The Klaus Kinski Files

Kinski on Cover of New Spaghetti Western Guide from FAB Press

2011-12-03T08:19:00.001-05:00

I haven't had a chance to pick this one up myself, but good pal, Exploitation Retrospect and Hungover Gourmet contributor, and author (check out Sixties Shockers, his new book with Mark Clark) Bryan Senn is already recommending it after just a few days.

The book in question is Any Gun Can Play: The Essential Guide to Euro-Westerns from Kevin Grant (and published by FAB Press) and our boy Klaus Kinski graces the cover – and rightly so – along with other Spags icons Clint Eastwood and Franco Nero.

Even though I'm not a huge Spaghetti westerns fan this looks like a must-have book for fans of all Eurotrash thanks to its chronological look at the history of the genre, the major players, filmography and rare photos.

Add it to your holiday wish list today!

Mya PAGANINI DVD Set Available for Pre-Order

2011-09-10T08:39:00.000-04:00

I picked up the 2-disc Region 2 PAL set of Klaus Kinski's directorial debut (and swan song) PAGANINI a few years back at a horror film convention. The long-gestating film was Kinksi's dream project and at times he even tried to get longtime collaborator/frenemy Werner Herzog on board to direct.

Eventually, Klaus got behind the camera and directed himself as the fiery composer and violinist. It's a wild flick, I'll say that, with Kinski delivering an intense performance that's hard to take your eyes off... even when the flick around him falters.

Now the folks at Mya Entertainment, who brought us EVIL FACE (aka THE HAND THAT FEEDS THE DEAD) a couple years ago are finally making PAGANINI available in the United States and it appears that the two-disc DVD set due out in early November contains most if not all of the material found on the Region 2 PAL set.

Here's what the TCM website has to say:

At last-see the Klaus Kinski movie Werner Herzog refused to make! Who else could direct his final performance but Kinski himself, in this crazed and erotic biopic of Italian violinist Niccolo Paganini? As daring and innovative as its subject, writer/director/star Kinski's film about the controversial musician (and the demons he battled while astonishing the world with his artistry) is equal parts maddening, baffling, and unforgettable. Co-stars Nicola Caprioglio and Nikolai Kinski (his wife and son), Eva Grimaldi. Theatrical version; 84 min./Director's cut; 98 min. Standard; Soundtracks: Italian Dolby Digital stereo, English Dolby Digital stereo, French Dolby Digital stereo; behind-the-scenes footage; deleted scenes; photo gallery; theatrical trailer. In Italian; no subtitles/Dubbed in English. Two-disc set.

You can pre-order the set now at Amazon.

(The Klaus Kinski Files receives a small commission for purchases made through Amazon. Thanks for your support!)

Blogus Interruptus

2011-09-03T09:20:00.001-04:00

One of the many branches and limbs
deposited in our yard by Irene.

Hoping all of our readers made it through Hurricane Irene ok. I was feeling pretty bold on Saturday night. After six-plus hours worth of rain and tropical storm winds that were shaking the 60-year-old trees around our house like maracas I finally went to sleep with power, cable TV, Internet, etc.

When my 4-year-old woke me out of a deep sleep on Sunday morning with a series of taps on the shoulder I discovered that sometime during the night we'd lost our cable and cable-powered Internet connection. We still had power – and only lost it for a brief moment on Sunday afternoon – but cable and Internet never returned.

In a house with a 4-year-old, one spouse who works in news and another who runs two companies from a home office, the lack of cable and Internet can make things a little tense. Thank god for local fast food joints, coffee shops and office supply stores who willingly supplied free Internet access (big shout outs to Office Depot, Starbucks and Caribou Coffee).

That was almost a week ago and as we left yesterday for an end-of-season weekend at the beach, power was finally being restored to the unfortunate souls in our area who had gone without since the storm peaked on Saturday night.

