THE GHOST GALLEON (1974) is coming to Blu-Ray!

Vinegar Syndrome has announced the Blu-Ray release of the third of Amando De Ossorio's Blind Dead films and I am thrilled!

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Beyond Naschy #33 - THE NIGHT OF THE SORCERERS (1974)

The Naschycast returns to the films of Amando De Ossorio for a romp through the jungle!

THE NIGHT OF THE SORCERERS (1974) a.k.a. The Night of the Witches follows a small group of researchers seeking to document the endangered species of a fictional country in Africa. They make camp near a (miniature) village and then learn from a native about the supernatural history of the area. Of course, we have been made aware of the odd rituals of ‘Bumbasa’ in a 1910 prologue showing the kidnapping, rape and beheading of a British lady on an altar that seemingly transforms her into a leopard demon! Or, at least, a fanged disembodied head that can turn and snarl at the camera! It’s a wild ride.

Troy and I hack our way through the jungle foliage to get a good look at this strange little film. As he had done with his Blind Dead movies Ossorio is clearly trying to create a new monster of his own design. But the leopard demons offer some technical hurdles that the writer/director’s usual low budget is often unable to jump. We discuss the various forms in which we see the creatures onscreen trying to decide which of them is most effective. Since these three forms are simply leopard stock footage, fake leopard heads partially hidden by leaves and female members of the cast running in slow motion through the jungle night it can be difficult to make a conclusive choice. And Ossorio throws in enough sex and blood to keep an exploitation audience distracted from the inherent silliness of the pieces of his narrative that don’t always work. But where does this film fall in the legacy of this legendary Spanish horror filmmaker? We share our opinions and hope to hear yours.

The podcast can be reached at naschycast@gmail.com where you can send your thoughts on this episode’s film or Amando De Ossorio’s career as a whole. We’d love to hear from you! And we end the show with a song from Nashville band Peachy - check them out! Thank you for listening and we’ll be back soon with more from the Golden Age of Spanish Horror.

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TOMBS OF THE BLIND DEAD on the way to Blu-Ray!

News broke today over at the Rue Morgue website that Synapse will be bringing out the Spanish horror classic TOMBS OF THE BLIND DEAD later this year! Some details of the extras were part of the announcement including that the disc will sport three commentary tracks - one by film historian Troy Howarth; another with one of the film's stars Lone Fleming (!) and a third by myself and Troy Guinn! We are thrilled to have been able to be a part of this release which looks to be one of the most impressive packages Synapse has ever put together. Click on over to the Rue Morgue page for more information and add this disc to your 'must buy' list! 

HUDSON RIVER MASSACRE (1965)

A few years ago, when Troy and I got the job do a commentary track for an Amando De Ossorio film I decided to track down his earlier movies as part of my research. I felt it would be a good idea to get a sense of what he was doing then to get into the position to be able to create his Blind Dead films as well as his other horror movies. I knew that seeing his first features outside the horror genre would allow me to see his progression as an artist. Among these early pictures was one that I was very happy to spot among his list of credits called REBELS IN CANADA (1965). It's generally described by Ossorio and his biographers as one of a couple of westerns he made for producers to prove that he could bring in a film on budget and on time. But for me it was a chance to see one of my favorite horror filmmakers from Spain trying his hand at a Canadian Mountie movie! Rare indeed.

Long time readers of this blog will realize that I have a soft spot for tales of the Canadian Mounted Police for no good reason that I can really put into words. I have been fascinated with them ever since reading a collection of Pulp short stories centered around the Canadian police force years ago. I especially love with stories of this force that take place in the late 1800's so this film check marks several of the boxes to get me interested. I was excited recently to discover that this movie, under a different title, has now been released on Blu-ray. Having really enjoyed the film even just above and beyond my general love of Canadian Mounted Police stories I was happy that I would eventually be able to tell people that they could see this movie without resorting to the darker corners of the internet. I’m pretty sure this is the first time REBELS IN CANADA has been released on home video in the US but, sadly, I have to report that the MVD Classics Blu-ray of this film under the title HUDSON RIVER MASSACRE is extraordinarily subpar.

