Naschy Time: Vengeance of the Zombies

Has it been long enough for me to make undead jokes about Paul Naschy?  Today's film is part of the Spanish Horror Collection and is Vengeance of the Zombies.  It's an interesting movie, to say the least.  I can't exactly explain the plot all that much, but it is neat to look at.  I'll do my best to highlight for you the great visuals and moments from the film...even If I still can't make a whole lot of sense of it.  It doesn't hurt that the film is introduced by Naschy himself- gold.  It's a little creepy, sure, but Naschy was kind of going for that when he was actually alive too.  As you may have guessed, this film is about Zombies.  It's also about Indian mysticism, ritual murder and a shit ton of goofy masks.  To find out what little I could decipher about this film, read on...

Some random people try to rob a crypt and get killed by a zombie...in white make-up.  I'm having Living Dead Girl (and Revenge of the Living Dead Girls) flashbacks!

Paul Naschy- in his first role- is playing an Indian Mystic.  Um..okay.

On the plus side, this version of The Love Guru is much more entertaining!

A good chunk of the film involves a man in different makes like the one below killing people...for no clear reason.  They kind of explain it later, but it's still weird.

The villain- who is still a mystery at this point-  has a slew of henchmen, including this Amos & Andy guy and...zombie Groucho Marx.  It's the true culmination of the sidekick from Dylan Dog.

I'll give you a minute to Google Search that joke.  I'll wait.

Paul Naschy's second role- playing Satan..or something.  This shot doesn't quite do the Goat Horns justice either.

As it turns out, the villain is...also Paul Naschy, but with a messed-up face.

It looks like he was burned by the Undertaker and shot in the face by Reese Witherspoon circa Freeway.  Not a good combination.

Here's a fight on par with Paul Naschy fighting a man in a Knight outfit.  Paul vs. Racist Stereotype Man...in a pitchfork duel.  That's...unique.

It all comes down to a ritual showdown between Paul Naschy and...Paul Naschy (with make-up scars).  Here's the weird part...

Good Naschy dies.  He doesn't even stop the villain- a different villain does.  She, in turn, is killed by the Police.

Seriously, Paul plays three roles- two of him 'die like a bitch' before the Cops save the day.  Weird.  The End.

There's no stopping the insanity!  Say what you will about Paul Naschy films, but they're usually fun.  Even when his films are more serious in tone, there's some bit of insanity to talk about.  You have the highly-elaborate revenge scheme from Panic Beats or the bizarre mental-manipulation sub-plot from Fury of the Wolfman, for example.  This film is pretty much all of those moments.  Don't get me wrong- there is a plot here.  It's just a bit hard to follow/care about too much with all of the crazy visuals, Naschy's dual roles and Naschy playing Indian.  I know that big actors- see Ben Kingsley in Gandhi- can do this, but...it's weird.  The movie's plot is hard to follow, but it's not really that bad either.  If you can accept the insanity, you'll see that this film is a mix of a Voodoo Film and a Giallo.  Besides, what other film features a man being stabbed to death with a beer can?

Next up, a period-piece horror film from Japan.  If you're afraid of snakes and love atmosphere, you're in luck!  Stay tuned...