But we still didn't have cable/Internet, despite Comcast's optimistic message – displayed since Sunday – that the "temporary disruption" in our service would be fixed "momentarily".

Apparently, Comcast and I have different views of what "momentarily" means.

Now, I know that when your neighbors are sans power and the UPS guy is confessing that he bought 60 lbs. of beef on Saturday only to watch his power go out that night it's hard to bitch that your kid can't watch Max & Ruby and you're unable to send e-mails to customers or thank PR people for the latest care packages of DVDs and BBQ Sauce.

But now that power has been restored to our 'hood is it ok for me to bitch? Just a little?

For now, though, I'll enjoy the sun, sand and surf, hoping that when I return home I'll find a working cable connection.

THE RUTHLESS FOUR Trailer

2011-05-10T14:34:00.002-04:00

Had a great time this past weekend when I trekked up to Philly for the Exhumed Films exFest... a 12-hour marathon of exploitation sleazery featuring seven films from seven genres. (Look for a full write-up at Exploitation Retrospect soon.)

Alas, no Kinski but I did get to see CUT-THROATS NINE and Alain Delon's NO WAY OUT on the big screen in all their bloody glory. We did get one little dose of Kinski, though, when they showed this trailer for the excellent THE RUTHLESS FOUR before CUT-THROATS started...

TIMESTALKERS (1987) on Netflix Instant View

2011-01-23T20:38:00.004-05:00

Been awhile since I've been able to post anything. Hope to have much more to report on soon.

In the meantime, check out Netflix Instant View... now airing the very fun 1987 time travel TV movie TIMESTALKERS with William Devan, Lauren Hutton and Klaus Kinski sporting a ponytail and duster.

Check out this scene. It should definitely make you want to see it. Now. And you can!

Awesome Herzog Shirt Spotted at Exhumed

2010-11-06T08:59:00.002-04:00

Spent last weekend parked in a seat at the Exhumed Marathon IV where we watched everything from THE HOWLING and William Castle's BUG! to the mind-blowing BOARDING HOUSE and Fulci's HOUSE BY THE CEMETERY (full wrap-up to come). Alas, no Kinski (again) but I did see this awesome Herzog shirt while we were finding our spot in line. You can order it – and other great tees – from MondoTees.

Belated Birthday Wishes to The Klaus

2010-10-19T10:40:00.004-04:00

Somehow I think Klaus would actually be happier that I forgot to mention his birthday yesterday. He never seems like the guy who would be up for warm and fuzzy birthday wishes.

Anyway, the irascible Eurotrash star would have been 84 years angry yesterday and like Beavis & Butt-head oh how I wish that Klaus had stuck around long enough to experience the internet, blogs and reality tv.

If you've got a lot of time on your hands and want to practice your German translation skills, here's a 1961 cover story on K2 from Der Spiegel.

If you're just looking for some great images of our man here's a link (NSFW) to some scans from Cine Girl.

Thanks to Holger Haase and Neil Vokes for the links.

RIP Tony Curtis

2010-09-30T07:47:00.000-04:00

Farewell, Tony Curtis. Though I'll always remember you for your performances in HOUDINI and SPARTACUS, I'll never forget/forgive you for driving me from a room during OTHELLO, THE BLACK COMMANDO.

Bonus points for not being able to star in REVENGE OF THE STOLEN STARS due to whatever was "ailing" you at the time. After an unsuccessful bid to have Ernest Borgnine play the part, director Uli Lommel turned to his idol – irascible Eurotrash star Klaus Kinski – and cast him without benefit of a script rewrite as Barry Hickey's ghostly uncle.

A Couple Klaus Shout-Outs on a Saturday Morning

2010-07-31T11:21:00.002-04:00

Gotta love the internet. While looking for some info on what BAD MOON star Michael Pare is up to these days (working with Uwe Boll, apparently!) I stumbled across a few Klaus Kinski shout-outs. One was something I'd been meaning to mention for a few weeks and the other is just one of those silly "Top 10" lists but I never pass up the opportunity to give Klaus some props.

