The Beasts' Carnival

Paul Naschy (born Jacinto Molina) was Spain's most famous horror star, best known for the role of the lycanthropic Waldemar Daninsky, whom he played a total of 12 times in movies released between 1968 and 2004. Along the way, Naschy - who died of pancreatic cancer last year - acted in a couple of non-werewolf movies, including "El carnaval de las bestias" (alternately called "The Beasts' Carnival" and "The Human Beasts" in English). This one concerns a man (Naschy) who gets shot by some Japanese gangsters whom he betrayed and gets taken in by a mysterious doctor and his daughters...and later discovers that they have a gross passion.

I guess that I didn't like this one as much as Paul Naschy's other flicks, partially due to the rather vague plot, and also just because I prefer watching Naschy grow fur and fangs. But even so, it was an OK movie. Just see if you want to eat meat after watching it.

I wonder what the result would have been had Paul Naschy ever worked with Pedro Almodóvar.

Paul Naschy wrote and directed this Japanese/Spanish co-production, but instead of playing his regular hero or sympathetic monster, the Euro-horror star's character is a complete and utter git. Naschy plays Bruno Rivera, a ruthless mercenary hired by crime-boss Taro (Kogi Maritugu) to carry out a daring diamond robbery. As Bruno waits for the day of the heist, he romances Taro's sister Mieko (Eiko Nagashima), getting her pregnant, so it comes as a surprise when the mercenary double-crosses his employer and jilts his lover, running off with the sparklers. Taro and Mieko, naturally miffed, vow to hunt the scoundrel down.

During a shootout, Taro is killed and Bruno wounded, but Mieko's target gives her the slip. Eventually passing out from loss of blood, Bruno wakes to find himself in the home of doctor Don Simón (Lautaro Murúa) and his sexy daughters Alicia (the lovely Azucena Hernández) and Mónica (Silvia Aguilar), who nurse him back to health. Meanwhile, Mieko is closing in, determined to take revenge.

What follows is a fairly typical example of Euro sleaze, with both Mónica and Alicia lusting after Bruno, meaning that Naschy gets to roll around with both girls naked (remember, he wrote this, the sly old devil). There's also some naughtiness involving shapely servant girl Raquel, Don Simón giving her a flogging on her ass for disobedience (giving us a hint that the old guy isn't quite the saint that he at first appears to be). There's also some violence, a mysterious figure creeping about the house killing various visitors, allowing for a smattering of gore.

With the nudity and blood boxes well and truly ticked, Carnival of the Beasts should give most Naschy fans a reasonable time, but to be honest, the plot is pretty lousy, the acting not great (not helped by terrible dubbing on the version I watched), and the whole thing is rounded off with a very silly twist ending (all of which are probably plus points for many Euro-horror fans).

5/10, if only for this hilariously un-PC line of dialogue spoken about Asian women: 'They all look the same to me'.

This time Naschy is turned into a criminal mercenary who deceives ,steals and kills and goes on a murderous rampage until to terminate in the ¨Texas massacre house¨. The story starts in Japan on the lake Hakone near mount Fujiyama . Bruno Rivera (Paul Naschy) a tough mercenary is hired by an organization of fanatic idealists to carry out a hold-up on a valuable stash of diamonds. Bruno double-crosses his pregnant Japanese girlfriend and the criminal group and returns Spain. There he is located , taking place a chase and exciting pursuit nearly an old monastery . Being wounded , he is healed by the medic Simon (Lautaro Murua) and his daughters Alicia (Azuzena Hernandez)and Monica (Silvia Aguilar) . He takes shelter in their mansion but his former love interest Mieko (Eiko Nagashina) swears vengeance and is relentlessly looking for Bruno . Finally Bruno decides to escape until a creepy and surprising finale .