The print of the film used for the Blu-Ray is bright and colorful but the film has been mastered onto the digital format very poorly. If the image is still things looks great but the second there is any movement the picture becomes grainy and smears appear. I’m not well versed enough in the art of crafting high definition product to know exactly what went wrong but it seems as if there was not enough care taken to make sure this obscure little movie looked as good as possible before slopping it out onto disc. It’s a complete failure of quality control that makes suspect the entire MVD line might be as poorly done. This a real shame as the movie is a pretty good film with a few surprises and one really impressive battle sequence along the way. Lead George Martin is an acrobatic actor with the perfect look for these kinds of tales. He does his job well even in the sometimes violent action scenes when the bloodier side of the director’s leanings come to the fore. The female cast is strong, playing out the typical clichés of this tale with verve and energy. Top marks to Diana Lorys as a singing salon girl who loves Martin’s character but can’t catch his attention. My research tells me that there is possibly a longer version of the film out there someplace but it seems never to have been brought to video anywhere in the world. (I’ve hunted!)

If, like me, you are curious to see Ossorio’s early non-horror output this is a film to seek out. I wish the Blu-Ray was better but if you can find it for a cheap enough price it will allow you to at least see this rare northern adventure. Maybe someday another company will take the fine print used to make this disc and process the picture for a better looking disc. This isn’t a great movie but it worth seeing especially if you have a fondness for the European westerns of the period. Or Canadian Mounties!

ISLAND OF THE BLIND DEAD - Fan Film!

This plays like a trailer for the never produced fifth Blind Dead film. It gets the visual look of the 1970's right and all it's missing is the iconic music. 

Beyond Naschy #22 - THE GHOST GALLEON (1974)

The new year starts with a shiny new episode of Beyond Naschy! Finally returning to the cinema of Amando De Ossorio the NaschyCast dives into the waters of the North Sea and are surprised to find that the Blind Dead lurk there waiting for fresh victims. The third of this classic Spanish Horror series is called THE GHOST GALLEON or HORROR OF THE ZOMBIES or THE CURSED SHIP but under any title it is a problematic film. Seeking to add new ideas to his signature creation Ossorio puts his Undead Knights Templar on an 18th century galleon that seems adrift in both the oceans and time itself. Only occasionally visible in our world, this ship encounters unlucky sailors or tourists and, in this case, it happens to bump into a pair of bikini clad young ladies looking to set a ridiculous publicity stunt in motion. As you might expect, things do not go well for them or their intended rescuers. The satanic living dead rarely seem to take pity on people no matter how cute they may be.

Troy and I deep dive into this one with the hopes of changing our original poor impressions of it. Do we come to love this film now or has age still not scraped the barnacles off this dark hulk? Listen in and see! We talk about the film's rushed production and it's multiple titles while also letting listeners chime in with their thoughts as well. We discuss the possible symbolism present in the movie and spend some time picking over the film's troubling attitude toward women. The wacky professor character shows us how to be a very strange fellow but somehow also the most useful member of the crew. Who knew that a flaming crucifix would help hold off the Blind Dead?

The show can be reached by email at naschycast@gmail.com or on the FaceBook page. We plan to ask for more input in the future over on FB so join us there for more information. Thank you for downloading and listening!

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THE GHOST GALLEON (1974) Poster Art

NaschyCast Commentary for NIGHT OF THE SEAGULLS (1975) Announced!

Scream Factory has finally announced the extras for the forthcoming Blu-Ray of Amando De Ossorio's final Blind Dead film THE NIGHT OF THE SEAGULLS and I'm proud to say that it contains our seventh Spanish horror commentary track! We recorded this late last year and were thrilled to be able to expand on our previous Ossorio track for THE LORELEY'S GRASP. We took the time to talk a bit about the entire series, it's influences on other films and the qualities that make the Blind Dead so iconic. We might have even gotten a little too professorial for once! We'll let you decide when this disc streets in February. 

The Haunted Hulk Toy

In the latest NaschyCast we had a listener write in and defend the third of Amando de Ossorio's Blind Dead films, THE GHOST GALLEON (1973). He made a spirited attempt to paint the movie as a misunderstood classic (of a sort) and, in so arguing, pushed Troy and I to commit to covering the film as our next Beyond Naschy episode. That should be interesting!

One of the things this fellow singled out as a possible reason for his affection for this most impoverished of the four Blind Dead movies was a childhood toy - The Haunted Hulk. This appears to be a toy made by MPC in the 1960's that certainly does put one in mind of the ghostly ship at the center of that film. Check it out -

Now, if only Ossorio's tale had featured a giant spider as well as undead Templar Knights! 

TOMBS OF THE BLIND DEAD (1972) Poster Art & Lobby Card

REBELS IN CANADA (1965) - Amando de Ossorio Makes a Western!

