| Author | Message | ||
     Zed (Gary_mc) Username: Gary_mc Registered: 03-2008 Posted From: 213.219.8.243 |
I'm currently making my way through this, so thought I'd throw out some brief JLP-style reviews. Exorcism Ostensibly a cheap European Excorist rip-off, ala Beyond the Door, this benefits massively from a solid performance by Naschy as the sturdy priest and some excellent possession make-up. We have the familiar set-up of a young girl supposedly tormented by devlish forces, but this time there's a disturbing undertone of physical and spiritual incest thrown into the mix. Blue Eyes of the Broken Doll JLP recently called this a "pseudo-giallo", and that's exactly what it is (because it isn't Italian). It's also better than a lot of the genuine giallo's I've seen. We have some mild eroticism, lots of bared titties, Naschy's wide torso is almost a character of it's own, and at the heart of things there's a convuluted murder-mystery involving gouged eyes (and yes, they're blue) and, eventually, broken dolls. Wonderful mad stuff that makes the world a better place. Human Beasts After a hokey opening act that looks like scenes rejected from Attack Force Z, this morphs into a really rather nasty look at the depths to which humans can sink in their treatment of each other. A splashy bit of porcine-on-man action is interspered with some soft-focus sex in the film's most inspired section, and the rest is pretty good, too..if rather bleak. Obviously, I loved it. More soon... | ||
| John Llewellyn Probert (John_l_probert) Username: John_l_probert Registered: 03-2008 Posted From: 213.253.174.81 |
Splendid my dear chap! I thought EXORCISM a bit below par myself, but BLUE EYES is a little gem. And yes - Naschy has to be the widest horror star ever! HUMAN BEASTS I (gasp!) don't have!!!! But i must admit your resume hasn't made me mad keen to get it | ||
| Stephen Walsh (Stephenw) Username: Stephenw Registered: 03-2009 Posted From: 194.32.31.1 |
Who the hell is Paul Naschy anyway?!?! Though he does sound a fun guy to have around... | ||
| Zed (Gary_mc) Username: Gary_mc Registered: 03-2008 Posted From: 213.219.8.243 |
Are you serious? Golly...you're not in my gang.  | ||
| Stephen Walsh (Stephenw) Username: Stephenw Registered: 03-2009 Posted From: 194.32.31.1 |
I've just checked Naschy's filmography. Sounds almost too wonderful to believe!  And you have the temerity to slag off the Pan Horror books!!!! | ||
| Zed (Gary_mc) Username: Gary_mc Registered: 03-2008 Posted From: 213.219.8.243 |
Oh, I don't really slag off the Pans; I'm just very realistic about their merits or otherwise. As I am regarding fims like those Naschy made.  | ||
| Stephen Walsh (Stephenw) Username: Stephenw Registered: 03-2009 Posted From: 194.32.31.1 |
But is there not a place in the world for the sublimely ridiculous... you don't need to answer that. What we need are more and more of these unfettered tributaries of the imagination to pump their vile spew into the river of subversive ideas that makes this genre so bloody great in the first place. Fuck the mainstream!!!! | ||
| Zed (Gary_mc) Username: Gary_mc Registered: 03-2008 Posted From: 213.219.8.243 |
Of course there is. But one needs to be self-aware. | ||
| Tony (Tony) Username: Tony Registered: 03-2008 Posted From: 86.153.151.209 |
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| Zed (Gary_mc) Username: Gary_mc Registered: 03-2008 Posted From: 81.96.240.106 |
Horror Rises from the Tomb A winning combination of sub-Bava sorcery, curses from beyond the grave, unfeasibly short skirts and overly bloody scythe slayings make sure this one is never dull even for a moment. Our hero Naschy takes on the double role of a reanimated medieval warlock and his latterday relative, and red-stained vengeful chaos ensues. Lots of fun to be had for we odd folk who like this kind of thing (so that's, erm, me, JLP and Huw, then). | ||
| Huw (Huw) Username: Huw Registered: 03-2008 Posted From: 218.168.177.189 |
Is The Hanging Woman in this box set, Zed? I remember Exorcism and Horror Rises from the Tomb... | ||
| John Llewellyn Probert (John_l_probert) Username: John_l_probert Registered: 03-2008 Posted From: 88.202.210.68 |
Looking at the box on Amazon I think it's just 5 movies from the Deimos label, Huw - what Gary's mentioned & Vengeance of the Zombies. Hanging Woman is from Troma. And I guess they're keeping the werewolf movies for a separate box? Zed - I thought Horror Rises From the Tomb was a trash classic. | ||
| Tony (Tony) Username: Tony Registered: 03-2008 Posted From: 86.153.151.209 |
I got put off his films for the very reason some rats got burned alive in one film...  | ||
| Zed (Gary_mc) Username: Gary_mc Registered: 03-2008 Posted From: 213.219.8.243 |
Oh, yes, John - a trash classic indeed! Huw, John's right about the box set. I must say, these films are simply marvellous. I'm now after more of Mr. Naschy. | ||
| Tony (Tony) Username: Tony Registered: 03-2008 Posted From: 86.153.151.209 |
I won't overlook those rats, you know. | ||
| Zed (Gary_mc) Username: Gary_mc Registered: 03-2008 Posted From: 213.219.8.243 |
A pig's throat is cut in Human Beasts | ||
| Tony (Tony) Username: Tony Registered: 03-2008 Posted From: 86.153.151.209 |
No-one else is bothered, are they? Generally speaking. | ||
| Weber_gregston (Weber_gregston) Username: Weber_gregston Registered: 03-2008 Posted From: 194.176.105.56 |
Rats are disease ridden, pest infested vermin. If a few of them got overcooked (at least 30 years ago) I find it difficult to feel any anger about it. They'd only have been poisoned (much more painful and protracted death) or eaten by something otherwise. Serves the buggers right for wiping out half of europe with their plague carrying fleas... | ||
| Weber_gregston (Weber_gregston) Username: Weber_gregston Registered: 03-2008 Posted From: 194.176.105.56 |
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| Zed (Gary_mc) Username: Gary_mc Registered: 03-2008 Posted From: 81.96.240.106 |
Vengeance of the Zmobies Another trash classic, which reminded me of both Mario Bava and Jean Rollin but without either director's panache. What we're left with is a rather curious mismash of voodoo, vengeance and slow-motion scantily-clad lady "thombies" set in a version of merry old England that could never have existed anywhere other than a 1970s European horror film. Naschy has a double role here as Indian brothers (yes, that's Indian) so gets to fondle double the amount of breasts. And to please Tony and continue the cruelty to animals theme, here we have a chicken decapitated live on screen. Fucking crazy stuff. | ||
| Zed (Gary_mc) Username: Gary_mc Registered: 03-2008 Posted From: 81.96.240.106 |
RIP, Paul Naschy, you crazy diamond. | ||
| Tony (Tony) Username: Tony Registered: 03-2008 Posted From: 213.122.109.86 |
'The whole of cinema isn't worth the death of a bug' - William Friedkin | ||
| Zed (Gary_mc) Username: Gary_mc Registered: 03-2008 Posted From: 81.96.240.106 |
"Yabadabadoo" - Fred Flinstone |