Category: Movie Discussions
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Challenge the Devil (1963)
The second film Christopher Lee made during his three months in Italy beginning In May of 1963 was originally titled, Faust ’63. Written and directed by Giuseppe Veggezzi, it was unfortunately completed just as its production company, I Filmes della Mangusta, faced financial ruin. It supposedly had only one public showing under the title Katarsis.…
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The Whip & the Body (1963)
In an instance of the age-old style vs substance argument, I find myself struggling with my thoughts about The Whip & the Body (1963.) Please be patient with me as I work through it. Let’s start by saying that I unwrapped my never-seen VCI DVD copy of the film and popped it in my player…
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Sherlock Holmes & the Deadly Necklace
One thing I am not is a Sherlock Holmes aficionado. A couple friends who are, and who have read the books and seen the movies, tell me that Sherlock Holmes & the Deadly Necklace (1962) is an “OK” film. Please consider my opinions in this context because… I absolutely loved it and it’s easily the…
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Exorcismo (1975)
Now comes Paul Naschy’s take on The Exorcist. He claimed the screenplay for Exorcismo (1975) was written before The Exorcist was released in 1973; however, some similarities between the two are so strong that it’s hard to deny the influence. If we don’t hold Naschy responsible, then it must be Profilmes, the production company desperately…
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Devil’s Possessed (1974)
Devil’s Possessed (1974) is Naschy November’s first historical drama, although it’s light on historical fact. As the first of this style of film, it isn’t perfect, but instead hints at better things to come. Another collaboration with director Leon Klimovsky, I’m not saying it’s bad. I’m simply saying I’ve seen subsequent movies and they’re better.…
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A Dragonfly for Each Corpse (1975)
A Dragonfly for Each Corpse (1975) gives us a Paul Naschy we haven’t seen before. He plays Inspector Paolo Scaporella, a tough, cigar chewing detective seeking redemption for a botched case by leading the investigation into a new one, the “Dragonfly Killer.” His character defies stereotype by being a faithful husband and staying on the…
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Crimson, the Color of Blood (1973)
We’ve talked before about how actors sometimes take roles simply for the money. There’s no shame in that. Paul Naschy himself said that’s what he did when he made Crimson, the Color of Blood (1973.) I tell you, though, it’s hard to find anything redeeming in this movie. Much of the time, if you consider…
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The People Who Own the Dark (1976)
The People Who Own the Dark (1976) is another non-Naschy, Naschy film. That is to say, he appears only on the side of the camera facing it. It’s a bit part, at that, but a pretty good one. The movie itself is tough to rate based on the less-than-prime print of the film I watched.…
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Blue Eyes of the Broken Doll (1974)
Although it has some characteristics of a giallo, Blue Eyes of the Broken Doll (1974) is more a thriller in the vein of Hammer’s mini-Hitchcocks. That is to say, it has more twists and turns than it does blood and gore, although the killer does remove the eyes from his/her victims and, you guessed, they’re…
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The Hunchback of the Morgue (1973)
If I was bad-mouthing director Javier Aguirre for my dislike of Count Dracula’s Great Love, he has redeemed himself with The Hunchback of the Morgue (1973.) We’re back to bat-shit crazy Paul Naschy films and this one is another monster mashup between the hunchback, Gotho (Naschy) and a mad scientist, Dr. Orla (Alberto Dalbes) who…
Classic Horrors Club 