Les orgies macabres

Paul Naschy (born Jacinto Molina Alvarez) was a fixture in Spanish Horror-as far as actor's go, he was that countries Karloff. So when he died in late 2009, he left behind a vast array of work that has maintained a cult following-"Night of the Werewolf", "Blue Eyes of a Broken Doll", "Count Dracula's Great Love"-to name a few. While I mentioned his passing in my review of "Premutos", looking back, I should have written a review of one of his movies instead of that movie. So without further ado, here's a look at the Italian-Spanish production "The Hanging Woman", in which he played a hunchback.

Serge Chekov (Stelvio Riso) is a swinging 70's kinda guy whose come to Scotland to gain an inheritance. In between sexing up the ladies, he runs into the hanging corpse of a lady. Soon, events revolving around a satanic coven, mad science, murder, zombies roaming the graveyard, and Igor (Naschy), who also happens to be a necrophiliac.

Though Naschy only has a supporting role, "The Hanging Woman" is still quite a treat of 70's style Gothic Horror. In fact, much of the film is quite reminiscent of the 70's era Hammer output, with its emphasis on fog drenched atmosphere, Gothic locales and low key exploitation elements such as nudity and some minor gore. The movie itself is quite capably directed by capably directed by José Luis Merino, who offers a nice mix of eerie moments with ones that range from tasteless (Chekov's treatment of women, Igor's um...kinks) with ones that just outright daffy (the reason the dead are walking could have come from one of those old 1940's quickies.) That's part of what makes the whole thing so much fun-sure, it feels a bit familiar at times, but the familiarity helps the movie instead of hindering it. Also worthy of mention is the undertone of black humor that permeates the proceedings. While the movie would never be mistaken for a comedy, scenes involving characters such as a horny witch are clearly done with tongue planted firmly in cheek.

Which brings me back to Naschy. While I mentioned he doesn't have a huge role, fans of his should still love this. Here, he manages to bring all kids of baggage with Igor-insecurity at one moment, to moments that bring forth revulsion the next-with ease. It's easy to see why folks such as myself hold him to such esteem, as he was able to take such characters and make them his own. Such a role and performance is a testament to his talents as an actor.

If there are any problems, it would be that apart from the more eccentric characters (particularly Igor), nobody here is all that interesting. Chekov is just your typical chauvinistic jerk who doesn't have many redeeming qualities, whilst Doris (Dianik Zurakowska) is yet another damsel in distress character. A bit more thought into some of the characters would have helped.

That out of the way, fans of Paul Naschy and European Horror fare will certainly find a lot to enjoy here. If that's your cup of tea, then check it out.

I recently watched the Spanish film 🇪🇸 The Hanging Woman, aka Beyond the Living Dead (1973) on Tubi. The storyline follows a man who arrives at an estate to claim his inheritance after his long-lost relative was found dead hanging in a tree. He encounters cults, curses, and zombies while attempting to gain his riches. The question arises: Can the inheritance be worth the mayhem he'll have to overcome?

Directed by José Luis Merino (Crime Story), the film stars Stelvio Rosi (Anaconda), Maria Pia Conte (The Arena), Dyanik Zurakowska (The Destructors), Gérard Tichy (Doctor Zhivago), and Carla Mancini (The Bird with the Crystal Plumage).

This is a somewhat uneven addition to the zombie genre that takes a while to build momentum, but the payoff at the end makes it worthwhile. The main character's resemblance to Chuck Norris adds a layer of unintentional humor to the action scenes. An infamous skeleton shooting scene had me laughing off my chair. The film's settings, backdrops, and props create a perfect atmosphere. While kills are scarce initially, the well-crafted corpses and eerie atmosphere compensate. The zombies feature solid makeup and an authentic feel. The storyline, though somewhat cliche, remains enjoyable, and the action-packed, worthwhile ending makes the journey fulfilling.

In conclusion, The Hanging Woman is a somewhat uneven addition to the zombie genre, but its worthwhile elements make it a must-see. I'd score it a 6/10 and strongly recommend it.

There's plenty of skullduggery in store for Serge Chekov when he travels to a gloomy estate to collect an inheritance bequeathed him by his late uncle. Not only does he have to contend with witchcraft, sexual seduction, and a séance upon his arrival, the guy also stumbles upon gratuitous necrophilia and just when you think the plot can't get any sillier, he's shown a laboratory where the dead are secretly reanimated...

