Beyond Naschy #32 - SLEEP TIGHT (2011)

 

Filmmaker Jaume Balagueró made the big time when he co-directed 2007’s REC but he is a much more accomplished than a found footage zombie film would imply. His feature film debut THE NAMELESS (1999) managed to both brilliantly adapt a Ramsey Campbell horror novel and find a smart way to darken the wrenching finale of the tale. Over the last twenty years he has become one of Spain’s hidden masters of taut thrillers and smart horror tales. The only complaint I have with his career is that I wish he had more completed films released but I continue to hope for more excellent cinema from him in the future. 

SLEEP TIGHT (2011) is both a thriller and a character study of a deeply unhappy man named Cesar. As the concierge of a Barcelona apartment building, he presents a pleasant face to the upper middle-class residents but behind this mask he seethes with rage at their contented lives. Since he is incapable of being happy, he staves off his suicidal ideation by finding ways to make the people he serves in the building miserable. In both small ways and large he wages a one-man war to make them uncomfortable, embarrassed or inconvenienced in any way he can imagine. But he reserves his most vicious attention for Clara, a beautiful single woman of such sunny disposition as to seem angelic. She is the focal point of Cesar’s most persistent activities aimed at making her life unbearable. His repeated failures to change her optimistic outlook seem to only enrage him further until he finally resolves to escalate things to violence. But will circumstances allow his plans to succeed? 

Troy and I dig into this film and its themes but we do our best not to spoil the final act’s shocks and surprises. Indeed, we begin the show with a discussion of several recent viewings to get the Halloween season off to the right start. We touch on THE GHOST AND MISTER CHICKEN, THE OPEN HOUSE, THE CHANGLING, the remake of THE BLOB and our plans for 2020’s indoor October 31st. It’s been a strange year, folks. We end the show with a listener email that prompts a series of interesting horror icon mash-ups. 

We hope you enjoy the episode and if you have any comments naschycast@gmail.com is the show’s address. Thank you for listening and we’ll be back soon. 

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Naschycast #63 - Ellinger and Monell Talk Daninsky!

The year of new guests continues as the 10^th anniversary celebration rolls on!This time we have only two people visiting but we talk to them for quite a long time.

Kat Ellinger has made a name for herself in film fanatic circles over the last several years as the editor-in-chief of DiaboliqueMagazine as well as writing for both that site and the British Film Institute among others. She is a prolific commentary track creator contributing to dozens of Blu-Rays ranging from classic Hollywood to arthouse cinema to Euro-Trash of the filthiest type! She’s even a podcaster, teaming with up with fellow female film fans to discuss cult movies in Daughters of Darkness and Helles Belles. And did I mention her book about the great Sergio Martino? Kat was nice enough to add her voice to this show and chose DOCTOR JEKYLL AND THE WEREWOLF (1972) to dig into. I had a blast talking with her and can’t wait to do it again!

Robert Monell has been a guest on The Bloody Pit but never before on this show. His is the writer behind the amazing blog “I’m In a Jess FrancoState of Mind” where he has reviewed and dissected the work of that Spanish filmmaker since 2006. He has since branched out into creating extras for various Franco Blu-Ray releases and moved into commentating on movies as well. He also runs the Cinemadrome film forum which hosts some of the most interesting discussions of cult cinema you’ll find on the web. For his visit to this show Mr. Monell chose one of the most problematic of Naschy’s werewolf films, FURY OF THE WOLFMAN (1970). He has some interesting things to say about it starting with digging into the probable origins of its basic plot. It is quite an interesting find!

Troy and I end the show with an extended dive into the mailbag to finally catch up on our backlog. We answer a lot of questions and take notes on possible future episode subjects. We can be reached at naschycast@gmail.com or over on the FaceBook page for the show. Let us know what you think and we’ll be back soon with more Spanish Horror!

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Beyond Naschy #25 - GAME OF WEREWOLVES (2012)

In general, our shows focus on the Golden Age period of Spanish horror but the genre continues to flourish in Spain. Throughout the 90's and on up to today there have been some extraordinary horror movies produced in Naschy's home country including some efforts that were actually copied/remade here in the States. One of those genre films that we've been planning to view for a few years now finally gets our attention in this episode.

