(1980)
Dir - Paul Naschy
Overall: MEH
A year after serving as producer only for the Japanese film Amor Blanco, (Howaito rabu), Paul Naschy's first proper co-production between that country and his native Spain was the giallo-adjacent The Beasts' Carnival, (El carnaval de las bestias, Human Beasts). The movie wastes little time, beginning as if they forgot to put the first hour in beforehand. This in and of itself is a nice change of pace from Naschy's usual insistence on loading the first act up with endless expository dialog exchanges. The inclusion of an off-screen killer, the semi-rock based theme song, close-ups of eyes, and horny, back-stabbing nature of the characters give it a number of stylistically giallo flourishes. A few nightmare sequences and the rather nasty ending bring it closer to pure horror territory and the film is quite pessimistic in its overall depiction of human beings. Clear illusions are drawn between pigs who are bred to be slaughtered and humans who behave in a swine-like fashion. This is most clear during a comedically grotesque banquet sequence near the end, where house guests dressed in costumes drunkenly gorge themselves. Though many of the ingredients make for a bizarre finished product, Naschy's pacing is rather dreadful and it ultimately indulges too little in its quirky qualities to keep the viewer steadily engaged.
(1983)
Dir - Paul Naschy
Overall: GOOD
The ninth or tenth entry in Paul Naschy's long-running Waldemar Daninsky series and the only one to be a co-production between his native Spain and Japan is The Beast and the Magic Sword, (La Bestia y la Espada Magica). The dual setting makes it unique as the film begins with a hefty prologue before switching to 16th century Europe and then Japan, where once again Daninsky is desperate for a cure from his lycanthropian curse and seeks out an alleged specialist there. Never dubbed into English, the film is also rather singular for featuring a slew of Japanese actors dubbed in Spanish. Despite the Eastern locale, the story is interchangeable with most of the other Daninsky entries and for better or worse, it treats the viewer as if they are coming in completely new to the formula. It takes nearly thirty minutes to get to any proper werewolf action and as is usually the case, the running time is heavily padded with characters sitting around explaining the same things over and over again, things that most of the audience are already well aware of since we know how these movies work. Still, it makes excellent, atmospheric use of the period setting, plus ninja battles and probably the only werewolf vs tiger fight in cinema history are both welcome additions to Nashy's usual blood-soaked, hairy carnage.
(1987)
Dir - Paul Naschy
Overall: MEH
Though it was never theatrically released and still lingers in comparative obscurity amongst the majority of Paul Naschy's major works that have become readily available, Howl of the Devil, (El aullido del diablo), is a fascinating vanity project. Written, directed, and staring Naschy in the most roles ever in his career, it was made after the collapse of his production company Aconito Films and the death of his father, both events putting the Spanish Wolfman on hiatus for a number of years. Meant as a no-holds-barred return to the horror genre most beloved by him, Howl of the Devil has an "everything but the kitchen sink" feel to it and is an unmistakable mess in the process. Also staring Caroline Munro, Howard Vernon, and Nashy's son Sergio Molina, it is at once a bonafide love letter to classic Hollywood monsters as nearly all of his horror films were, but it also tries to be a contemporary slasher movie. Even by Paul Naschy standards, the plotting is so atrocious that it becomes surreal. With almost no exceptions, every speaking character delivers the exact same lines between each other in every scene and never before was Naschy's bitterness pushed further to the forefront. All women at all times are considered life-ruining whores and as a quasi-biographical story where he plays two identical thespian brothers, (one who does horror movies, the other proper theater), with both of them misunderstood losers, it is as nihilistic of a project as the man would ever get made.
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