By Adrian Smith

Creepy Images/ Kessler & Benzel GbR ISBN 978-3-00-03941-9

Binding: hardback

Price €39.50

392 pages

size: 210 x 270 mm

Paul Naschy has often been described as the Spanish Lon Chaney due to the variety of different roles he has played within the horror genre. It would perhaps be more accurate to liken him to Lon Chaney Jr. however, given his short stocky build and propensity for playing werewolves, vampires and mummies in often second-rate movies. His real name was Jacinto Molina, and in a career spanning almost sixty years in Spanish cinema he progressed from acting through to writing and eventually directing as well. He also dabbled in euro-crime thrillers and giallo-style murder mysteries, but it was the gothic horror film in which he seemed to feel most at home.

Spanish cinema under the Franco regime was quite strictly controlled, but horror tended to have more freedom, which perhaps explains why it was the only genre at the time to really flourish, with many of the films being shown worldwide. This new book, featuring over 1200 images, all in full colour, helps to chart the distribution history of Naschy films around the world by gathering together posters, lobby cards, front-of-house stills and press kits from over twenty countries. It is an entertaining and fascinating wealth of materials, many of which have not been published before. The films are presented chronologically, focusing primarily on those in which Naschy starred. An additional chapter has been added for non-horror movies, or those where he was more of a supporting player. The author has provided plenty of additional information, printed here in both English and German, which sheds light on the production history as well as details on the availability and collectible nature of some of these advertising materials.

Even if you have not seen a Paul Naschy film before, this is a book filled with brilliant images that you will want to pour over for hours before going on line to seek some of these titles out. How about pairing Shadow of the Werewolf aka The Werewolf vs. Vampire Woman (1971) with The Werewolf and the Yeti (1975) for hairy double-bill? Naschy also scripted and starred in Exorcist-style shocker Exorcismo (1974), worked with Hammer's John Gilling on La Cruz del Diablo (1974) and even went to swinging London in Jack the Ripper in London, aka Seven Murders for Scotland Yard (1971). Whether his films were cashing in on the late 1960s cinematic fixation on witch burning, or if he was playing a hunchback in a morgue, Paul Naschy clearly threw himself fully into his work. The publicity images generally put his monstrous visage to the fore, but still find plenty of room for boobs, blood and screaming women. It comes as something of a surprise to see just how explicit some of these front-of-house stills could be, and is an interesting reminder of how relaxed and liberal some countries were at the time.

The book is huge fun, and clearly represents an impressive personal collection from the author. An introduction from Naschy's son Sergio Molina provides some background information on the beginnings of his father's career, and the author has included a memorabilia glossary which is particularly helpful for collectors. This book is a must-have for horror and Euro-cine fans, potentially introducing Spanish horror cinema to a whole new audience.

To order this book go to www.creepy-images.com.

By Adrian Smith

Jules Verne's Fabulous Journey to the Centre of the Earth (1977)

Directed by Juan Piquer Simón

Region 2, released by Odeon Entertainment (This is the UK DVD release.)

Destined to be picked up by people mistaking it for the 1959 version starring James Mason, this release was directed in Spain and Lanzarote by a man often referred to as the Spanish Ed Wood. Taking his cast on location, shooting in spectacular caves and volcanic wastes, the film has a far greater sense of realism than its Hollywood counterpart. Sadly the budgetary constraints meant that a lot of the cave scenes are so darkly lit we are as much in the dark as the candle-bearing explorers.

Following Verne's novel quite closely, the story concerns Victorian Professor Otto Lindenbrock (Kenneth More) who in the inquisitive spirit of the age decides to prove his “crackpot” theories concerning a hollow earth. Armed with an ancient map and accompanied by his assistant, his daughter and stoic guide Hans, they climb down inside a volcano and discover an ocean, dinosaurs, giant mushrooms, man-eating tortoises and even King Kong. Alright, so it doesn't follow the novel that closely, but the film is all the more fun because of it. There are even some intriguing time-travel and cloning elements thrown in, possibly referencing Verne's closest rival in sci-fi literature, H.G. Wells.

Kenneth More stars as Lindenbrock in what turned out to be one of his last roles. It was a physically demanding role, and More plays it all straight, despite the opportunities for camping it up. He was acting alongside a mostly Spanish cast and filmed in some very difficult locations, particularly the caves where the temperature was a constant 99 degrees humidity. More was a well- respected player in the British film industry, perhaps best remembered for playing World War II fighter pilot Douglas Bader in Reach For the Sky (1956). Sadly he developed Parkinson's Disease in his early sixties, and died just a few years after this film was released.

There is a lot going on in Jules Verne's Fabulous Journey to the Centre of the Earth, which is reflected in the title, where it was sometimes abbreviated to just Journey to the Centre of the Earth, or changed completely to Where Time Began. It was the Juan Piquer Simón's first feature as director. He seemed determined to throw in every possible idea, even those which did not really make sense. Thankfully the pace rarely sags and the film is never boring. Simón went to to have quite an interesting career in Spain, making the best of the low budgets and dubious scripts he was offered.

It is an enchanting, undemanding film that provides genuine entertainment through the strength of the performances, and unintended laughs through the rubber monsters. One puzzling aspect of this release is its inclusion in Odeon Entertainment's Best of British range, as with the exception of More and the American actor Jack Taylor and co-writer John Melson, the entire production is Spanish.The print quality is fine, and the DVD includes the original theatrical trailer, which gives away all the best moments of the film, and a short stills gallery. A detailed booklet which lends some much needed production history and a nice summary of the life and work of Jules Verne is also included.