, maybe even a sequel to NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD, had to feel disappointment but I can’t imagine the sight of the frequently nude Emma Cohen made the men in the audience unhappy. Wowsa!

Only available as a bootleg sourced from a Dutch VHS tape (I mistakenly say Turkish in the show!) with subtitles hardcoded onto the screen this turns out to still be a film well worth hunting down. Although we complain a lot about the crappy print quality the film’s strengths win us over and it joins my long list of movies that need a good DVD release. Settle in and listen as we try not to spoil the movie while praising its finer points, and we don’t mean just the several sets of impressive nipples on display. Write us at naschycast@gmail.com and let us know what you think of our efforts.

Naschycast 14.5

Spy Smasher - Chapter 1

Among fans of the classic Republic Studio serials there is little argument over the best two they ever produced. THE ADVENTURES OF CAPTAIN MARVEL is often listed as deserving first place but I have to side with the group that puts SPY SMASHER above it. An incredibly thrilling chapter play it lopes along at an astonishing pace and has one of the best, most involving stories ever stretched over 12 parts. Some kind soul has posted the first (and longest) chapter on youtube and I recommend watching it to get a sense of how fun these relics of the past can be. Here's the first 10 minutes to get you started---

Jess Franco poster art - Part 3!

This was the film that made me realize that not all color Franco films were going to suck. TWO UNDERCOVER ANGELS (1969) was so much lighthearted fun done with a 1960s pop art sensibility that I fell for it immediately. That a smiling Rosanna Yanni was onscreen for most of the running time helped too! This may have been the film that turned me from dismissive of his work to curious about what other goodies might lurk in Franco's long list of credits. I need to rewatch this soon.

Yvonne Craig - TV dream girl

The fact that she only popped up on the Batman TV show on rare occasions made her all the more alluring. The short hair, bright smile and determined attitude would become the shape of almost every woman I chased after in adulthood. What a beauty!