NaschyCast

NaschyCast #25.5 - Year Two Retrospective!

NOBODY EXPECTS A YEAR END RETROSPECTIVE SHOW! Unless you noticed we did one last year. And the Spanish Inquisition hasn't popped by for tea lately. Our year end wrap-up show is finally here and its a pretty fun time. We wax rhapsodic about the joys of our Year Two discoveries and shake our heads in dismay at the films that disappointed us. As we discuss our individual lists from worst to best we take the opportunity to look at each movie a second time and see how our opinions might have changed over the last few months. In some cases there has been some movement and in some cases that movement has been downward. Its a good way to think about Naschy's work and as always we try to consider if each film would be a good introduction for a new potential fan. Sometimes that can be a hard thing to guess. The mailbag segment once again proves to be a blast. We talk about Mr. Magoo, Lina Romay, American sounding names, the REC movies, porn Dracula and the terrible Bond film A VIEW TO A KILL. We even get to hear sad tales of the unfortunate fates of childhood Planet of the Apes toys. If you want to add your stories of brutalized hunks of cherished rubber and plastic please drop us a line. The email address is NaschyCast@gmail.com or you can visit us on the Facebook page where 'like' means love. And if you get the show through iTunes please think about reviewing the show there. It really helps us get some attention. An don't forget to vote for us in the Rondo Awards! You have until April the first so run over there now! http://www.rondoaward.com/rondo/rondos.html

NaschyCast #25 - OPERATION MANTIS (1985)

We start our third year of podcasting with a film that Naschy looked back on as a major mistake. Indeed, he called it the biggest mistake of his career and, as you’ll hear, it was certainly an odd choice for a filmmaker of his sensibilities. OPERATION MANTIS is a spy comedy from a decade that produced very few such movies. That it is also a 'wacky' comedy puts it in the unenviable position of attempting o crack jokes on a variety of subjects in a silly way and the script only fitfully manages to walk that tightrope with any skill. Not that the movie doesn't have its amusing moments. Any film that can boast the sight of Paul Naschy as a caped professional wrestler, Naschy in full clown make-up and (in the maddest scene ever) Naschy dressed as a punk rocker while singing a spastic pop song (!) cannot help but keep you watching. Whether you're watching to see if it will get better or worse is entirely up to the individual but you will never know what is around the corner with his one. The thinly spread plot of OPERATION MANTIS involves a shadowy, female lead secret organization trying to get its hands on a man-made virus that can destroy the male gender. The evil Matriarka criminal conspiracy intends to reduce the number of men down to only 200 worldwide who will be controlled and used to create the next generation. This dastardly plan only has three agents of the I.A.A.T. fighting against it - one American Military vet; an Italian fashion designer and a gorgeous blonde bikini model. How can the planet's men be saved from the fiendish, but lovely, Mantis? This bizarre film marked the end of a major era in Naschy's career and he never really recovered. Join us as we pick it apart to see what is there that might be worth discussion. Please let us know your thoughts on the slightly new format for the show and any other thing you might want to talk about. As you will hear in the mailbag section it doesn't take much to get us going. Or at least, it doesn't take much to get ME going. The email address is NaschyCast@gmail.com or visit us on the Facebook page. And if you get the show through iTunes please think about reviewing the show there. It really helps us get some attention.

NaschyCast #24.5 - Beyond Naschy - HORROR EXPRESS (1972)

We have the pleasure of finally bringing you the show we have threatened/promised for over a year -HORROR EXPRESS! The film that some call the best Spanish horror film ever made gets the NaschyCast treatment and to keep things interesting we've brought along a friend. Randy Fox has known your boisterous hosts for longer than any of us would care to think about. He is a warm, unique individual and his enthusiasm for movies of all types is second only to his knowledge of esoteric subjects. Where else are you going to find someone fascinated by Russian history who is also a fanatical gun collector? Throw in the fact that he's a Godzilla fan of the highest order and has been known to track the elusive Bigfoot in his spare time and its easy to see why we value his opinion. On some things. So join this mad trio of movie nuts as we discuss the sheer wonder of this film and touch upon the many joys it holds. We talk about the magic of the year that was 1972; learn about old porno theaters in Nashville; speak about the surprise of Christopher Lee as an action hero; talk about the fantastic film team of Cushing & Lee; discuss what kind of edged weapon a Cossack would use to stab lesser mortals; remark on the difficulty of acting while blinded by special effects; thrill at seeing Helga Line again; and experience the joy of having character actor Victor Isreal pop up just to be choked out. The train is leaving the station in Peking- or is it Shanghai? Regardless- hop aboard and hang on as we hurtle through the cold winter night while a monster stalks our every step. Remember to drop us a note at naschycast@gmail.com or visit us over on the NaschyCast Facebook page.

