Paul Naschy is almost certainly Spain’s most well-known horror actor, portraying in many films variations of many of the classic Universal monsters like Dracula, Frankenstein and Wolfman. In particular, he was perhaps most known for his portrayal of Waldemar Daninsky, a tortured lycanthrope who garnered as much pity as he cultivated scares, that he would appear as in no less than 12 films (He also holds the world record for most portrayals of a werewolf in film… not bad!). Not only an actor, Naschy wrote many of his films as well (often under his real name Jocinto Molina) as well even directing several of them in the late ’70s to mid ’80s. Naschy’s career was capped off in 2001 with King Juan Carlos I bestowing the Gold Medal Award in Fine Arts to Naschy, the highest honor given in the country to an actor.
While dealing with the dense, sticky heat of summer, it felt appropriate to immerse myself in the perpetually sweaty films of Paul Naschy. I’ve seen many of his bigger classics, so I thought I’d dig a little deeper and treat myself to a marathon of unwatchy Naschy. So without further ado…
The Mummy’s Revenge (1975)
a.k.a. La venganza de la momia
Director: Carlos Aured
The Mummy’s Revenge is unfortunately a somewhat dull movie in Naschy’s filmography with a pretty generic mummy plot that hearkens back to Karloff’s mummy in a less than favorable light. Naschy is in dual roles here as both an acolyte that brings the mummy back as well as the mummy itself who’s gotta do that thing that mummies do and drink the blood of virgins for immortality or whatever. The directing feels needlessly slow and flat and the usually dependable gore and sex in a Naschy film is on the light side here. There’s a delightful head-crushing scene at one point but not much else of interest.
Human Beasts (1980)
a.k.a. El carnaval de las bestias
Director: Paul Naschy
Directed by Naschy himself, this is a weird one. Naschy is a mafia hitman working for the Yakuza who gets injured while stealing diamonds from his employers after he double crosses them. He flees to the countryside and is taken in by a doctor and his hot daughters who get Naschy bandaged up and sexed up respectively in quick order. Before long it starts to become apparent that this doctor may have a hidden plan for Naschy and that he needs to escape before he suffers a grim fate. At least, that’s the basic plot. This one is a little bit of a jumbled mess at times with numerous flashbacks and dream sequences that hop in and out of the narrative seemingly at random. For those looking for some of the grisly stuff in their Naschy, you’ll be delighted by a scene with pigs eating a guy alive and a few other instances of over-the-top violence. It does drag at times too though with sections of Naschy recuperating in bed that don’t really go anywhere. Still, while not one of Naschy’s best, it’s got an offbeat charm to it that makes it worth watching for Naschy fans.
Count Dracula’s Great Love (1973)
a.k.a. El gran amor del conde Drácula
Director: Javier Aguirre
Now here’s a more classic Naschy flick. You know from the opening credits this will be great as we are treated to a guy falling down a flight of stairs in slo-mo over and over again. We find Naschy playing Dracula who’s solitude is interrupted by a guy and four ladies who show up to his abode, an old abandoned asylum, looking for a place to spend the night. Dracula becomes smitten with one of them and becomes devoted to her despite his desire to resurrect his dead daughter. Like many Naschy films, the plot is all over the place but it throws enough crazy, weird stuff in to keep things interesting. Naschy makes for an odd fit for Dracula given his short, stocky nature (hilariously right after I had this thought early in the movie, one of the women even commented on preferring her men “slimmer and taller”). Regardless, I would still suggest it for fans of Naschy or even folks looking to dip a toe into the Naschy pool.
People Who Own The Dark (1976)
a.k.a. Último deseo
Director: León Klimovsky
This post-apocalyptic nightmare is a pretty different kind of film from Naschy’s usual monster mash. This one finds Naschy in an ensemble cast of survivors of a nuclear fallout who avoided disaster by partying in a distant castle. After emerging from their orgiastic romp to find civilization in tatters, they find they must fend for themselves amidst zombie-like blind people. While not strictly a zombie film, this one owes a lot to Night of the Living Dead complete with the incredibly bleak ending. It’s a pretty good movie but not one I’d suggest for Naschy novices.
The Devil Incarnate (1979)
a.k.a. El Caminante
Director: Paul Naschy
Here’s another of Naschy’s more offbeat films, also directed by Naschy himself. In this one he plays The Devil in human form who basically takes an acolyte and proceeds to fuck with everyone he comes across while roaming the earth. It’s a somewhat peculiar film without a strong narrative that comes across more as a series of twisted, perverse vignettes. It has lots of dark sadism, violence and naked flesh that Naschy is known for and serves as a kind of meditation on the grim soul of humankind. It even has touches of comedy with the devil taking delight in his sinister manipulations. Like a couple others reviewed here, this isn’t one I’d necessarily suggest if you aren’t familiar with Naschy but it’s an interesting film worth checking out.
Panic Beats (1983)
a.k.a. Latidos de pánico
Director: Paul Naschy
Yet another directed by Naschy, Panic Beats is a fun Naschy flick that finds him reprising his role of the sadistic knight Alaric de Marnac he previously portrayed in the classic Horror Rises from the Tomb. Setting the tone right from the get-go by showing Naschy whipping a naked woman to death with a spiked flail, the film proceeds to jump forward a few hundred years and follow De Marnac’s descendent who takes his wife to the countryside to recuperate from an illness. We’re then treated to a barrage of gaslighting, gore, ghosts and nekkid ladies as one would hope for in a Naschy sleaze-fest. Panic Beats doesn’t always make sense and a couple of big twists are pretty predictable but it’s still a lot of fun and recommended for Naschy fans.