Paul Naschy
Encyclopedia
Paul Naschy was a Spanish
movie actor
, screenwriter
, and director working primarily in horror film
s. His portrayals of numerous classic horror figures—the wolfman, the hunchback
, Count Dracula
, the mummy
—have earned him recognition as the Spanish Lon Chaney
. He was also known as the "Boris Karloff of Spain" and he had one of the most recognizable faces in Spanish horror film. King Juan Carlos I presented Naschy with Spain's Gold Medal Award for Fine Arts in 2001 in honor of his work. Paul Naschy died in 2009 from pancreatic cancer.
Waldemar Daninsky (known in Spain as "El Hombre Lobo") is without a doubt Paul Naschy's most famous horror character, since he played Daninsky in 12 different films. In fact, Naschy holds the record for playing a werewolf the most number of times, easily beating out the great Lon Chaney Jr. (who played a Wolf Man only seven times during his career).
Unlike the Chaney Universal films, however, which formed a somewhat chronological storyline from picture to picture, Naschy's Daninsky films were not connected to each other plotwise. Each film was more or less a free-standing story that wasn't meant to relate to the other films in the series the way the old Universal Wolf Man movies often interconnected. Daninsky's lycanthropy had a different origin in each film (which many Naschy film buffs find confusing). This was probably for the best however, since in the 1970s, Euro-horror films were often theatrically distributed in the USA years after they were completed, and they probably would've all been released out of chronological order anyway.
Naschy's only other recurring character was the villainous medieval warlock Alaric de Marnac (who appeared in Naschy's Horror Rises From the Tomb (1972) and returned to life again in Panic Beats (1982)). Naschy claims he based this character on a real-life medieval nobleman named Gilles de Rais
, a bizarre serial killer on whose life story Naschy also based the lead character in his 1974 film The Marshall From Hell.
Only eleven of the 12 "Hombre Lobo" films actually exist today. All traces of the 1968 "Nights of the Wolf Man" apparently vanished before the film was ever released, and it remains a mystery to this day whether or not the film ever really existed at all in completed form. (The French producer of the film, one Rene Govar, is said to have died in a car accident in Paris the week after the film was completed, and no one ever picked up the lab bill that was outstanding. Hence it is theorized that the lab may have confiscated the film negative and years later they may have just discarded it. Naschy claimed he only became aware decades later that the film had never been released anywhere.) Some Naschy fans think the film was scrapped by the producer before it was completed and the script was perhaps later rewritten to become the 4th film in the series, "Fury of the Wolf Man" (1970). This is possible since Naschy himself vaguely remembered both films as having almost the same exact plot!
In order of production, the "Hombre Lobo" films are as follows:
Other Paul Naschy Werewolf films not involving the Waldemar Daninsky character:
Trivia Note* Spanish comic-book Iberia Inc. by Carlos Pacheco
and Rafael Marín
mentioned a movie entitled Casta de Heroes (supposedly directed by Jesús Franco
) about Spanish superheroes from the past in which Paul Naschy played "The Ogre", a character inspired by lycanthropic villain Lince Dorado. Unsatisfied with this portrayal of himself, Lince Dorado arranged for the original to be lost, and no copy of the film is said to exist.
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
movie actor
Actor
An actor is a person who acts in a dramatic production and who works in film, television, theatre, or radio in that capacity...
, screenwriter
Screenwriter
Screenwriters or scriptwriters or scenario writers are people who write/create the short or feature-length screenplays from which mass media such as films, television programs, Comics or video games are based.-Profession:...
, and director working primarily in horror film
Horror film
Horror films seek to elicit a negative emotional reaction from viewers by playing on the audience's most primal fears. They often feature scenes that startle the viewer through the means of macabre and the supernatural, thus frequently overlapping with the fantasy and science fiction genres...
s. His portrayals of numerous classic horror figures—the wolfman, the hunchback
Hunchback
Hunchback may refer to one of the following.*A derogatory term for a person who has severe kyphosis*The Hunchback of Notre Dame*Hunchback , an arcade and computer game from the 1980s*The Hunchback, a 1914 film featuring Lillian Gish...
