The Howl of the Devil

Finally got to around to check out my copy of Howl of the Devil and I am overcome with excitement!Paul Naschy's cinema was probably the most weird, psychotronic, far-fetched, colorful, self and budget centered but, most of all, original, in the Spanish horror landscape. Moreover, he was probably the biggest horror freak the world has ever known. This film condenses all of the above to the highest degree! Does it make it his best movie or the euro-cult film to end them all? I would hesitantly say... YES! A bunch of very shady, -real and imaginary-, characters with no redeeming qualities whatsoever make this the formula for the perfect storm, even apocalypse, at a small scale. This is Naschy singlehandedly paying homage to his favorite modern horror and science fiction icons and those of yesteryear, -especially Mario Bava and the Universal classics-, simultaneously showing off all his abilities, -even as a weightlifter-, within the usual financial constraints for which his films are known; maybe even direr, given this was a low point in his career. Caroline Munro shines as the (apparently) miscast Spanish handmaid, whose character provides the most depth and conflict to the affair, by being her usual self at the time. Fernando Hilbeck; Guthrie from Let Sleeping Corpses Lie, and Howard Vernon not only shine while the titles run, but also greatly contribute to enhance the morbid charm at display onscreen. However, if you are looking for a more credible scenario and more "legitimate" look at Naschy's legacy in retrospective, you would be better off tracking down Rojo Sangre; a more recent Naschy effort (directed by someone else), which I highly recommend watching as a double feature with this one. An equally self-centered piece, it makes more "sense" than this one, which is way more surreal and whimsical. Both take on the shadow of the past cast upon the present as a blessing and a curse. In summary, this is Naschy's very personal vision of the Apocalypse and his testament as a filmmaker! He reigns supreme as the key figure of horror, Spanish style!In any case, this is Mondo Macabro's crowning achievement, for several reasons, especially the fact that this one was quite elusive to track down! This is the very first time it sees a release on home media, apparently. I really appreciate the insightful interview with Naschy's son and protagonist Sergio. He talks about Naschy's own take of Horror in the Wax Museum, shot at around the same time and lost for good. After watching El Aullido del Diablo, I can only hope that he's wrong...

Despite a game cast and the opportunity to see Naschy in makeup and costume for almost all the famous Universal monsters (save the gill man), this is a missed opportunity. The plot is rote and repetitive, the music is the worst kind of late 80's synth crap and the photography flat. The obviously low budget doesn't help, nor does seeing a guy in his late fifties (at the time) cavorting with a series of naked females that are half his age. Gorehouds will appreciate the abundant blood and the make up effects are quite effective, but that's about all.

Perfect addition to Paul Naschy collection bright and clear transfer. Rachel E Smith.

This is probably a movie for Horny Teenage Boys. The Film is just bad all the way around from Editing to Content!

Despite being 54 years old and already surviving one heart attack, Paul Naschy took on the heavy burden of playing multiple monsters in this film, as he appears as Frankenstein’s Monster, Mr. Hyde, Phantom of the Opera, Quasimodo, The Devil and the human Hector and Alex Doriani. Oh yes — and Waldemar Daninsky, El Hombre Lobo!For a long time, this movie was never officially released. Before the death of one of its producers, it was to have a lavish budget. It’s better than Naschy usually got, which gives him ample time to get into makeup and play multiple roles. It also got better talent, including Howard Vernon (Dr. Orloff!) and Caroline Munro (Starcrash).Mostly, Naschy plays Hector, a horror actor devoted to living a carnal life that he compares to de Sade, Gilles de Rais, Vlad Tepes and Jack the Ripper. Each night, Vernon brings him a new prostitute and he dresses up in complicated horror makeup. As you do.Meanwhile, he’s raising his brother’s son Alex (or Adrian, depending on the translation, played by Naschy’s son Sergio Molina) ever since his sibling killed himself. He may have been helped by the fact that his wife was cheating on him with his own brother. And since he overdosed on heroin, Alex is with Hector, yet lost in his own world of monsters, which is where we get to see Daninsky.Oh and meanwhile again, there’s a priest in love with a servant girl (Munro) who left him in the past. He pays a homeless man to spy on her and bring him back under penalty of her death. And while all that’s going on, a giallo-style killer is offing people on the grounds of Hector’s estate. And beyond all that — so much is happening! — Alex is trying to bring his father back from the dead.Imagine Godzilla’s Revenge about Universal Monsters but with the budget and insanity of a Naschy movie and you’ll see why I loved this so much.The end of this movie — I don’t want to give anything away — somehow has an actor known for Jess Franco movies getting treated like a Lucio Fulci character in a conclusion that somehow makes this an Omen ripoff by way of The Beyond‘s running to nowhere conclusion. It is truly the Dagwood sandwich of sleazy horror scum and I — pun intended — wolfed down every bite.You can now get this Mondo Macabro release from Diabolik DVD. It comes complete with a new 4K restoration, commentary by Rod Barnett and Troy Guinn of the Naschycast, a previously unreleased making of documentary and a new interview with Naschy’s son Sergio.

Buena restauración, aún quedan granos en la imagen en ocasiones, pero este título es raro de encontrar y la restauración de imagen es bastante aceptable

Mondo Macabro has done its usual good work in providing another obscure bit of exploitational weirdness to the world, and all the technical aspects of this BluRay edition are excellent! My reasoning for the, only, 3 star rating is more based on the quality of the plot elements. “Howl of the Devil” was apparently one of Spanish horror auteur Paul Nacshy’s later films wherein he attempted to reprise virtually ALL of the monsters he had previously portrayed in his other movies - especially the ones from the Universal Studios catalog that he adored. Frankenstein’s monster, the wolfman, phantom of the opera, etc. all are represented in brief ‘walk-ones’. The storyline utilized to accomplish this creature parade is where things get sketchy. Not only does Naschy portray all of the monsters - he also takes on the dual role of 2 brothers - one living & one dead! Veteran actors Caroline Munro & Howard Vernon do what they can within the jumbled plot that features ghostly apparitions and raising the dead. There is even a Giallo thread running through the action - featuring a mysterious masked killer who dispatches a variety of hapless women - who all manage to get naked briefly before their demise! Sadly the whole film becomes a meandering mishmash of implausibility that culminates without much conclusion. For Naschy completists there may be some enjoyment here but I think Paul should have left his creatures to RIP and allow his earlier better horror films to stand as his legacy.

Muy buena edición de una película que hasta ahora, era la única forma de verla en España, adquiriéndola fuera. Está en castellano.