The Hunchback of the Morgue a.k.a. El jorobado de la Morgue(1973)

The Hunchback of the Morgue a.k.a. El jorobado de la Morgue(1973)
Staring: Paul Naschy, Rossana Yanni, Víctor Alcázar (as Vic Winner)
Written by Javier Aguirre, Alberto S. Insúa (as Alberto S. Insua)
Paul Naschy story and screenplay (as Jacinto Molina)
Directed by Javier Aguirre

How can you pass up a movie with a name like that! I saw it on Netflix and had to put it in my queue. I've heard of the movie but never got a chance to see it before. Last night I popped some corn and sat down in the dark to watch it.

Paul Naschy plays Gotho, an outcast hunchback who works in the morgue cutting up corpses for medical students. He loves Marie, a childhood friend who is dying in the hospital. When she dies, he takes her body to the catacombs under the town to keep her. Wanting her to live again, he asks a research scientist (who turns out to be mad, who knew) to bring her back to life. That's the basic premise.

This isn't a movie that has a big social message that makes you think, this is down and dirty just a fun horror film. You got a hunchback, a mad scientist, a hot blond who like her men deformed, flaming rats, acid baths, a walking corpse-with another corpse strapped to it's back, and a primordial ooze monster to boot!

Did I mention this was a FUN movie?

Paul Naschy, who past away last year, was a true master of 1970s horror. I wish more of his films were available for U.S. viewing (I never see them on Cable, which is a shame). If you have a chance to see this please do, as I said it's available through Netflix or you can get it from Amazon.

The DVD extras consist of:
Trailers
The U.S., German and Italian opening credits
Image gallery of posters and promotional material
Two versions of the love scene between the Gotho and Elke

Until Next Time,

Stay Insane!

The Werewolf vs The Vampire Woman Trailer (1971)

Ah, The Werewolf vs The Vampire Woman, what a title!

This little gem is brought to you by Paul Naschy, the Spanish Lon Chaney, who also wrote it. As a kid I never got to see any of Paul Naschy's films, either because my local stations didn't show them or the video stores didn't stock them to rent. Believe me, if I saw this title in TV Guide or on a video store shelf I would have watched it. So the only way I knew of his movies were from the few entries in various books I had on monster movies.

I finally got a DVD of this very movie and got to watch Mr. Naschy in action, and I may have to dig it up (no Acker-Pun intended) tonight and watch it again now that I found the trailer on Youtube.

I really love the flashing red and white silhouette shots they sprinkled in here and there in the trailer. Nice touch.

There were a whole slew of Werewolf pictures starring Naschy as Waldemar Daninsky, the man with the curse of lycanthropy. I'll write more about him on a later date, but for now enjoy the trailer to The Werewolf vs The Vampire Woman.

Until Next Time, Stay Insane!