NaschyCast 24 - CURSE OF THE DEVIL (1974)

The podcast reaches the two year mark with a howl! Our second anniversary episode focuses once again on our old pal Waldemar Daninsky in his sixth big screen outing (or seventh depending on how you count). CURSE OF THE DEVIL marks our coverage of the last of the four collaborations between Naschy and director Carlos Aured and we're pleased to find it as impressive as the other three/ As usual, things are not easy for Naschy's greatest creation as he struggles through not just a terrible curse but depression brought on by accidentally murdering a score of people - some of whom he actually likes. This is the first El Hombre Lobo film to have a period setting and this pays off in some nice atmosphere and mood. The photography is top notch with especially great attention to detail in the many sequences shot at night. THE WOLFMAN (1941) gets referenced quite lot in this one and even has one of the same central mysteries as that classic. We discuss that question near the end along with others such as - Why does no one gag the witch before they burn her so she can't issue a curse? Are we supposed to think Waldemar is a virgin?? Are there rules or when a loved one can kill a werewolf? All of these issues are addressed as we are puzzled by the story's oddities, stunned by the sexy little sister and impressed by the cool threads Waldemar sports in this adventure. Woo hoooooo! For those wishing to skip the spoilers as we go through the final section of the film, the listener's emails are cracked open at about the 2 hour and 45 minute mark. This leads to a discussion of several things but mostly it turns into a listing of our favorite Christmas movies. We come out in favor of an undervalued version of A Christmas Carol and cap the show with my favorite song of all time. Please drop us a line at naschycast@gmail.com and tell what's on your mind. We love hearing from our fellow fans. Also, join us on the NaschyCast Facebook page for updates and trailers. We'll be back here in a couple of weeks with an in depth look at HORROR EXPRESS.

NaschyCast 23.5 - The Return of Tim Lucas!

Once again we have the pleasure of bringing you a conversation with Tim Lucas. This time both Troy and I are able to sit down and delve deeply into three specific Paul Naschy movies. Tim is always gracious with his time, energy and thoughts often seeing elements your humble podcasters miss or simply barrel past. Of course, good critical insight is what you might anticipate when you realize that he has been writing about film and the horror genre for nearly four decades. While we aimed to stay focused on certain films, as you might expect, the talk turned to various subjects and none of us are above the occasional salacious joke or silly statement. Luckily Tim doesn’t mind when we Tennessee fellows go off on bizarre tangents or disagree with his assessment. We’ll have to name Mr. Lucas a sadly displaced Southern Gentleman as well as a fine Naschy scholar. We hope you enjoy this romp through the Naschy-verse with Tim. Besides the three films under direct discussion the inevitable talk about Jess Franco is present as well as THE LEGEND OF BLOOD CASTLE; QUATERMASS AND THE PIT; the directorial style of David Cronenberg and its relation to Naschy; the talent of various Spanish actresses; as well as cannibal films and animal cruelty in art. Its always fun to talk with Tim about anything but these periodic Naschy dialogs are a great way to shake up the way we see these films and offer a fantastic challenge to our preconceived notions. I have to say that he's got me thinking hard about my impressions of BEAST AND THE MAGIC SWORD. Remember you can drop us a message at naschycast@gmail.com or join us over on the Facebook page to put in your two cents worth. We're thrilled by the great feedback from listeners and it makes for a much more lively show. Let us know what your favorite Naschy film is and give us suggestions on other Spanish Horror films you'd like us to cover. Have a great Holiday week and we'll see you again in 2012!

NaschyCast #23 - MARSHALL OF HELL (1974)