, Count Dracula
Dracula
Dracula is an 1897 novel by Irish author Bram Stoker.Famous for introducing the character of the vampire Count Dracula, the novel tells the story of Dracula's attempt to relocate from Transylvania to England, and the battle between Dracula and a small group of men and women led by Professor...
, the mummy
Mummy
A mummy is a body, human or animal, whose skin and organs have been preserved by either intentional or incidental exposure to chemicals, extreme coldness , very low humidity, or lack of air when bodies are submerged in bogs, so that the recovered body will not decay further if kept in cool and dry...
—have earned him recognition as the Spanish Lon Chaney
Lon Chaney, Sr.
Lon Chaney , nicknamed "The Man of a Thousand Faces," was an American actor during the age of silent films. He was one of the most versatile and powerful actors of early cinema...
. He was also known as the "Boris Karloff of Spain" and he had one of the most recognizable faces in Spanish horror film. King Juan Carlos I presented Naschy with Spain's Gold Medal Award for Fine Arts in 2001 in honor of his work. Paul Naschy died in 2009 from pancreatic cancer.
Naschy's most famous characters
The werewolfWerewolf
A werewolf, also known as a lycanthrope , is a mythological or folkloric human with the ability to shapeshift into a wolf or an anthropomorphic wolf-like creature, either purposely or after being placed under a curse...
Waldemar Daninsky (known in Spain as "El Hombre Lobo") is without a doubt Paul Naschy's most famous horror character, since he played Daninsky in 12 different films. In fact, Naschy holds the record for playing a werewolf the most number of times, easily beating out the great Lon Chaney Jr. (who played a Wolf Man only seven times during his career).
Unlike the Chaney Universal films, however, which formed a somewhat chronological storyline from picture to picture, Naschy's Daninsky films were not connected to each other plotwise. Each film was more or less a free-standing story that wasn't meant to relate to the other films in the series the way the old Universal Wolf Man movies often interconnected. Daninsky's lycanthropy had a different origin in each film (which many Naschy film buffs find confusing). This was probably for the best however, since in the 1970s, Euro-horror films were often theatrically distributed in the USA years after they were completed, and they probably would've all been released out of chronological order anyway.
Naschy's only other recurring character was the villainous medieval warlock Alaric de Marnac (who appeared in Naschy's Horror Rises From the Tomb (1972) and returned to life again in Panic Beats (1982)). Naschy claims he based this character on a real-life medieval nobleman named Gilles de Rais
Gilles de Rais
Gilles de Montmorency-Laval , Baron de Rais, was a Breton knight, a leader in the French army and a companion-in-arms of Joan of Arc. He is best known as a prolific serial killer of children...
, a bizarre serial killer on whose life story Naschy also based the lead character in his 1974 film The Marshall From Hell.
The Hombre Lobo series (featuring the Waldemar Daninsky character)
Naschy's twelve "Hombre Lobo" movies are not a series in the strictest sense. They seem to be a collection of unrelated plotlines, but all of which involve a werewolf named Waldemar Daninsky. Both "Fury of the Wolfman" and "Curse of the Beast" refer to an origin involving Waldemar's being bitten by a yeti, but other films present him with entirely different origin stories. The fact that these films have also been retitled by the various film distributors many times over the years only adds to the confusion. Despite the numerous plot inconsistencies and convoluted flashbacks, however, Naschy's Wolf Man series as a whole is still considered his most famous work by most of his many fans.Only eleven of the 12 "Hombre Lobo" films actually exist today. All traces of the 1968 "Nights of the Wolf Man" apparently vanished before the film was ever released, and it remains a mystery to this day whether or not the film ever really existed at all in completed form. (The French producer of the film, one Rene Govar, is said to have died in a car accident in Paris the week after the film was completed, and no one ever picked up the lab bill that was outstanding. Hence it is theorized that the lab may have confiscated the film negative and years later they may have just discarded it. Naschy claimed he only became aware decades later that the film had never been released anywhere.) Some Naschy fans think the film was scrapped by the producer before it was completed and the script was perhaps later rewritten to become the 4th film in the series, "Fury of the Wolf Man" (1970). This is possible since Naschy himself vaguely remembered both films as having almost the same exact plot!
