NaschyCast

Beyond Naschy #15 - PIECES (1982)

You don't need to go to Texas to have a chainsaw massacre! Finally bowing to listener pressure Troy and I are covering our first Juan Piquer Simón movie. To say that PIECES (1982) is a unique film is to undersell it's many odd qualities and the strange pleasures that can be derived from this incredible horror effort. Simón is infamous for directing several terrible movies in the 1980's that are usually hidden behind his Anglicized pseudonym J. P. Simon. Besides this film he is responsible for the movie at the heart of the classic Mystery Science Theater 3000 episode 'Pod People' as well as SLUGS (1988). Simon's films often got distribution outside of Spain because of his insistence on filming in English knowing that America was the biggest market for genre pictures - don't ever sell the man short when it comes to business! Simon's original title for his script was 'Mil gritos tiene la noche' which translates to 'A Thousand Screams in the Night' and while that might be an interesting name for this tale, PIECES truly sums it up perfectly. Pulling inspiration (to be generous) from several different sources (The Shadow, Texas Chainsaw Massacre, Psycho, anything that might occur on set, etc.) the movie might not be very original but it is also never boring. I have a personal affinity for PIECES that stems from having seen it on the big screen in its American theatrical run in 1983. We touch on this tale of teenaged movie going and how it might have been the beginnings of my adult fascination with Euro-Trash cinema as well as Troy's earliest impressions of this gore drenched classic. We have a great time discussing this crazed film and I get so excited I spend several minutes referring to Lynda Day George as Susan George! Jeeze! Luckily Troy notices and steers me back to the correct name and then we publically embarrass the poor actress by playing her most cringe inducing line from this film. We can be bastards! Bastards. Bastards. The mailbag is light this month but we do have some interesting comments from a listener who has gone and created his own podcast - Fandom Radio Podcast! Go check it out! I also relate the discovery that the novel on which ROTTWEILER (2004) was based was actually filmed once before in 1979 with EXORCIST star Jason Miller in the lead role. I now need to watch this version and report back to compare and contrast. You can reach us over on the Naschycast Facebook page or email us your thoughts at naschycast@gmail.com if you so desire. We'll be back next month with a very obscure Naschy film from the 1970's. Thanks for downloading and listening.

NaschyCast #53 - ROTTWEILER (2004)

Episode 53 puts us back in 2004 to discuss a film that features Naschy in a small but impressive role as - wait for it - the bad guy! ROTTWEILER is an English language film made in Spain by American director Brian Yuzna during his short lived Fantastic Factory production company's existence. We start the conversation talking about the various film directed by Yuzna and segue into the other movies made by Fantastic Factory. There are some good films and some bad films on that list! ROTTWEILER was based on a novel by Spanish author Alberto Vázquez Figueroa also wrote the script. In cases like this I love to read the source work but I haven't been able to locate an English translation so if anyone out there has any information on such a thing please let me know at naschycast@gmail.com. I'm very curious about the novel's structure in comparison to the film and how close the story stay to the book. As usual Troy and I stray from our assigned path a few times to talk about other possibly related subjects but we keep mostly on target I promise. The mailbag segment has some fun food for thought as we learn about a fellow Naschy fan that we somehow missed crossing paths with during our days living in Murfreesboro, TN in the 1990s. Strange! And Dan returns with his segment this time out to talk about Rottweiler and another horror host. 

NaschyCast #52 - DOCTOR JUSTICE (1975)

The NaschyCast returns with a French produced gem from the 1970's. Paul Naschy's role in this action adventure is pretty small but the film is well worth seeing for the rest of the cat and the fun story. DOCTOR JUSTICE is based on a series of French comic books that were very popular at the time. Dr. Benjamin Justice is an humanitarian doctor and works for the WHO (World Health Organization) tackling medical problems all over the globe. He is an expert of judo (6th dan), ju-jitsu and karaté. In the film he is played by John Phillip Law as an incredibly optimistic force for all that is right and good (justice, no?) with a will to put every bit of his abilities in the service of bringing criminals to heel. In this case the (very) good Doctor is up against some very clever oil thieves who have found a way to highjack an entire tanker of the black gold while the ship is still in transit - and without the crew even knowing the oil is gone! These criminals are lead by Gert Fröbe who will be instantly recognizable as Auric Goldfinger from the Bond film, of course but the rest of the bad guys a prove to be of interest as well including a martial arts expert that makes the numerous fight scenes very entertaining. Troy and I are happy to be back in the saddle with a Naschy film to discuss even one with as little of our hero as this. We keep the show on track for the most part but there are the usual side conversations about what we've been watching and reading lately as well as some music talk. The Mail Bag this time out gives us some food for thought but we are always hungry for more feedback so if you wish please contact the show at naschycast@gmail.com to add your musings to the proceedings. Thanks for downloading and listening to our babble - we are grateful for your attention!