You would think that a Spanish made werewolf film would be a natural given the Waldemar Daninsky series being such an iconic part of horror cinema history. But the number of 21st century lycanthrope tales produced there - or, in Europe actually - can be counted on one hand. Luckily LOBOS DE ARGA (2012) found its way through the hell of modern film financing to the big screen. It must have been a hard sell because not only is it a werewolf story but it's also one of the most difficult genre combinations to attempt - a horror/comedy! That doesn't usually go very well. Indeed, the Naschycast's history with Spanish comedy is......... not good. So, what did Troy and I think of this modern monster wolf story that comes spiked with laughs? Listen and we promise not to spoil the film for you. Seriously.

We have a couple of emails that we answer in the final segment of the show including a voicemail from Britain. You can send your comments and questions to naschycast@gmail.com and we'll spill our guts to you next time out. We can also be reached on the Facebook page where interesting links show up regularly. Thanks for downloading and listening. If you like the show let others know about it!

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Beyond Naschy #23 - Spanish Horror Favorites with Cort!

I thought it might be fun to make a list of favorite non-Naschy Spanish Horror films and also get Troy to make one of his own so we could argue the various qualities of the films we love. Then I realized how much fun it might be to get others to play along! So, Cort Psyops joins us again to indulge in one of fandom's great games - the making and comparing of lists of favorites!

No conversation about shared passions can go on for too long before people are arguing their favorites and explaining the reasons for rating one beloved thing over another. It is in these discussions that fans come to know each other. The communal exploration of Spanish Horror is something that we've tried to foster with the Naschycast and shows like this might be one of the best ways to bring more people to the party. I know we had a blast trying to name our three favorite of this very thin slice of the genre! Of course, only one of us was able stick the limit of three so the conversation ranges across the decades with many extra titles getting honorable mentions. And the sidetracks are numerous! Be warned - we digress from the topic more than once. We just hope that our ramblings are amusing enough keep you entertained.

One note - when Troy and I return near the end to talk about the Lists left on the Naschycast Facebook page there is a strange crackling on the audio that I could not remove. It only lasts for the first few minutes but it is distracting. Sorry! Technical difficulties are sometimes unavoidable (and mysterious).

If you've never heard Cort's excellent podcast Cinema Psyops you are cheating yourself out of a damned good time. Head on over there and give that show a listen. If you have any comments about this episode or just want to give us your list of favorite non-Naschy Spanish Horror films the email address is naschycast@gmail.com. We'd be glad to hear from you. The music this time comes from Jonathan Coulton, Piero Piccioni and The Decemberists.

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NaschyCast #57 - Cort Psyops Visits!

With this episode of the show we open things up in a new way! Although Troy and I have had the occasional guest on the NaschyCast they have been rare occurrences. Generally this was because we wanted to keep the show as focused on the films of Paul Naschy as we could.  We felt that we should deviate as little as possible from covering the movies in depth so keeping the visits infrequent allowed us to drill down and (most importantly) stay on task. Longtime listeners will know that it doesn't take much to get us sidetracked and having someone else present would make the show a meandering monster!

So, with this episode we take the Naschycast into new territory and talk to Cort Psyops for about two hours about his love of Naschy. We quiz him on his first exposure to the Spanish Horror icon, learn what his favorite Naschy films are and dig into the various werewolf movies in search of the best and worst. Cort describes his discovery of this strange strain of Euro-Horror and, in the process, makes both Troy and I feel really, really old. The only mitigating details are that his initial viewing involved a VHS tape and not a DVD. We are so old. Any way.....

If you've not checked out Cort's excellent podcast Cinema Psyops it comes highly recommended. I can honestly say that his show has made me laugh more than almost any other film related podcast. Sometimes I laugh at them but often I am laughing with them so I'm proud to have a bit of that fun become a part of our show. The discussion here does waver all over the place with talk of several unconnected topics but one of us always drags things back to Naschy. I'm just looking forward to Cort and his co-host Matt covering more Spanish Horror on their show. I'm wondering if Matt will survive!