First up, 70s starlet Vonetta McGee passed away in early July at the age of 65. Though best known for her roles in such 70s fare as BLACULA, HAMMER, THE EIGER SANCTION and SHAFT IN AFRICA, Eurotrash and Spaghetti Western fans will always remember her as Pauline in Sergio Corbucci's amazing THE GREAT SILENCE starring Kinski as a vicious bounty hunter. The flick is a Top 10 Eurotrasher in my book, features one of Klaus' all-time best performances, and would likely top my list of Favorite Spaghetti Westerns.

Do yourself a favor. If you've never seen the film get your hands on it.

Next up, the site We Are Movie Geeks posted one of their Top 10 lists and Kinski gets a small, but deserving, plug in their list of Top 10 Evil Henchmen. The character of vampire flunky Renfield makes the list and the writer gives a shout out to Klaus for his remarkable interpretation of the character in Jess Franco's EL CONDE DRACULA. Though the flick didn't quite hold up for me when I caught it on DVD a couple years ago, Kinski's wordless, impassioned performance is well worth checking out.

(The Kinski Files receives a small referral fee for purchases made through our Amazon links. Thanks for your support.)

LOVE & MONEY Available from Warner Archive

2010-07-30T11:16:00.002-04:00

I picked up a sealed VHS of this flick a year or so ago but if tapes aren't your thing James Toback's LOVE & MONEY is now available from the Warner Bros. on-demand Archive Collection service. The flick stars Ray Sharkey, Armand Assante and Klaus Kinski.

Sharkey stars as an LA banker who accepts a million-dollar deal with a global silver magnate (Kinski), starts an affair with the tycoon's wife, and eventually crosses path with his former college roomie who is now a Latin American strongman (Assante). Got all that?

The Warner Archive Collection is an on-demand DVR service that provides fans and collectors with copies of films that the studio doesn't deem profitable enough for wide release. The discs come with full-color packaging, though it's still sorta pricey for a glorified DVR.

Calling All Kinski Fans: Jesus Christ Saviour on DVD

2010-07-15T07:49:00.001-04:00

Back in May I posted that those lucky ducks in Montreal were getting the chance to see Peter Guyer's long-awaited documentary KLAUS KINSKI - JESUS CHRIST SAVIOUR on the big screen.

Though I'd still love to see this look at Klaus Kinski's infamous 1971 performance in front of a Berlin audience on the big screen, the folks at Diabolik DVD now have the import DVD (PAL Region 2) available for purchase.

Check out this look at a Berlin crowd ostensibly attending a reading of the irascible actor/poet's Jesus Christus Erlöser, only to have the evening erupt into anger and amazement.

PLEASURE GIRLS Available from Diabolik DVD

2010-06-28T09:04:00.002-04:00

Always happy to report some previously-unavailable (at least in legit form) Kinski flick making its way to DVD. Even if you'll need a Blu-Ray player or all region PAL DVD player to see it.

THE PLEASURE GIRLS (1965) takes a look at Swinging 60s London as a young woman moves to London to pursue a modeling career, moves in with some friends, encounters characters like Ian McShane and our man Klaus, and gets caught up in the world of parties and pleasure. As the tagline says, "Kept in a Plush Pad for his Desires ... She Played the Game and Paid the Price!"

The Blu-Ray/DVD combo package features the film in all region Blu-Ray or DVD PAL Region 2 formats with the Blu-Ray featuring the complete export cut while the DVD features 12 minutes of export version scenes.

Available from Diabolik DVD.

KINSKI JESUS CHRIST SAVIOUR Gets North American Premeier

2010-05-21T07:46:00.000-04:00

Peter Geyer's KINSKI JESUS CHRIST SAVIOUR will be making its North American premiere this weekend at Quebec's Goethe-Institut. The film tells the story of Klaus Kinski's attempt to tell the story of Jesus Christ to an audience more interested in riling up the notorious actor/artist.

