We are back and episode 38 brings us back to the roots of our fascination with Naschy's work - the 1970s! Yes! We cover A DRAGONFLY FOR EACH CORPSE (1974) with all the joy of old friends reuniting after a long separation. Naschy plays a tough Italian cop ruthless in his devotion to his job and lucky enough to be backed up by a smart, resourceful wife played by the fantastic Erika Blanc. This is the only film the two made together and considering how well their scenes play its a damned shame. In a better world they would have starred in a series of thrillers like this one throughout the next decade. But, to focus on the positives, we have Leon Klimovsky back in the director's chair, a script co-written by Naschy and a host of returning faces in the cast. It may be a sign of just how far we have come in our love of Spanish Horror but the sight of names such as Eduardo Calvo, Maria Kosty and Ramon Centenero in the cast list is an electrifying thrill. Having these actors pop up in our discussions again is a chance to note how much they add to the film overall and we take our time to marvel over the range they were afforded in their career's prime. In this film Kosty especially is asked to play a wide range of emotions an is a joy to watch.
This movie is generally referred to as a giallo and, although it certainly displays many of the hallmarks of that genre, Troy and I talk about its points of divergence as well. Is a mystery a giallo if the main character is a police officer? Do such distinctions matter? We touch on this and a host of other ideas as we walk through this well paced and exciting thriller. I, of course, get caught up in some of the bizarre elements like Naschy's tie collection and his amazing mustache while Troy seems to be more intrigued by the various ways Erika Blanc can seem both beautiful and scary depending on the camera angle.
We hope you enjoy this one folks. We are happy to back to talking about Paul Naschy! Please drop us a line at naschycast@gmail.com or join us over on the Facebook page. If you subscribe through iTunes please rate and/or review us over in the iTunes Store. It would really help us out. Thanks for listening!