Beyond Naschy #14 - THE VAMPIRES' NIGHT ORGY (1974)

Major spoiler warning! We talk about the entire film this time out, all the way through to the ending image - I just had to! And man - this episode sprawled out of control! With great joy, Troy and I cover the Spanish Horror gem THE VAMPIRES' NIGHT ORGY but the verbal side trips stretch the show to a length I am slightly sheepish to see. But maybe the long running time is a good thing? Maybe providing a nearly three hour long podcast is appreciated! I hope. At any rate, we start out talking about a couple of recent horror films (IT FOLLOWS, THE LAZARUS EFFECT) and in an amusing (and accidental) way this discussion informs our analysis of the film we focus on here you never know what connection exist, huh? The is the eighth Leon Klimovsky feature film we have covered which puts him at the top of the list of directors we have examined. This gives us a chance to talk about the very good qualities he brings to the table as well as the less than admirable choices that seem to consistently afflict his work. We both feel that a through exploration of his lesser known movies might be fascinating as long as we can locate English friendly copies.

NaschyCast #51 - WAX (2014)

After a couple of non - Paul Naschy months we come back with a posthumous Naschy film released just last year. Although this may be the Naschy movie with the least amount of Naschy in it, we are thrilled that the legacy of his career is still inspiring young Spanish filmmakers. WAX is a variation on the old 'wax museum' classics of old with a heaping helping of modern sensibilities thrown in for good measure as a young television journalist is locked in a supposedly haunted building for the night. He films his experiences and we also witness the night's events through the museum's security cameras. The biggest draw for fans of Euro-Cult films of the Golden Era of the 1960's and 70's is the star turn by Jack Taylor. Taylor is an amazing actor who has worked with nearly all the big names of that period from Franco, Naschy, de Ossorio, Larraz and even Simon in the incredible PIECES (1982). There are lots of knowing nods to Spanish Horror of the past and Naschy's career gets singled out as well. Much creepy fun is here to be enjoyed and we try to talk about as much of the film as possible without spoiling it, even as we are interrupted by Katie the Cat! We answer several emails at the end of the show and we thank everyone that writes in to give us pointers and suggestions. The email address remains naschycast@gmail.com and we look forward to hearing from you. Thank you for downloading and listening to the show.

Beyond Naschy #13 - MURDER MANSION (1972)

After several attempts, Troy and I have finally braved the hellish ice storm weather of February and now bring you a new Beyond Naschy episode! It wasn't easy. After years of speaking about MURDER MANSION in passing, we at long last discuss the film at length even if we may set a new NaschyCast record for conversational tangents. Seriously- we talk a bit about the HIGHLANDER film series as well as the TERMINATOR movies and Joe Lansdale stories before we launch into a navel gazing meditation on the permanence of podcasts as a form. Whew! We need to podcast more often, I think. If you've never seen MURDER MANSION you really should catch it as soon as possible. This one is fairly easy to come by on DVD and even on several streaming services so, unlike some of the movies we cover, the special antenna isn't necessary. We don't spoil the ending of the movie in this episode but you might want to avoid online reviews of the film if you want to reach the final act with the mystery still intact. The movie is a great combination of several horror themes including the Old Dark House setting, the Agatha Christie Ten Little Indians plot, lurking ghosts, tales of vampires and even a touch of giallo stalker flair to spice up the stew. In incompetent hands this mélange could have been a disaster, but the magic of that amazing year of 1972 seems to have made blending them somehow achievable. All we can do is be happy they once made movies like this! The mailbag over-floweth this month as several fine folks write in to congratulate us for five years of podcasting. With any luck we'll If you have any comments or questions please write us at naschycast@gmail.com or visit us over on the NaschyCast FaceBook page. .

NaschyCast #50 - ROJO SANGRE (2004)

With this episode we reach a true milestone -we have now covered fifty of Paul Naschy's films over the past five years! It hasn't been easy and it hasn't been perfect but we are proud of this accomplishment and we hope everyone sticks around for year six. When we started this show we knew this film would mark the end of an era as it is the best of the movies Naschy made in the new millennium. It is a well made, slick and sharp horror film that brings all of his genre story obsessions to the 21st century brilliantly. One of the most interesting elements of the film is how closely its details mirror its lead actor's life and career. Naschy stars as the aging out-of-work actor named Pablo Thevenet an who endures humiliating casting sessions and the disrespect and insults of young directors and producers. Nearly broke and completely desperate he agrees to accept an offer to be a doorman-entertainer for the upscale Pandora Club run by the bizarre and very wealthy Mr. Reficul. But from the moment he signs his employment contract things start to change for Pablo in ways he had not anticipated. This is a great film and well worth seeking out even for the casual fan of Naschy's work. Please join us as we work our way through the film (with a number of asides) and try pretty hard to keep from being too pretentious as we examine this entertaining and thought provoking dark comedy/horror film. If you have any comments on the show or Naschy in general drop us a line at naschycast@gmail.com or join us on the Facebook page. Thanks for downloading and listening.

