Blu Review – Paul Naschy Collection

Blu Release – 4.5/5

Horror Rises from the Tomb

Director – Carlos Aured (Curse of the Devil, The Mummy’s Revenge)
Starring – Paul Naschy (Blue Eyes of the Broken Doll, Count Dracula’s Great Love), Emma Cohen (Night of the Walking Dead, Alone in the Dark), and Victor Alcazar (Green Inferno, Hunchback of the Morgue)
Release Date – 1973
Tagline – “The cursed comes back to haunt you”
Rating – 3.5/5

Spanish horror isn’t something I’ve had a lot of experience in. I have seen some amazing horror films over the years and two that just happen to stand out were Spanish horror. The first is the 1974 zombie flick The Living Dead in Manchester Morgue but is more commonly known as Let Sleeping Corpses Lie. I purchased a walking dead box set from Anchor Bay years ago and this is one of the films included. The other just happens to be a Paul Naschy film and the first of his that I had laid eyes on.

When I was in high school a friend of mine purchased the box set titled Horror Rises from the Tomb. I believe this was a Brentwood Home Video release and this film stood out to me. I really enjoyed it and how it combined several horror elements into one solid film. Recently Scream Factory released the Paul Naschy Collection on blu with this film included. I reached out to them and they were kind enough to send a review copy my way!

**Spoiler Alert**The film begins in Medieval France where a warlock (Naschy) and his wife are murdered for practicing witchcraft. We fast forward several hundred years and a group of unsuspecting people unearth the severed head of the warlock who then possesses the living and forces them to do his bidding which means recovering his body and killing anyone that gets in his way. Once his body is whole he is able to raise his wife from the dead and exact revenge on the descendants that had him killed. **Spoiler Alert**

I love all the elements Horror Rises from the Tomb throws at the viewer. Most horror films, especially from the 60s and 70s, find an angle and sticks with it. Horror Rises from the Tombstarts out with one and then quickly switches it up to something completely different. Before it’s all said and done we have went through 4 of 5 different horror elements. It does a great job at keeping the viewer focused.

The acting in this one is great. We once again see Paul Naschy take on multiple roles. I hate that I am coming into the Paul Naschy bandwagon so late because he is a tremendous actor. So much so that I would easily lump him in there with Peter Cushing, Vincent Price, and Christopher Lee. He takes on multiple roles in several of his films and is able to give the viewer different types of characters. He really brings his role to life. The supporting cast is great. The men are all domineering which breaks a bleak atmosphere to the film while the women are beautiful and sexy.

The story for this one is forever changing and mixing it up. The beginning follows a warlock that is beheaded but not before he places a curse on them. We then follow a group of people in a old house who are then harassed by locals while people in their group are dying gruesome deaths almost like a giallo. We then move back to the warlock angle and the supernatural element before we end with the undead attacking the living. The first time I saw this film all them years ago I was dumbfounded by everything that was tossed into the story. The film does suffer from poor pacing but the end result is still an outstanding film.

Finally, the film has several on screen kills ranging from cut throats to gunshot wounds. The blood is bright red which does throw me off some and the effects is minimal. The film is able to deliver on the atmosphere and the over the top story to hold the viewer’s attention. Overall, Horror Rises from the Tomb is a fun ride. The story doesn’t know when to end and just when you think you have a grasp on it the film throws something else at you. I can’t recommend this one enough.

Vengeance of the Zombies

Director – Leon Klimovsky (The Vampire Night Orgy, Night of the Walking Dead)
Starring – Paul Naschy (Mortal Sin, Night of the Howling Beast), Romy (The Killer with a Thousand Eyes, Aoom), and Mirta Miller (Count Dracula’s Great Love, Sinners Go to Hell)
Release Date – 1973
Tagline – “A modern day gothic tale of horror and fear”
Rating – 3/5

My Paul Naschy movie spree continues. After watching the period piece Inquisition and shocker Horror Rises from the Tomb I kept my movie marathon going by checking out the second film in the Paul Naschy set which is the 1973 film Vengeance of the Zombies. My experience with Naschy is very minimal so I was excited to see how this one would play out especially after seeing it was a film about zombies.

I had high hopes for it and hoped that it would be like some of my favorite Spanish zombie flicks like Horror Rises from the Tomb and Let the Sleeping Corpses Lie. I once again want to thank Scream Factory for sending this one my way!

**Spoiler Alert**The film follows an Indian mystic who is very popular among the spiritual crowd. A friend of his (or lover?), Elvire (Romy), starts having vivid visions and dreams about a the devil and a masked man killing women around her. When she awakes from her vision she learns that someone is actually killing women. What she doesn’t know is that the mystic is turning those deceased women into zombies to do his evil bidding.**Spoiler Alert**

I’ve really liked what I’ve seen from Paul Naschy so far but this one is the bottom of the list for sure. Vengeance of the Zombies has a story that is a little difficult to follow at times and several areas needed to worked upon. With all that being said, the film was still entertaining.