In order of production, the "Hombre Lobo" films are as follows:
- 1. La Marca del Hombre LoboLa Marca del Hombre LoboLa Marca del Hombre-Lobo, also known as The Mark of the Wolfman, Hell's Creatures, The Wolfman of Count Dracula and Frankenstein's Bloody Terror , is a 1968 Spanish horror film that is the first in a long series about the werewolf Count Waldemar Daninsky, played by Paul Naschy.-Plot:A drunken Gypsy...
/ "Mark of the Wolf Man" (1968) (aka "Frankenstein's Bloody Terror", aka "Hell's Creatures: Dracula and the Werewolf", aka "The Nights of Satan") – originally filmed in 3-D - 2. Las Noches del Hombre LoboLas Noches del Hombre LoboLas Noches del Hombre-Lobo, also known as Nights of the Werewolf and Nights of the Wolfman, is a 1968 Spanish horror film that is the second in a long series about the werewolf Count Waldemar Daninsky, played by Paul Naschy.-Plot:...
/ "The Nights of the Wolf Man" (1968) – this is apparently a lost film today, but Naschy insisted that he made this film in Paris; perhaps it was filmed, but never completed. - 3. Los Monstruos del TerrorLos Monstruos del TerrorLos Monstruos del Terror , also known as Dracula vs. Frankenstein and Assignment Terror, is a 1969 Spanish/German/Italian horror film that is the third in a series featuring the werewolf, Waldemar Daninsky, played by Paul Naschy.-Synopsis:Aliens who run a traveling circus revive a vampire, a...
/ "The Monsters of Terror" (1969) (aka "Assignment Terror", aka "Dracula Vs Frankenstein", aka "The Man Who Came From Ummo") - 4. La Furia del Hombre Lobo/ "Fury of the Wolf Man" (1970) released in 1972 (aka "The Wolf Man Never Sleeps")
- 5. La Noche de WalpurgisLa Noche de WalpurgisLa Noche de Walpurgis is a 1970 Spanish horror movie starring Paul Naschy that is the fifth in a series about the werewolf Count Waldemar Daninsky...
/ "Walpurgis Night" (19701970 in filmThe year 1970 in film involved some significant events.-Events:* January 9 - Larry Fine, the second member of The Three Stooges, suffers a massive stroke, therefore ending his career....
) (aka "The Werewolf vs. the Vampire Woman", aka "Blood Moon", aka "Werewolf's Shadow") – This was Naschy's most famous (and highest-grossing) horror film - 6. Dr. Jekyll y el Hombre LoboDr. Jekyll y el Hombre LoboDr. Jekyll y el Hombre Lobo, also known as Dr. Jekyll and the Wolfman and Dr. Jekyll and the Werewolf, is a 1972 Spanish horror film, the sixth in the series, about the werewolf Count Waldemar Daninsky, played by Paul Naschy.-Plot summary:...
/ "Dr. Jekyll and the Wolf Man" (1971) - 7. El Retorno de WalpurgisEl Retorno de WalpurgisEl Retorno de Walpurgis, also known as The Return of Walpurgis, Curse of the Devil and The Black Harvest of Countess Dracula, is a 1973 Spanish horror film that is the seventh in a series about the werewolf Count Waldemar Daninsky, played by Paul Naschy.-Synopsis:When Waldemar Daninsky kills a...
/ "The Return of Walpurgis" (19721972 in filmThe year 1972 in film involved some significant events.-Top grossing films :- Awards :Academy Awards:*Avanti!, directed by Billy Wilder, starring Jack Lemmon and Juliet MillsB...