Not even computer melt downs, cold weather or the time pressures of the holiday season can keep your Naschy podcasters from their appointed rounds! This month we bring you bright shiny joy in the form of a swashbuckling tale bent about the legend of the infamous Gille de Rais. Full of derring do, evil machinations, swordplay, romance and cruel torture MARSHALL OF HELL is a bit of a surprise for both of us. It turns out to be a reworking of the classic Errol Flynn film THE ADVENTURES OF ROBIN HOOD with Naschy taking the villain role. By combining aspects of the King John and Sheriff of Nottingham characters he creates in his ersatz Gille a sneering bad guy but still endows him with a guilt complex big enough to overwhelm the biggest ego. Naschy also throws in a hunt for the Philosopher's Stone and enough Satanic worship to justify the alternate title of DEVIL'S POSSESSED. Back in the director's chair is Leon Klimovsky who's film have received almost as much coverage as Paul himself. We make note of the standard Klimovsky touches an are impressed that this time out he somehow got a score that is far above average. So join us as we dissect this very entertaining film with our usual digressions and asides. Where else are you going to hear two detail oriented movie fans talk about THE HOUSE BY THE EDGE OF THE LAKE; point out the Lady MacBeth character in a Robin Hood rip-off; debate the tinting problems in shooting day -for-night; discuss the politics of the torture dungeon and the complex connections between power and corruption. Well- we also lament that the film has no nudity so don't think that we get too intellectual! For those that want to skip the serious spoilers, we dive into the mailbag at about the 2:32:33 mark for some back & forth about snarkiness in the podcasting world and the merits of making fun of movie we love. Please drop us a line at naschycast@gmail.com or join us on the NaschyCast Facebook page. We love hearing from our fellow fans and getting ideas for future episodes.

NaschyCast #22 - THE FRENCHMAN'S GARDEN (1978)

The Naschy Musk is strong in this one! THE FRENCHMAN’S GARDEN is a very rare film with no English language dub and almost no release outside of Spain making it very hard to obtain. Luckily for us it turns out to be one the best we have yet encountered from Naschy’s list of credits. Much like EL CAMINANTE this film is a different kind of tale than we’ve come to expect from the great Spanish horror filmmaker. Best described as a drama or crime film it relates the true story of Juan Andres Aldije (nicknamed The Frenchman) who ran an Inn that doubled as a gambling den and tripled as a whorehouse! Don’t ever say the man was a less than ambitious businessman. All of those things might have been no big deal even in rural Spain but his side business of murdering rich travelers caused him some serious trouble eventually. This is an excellent movie that, while far from being a horror film, has enough horror elements to make it clear what drew Naschy to the material. He said in an interview “I’ve watched it a number of times, and with what I now know about filmmaking, I’ve come to the conclusion that there is little more I could have done. Nothing is perfect, but this film, for me, is almost perfect. If not my best film, it is among the top two or three.” Neither of us can disagree with that assessment and we can only encourage others to seek out this hidden gem. Our discussion ranges all over the place, as usual, with talk of Stephen Fry, THE WILD BUNCH, horror movie hosts of Nashville and Chattanooga, the allure of the charming bad guy and the plot elements that might have made this story a natural for Paul Naschy, scriptwriter. Remember that we spoil the film in detail so if you want to have a blind viewing of it but want to hear us answer emails you can skip to about the 2 hour mark. Yes- that means there is about 40 minutes of us going through the mailbag and talking about whatever you people asked about. If you’d like to get in on this segment please write us at naschycast@gmail.com and we’ll dig into your questions next time. And if you subscribe to the show through iTunes please consider leaving us a review or drop us a comment on the Naschycast Facebook page. Thanks to everyone for the love and encouragement. And once again we have to thank our amazing artist director Jeff Nelson. His stunning image above gives an idea of the sinister goings on and the dangers of a well tended but hidden garden. Maybe one day we'll let him see the films before he crafts us an image to represent it! Jeeze! Thanks!

NaschyCast #21 - THE BEAST & THE MAGIC SWORD (1983)

In the past I have heard some fans of Naschy claim that THE BEAST AND THE MAGIC SWORD is one of his best movies. Having spent several hours going through the film with great attention to detail I’m ready to debate that idea and so is Troy. I personally believe that the reason for the reverence this one engenders is that for decades the only way to see it was in washed out, third generation video tapes that barely hinted at the perversity and violence onscreen. Now that it’s possible to see a clear, sharp version of the film its time to reevaluate and decide where this one falls on the mighty Daninsky scale. Is it one of the best Wolf Man movies of all time or…… something else? No matter what side you come down on it cannot seriously be argued that this film lacks boldness. Starting in the year 938 we are finally shown the genesis of the Daninsky Curse that forces every seventh son born under a full moon to become a werewolf….. or was that every son born on the seventh full moon during…….. or one son every other generation or something. I say the Hell with it! THE BEAST AND THE MAGIC SWORD starts out in Europe but quickly moves the action to 16th century Japan for the world’s first werewolf vs. samurai battles. Ya gotta love that! This is a film that seeks to combine as many disparate ideas as possible into one big lycanthrope adventure and the different elements seem to only occasionally fit together smoothly. I’m still trying to forget the inclusion of freakin’ Ninjas in the story! Join us as we chat this one to death with tangents into The Jungle Book, Riki-Tiki-Tavi, the Spanish Inquisition, masculine facial hair, long distance travel and well staged tiger fights. The discussion is our usual in depth, scene by scene dissection that goes on for longer than either of us thought probable or possible. The body of the show is two and a half hours long with the mailbag section stretching for the last forty minutes! I hope everyone likes long podcasts. Remember to drop us a line at naschycast@gmail.com or talk to us over at the Facebook page. If you listen through iTunes please think about giving us a review there - five stars would be nice – and, as Troy says at the end of the episode, have a Happy Halloween!