The acting in this one is solid. We yet again see Naschy performing several roles and all of which are great. He once again gives the viewer another unforgettable character in Satan. Sadly, this character was not in the film that long. We also see a strong lead in Romy who really sold the film which is odd to say about a movie starring Paul Naschy. The supporting cast is decent but they needed a little more direction.

The story for this one is a little difficult to follow at times. In Horror Rises from the Tomb we see several horror elements added to a single story making for a unique film. Vengeance of the Zombies tries to do that but doesn’t keep in linear. The giallo like murder mystery and killings are great if the film would have kept that story. However, the voodoo like powers by the mystic and the voodoo style zombies add another element that just doesn’t really flow with the film. The two stories just don’t work very well together and would have been amazing if two different films were made from them.

Finally, the film has several kills that look like your typical giallo kill. The effects are not that impressive and neither is the kills. The film really missed an opportunity in that department. Overall, Vengeance of the Zombies is not the best Naschy film I have seen but it is still entertaining. The story is a little difficult to follow but it is still a solid film. Check it out.

Human Beasts

Director – Paul Naschy (The Night of the Executioner, The Beast and the Magic Sword)
Starring – Paul Naschy, Eiko Nagashima (Battle Anthem, Moon Angel), and Lautaro Murua (The Plague, Poor Butterfly)
Release Date – 1980
Rating – 4/5

Horror Rises from the Tomb and Blue Eyes of the Broken Doll stand out as my favorite Naschy films so far but I still have two more films in this box set. The titles alone are enough for me to know that I am really going to enjoy myself.

The next film in the set is the 1980 Paul Naschy directed horror crime film Human Beasts which is more commonly known as The Beasts’ Carnival. This was another new watch for me but if it was anything like HRftT or BEofBD then I knew I would enjoy myself. I once again want to thank Scream Factory for sending this one over for review. I really appreciate it.

**Spoiler Alert**The film follows hit man Bruno (Naschy) who takes on a contract to steal a package from a heavily guarded man. He is able to do so but once he realizes it is full of diamonds he turns on his employers and flees through the woods but not before sustaining some gunshot wounds. He is able to fight off his attackers enough to flee before passing out.

He is found by a doctor who lives nearby and takes him home where he, and his two daughters, nurse him back to health. The daughters both find him attractive which causes a ripple between them. When he finally wakes he divides his attention between the two lovely women before he is forced to protect himself from those seeking the diamonds.**Spoiler Alert**

This film is a hard one to swallow as a horror movie. It has some horror elements and a couple cool “what the fuck” moments but the movie is more like a gritty crime thriller. With that being said, this may be my favorite Naschy film to date and reason enough to own this set. It wasn’t flashy, gory, or did anything new but it do everything right!

The acting in this one is damn near perfect. Naschy takes on just one but damn does her do it flawlessly. The film starts out with him portraying a hard ass gunslinger who kills on a whim and is after the bottom dollar. We then see him succumb to his wounds and we see his character in a different light. He does a great job. His supporting cast is just as fantastic. We get some beautiful women that are extremely talented on screen and several characters that stand out. More than any other Naschy film that I have seen.

The story for this one is more crime thriller than horror but there is several moments throughout where you know its a Naschy movie. The film begins with some solid action and a little espionage before we move into a game of cat and mouse and end with a fight for survival. The film does randomly toss in elements of horror here and there but they definitely take the back seat to the hit man’s story. The film does experience some slow periods before moving on to more story oriented scenes.

Finally, this film is bloody and offers up a few memorable deaths but the practical effects fall apart due to the type of kills these are. I won’t go into further detail on that because they are very entertaining and some will even catch you off guard. The kills are really fun but it is because of these kills and how they are films is why the effects are limited. Overall, Human Beasts is a fantastic Naschy film. Horror fans may not be completely sold on it but fans of exploitation and gritty cinema will appreciate it. Check it out.

Blue Eyes of the Broken Doll

Director – Carlos Aured (Curse of the Devil, The Mummy’s Revenge)
Starring – Paul Naschy (A Werewolf in the Amazon, Mystery on Monster Island), Diana Lorys (Fangs of the Living Dead, The Devil’s Man), and Eduardo Calvo (The Mummy’s Revenge, Devil’s Possessed)
Release Date – 1974
Rating – 4/5

Are you sick of me talking about Paul Naschy yet? Good, cause I’m just now at the half way mark in the Paul Naschy Collection recently released by Scream Factory. I decided to go ahead and check out the collection after I reviewed the Mondo Macabro release of Inquisition which also starred Naschy.