) (aka "Curse of the Devil") - 8. La Maldicion de la BestiaLa Maldicion de la BestiaLa Maldicion de la Bestia , is a 1975 Spanish horror film that is the eighth in a long series about the werewolf Count Waldemar Daninsky, played by Paul Naschy.-Synopsis:Waldemar Daninsky goes to Tibet to look for proof...
/ "Curse of the Beast" (19751975 in filmThe year 1975 in film involved some significant events, with Steven Spielberg's thriller Jaws topping the box office.-Events:*March 26 - The film version of The Who's Tommy premieres in London....
) (aka "Night of the Howling Beast", aka "The Werewolf and the Yeti", aka "Hall of the Mountain King") - 9. El Retorno del Hombre LoboEl Retorno del Hombre LoboEl Retorno del Hombre-Lobo, also known as The Craving, Return of the Wolfman, Return of the Werewolf and Night of the Werewolf, is a 1980 Spanish horror film that is the ninth in a long series about the werewolf Count Waldemar Daninsky, played by Paul Naschy.-Synopsis:Waldemar Daninsky is sentenced...
/ "Return of the Wolf Man" (19801980 in film- Events :* May 21 - Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back is released and is the biggest grosser of the year ....
) (aka "The Craving") – One of Naschy's favorite werewolf films - 10. La Bestia y la Espada MagicaLa Bestia y la Espada MagicaLa Bestia y la Espada Magica, also known as The Beast and the Magic Sword and The Werewolf and the Magic Sword, is a 1983 Spanish/Japanese horror film that is the tenth in a long series about the werewolf Count Waldemar Daninsky, played by Paul Naschy.-Plot:In the 16th Century, Waldemar Daninsky...
/ "The Beast and the Magic Sword" (19831983 in film-Events:*February 11 - The Rolling Stones concert film Let's Spend the Night Together opens in New York*May 25 - Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi, the final film in the original Star Wars trilogy, is released. Like the previous films, it goes on to become the top grossing picture of...
) - 11. LicántropoLicántropoLicántropo, also known as Lycantropus: The Moonlight Murders, is a 1996 Spanish horror film that is the eleventh in a long series about the werewolf Count Waldemar Daninsky, played by Paul Naschy.-Synopsis:...
/ "Lycantropus: The Moonlight Murders" (19961996 in filmMajor releases this year included Scream, Independence Day, Fargo, Trainspotting, The English Patient, Twister, Mars Attacks!, Jerry Maguire and a version of Evita starring Madonna.-Events:...
) (aka "The Full Moon Killer") - 12. Tomb of the WerewolfTomb of the WerewolfTomb of the Werewolf is a 2004 horror film about a man searching for treasure while being followed by a reality show film crew, who encounters a werewolf and a vampire instead...
(20042004 in filmThe year 2004 in film involved some significant events. Major releases of sequels took place. It included blockbuster films like Shrek 2, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, The Passion of the Christ, Meet the Fockers, Blade: Trinity, Spider-Man 2, Alien vs. Predator, Kill Bill Vol...
) – This film was shot in Hollywood by Fred Olen Ray & co-starred Michelle Bauer
Other Paul Naschy Werewolf films not involving the Waldemar Daninsky character:
- Buenas Noches, Señor Monstruo/ "Good Night, Mr. Monster" (19821982 in film-Events:* March 26 = I Ought to Be in Pictures, starring Walter Matthau, Ann-Margret and Dinah Manoff is released. Manoff would not appear in another movie until 1987's Backfire.* June = PG-rated film E.T...
) Naschy played a werewolf in this children's musical comedy - El Aullido del Diablo/ "Howl of the Devil" (19871987 in film-Events:*January 31 - The Cure for Insomnia premieres at The School of the Art Institute in Chicago, Illinois, to officially become the world's longest film according to Guinness World Records....
) co-starring Caroline Munro & Howard Vernon, directed by Paul Naschy (Naschy played an aging ex-actor who dresses up as a werewolf and other monsters in this film) - Um Lobisomem na Amazônia/ "A Werewolf in Amazonia" (20052005 in film- Highest-grossing films :Please note that following the tradition of the English-language film industry, these are the top-grossing films that were first released in the United States in 2005...