Thank you for downloading and listening to the show. If you have any comments or suggestions please write us at naschycast@gmail.com to let us know what's on your mind. If there are any Naschy subjects you'd like to have us discuss let us know. In the meantime, remember that we are in the Year of Naschy Blu-Rays so go pick up some hi-def horror for your home! 

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Beyond Naschy #18 - SANTO VS DOCTOR DEATH (1973)

This episode of Beyond Naschy has us coloring outside the lines in a couple of different ways. We are covering a Mexican wrestling film starring the magnificent El Santo which puts us well outside of our usual area of expertise. So, to add some well needed context and background, we called up our buddy Juan from the Creepy Swamps to help us understand the world of Santo and his amazing career. If you have ever listened to the excellent B-Moviecast show you will be aware of Juan and his deep knowledge of cinema. His lifelong fascination with horror and science fiction movies has made him a great resource for information on classic (and not so classic) b-flicks and we are thrilled he agreed to join us for this discussion. We talk about SANTO VS DOCTOR DEATH as well as El Santo comic books and I even get him to list his favorite movies from the great masked wrestler's career.

Then. of course, Troy and I put the film under the microscope and marvel at its high quality. Filmed mostly in Spain it stars several Spanish actors familiar to fans of Paul Naschy. In fact, this movie feels a lot more like a Euro-Spy film than a typical Santo adventure but it fits comfortably in both worlds. We talk about the great secret life Santo has as a freelance Interpol agent, the joys of Mexican style wrestling, the ability to fly on commercial aircraft wearing a mask, what accommodations you can expect when you buy a castle and just how far some people will go to own art. Both of us were impressed with the well choreographed fight scenes throughout the film and any movie that ends with a combination boat/helicopter chase is obviously a classic! Be aware that we spoil the entire film so if that is something you wish to avoid you might want to stop the show at about the two hour mark. Sadly, that means you will miss the mailbag section which is packed with some great information regarding our last three shows.

And if you have any information for us the email address is naschycast@gmail.com or you can find us over on the Facebook page. If you subscribe through iTunes please consider rating and reviewing the show over there. Thanks for downloading and listening!

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Naschycast #55 - MUCHA SANGRE (2002)

2016 brings us back to the much feared (by Troy and I, anyway) genre of Spanish comedy. Followers of this podcast will know that we've had little to no luck with our exploration of the various comedy/horror movies Naschy made over the years and MUCHA SANGRE features examples of each reason why we struggle to understand and enjoy them. That's not to say that we didn't have fun with the film but, as we discuss, we don't have the cultural references to get some jokes and often that kind of context matters. Truly, with any comedy your mileage will vary and with one like this that fancies itself a kind of Rock 'n' Roll movie warnings are appropriate for newbies. Luckily we have a friend in Madrid to help us out with some questions about the movie's odder moments! Yes, Elena of Horror Rises From Spain and Spanishfear.com comes to our rescue yet again! It's always good to get a lady's perspective on Naschy. Oh, and we spoil the hell out of the film's story, so be aware! Sorry.

Of course, we also touch on a few other subjects as the show progresses including our recently seen films, a brief discussion of 50's sci-fi movies, Kurt Russell westerns and the current spate of depressing celebrity deaths that have hit both of us so hard. Also in this show we announce some news about the podcast's future that will be of interest to fans and lay out the next few months schedule of films to be covered for those who wish to play along. Long story short- expect more Toho film talk over on the Bloody Pit podcast and the return of Amando de Ossorio here!

The mailbag section allows us to catch up on our correspondence, answer a few questions and, as you will hear, take a few suggestions for shows down the road. I can't wait to one day podcast about the films of Bruno Mattei! We can be reached at naschycast@gmail.com with any an all comments and we thank you for downloading the show. Please let us know what you think and what movies you'd like us to cover in the new year. 

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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 who 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 anywhere 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 stays to the details of 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. Thanks for listening and please consider donating to the show or rating and reviewing us in the iTunes store.

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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.

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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 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.

