Beyond Naschy #13 - MURDER MANSION (1972)

Explicit content warning

02/27/15 • 133 min

After several attempts, Troy and I have finally braved the hellish ice storm weather of February and now bring you a new Beyond Naschy episode! It wasn't easy. After years of speaking about MURDER MANSION in passing, we at long last discuss the film at length even if we may set a new NaschyCast record for conversational tangents. Seriously- we talk a bit about the HIGHLANDER film series as well as the TERMINATOR movies and Joe Lansdale stories before we launch into a navel gazing meditation on the permanence of podcasts as a form. Whew! We need to podcast more often, I think. If you've never seen MURDER MANSION you really should catch it as soon as possible. This one is fairly easy to come by on DVD and even on several streaming services so, unlike some of the movies we cover, the special antenna isn't necessary. We don't spoil the ending of the movie in this episode but you might want to avoid online reviews of the film if you want to reach the final act with the mystery still intact. The movie is a great combination of several horror themes including the Old Dark House setting, the Agatha Christie Ten Little Indians plot, lurking ghosts, tales of vampires and even a touch of giallo stalker flair to spice up the stew. In incompetent hands this mélange could have been a disaster, but the magic of that amazing year of 1972 seems to have made blending them somehow achievable. All we can do is be happy they once made movies like this! The mailbag over-floweth this month as several fine folks write in to congratulate us for five years of podcasting. With any luck we'll If you have any comments or questions please write us at [email protected] or visit us over on the NaschyCast FaceBook page. .

Previous Episode

NaschyCast #50 - ROJO SANGRE (2004)

With this episode we reach a true milestone -we have now covered fifty of Paul Naschy's films over the past five years! It hasn't been easy and it hasn't been perfect but we are proud of this accomplishment and we hope everyone sticks around for year six. When we started this show we knew this film would mark the end of an era as it is the best of the movies Naschy made in the new millennium. It is a well made, slick and sharp horror film that brings all of his genre story obsessions to the 21st century brilliantly. One of the most interesting elements of the film is how closely its details mirror its lead actor's life and career. Naschy stars as the aging out-of-work actor named Pablo Thevenet an who endures humiliating casting sessions and the disrespect and insults of young directors and producers. Nearly broke and completely desperate he agrees to accept an offer to be a doorman-entertainer for the upscale Pandora Club run by the bizarre and very wealthy Mr. Reficul. But from the moment he signs his employment contract things start to change for Pablo in ways he had not anticipated. This is a great film and well worth seeking out even for the casual fan of Naschy's work. Please join us as we work our way through the film (with a number of asides) and try pretty hard to keep from being too pretentious as we examine this entertaining and thought provoking dark comedy/horror film. If you have any comments on the show or Naschy in general drop us a line at [email protected] or join us on the Facebook page. Thanks for downloading and listening.

Next Episode

NaschyCast #51 - WAX (2014)

After a couple of non - Paul Naschy months we come back with a posthumous Naschy film released just last year. Although this may be the Naschy movie with the least amount of Naschy in it, we are thrilled that the legacy of his career is still inspiring young Spanish filmmakers. WAX is a variation on the old 'wax museum' classics of old with a heaping helping of modern sensibilities thrown in for good measure as a young television journalist is locked in a supposedly haunted building for the night. He films his experiences and we also witness the night's events through the museum's security cameras. The biggest draw for fans of Euro-Cult films of the Golden Era of the 1960's and 70's is the star turn by Jack Taylor. Taylor is an amazing actor who has worked with nearly all the big names of that period from Franco, Naschy, de Ossorio, Larraz and even Simon in the incredible PIECES (1982). There are lots of knowing nods to Spanish Horror of the past and Naschy's career gets singled out as well. Much creepy fun is here to be enjoyed and we try to talk about as much of the film as possible without spoiling it, even as we are interrupted by Katie the Cat! We answer several emails at the end of the show and we thank everyone that writes in to give us pointers and suggestions. The email address remains [email protected] and we look forward to hearing from you. Thank you for downloading and listening to the show.