Over the past few years I've been slowly tracking down the few films by Spanish filmmaker (and creator of the Blind Dead films) Amando de Ossorio that I have yet to see. I finally watched one of his two westerns tonight and enjoyed it for it's slight pleasures. It's part of one of my favorite western sub-genres - films about the Canadian Mounted Police! It's a tiny subset of westerns but I love it so!

Very much a Euro-Western made before the release of Sergio Leone's worldwide hit A FISTFUL OF DOLLARS (1964) changed everything,  Ossorio's REBELS IN CANADA (1965) is cut from a very different cloth. Released under half a dozen titles including Three From Colorado, Massacre on the Hudson River and Canadian Wilderness it tells the story of Canadian trapper Victor DeFrois (George Martin) who, in a fit of vengeful anger at the English fur-dealer responsible for his brother's death, joins a rebel group fighting the Mounted Police. The rebels are trying to oust the British influence from the country in an attempt to control their fortunes and their future. To achieve this goal they kidnap the villainous businessman's very blonde daughter and stash her in the woods with Victor as her guard. Eventually these two star-crossed people fall in love (like ya do) and fight to find a way to live together in this terrible situation.

This was Amando de Ossorio's second feature film as director and it shows that he was ready for the job. He injects some interesting visuals into the story often finding some sharp ways of making scenes that could be dull come alive. The scene in which rebel leader Leo gives a speech to his assembled crew is juiced up by being done as one shot with the camera centered and rotating around to follow him as he circles the group. It's a clever 360  degree shot that keeps things interesting. Also, there is a fist/knife fight between Martin and a nasty prospector that is set in a very dangerous looking set of river rapids. This sequence looks quite realistic and I can't understand how the two actors didn't sustain serious injuries!

It was nice to see the lovely Diana Lorys in a solid role as Victor's old flame who seeks revenge on him for leaving her in lurch with his new blonde woman. She is good here giving off a sense of native menace and is convincing in her final battle with another female character. Lorys was famous at the time as a key cast member of Jess Franco's THE AWFUL DR. ORLOFF (1962) and would go on to star in Ossorio's FANGS OF THE LIVING DEAD (1969) and turn in a memorable performance in Aured's BLUE EYES OF THE BROKEN DOLL (1974).

This is a well mounted (see what I did there?) film, colorful and vibrant enough even if it feels much more like a film made a decade before it's production. It's a fun little western programmer that wouldn't have felt out of place as a Saturday matinee for the kiddies and I suspect that is what it was meant to be. It's an OK film with some neat moments and that's about all. If you like the Hollywood westerns of the 1950's you might enjoy this one but you'll have to track down the fan-subtitled version I watched as I don't know of an English language version.

Beyond Naschy #9 - RETURN OF THE BLIND DEAD (1973)

Has it really been two years since we covered TOMBS OF THE BLIND DEAD? That is far too long! It is with great pleasure that we return to the land of the living dead Templar Knights! For the second of Ossorio's fantastic Blind Dead films we examine the two different cuts available on Region 1 DVD and then ponder the deeper social commentary buried within the story. Really? Only for a little while. We mostly chat about the casting choices, the relative beauty of the female actors, the story's odd love rectangle, the mechanics of the creeping living dead and the number of homages to (or steals from) other movies that Ossorio weaves into the story. I wish we had spent more time on how difficult it is to destroy these walking corpses but some things get lost in the stumble/shuffle.

Of course, this being the NaschyCast the show starts with some unrelated discussion of several monster related topics. I wax enthusiastic about Universal Horror novels and we discuss the joys of Shaun Hutson's horror epic 'Slugs', which leads us to the question of why we have yet to cover any examples of the cinema of Spain's Juan Piquer Simon. He certainly fits our criteria as he is Spanish and has directed plenty of Horror, so maybe a show on PIECES is in our future. That one won't be for the faint of heart! We also have an impromptu discussion of Lucio Fulci's tetralogy of gore films and - just for fun - rank them from best to worst. In the mailbag section we commiserate with a listener fresh from a viewing of FURY OF THE WOLFMAN and talk briefly about several worthy Jess Franco titles. How long before we just dive headlong into Uncle Jess' catalog and never look back?

We can be contacted at naschycast@gmail.com and the show can be downloaded at the link below, on the right side of the blog page or subscribed to in the iTunes store. Let us know what you think and if you want your comments to be a part of the podcast. Thanks for listening!

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