) aka "Amazonia Misteriosa" (Naschy played a mad doctor who transforms into a werewolf in this remake of H. G. Wells' "Island of Dr. Moreau")
Paul Naschy's other horror films
Paul Naschy starred in other horror films that did not feature el Hombre Lobo, as well as a number of crime films, costume dramas, action thrillers, etc. Below is a list of his other horror & science fiction movies, in chronological order of production. This information was taken from Naschy's own autobiography and the release date information is much more accurate than that found on imdb.com and other websites....- Jack el Destripador de Londres (Jack The Ripper of London) 1971 (aka "Seven Corpses for Scotland Yard")
- El Gran Amor de Conde Dracula (Count Dracula's Great Love) 1972 (released on DVD as "Cemetery Girls" or "Vampire Playgirls")
- El Jorobado de la Morgue (The Hunchback of the Morgue) 1972 (aka "The Rue Morgue Massacre") considered one of Naschy's all-time greatest horror films
- Los Crimenes de Petiot (Petiot's Crimes) 1972
- El Espanto Surge de la TumbaHorror rises from the tombHorror Rises from the Tomb , is a 1972 Spanish horror film starring Jacinto Molina and was directed by Carlos Aured. It was followed by a sequel, Panic Beats. The film introduced Naschy's character of Alaric de Marnac, an executed warlock who returns to life centuries later to wreak his revenge...
(Horror Rises From the Tomb) 1972 (perhaps Naschy's all-time best horror movie; this film introduced the medieval character of Alaric de Marnac, who returned later in Naschy's 1982 sequel "Latidos De Panicos") *Note- Technically the Spanish title translates as either "Fright Rises from the Grave" or "The Spook Rises from the Grave", but this film is overwhelmingly referred to by its American title.
- La Orgia de los Muertos (Orgy of the Dead) 1972 (aka "The Hanging Woman", aka "Return of the Zombies", aka "Terror of the Living Dead")
- La Rebelion de las Muertas (Rebellion of the Dead) 1972 (aka "Vengeance of the Zombies", aka "Walk of the Dead")
- Los Ojos Azules de la Muneca RotaLos Ojos Azules de la Muneca RotaLos Ojos Azules de la Muneca Rota, , is a Spanish horror film from 1973 directed by Carlos Aured and starring Paul Naschy , Diana Lorys, Maria Perschy, and Eva Leon.-Plot:The story concerns a drifter named Gilles who arrives in a French village looking for work...
(The Blue Eyes of the Broken Doll) 1973 (U.S. video title: "The House of Psychotic Women")
- La Venganza de la Momia (Revenge of the Mummy) 1973 (aka "The Mummy's Revenge")
- Tarzan in King Solomon's Mines 1973 (this film was unauthorized by the Edgar Rice Burroughs Estate)
- Las Ratas no Duermen de Noche (Rats Don't Sleep At Night) 1973 (also released in an x-rated version entitled "Crimson")
- Una Libelula Para Cada Muerto (A Dragonfly For Each Corpse) 1973
- El Asesino Esta Entre Los Trece (The Killer Is One of The Thirteen) 1974
- El Mariscal del InfiernoEl Mariscal del infiernoEl Mariscal del infierno is a 1974 Argentine film....
(The Marshal From Hell) 1974 (U.S. video title: "The Devil's Possessed") (Story was based on the real-life medieval activities of Gilles de Rais, who was also Naschy's inspiration for his Alaric de Marnac character)
- Todos los Gritos del Silencio (All the Screams of Silence) 1974
- Exorcismo (Exorcism) 1974
- La Cruz del DiabloLa cruz del diabloLa cruz del diablo is a 1975 Spanish horror film directed by John Gilling and starring Carmen Sevilla, Adolfo Marsillach and Emma Cohen. A British writer travels to Spain to visit his sister only to discover she has been killed by a sinister cult...