NaschyCast #20.5 - Beyond Naschy - COUNT DRACULA (1970)

Oh my goodness! Fall weather has arrived in Tennessee and for two Euro-Horror fanboys that can only mean one thing- its time to break out the Dracula adaptations and discuss! In our second Beyond Naschy show focused on Jess Franco we talk about his moderately successful version of Bram Stoker’s classic tale of terror, blood and Victorian manners. “No sex- we’re British!” While the consensus on this film in fan circles seems to be mostly negative we find a number of laudable things onscreen even if we are unhappy with several odd elements. The fact that the three main stars are never even in the same room is a big problem but there are a number of fine qualities on view – and we don’t just mean the lovely faces of Maria Rohm and Soledad Miranda. As an attempt to mount a faithful adaptation of the novel, COUNT DRACULA deserves to be studied. It is certainly a fine chance to see Christopher Lee speechify haughtily as the Count digs his fangs into Dracula family history to justify his arrogance and natural right to do with lesser humans as he sees fit. Ah, the joys of a self-righteous aristocracy! As you might expect, the conversation takes many digressions including various versions of the Dracula tale in film; our continuing obsession with actor’s facial hair; Troy’s lustful thoughts about Maria Rohm; my own lustful thoughts about Soledad Miranda; Jack Taylor’s emoting; Jess Franco’s Cockney accent; quality fangs and a number of other strange and wonderful subjects. Neither of us can remember the name of the author of The Memoirs of Elizabeth Frankenstein during the podcast- which is a shame as Theodore Roszak is a great writer and his brilliant novel Flicker should be read by any fan of genre fiction. I also can’t recall the name of director Gordon Hessler for some reason. For me to forget the name of the fellow responsible for THE GOLDEN VOYAGE OF SINBAD, THE OBLONG BOX, and SCREAM & SCREAM AGAIN is unforgivable! All this and we end the show with a lengthy discussion of our favorite Hammer films. See what you can get when you write in with a question! Send any notes, queries, comments, complaints or praise to naschycast@gmail.com or post same on the NaschyCast Facebook page. Thanks for listening!

NaschyCast #20 - VENGEANCE OF THE ZOMBIES (1973)

In this episode we follow Master Naschy into the world of Voodoo and check out the mad mystery born of crimes too hideous to explain in detail. Those used to the Romero style movie zombies will be surprised by these grave risen killers as they seek neither flesh nor brains to chew on and tend to only do what they are told. Rather well behaved for monsters, I guess. But that means that the thing to fear is the person creating the monsters and issuing the orders and that just might be our main man Paul Naschy- or it might be some other stocky guy running around London with wax effigies and jars of blood. As we made clear in our comments at the end of the last episode we were not expecting VEGEANCE OF THE ZOMBIES to be a ‘good’ Naschy experience. Some listeners took us to task for that negativity but my memories of the film from my one previous viewing were less than stellar. Both Troy and I were surprised to discover that this is actually a pretty good, if flawed, horror tale with lots to recommend it. This is another Leon Klimovsky directed film and it has all the pluses and minuses associated with his work. It’s a spooky movie filled with amazing things and creepy ideas sandwiched in between some terrible scenes and lathered in a score that only occasionally seems to be appropriate to what you’re watching. Listen in as we remark on the oddest things, such as one character’s resemblance to Dr. Phibes; the possible deal Klimovsky got on rubber masks; the completely ignored live leopard sitting on a table in one scene; the romantic life of Hindu gurus; and the fact that London police have very strange crime scene practices. Also, we introduce our new sister podcast and we both manage to give the show’s name incorrectly! It’s called the Hello Doomed Show and we highly recommend checking it out. Visit the hosts over at Doomed Moviethone and tell’em we sent you! Remember you can give us your thoughts anytime at naschycast@gmail.com and, like good southern gentlemen, we’re always glad to hear from you. Thanks for listening.