So far in this set I’ve watched the awesome Horror Rises from the Tomb. This is the first Naschy film I saw way back when. The second film in the set was Vengeance of the Zombies. The movie was solid but left a lot to be desired. As I move on to the third film in the set, Blue Eyes of the Broken Doll, I can think how awesome that title is and how it could easily be the title of an early 70s giallo.

**Spoiler Alert**The film follows Gilles (Naschy) who is an ex-convict trying to get his life together and put his past behind him which is difficult considering he has horrible nightmares where he kills beautiful women. He gets a job as a caretaker for a family consisting of three sisters who are complete opposites. When he thinks he has a grasp on his life someone is going around killing blonde haired women and cutting out their eyes. Will Gilles past come back to bite him in the ass or is someone else killing for a diabolical reason?**Spoiler Alert**

Vengeance of the Zombies was a solid flick but I had some issues with it and that made me just a little skeptical about how Blue Eyes of the Broken Dollwould play out. I was lucky and the film is actually a Spanish giallo which I didn’t know they even existed before this.

The acting in this one is pretty solid. Naschy once again delivers an amazing performance and this time we see a softer side. We do see him turn violent which is to be expected but we rarely see Naschy in an emotional role. Sadly, no one else stands out in the film which is good. A slower story relies on genuine characters which is what we get.

The story for this one is predictable but it still delivers on an entertaining plot. The film moves at a very slow pace at first but builds with tension and suspense. The story does a great job at building suspense and creating atmosphere just like the classic Italian giallo. Sadly, once the film starts you know exactly how it is going to end.

Finally, the film does show a few on screen kills that are easily forgettable. The kills are what we have seen in so many other films. including previously reviewed Naschy films, that offer up minimal effects. An amazing film falters at the deaths. Overall, Blue Eyes of the Broken Doll definitely surprised me. I was not expecting a well put together giallo starring Naschy. The kills could have been more but the overall film still delivers. Check it out.

Night of the Werewolf

Director – Paul Naschy (Panic Beats, The Night of the Executioner)
Starring – Paul Naschy, Julia Saly (Night of the Seagulls, The Possessed), Silvia Aguilar (Rings of Fear, Human Beasts)
Release Date – 1981
Tagline – “It used to be only a myth”
Rating – 3/5

It looks like my Paul Naschy marathon is finally coming to an end. After watching Horror Rises from the Tomb, Vengeance of the Zombies, Blue Eyes of the Broken Doll, and Human Beasts it was time to finish the box set and to move on.

The last film in the set is one that I had heard about for some time. The film, Night of the Werewolfhad previously been released on blu for a short period of time but is now ridiculously priced online. With the exception of Horror Rises of the Tomb, this was the film I was excited to see. If people were willing to sink that much money into one blu I couldn’t wait to see it.

**Spoiler Alert**The film begins with Waldemar Daninsky (Naschy) and his lover Elizabeth Bathory (Saly) are executed for murder and other heinous crimes (in similar fashion to Naschy’s character in Horror Rises from the Tomb). We fast forward to present day (1981) and three beautiful women are exploring the country side when they come across some thieves on the road and seek refuge in a nearby home which just happens to be owned by Waldemar Daninsky who was recently resurrected when a silver cross was removed from around his neck by grave robbers.

The girls are secretly looking for the grave of Bathory in hopes of resurrecting her but Daninsky tries to stop them. When his is unable to prevent this from happening she rises from the dead resulting in a supernatural main event.**Spoiler Alert**

Night of the Werewolf is an installment in what I believe is a 13 film series. Sadly, this is the only film from that series I have seen. The film has a very interesting premise and a story that seems to have it all but the pacing and build up is all wrong. The film could have used some heavy editing in my humble opinion.

The acting in this one is great. Before I comment on Naschy I have to talk about how beautiful and sexy the women in this film are. Naschy films never shied away from beautiful women but this one is absolutely breathtaking. They are just as talented on screen as they are beautiful. Naschy, like always, delivers one hell of a performance. I can see why his character had the longevity that it had. You can tell he was passionate about his role and gave it his everything. He did a great job which really makes me want to dig up the other films.

The story for this one is a fun werewolf vs vampire type story that may not be original but it still has some entertaining qualities. The film is a love letter to classic Hammer horror and a trend started way back in the Universal horror days of pitting one beast against another. Sadly, the story can’t build a steady momentum resulting in some very drawn out scenes that will try your patience. It was a story that looked good on paper but had some issues during filming.

Finally, the film has some great practical effects. I loved the look of the werewolf and enjoyed how they put it together. The film has on screen kills but they are easily forgettable with minimum practical effects. Overall, Night of the Werewolf was a great looking film and one I would recommend to any horror fan looking for some werewolf action but it is not the best Naschy film in the set. That title belongs to Blue Eyes of the Broken Doll.