The picture is full of perverse images , sadism , morbidness and some nudism .It packs a crossover between noir cinema , gangsters genre and horror . Also displays acceptable photography , and Nazi iconography as usual in Naschy films. The film is narrated by means of flashbacks with Bruno's nightmares , developing Japan events and actual deeds when Naschy lives in the house of the rare family. The pig scenes of Ridley Scott's ¨Hannibal¨ seem to be taken from this film .

Jacinto Molina ,under pseudonym Paul Naschy turns out to be the continental Europe's biggest horror with his classic character , the unforgettable Waldemar Daninsky and frightening to viewer. He played as El Hombre Lobo for the umpteenth time . Jacinto Molina Aka Paul Naschy ,who recently passed away, was actor,screenwriter and director of various film about the personage based on fictitious character, the Polish count Waldemar Daninsky. The first film about Waldemar was ¨The mark of the Wolfman (1967)¨ by Enrique Eguiluz , after that ¨Night of Walpurgis¨, ¨Fury of the Wolfman¨ , ¨Doctor Jekill and the Wolfman¨ ,¨The return of the Walpurgis¨, ¨Howl of the devil¨, ¨The beast and the magic sword(1982)¨ that is filmed in Japan and finally ¨Licantropo(1998). After ¨The craving¨ it was such a box office disaster that Jacinto was bankrupt. He was forced to turn to Japan for making artist documentaries, as he filmed ' Madrid Royal Palace and Museum of Prado' and he gets financing from Japanese producers for ¨The human beasts¨, the first co-production Spanish-Japan and followed ¨The beast and the magic sword¨. Both of them are lavishly produced for the Paul Naschy standards. As the Atrezzo and gowns were well manufactured and exterior shot on both countries .

It's a B series entertainment with abundant sensationalistic scenes and a Naif style.The movie has a bit of ridiculous gore with loads of blood similar to tomato and is occasionally an engaging horror movie full of slashing, beheading, and several other things. This time Paul Nashy/Jacinto Molina exhibits little breast but he was a weightlifting champion . Pretty slow going and some flaws and gaps , but hang in there for the incredible and unexpected ending . In the picture appears habitual secondaries from Naschy films as Luis Ciges , Pepe Ruiz , Rafael Hernadez and other known supporting cast as Tito Garcia and Ricardo Palacios .Good cinematography by Alejandro Ulloa (Horror express and The return of the Wolfman )is accompanied by a correct remastering and filmed in Japan , Madrid , Valley of Lozoya and surroundings . The motion picture is professionally directed and played by Jacinto Molina , a slick craftsman and mediocre actor.The flick will appeal to Paul Naschy fans and terror genre enthusiasts. Rating : 6, passable and entertaining.

Paul Naschy plays a cold, heartless man who thinks nothing of stabbing his close ties in the back, however sordid they may be. But when he wakes up in a countryside estate, rippled with bullets, being nursed back to health by a very unusual family, he begins to open up his heart and shed his evil ways. But can he escape the wrong doings of his past and his destiny? Be prepared for some crazy twists and turns in this original, entertaining thriller.

Naschy wrote, directed and starred in this very strange film. Departing from his regular Gothic tales, this movie mixes double-crossing, revenge, Oriental mobs, killer pigs and voodoo to create a very unusual but tasty tale. Some very offbeat characters, a slight touch of comedy, some racial political incorrectness and several splashes of gore add just the right flavor. Bon Appetite!

While the movie is little more than excuse to show us some decent female nudity and while the movie's low budget is clear as day, "El carnaval de las bestias" is a decent entry in the genre which won't scare you, but it will entertain you if you are fan of the genre. It has to be said that the movie is very rare, but I managed to find it on archive.org. This is not a movie for a casual. This is a movie only for people who don't have hight standards and know what to expect from Euro 80-s horror jank. Luckily, Naschy is great as the movie's antihero and beautiful women appearing throughout the movie will make watching it an easier job it would have otherwise been. I give it 6/10, but I recommend it only to hardcore fans.