
VotZ is my kind of zombie movie. Frankly, I am a bit fed-up with the over-use of Romero-styled plague zombies. This film is one of those rare instances of Voodoo zombies, such as in Sugar Hill, Amazing Mask, or Plague of the Zombies (Vincent Price & Hammer Films). In it, Naschy plays three separate characters. He is the hero, Krisna, the villain, Kantaka, and briefly appears as Satan. While he is more known for playing the werewolf Waldemar Daninsky, this film is completely in his wheelhouse. Naschy is a makeup guy, and likes to portray odd characters. Here he portrays an Indian guru, a man transforming himself into one of the undead, and a goat horned, cloven footed Satan. You can tell that each is Naschy, but he adds a distinction to each.
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Naschy as Krisna |
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Naschy as Kantaka |
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Naschy as Satan |
Now, I have only a limited set of Naschy films under my belt, but this is very likely my favorite. Aside from the costume work, it is a good story, and rather thrilling, even to my horror-jaded sensibilities. I had a few legitimate gasps. My one issue with the film was the actual killing of a chicken in one scene. I don't approve of such things in film. I do think Naschy puts on one of the more sensitive portrayals on an Indian person by a non-Indian actor. It is not a heavy-handed "Apu" version of an Indian man typical of the times. This one is well worth watching, and perhaps my favorite Naschy film.
For more info on Señor Molina, check out my posts from the Paul Naschy Blogathon last year, or the Mad Mad Mad Mad Movies list of blogathon entrants. He is an interesting guy, and did some awesome work. Jacinto, we hardly knew you.
2 comments:
Great stuff, Darius! And thanks again for your massive contribution to last year's blogathon.
VotZ is one of my many favorite Naschy flicks. He rocks the turban like no other, and I found the slow-motion effects on the zombie women strangely effective. There's just so much great about this movie--the amazingly incongruous free-jazz score, Naschy's triple-threat performance, Death by Soda Can, and that surprising and well-executed decapitation (pun intended)! This one's a wild ride from beginning to end.
Viva Naschy!
I completely forgot the soda can killing, but now remember saying aloud, "did that bitch just kill him with a can of beer?" It looked like an Amstel Light in a can. Saw several of those.
NP on last year. It was love at first site. Luckily, Countess Dracula's Orgy of Blood was not my cherry-breaker :-D
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