Naschycast #62 - 10th Anniversary Show!

With this episode we cross the one decade mark!

Neither Troy or I thought we’d still be making this podcast ten years after we began, but here we are! We realized that, although our enthusiasm for Paul Naschy’s work has only grown, it was time to actively seek out more new voices to include on the show. So, our goal for 2020 is to speak to a host of people who have never been on the podcast to get their perspectives on his movies. A diversity of opinion is always food for thought and we think this will be the perfect way to start new discussions about the long legacy of Jacinto Molina. These are great days for Senor Naschy as more and more of his films are available on Blu-Ray bringing a whole new generation of fans to his mad world of monsters and horror. That means people are discovering El Hombre Lobo and his other creations every day so its time to kick open the doors and see what his influence is a full decade after his passing.

This giant-sized episode includes four new voices to the podcast. I asked each participant to talk about one of the Waldemar Daninsky films and they (luckily) jumped at the chance. Adrian Smith has podcasted with me over on The Bloody Pit discussing INSEMINOID and CANNIBAL HOLOCAUST but he steps up to discuss his first Naschy werewolf film - WEREWOLF SHADOW. Derek Koch is a podcasting O.G. with his incredibly popular Monster Kid Radio serving as a focal point for these kinds of classic (and not so classic) movies. He joins us to talk about the Naschy monster mash ASSIGNMENT TERROR. Author Steve Sullivan has been on the Bloody Pit in the past talking about the colorful Doctor Who films made in the 1960’s, but his love of all things Naschy bubbles over in our conversation about CURSE OF THE DEVIL. Matthew Kowalski is a longtime fan of the podcast and has often written in to give us his thoughts on the various Spanish horror topics we dig into on the show. He sat down to talk about his favorite of the Daninsky films – WEREWOLF SHADOW - giving us a different look at that iconic movie. Afterward, Troy and I tackle an email and makes plans to get to our backlogged correspondence over the next couple of shows. We promise!

I’ve already got a couple more guests for future episodes lined up including some folks I’ve never spoken with before. So exciting! This is going to be a great year for the Naschycast even if I don’t think we’ll produce another four-and-a-half-hour episode! Seriously, I’ll try to break things up as we go forward.

If you have any comments or suggestion please write us at naschycast@gmail.com or message us on the Facebook page. Thank you for listening and we’ll be back soon!

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Celebrating Paul Naschy on the Anniversary of His Passing

Ten years ago today we lost Paul Naschy (Jacinto Molina) and, on that day, the world of fantastic cinema became a little less bright. Still possessing a creative mind right up to the end his passing was a huge loss that still reverberates through the Spanish horror community, inspiring fans to this day. In the last few years we have seen a resurgence of interest in his body of work with nearly two dozen of his horror films currently available on Blu-Ray. His legend and legacy seems to be cemented with his movies becoming much easier to see, new books being written about him and new fans being created constantly. So, as much as I continue to mourn his death a decade ago I'm very happy to see that his name is now better known than when he left us. Even with my sorrow that he is gone I don't feel sad when I watch his movies. I feel excited or chilled or surprised by what he wrote and I marvel at how he crafted a fictional world of monsters and madmen that I keep wanting to return to. He was a man that gave his best to the work and his talent shines through in even the weakest of his films. So, I miss Paul Naschy but, lucky for me, he is right there on my television screen anytime I want.

We miss you El Hombre Lobo, but you will never be far from our hearts. 

Happy Birthday Star Trek!

On September 8, 1966 the first episode of Star Trek was broadcast. It was actually the sixth produced but the network thought it would be the best one to introduce this new thing to the world. Maybe it was. It has a little bit of everything - it's got a mystery angle, a jealous romance, a monster and some sexy women. That's almost all 1960's TV shows needed for success!

ALIEN (1979) Poster Art

This month marks the 40th Anniversary of the release of the original film. 

KING KONG (1933) Poster Art

On this day in 1933 KING KONG went into wide release. It is still one of the best films ever made. 

ALIEN: CONTAINMENT (2019) - Alien 40th Anniversary Short Film

To celebrate this year's 40th anniversary of ALIEN (1979) 20th Century Fox is releasing a series of fan made short films set in the wider Alien universe. This one is the first and you should stay tuned through the final seconds. 

Mickey Mouse Turns 90!

Mickey Mouse has been around for ninety years as of today! Mickey was never my favorite Disney character but I've come to love him as I get older. Which is odd. He made his debut on November 18, 1928, so to commemorate the birth of the lovable mouse that was once a rabbit named Oswald here's a pretty good new cartoon. 

Poster Art for LIVE AND LET DIE (1973)

This James Bond classic is forty-five years old this year! How time flies. There's a fine round table discussion of the film over on The Digital Bits. 

Sixty Years of WAR OF THE COLOSSAL BEAST (1958)

Blake's 7 on YouTube!

2018 marks the 40th anniversary of the underrated, underappreciated British television show Blake's 7.  It ran for four years from 1978 to 1981 and over the course of its 52 episodes it broke new ground for science fiction TV in many ways. It told a continuing story of a group of rebels working against an oppressive, authoritarian Federation of planets. Each new season saw a rotating cast of central characters with a few core people remaining for the whole run. New cast members were necessary because one way this show separated itself from more conventional SF TV of the period was that no character was safe. People died unexpectedly as part of the dystopian narrative and by the third season even Blake himself was lost and presumed killed!

Sadly, this excellent series is not well known in the United States as it was only broadcast briefly in the early 1980's and only in a few cities. It's deadly serious tone combined with the typical British SF  television low budget look made it a difficult sell here, I suppose. But it is exactly that tone and look that attracted me initially as I was already used to the feel of Doctor Who of the period. It was the smart scripts and sharp dialog that kept me coming back for more. I would eventually spend lots of time over the years digging through magazines and books trying to learn more about the show. It was years before I was able to see all the episodes and by then I could quote some scenes perfectly.

But I know I'm part of a small cult on this one. Just not enough people know of the show and I fear that far too many others would not have the ability to forgive it for the problems that it's low budget necessitated. The leap required for the willing suspension of disbelief might be impossible for those that didn't catch the show in a less CGI-filled time. Oh, well.

If you're interested enough to see what all the fuss was once about the entire series seems to be available on YouTube. Below are the first three episodes that set the story in place and introduces the first central cast. My hope is to find another fan of the series and do a 40th Anniversary podcast about Blake and his band of rebels and miscreants. Fingers crossed!

Happy 35th Anniversary to HALLOWEEN III: SEASON OF THE WITCH (1982)

On October 22, 1982 HALLOWEEN III was released. It was savaged by critics and hated by fans looking for more Michael Meyers. It took several years but the film is now a beloved part of the Halloween tradition for millions.