NaschyCast #28- LICANTROPO (1996)

In this episode we creep very carefully into the 1990s, cross our fingers and hope for the best. LICANTROPO is the only Waldemar Daninsky film produced in that fetid decade and since it is Naschy scripted it has to be covered by your intrepid podcasters. We've heard numerous poor critiques of the film over the years so, although we were quite leery, I think you'll find that there are things that make the film worth seeking out. Without giving too much away I'll just say that the film certainly is an artifact of its times.

We take this opportunity to discuss the qualities that make a 1990s film different from a 1980s film and come to the conclusion that it mainly consists of nudity or the lack thereof. This is a sad thing and casts a pall over the decade (and this film, to a degree) but we can all be happy that we lived through those dark days and naked flesh has returned to the big screen! Now bring on the Naked Female Werewolves! Of course, any Daninsky movie offers the chance to observe how Naschy has decided to recast the pieces, alter the playing field and push the lycanthrope myths into new, hairy shapes. Here he makes some fascinating choices and although the film steps on some of them they still add some fresh color to the long line of werewolf cinema lore. I really need to do some research to see if the 'Vile Odor' thing is lifted from legend or a Naschy original.

After last episode's short Mail-Bag section we have a bumper crop of correspondence this time! Two separate letters from our British buddy Mark and a couple of notes from brand new writers give us a lot to mull over. That we continue to get new information about Naschy from new folks is a source of great joy for both of us. We created this show to bring more attention to Paul Naschy and his body of work and its starting to feel like we are really having some effect. That is a wonderful thing and we want to thank everyone that listens to us babble on. We hope you keep enjoying what we do and that we can encourage others to see more of Senor Molina's movies. They are well worth watching!

Please drop us a line at naschycast@ gmail.com, like us over on the Facebook page and rate us in the iTunes store. Let us know what is on your mind.

NaschyCast #28 LINK


 

NaschyCast #27 - NAKED MADRID (1979)

If you can visualize a movie made by Paul Naschy that brings to mind the classics of Robert Altman and involves a sad sack Spanish version of Woody Allen then you have a start in imagining NAKED MADRID (1979). Those images will only give you a sliver of the whole picture but it does serve to warn you that this is not your usual Naschy film. In fact, I can't think of another film in his long list of credits that resembles this odd but interesting effort. Adapted from a novel it tells the contemporary story of a large cast of characters of both the wealthy and working class in post-Franco Spain. They are mostly scheming, lying scumbags just trying to get whatever it is they need or want but that doesn't mean they aren't entertaining to watch.

Naschy casts himself in a fairly sympathetic role as a put upon chauffer trying to create a new socialist political party but getting sidetracked by an adulterous affair. His performance is strong but the entire cast is very good even though each character has very little screen time. A number of Naschy's stock company of actors and behind the camera collaborators are present as well as one uncredited cameo that is as surprising as it is welcome. And the word naked in the title should be taken quite literally as this movie sports more bare flesh than any other Naschy directed tale we've seen so far! You have been warned!

The mailbag section of this show is pretty sparse but we have our first 'voice-mail' contribution from our friend in Madrid! That's right- we have a brief visit from Elena the host of Horror Rises From Spain and she explains a few pronunciations to us silly Americans. 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 there or you 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 artistic director Jeff Nelson. He works beyond the call of duty for us and always gives us a distinctive piece of art to accompany the show.

NaschyCast #27 LINK