NASCHY FOREVER

The Man

It hardly seems like two years have passed since Jacinto Molina, known to his still-growing legions of fans as the Lon Chaney of Spain, Paul Naschy, shuffled off this mortal coil and took his final bow. Followers of this blog know what Naschy's legacy means to the Duke and me: he was quite literally the impetus of this project of ours, and the subject of its first-ever review post. He left behind a legacy of joy, terror, and madness matched by few, and (in our humbles) surpassed by none.

He is sorely missed. We shall not see his like again.

It may seem incredible to some, but here, two years after the day I woke to discover that my icon and hero had succumbed to pancreatic cancer at the age of 75, I still get tears in my eyes just thinking about it. At some point between that first giddy discovery of Naschy's work, through countless visits to his monster-choked realm, from the dizzying heights of his Waldemar Daninsky saga to the saddening lows of his bitter, fallow years, Naschy stopped being just an image on the screen, just an old man from a foreign land whose interests and passions neatly dovetailed with mine; he became, in a sense, one of my dearest friends. And his loss was hard to take. It still is.

The Myth

Though I have delved deeply into the legacy Naschy left behind, I still have much to discover. Later today I will be posting one of these until-now-untapped discoveries. But in the meantime, as my tribute and monument to my much admired and even-more missed old friend, I collect here all the Naschyness of the blog for your reference and enjoyment.

Rest in peace, Paul. Gracias.

The Legend

• Frankenstein's Bloody Terror (1968)
• Assignment Terror (1970)
• The Werewolf vs. the Vampire Woman (1971)
• Dr. Jekyll vs. the Werewolf (1972)
• Fury of the Wolfman (1972)
• Horror Rises from the Tomb (1972)
• Crimson (1973) 
• Curse of the Devil (1973)
• A Dragonfly for Each Corpse (1973)
• The Hanging Woman (1973)
• The Hunchback of the Morgue (1973)
• The Mummy's Revenge (1973) 
• Vengeance of the Zombies (1973)
• Count Dracula's Great Love (1974)
• The Devil's Possessed (1974)
• Exorcismo (1975)
• Muerte De Un Quinqui (1975)
• Night of the Howling Beast (1975)
• Inquisición (1976)
• El Transexual (1977)
• The Frenchman's Garden (1978)
• El Caminante (1979)
• Los Cantabros (1980)
• Night of the Werewolf (1981)
• The Beast and the Magic Sword (1983)
• El Ultimo Kamikaze (1984) 
• Rojo Sangre (2004)

And remember last year, the glorious outpouring of love that was the Paul Naschy Blogathon? You can still visit all those links too! And well you should!

THE PAUL NASCHY BLOGATHON LINKS PAGE

EDIT: It appears I've jumped the gun with my grief, as Naschy's official date of death is November 30. :( I'm letting this stand, though--expect my review of my latest Naschy viewing tomorrow.

MORE MADNESS...

Summary only...

RIP Tura Satana : 1938-2011

She never "tried" anything. She just *did* it.

As most people have probably heard by now, B-Movie Empress and larger-than-larger-than-life human being Tura Satana has passed away. I don't know as much about her life as many others, but her work in Russ Meyer's Faster, Pussycat! Kill! Kill! instantly rocketed her to my number one anti-heroine of all time. Reading the brief biographical sketches of her by Jimmy McDonough in his Meyer biography Big Bosoms and Square Jaws, I saw that her real life put even her most famous roles to shame. There simply never was anyone like her, on screen or off, and never will be again. She will be greatly missed.

Faster, Pussycat! Kill! Kill! MMMMMovies Review
Tura Satana on Wikipedia
Tura Satana Official Website
Meyer collaborator (and film critic of some note) Roger Ebert on Satana

MORE MADNESS...

Summary only...

RIP Jean Rollin: 1938-2010

Terrible news for the world of cinéma fantastique today: director Jean Rollin has passed away after a long illness at the age of 72.

Image via Fascination: the Jean Rollin Experience

I've been a fan of Rollin's since first viewing his excellent, phantasmagorical, vampiric fairy tale Requiem for a Vampire, and since then have watched and enjoyed many of his films. Rollin was a director with an unbelievable talent for imagery, and a nearly faultless eye for beauty--in composition, colors, shadows, light, and story. He was an artist who developed his own cinematic language, and whose best films I count among the most gorgeous ever made by any director in any genre. He was also a tireless creator, continuing to make his own unique brand of cinema right up to the end. His death is a tremendous loss, not only to the horror and fantastique genres, but to world cinema as a whole.