NaschyCast #49 - MY FRIEND, THE VAGABOND (1984)

It's December and its time for a new NaschyCast! For years we've thought it would be interesting to have a Christmas themed show for this month. Sadly, we've never been able to arrange it but this Holiday season has us finally deliver such an episode and it's an accident! That's right- Mi Amigo el Vagabundo turns out to be a kind of Christmas film. Yes! Synchronicity exists. Or at least blind luck. Anyway, we talk about this soft-hearted family drama written and directed by Paul Naschy and starring excellent Spanish actor José Luis López Vázquez, Julia Saly and Naschy's son Sergio Molina as the 7 (or 8) year old object of this movie's story. Naschy had a good bit to say about this film in his autobiography and, as an added bonus, I talked with Sergio about his work in this one as well. So, sit back and be prepared for a strangely cuddly Naschy film experience - Well- there is a kidnapping so its only cuddly up to a point. The mailbag is full to bursting this month so we talk about last month's Godzilla show for a while; answer questions about Spanish horror tropes; relate tales of inappropriate teenage film viewings; ponder podcasting Jess Franco's other Dr. Orloff movies and look forward to the New Year. If you have any comments, cruelty or ideas please write us at naschycast@gmail.com or visit us on the NaschyCast FaceBook page. If you get the show via iTunes please rate & review us over there and if you have the scratch and like the show please consider donating to help defray the cost of hosting. Thanks!

Beyond Naschy #12 - LIVING DEAD AT MANCHESTER MORGUE (1974)

It's October again and time for us to cover a horror film with Spanish connections. This time we tackle one of the best zombie films of all time - that's right - I said it! LIVING DEAD AT MANCHESTER MORGUE was conceived as a way to cash in on the popularity of NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD but it goes in its own direction to great effect. Indeed, it is such a creative and intriguing variation on the cannibalistic walking dead that both Troy and I mark it as a favorite of the subgenre. It plays with lots of ideas that can tickle the intellect but never skimps on the atmosphere or scares. One of the themes of the movie seems to be man's breach of trust in our dealings with nature with the film wasting no time showing us images of our ecological crimes to drive this thought home. As George leaves London director Jorge Grau focuses his camera on car tailpipes, smoke stacks, piles of garbage and venting sewer grates forcing us to look at our daily polluting of the earth. These things are not dwelled upon as the movie continues but the ideas lurk behind everything that happens. This film also presents a colorful and beautifully shot series of images that can be enjoyed just as fine cinematography and lovely framing so you don't have to be a gore hound to be entertained by this one. As usual we can't stay on a single subject for an entire podcast so we start with a discussion of the proposed Universal Monster-verse and our hopes for it. During the mail section we talk about Eli Roth's new film and our reactions to his earlier movies; the concept of the MacGuffin and various other things that we are asked about in emails. If you would like to write us and prompt further discussions the address is naschycast@gmail.com or join us on the Facebook page. Thank you for downloading and listening and have a happy Halloween! Spoon!

NaschyCast #48 - COMANDO TXIKIA (1977)

Sometimes it’s the Principal of Moments that rules the day. This episode marks the first Docu-Drama we’ve covered and since I can’t imagine a reason we’d ever cover another one it is also probably the last. I mean, do we need to cover ALL THE PRESIDENT’S MEN or SWORD OF GIDEON? Then again – what other podcast is covering those movies? That's food for thought. Anyway! Back on point! This time we cover a crime film that plays as close to a documentary as the filmmakers could get. COMANDO TXIKIA relates the year long story of the ETA terrorist team that carried out the 1973 assassination of Spain’s president Luis Carrero Blanco. The film strives to stick rigorously close to the known facts and presents its tale with interesting detail. Perhaps too much detail at times? Well- we will discuss that. This was Naschy’s third collaboration with the film’s director and we get another good performance from actor Tony Isbert who we praised in CROSS OF THE DEVIL last month. The lovely Julia Saly makes an all too brief (and pointless) appearance which causes a verbal detour that your silly co-hosts have travelled before. We also delve into the surprising historical fidelity of the explosive end of the movie while making absolutely no attempt to avoid spoilers – so you have been warned. The mailbag section is overflowing again this month but feel free to add your voice to the program at any time. The email address is naschycast@gmail.com or we can be reached over on the FaceBook page as well.