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NaschyCast #43.5 - The Daninsky Files

After too long a time the NaschyCast returns to the world of El Hombre Lobo! Having covered all eleven of the Waldemar Daninsky film over the course of the podcast your two hosts have decided to weigh in on how the series stacks up. We each rank the films from favorite to least favorite with a surprise digital guest appearance by our Man in the Field - Dan! Yep- in a strange, jumbled way we have Dan join us (through the magic of painstaking editing) to list off his thoughts on the Daninsky movies as well. You just never know what surprises will be up our hairy sleeve.

Of course, it wouldn't be the NaschyCast without a number of digressions and tangents so expect some conversation about Lester Dent pulp stories; Derek Robinson World War One novels about fighter pilots; the epic-length science fiction of Peter R. Hamilton; bizarre combinations of music and werewolf imagery; and Rod's brief review of Argento's DRACULA film. We narrowly avoid a discussion of ARCHER so be happy we have some self-control. Also, the feedback section is packed with fun tidings including an MP3 piece from a new writer to the show and a couple of other Spanish Horror fans chiming in with their own rankings of the lycanthrope cinema of Senor Naschy. It's a fun time for all involved! If you would like to add your two cents worth you can write us at naschycast@gmail.com or join us over on the Facebook page. And thank you for downloading and listening! 

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NaschyCast #43 - EMPUSA (2010)

In this episode we venture once again into the twenty first century to witness Paul Naschy's final directorial effort - EMPUSA. Unlike his earlier work this is a film we know little about with next to nothing being stated by our hero before his untimely passing. We do know that this project started as a final collaboration with director Carlos Aured (HORROR RISES FROM THE TOMB, CURSE OF THE DEVIL) but it appears Naschy completed the film when his friend's health wouldn't allow him to work.  From what we can learn, the bulk of the movie was shot in 2007 or 2008 but it went unreleased until 2010.  There might be a good reason for that! We suspect that additional footage was shot after the fact and damn- do the seams show. It is pretty great to see Naschy teamed with old buddy Antonio Mayans, though. 

Join Troy and I as we chop this horror/comedy (or is it a comedy?) down to size and attempt to understand just what the hell is going on. I think you'll be able to hear the pain! As usual, the conversation darts all over the place with zombie novels getting some love from me but things really go off track in the mailbag section. Questions are asked and answered with some great thoughts and ideas coming from our loyal listeners. If you have any questions or comments you can drop us a line at naschycast@gmail.com or join us over on the NaschyCast Facebook page on the book of faces. Oh- and feel free to donate to the podcast if you think the show is worth a few shekels by using the Donation Button on the left side of the NaschyCast Blog page. Thanks to Mike for reminding us that its there! 

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NaschyCast #34 - SCHOOL KILLER (2001)

The new NaschyCast is a little late but well worth the wait! We once again venture into the 21st century to check out a film in which Paul was merely an actor for hire in a Spanish movie. By this time in his career he was the Grand Old Man of Spanish horror but that didn't always garner him much respect in his home country. At least the producers of SCHOOL KILLER realized there was great potential in having an iconic horror star play the movie's boogeyman role. Whether that potential was tapped is a matter for much discussion. As usual the podcast veers all over the place as Troy and I run through this funhouse tale of mirrors. We look for Scooby Snacks, attempt to diagram timelines, admire a few interesting ideas and ask pertinent questions that the film may or may not have any desire to answer. Check it out to see what we get up to!

The mailbag section of this episode is very exciting because we have a voicemail from author Stephen Sullivan. He took it upon himself to record his comments as an MP3 and send it off to us. This allows us to almost engage in a dialog with him on NIGHT OF THE WEREWOLF and the Daninsky films as well as a few other topics. As a fiction writer he has more than a few good insights into what can make these beloved pieces of Euro-horror work or not work. Good stuff! If anyone else wants to join the show in this way please feel free to send your MP3s to naschycast@gmail.com and we will gladly respond to your thoughts. You can also reach us over on the NaschyCast Facebook page where fans of the show occasionally post some fun Spanish Horror related things. The show can be downloaded from the link below or is available in iTunes. Enjoy and have a Happy New Year! 

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