Living Dead Girl (1982)

Shiver of the Vampires (1971) [image via Fascination]

Lips of Blood (1974) [image via Fascination]

The Grapes of Death (1978)

Mad Mad Mad Mad Movies sends out our heartfelt condolences to Jean Rollin's family, friends, and fans. He will be missed. His legacy will live on.

For more info on Rollin's life, work, and legacy, visit Jeremy Richey's excellent blog Fascination: The Jean Rollin Experience--in my opinion, the best resource for Rollin fans and scholars on the web.

RIP, Jean, and thank you for all you gave.

Au revior.

Jean Rollin on MMMMMovies:

• Requiem for a Vampire (1971)
• Shiver of the Vampires (1971)
• Bacchanales Sexuelles (1974)
• The Grapes of Death (1978)
• The Living Dead Girl (1982)

MORE MADNESS...

Summary only...

RONNIE JAMES DIO: 1942-2010

The world of metal music and the world at large lost its littlest giant this weekend, as nearly everyone already knows.

He saw what others only dream

When I was in high school, I pretty much lived on "Holy Diver" and "The Last in Line." Dio's music gelled so perfectly with my Dungeons & Dragons dreams and headbanging sensibilities, I could never get tired of listening to him sing of dragons, wizards, and rainbows in the dark. And I still can't listen to "I Speed at Night" in the car without running a serious risk of a speeding ticket. Can you? Can anyone?

Fashion sense: impeccable.

It's still incredible to me that such a huge voice was housed in such a diminutive frame.

Dio always struck me as kind of a Bizarro-World version of Ozzy. I love Ozzy-era Sabbath, but I'm not one of those who thinks that this is the ONLY Sabbath. Dio stepped into a near impossible position when he took that gig, and proceeded to help turn out one of the greatest metal albums of all time, Heaven and Hell. The follow up, Mob Rules, proved it was no fluke. (It's hard to choose a favorite track from that incarnation of Sabbath, but for some reason I was always partial to "Country Girl.") The parallels between the two men are obvious--both fronted the quintessential metal band, both went on to incredibly successful solo careers, and both were managed by their wives. But where Ozzy (Satan bless him) fell into self-parody and periodic incoherence, Dio always seemed the opposite to me--articulate, thoughtful, intelligent, never giving any indication that he wasn't completely together and comfortable with himself. According to all reports, he was the consummate gentleman, and one of the kindest men in music.

(Note: I'm not trying to start an Ozzy/Dio flame war. I love Ozzy--but you have to admit, Dio always seemed the more together of the two.)

THAC0 = 3

A brilliant showman whose stage shows were legendary (especially in the Sacred Heart days, when he slew the dragon every night), Dio was one of a kind, and will be greatly missed. His lyrics didn't always make sense--okay, maybe didn't even *often* make sense--but I think this was part of his aesthetic. Dio was all about the dream world, about fantasy, about magic. You can't apply logic to that.

"Ride the tiger
You can see his stripes but you know he's clean!
Oh don't you see what I mean?"

No, not really, Ronnie. But it still rocks.

A philanthropist very involved in children's causes, Dio seemed always ready to do for others. In a genre that's often the home of people it's hard to look up to, Dio was eminently admirable, a statesman and role model. He was very important to me, and to millions of people across the world. Rest well, you warrior, you poet, you king.

Evil or Divine?
I'm going with "yes."

RIP DIO

MORE MADNESS...

Summary only...

PAUL NASCHY: 1934-2009

It is with great and sincere sadness that I must report the passing of a horror legend. Naschy.com and other sites have broken the news this morning that Jacinto Molina, better known to his legions of fans as Paul Naschy, has passed away at the age of 75.

I'm really having a hard time expressing the weight with which this news has hit me, and find myself not in a state of mind right now to fully process it, let alone give the great man the kind of remembrance he so richly deserves. I am not at all joking or exaggerating when I tell you, my loyal readers, I'm sitting at my computer with tears in my eyes this morning.

The Duke and I started this blog because of our giddy shared discovery of the joys of Paul Naschy's films, and his passing leaves an unfillable void in our hearts. Expect a more fitting tribute after a period of mourning, and please check out our previous reviews of Naschy's work to relive some of the joy he's given us. Better yet, get yourself some of his movies, pour yourself a Sangria, and remember him as he'd have wanted: on screen, in a world of magic and monsters.

The Vicar

MORE MADNESS...

Summary only...

RIP Carlos Aured

The Mark of Naschy reports that Carlos Aured, frequent collaborator of Paul Naschy and director of such MMMMMasterpieces as Curse of the Devil and Horror Rises from the Tomb, has passed away.

The Duke and I honor Mr. Aured's artistry and vision, and mourn the passing from this world of a great horror director.

Carlos Aured 1937-2008

MORE MADNESS...

Summary only...