(The Devil's Cross) 1975 (Naschy wrote the original screenplay for this movie, but hated the way the film turned out after he lost creative control of the project & later wanted his name removed from the credits) *Note- Naschy did not act in this film
- La Diosa Salvaje (The Savage Goddess) 1975 (aka "Kilma, Queen of the Jungle")
- Inquisicion (Inquisition) 1976
- SecuestroSecuestroSecuestro is an action film about three rookie kidnappers who scramble as their ill-fated plan falls apart. About the terrible wages of violence and crime....
(Kidnapped) 1976
- El Ultimo Deseo (The Last Desire) 1977 (U.S. release titles: "The People Who Own the Dark", aka "Blind Planet")
- El Caminante (The Traveler) 1977
- El huerto del francés (The Frenchman's Garden) 1978
- El Carnaval de las Bestias (Carnival of the Beasts) 1980 (U.S. DVD release title: "Human Beasts")
- Misterio en la Isla de los Monstruos (Mystery on Monster Island) 1981 (Paul Naschy and Peter Cushing each play a small role)
- Latidos de PanicosPanic BeatsPanic Beats , is a 1983 Spanish horror film starring Jacinto Molina which he also directed. It is a sequel to the 1972 film Horror Rises from the Tomb.-Plot:...
(Panic Beats) 1982 (featured the return of Naschy's medieval character Alaric de Marnac)
- Buenas Noches, Señor Monstruo (Good Night, Mr. Monster) 1982 (Naschy played a werewolf in this children's musical comedy)
- El Ultimo Kamikaze (The Last Kamikaze) 1984
- El Aullido del Diablo (Howl of the Devil) 1987 (starring Caroline Munro and Howard Vernon)
- Mucha Sangre (Mucho Blood) 2000
- Countess Dracula's Orgy of Blood (filmed in Hollywood) 2004
- Rojo Sangre (Blood Red) 2004 (Naschy plays an over-the-hill horror film actor in this one)
- RottweilerRottweiler (film)Rottweiler is a science fiction horror film directed by Brian Yuzna and starring from Paulina Gálvez, Paul Naschy and Ivana Baquero.- Plot :In 2018 a prisoner named Dante and his inmate escape from a punishment camp in southern Spain...
2004
- Um Lobisomem na Amazonia 2005 (based on H. G. Wells' "The Island of Dr. Moreau")
- La Herencia Valdemar (The Valdemar Legacy) 2010
- EmpusaEmpusaEmpusa is a demigoddess of Greek mythology. In later incarnations she appeared as a species of monsters commanded by Hecate ....
(Empusa) 2010
Trivia Note* Spanish comic-book Iberia Inc. by Carlos Pacheco
Carlos Pacheco
Carlos Pacheco is a Spanish comic book artist and penciller. Pacheco was born in San Roque, Cádiz. He is best known in the United States for his work on titles such as Avengers Forever, X-Men and Green Lantern...
and Rafael Marín
Rafael Marin
Rafael Marín Trechera is a Spanish novelist, translator, comic book writer and co-plotter.He is best known in the United States for his work with artist Carlos Pacheco on the Fantastic Four Vol.3 title in 2000 and 2001, and The Inhumans with José Ladronn and Jorge Lucas...
mentioned a movie entitled Casta de Heroes (supposedly directed by Jesús Franco
Jesús Franco
Jesús "Jess" Franco is a Spanish film director, writer, cinematographer and actor. His career took off in 1961 with his cult classic The Awful Dr. Orloff, which received wide distribution in the United States and England...
) about Spanish superheroes from the past in which Paul Naschy played "The Ogre", a character inspired by lycanthropic villain Lince Dorado. Unsatisfied with this portrayal of himself, Lince Dorado arranged for the original to be lost, and no copy of the film is said to exist.
External links
- The Mark of Naschy
- http://www.santoandfriends.com (filmography of Mexican horror films)
- Biography on (re)Search my Trash