Resembling an Italian horror film from the '60s (like the ones with Barbara Steele, only in color), TERROR OF THE LIVING DEAD is all about atmosphere even though there's an actual mystery (later explained through flashbacks) going on right under the nose of a none-too-bright police inspector puffing a Sherlock Holmes pipe. Like Amando de Ossorio's trilogy, the dead are blind here, too, and there's also bare breasts and a woman's heart removed but I don't know what (if anything) can be inferred about audience tastes at the time. Filmmaking in Franco-era Spain obviously didn't shrink from explicit gore (there's an autopsy and a nice beheading here) but they were rather squeamish about nudity, it seems. There's a spinning montage as our hero gets drugged and seduced by the femme fatale and they're in bed together but he's got his pants on while she's completely nude. That's not the only thing weird; the film is set in nineteenth-century Scotland but I'm not sure the filmmakers knew where that was since the characters all have names like Chekov and Nadia and the fine-looking locations resemble Eastern Europe. Genre icon Paul Naschy plays a gravedigger who likes his ladies ice cold and he looked a lot like John Belushi in some scenes. A WTF? film, for sure.

This film is an example of a zombie movie which has zombies that are created rather than transformed by a virus as generally depicted today. The usual differences between the two are that those created (by voodoo, black magic or science) generally follow instructions from their creator, don't eat flesh and don't infect others. Produced in 1973 in Europe it had a good Gothic feel to it. Likewise, although it was originally filmed in Spanish and dubbed in English the overall effect wasn't too bad either. However, one clear fault was that the lead actor, Stelvio Rosi (as "Serge Chekov") sported a haircut from the early 1970's even though the film was supposed to have taken place sometime in the 19th Century. Not only that but I thought his performance was slightly below that of the rest of the cast as well. On the other hand, some bright spots involved two gorgeous actresses, Maria Pia Conte ("Nadia Mihaly") and Dyanik Zurakowska ("Doris Droila") along with excellent makeup for the zombies. In short, other than the slight miscasting of the lead actor, this was a competent zombie film which fans of this genre might find interesting.

Set in 19th-century in Scotland, when a count dies, his nephew named Chekov : Stelvio Rossi comes to the mansion located at a village in a mountain location. But then the daughter of the recently deceased count appears hanged. At his house a group of people reunite to know the inheritance to be supervised by a notary. There join the following ones : the disgraced widow : Maria Pia Conte , a Doctor : Gerard Tichy who worked with the dead man, his beautiful daughter : Dyanik Zurawoska and assisting them a suspicious butler : Charles Quiney . Along the way here also shows up a Police Inspector : Paquale Basile to investigate the strange death of the hanged woman . Scariest than you worst nightmare! . We dare you take one step beyond the grave!

A horrific and terrfying Zombie movie that at the time had a certain success and being nowadays well considered. Spanish Gothic with chills, horrifying set pieces, thrills, ghastly scenes, beheading and nudism in charge of two Eurotrash beauties : Maria Pia Conte, Dyanik Zurawoska . This is a mixed bag in which there are all kinds of elements and characters of terror genre as living dead, voodoo, psych people, creepy undertakers , sinister caves and anything else. The film is full of familar faces of the B-Spanish/Italian genres from Spaghetti, Sex comedy, Macarroni Combat, Horror to Giallo such as : Stelvio Rosi, Gerard Tichy, Charles Quiney , Maria Pia Conte, Dyanik Zurawoska. Special mention for the great Paul Naschy or Jacinto Molina who in a brief role gives one of his best interpretations as a really deranged gravedigger.

It contains a thrilling and suspenseful musical score that fits perfectly to the frightening scenes. As well as an atmospheric and dark cinematography with strong shades by Rizzolo. Being shot on location in the Pyrenees mountains, Huesca. The picture was professionally directed by Jose Luis Merino who recently passed away. This Spanish craftsman had a long career making all kinds of genres : adventures, comedy, Musical, action, Paella Western and Horror. Outstanding his films about Robin Hood, El Zorro, Tiger of Kyber and his Terror movies as Ivanna and La Orgia de los muertos 1973. Rating 6/10. Acceptable and passable but not for squeamish.