Using footage and sound recordings of the evening, Geyer recreates the chronology of the event. It’s a unique view on the passion and devotion of the talented and charismatic but short-tempered and egotistical actor.

For more information about the event check out the Mondo Quebec blog.

For more on Kinski be sure to check out ever-expanding Klaus Kinski review and information section at Exploitation Retrospect.

Kinski on AMERICAN PICKERS (Sorta)

2010-05-01T08:01:00.004-04:00

One of my new favorite tv shows is The History Channel's AMERICAN PICKERS. I've long been a fan of junk and this show satisfies my inner picker (one of my dream jobs at one time) without the clutter that once accompanied my weekly trips to estate sales, auctions, flea markets, garage sales and thrift stores.

If you've never seen the show it centers on Mike and Frank, two pickers from the Midwest and owners of Antique Archaeology who travel the backroads of America in search of junk. The show chronicles their efforts as they meet folks who have yards, barns and buildings filled with everything from old bicycles and signs to tin toys and more.

During a recent episode the pair ended up sorting through the collection of a man whose family ran a drive-in located in Georgia during the 50s, 60s, 70s and 80s. With an estimated 5000 posters located in the boxes, stacks and bins, what are the odds that the first thing they'd pick up would be... a one-sheet for THE NAUGHTY CHEERLEADER starring Barbi Benton and our man Klaus Kinski?!

Draculand Talks EL CONDE DRACULA

2010-01-08T16:11:00.003-05:00

Another day, another new blog to read. Good pal Neil Vokes just tipped me to Draculand, a blog devoted to "All things related Dracula or loosely connected to this great and unique icon!". Naturally, my interest was piqued given Klaus Kinski's participation in Dracula-related cinema, namely NOSFERATU, NOSFERATU IN VENICE and Jess Franco's EL CONDE DRACULA, a recent topic at the blog. Check it out for a long analysis and recap of the flick complete with screen captures and descriptions of how the film deviates from Bram Stoker's source novel.

The site also reproduces a variety of great posters for the flick, my favorite of which is shown at right. The poster artist(s) definitely tried to take advantage of Kinski's popular portrayal of Nosferatu!

I've definitely changed my opinion on Franco's somewhat faithful adaptation over the years. Originally screened on an old Republic VHS that must have had subliminal messages encoded on it, I gave the flick an enthusiastic thumbs up, even going so far as to call it "moody and successful".

When Dark Sky released EL CONDE DRACULA on DVD back in 2008 I eagerly dove in hoping that the improved presentation would only enhance my enjoyment of the flick. Unfortunately those hopes were dashed and I wrote in my full review:

I’m disappointed that Franco’s ambitious but ultimately unsuccessful adaptation of the Stoker novel didn’t live up to my memory. Though moody and carried by a couple memorable performances, EL CONDE DRACULA has to be considered a failure due to one of the least memorable endings in vampire film history, a Dracula that ends up being surprisingly easy to dispatch, stretches that strain interest not to mention credibility, and a lack of interaction from the best actors involved with the project.

Definitely worth checking out for Kinski's memorable, moving performance but don't go in expecting the definitive Dracula adaptation.

Happy New Years from The Klaus Kinski Files!

2009-12-31T16:43:00.001-05:00

Wishing all of the friends and readers of The Klaus Kinski a happy, healthy and safe New Year's Eve. Here's hoping that 2010 brings everybody all the Kinski they can watch. Cheers!

Chas. Balun RIP

2009-12-30T17:23:00.001-05:00

Sad to read over at Fangoria that Chas. Balun lost his battle with cancer the week before Christmas. To a horror zine publisher in the 80s like me, Balun was the closest thing we had to a rock star. I still remember, in those pre-internet days, haunting my local comic and book stores to find a copy of DEEP RED HORROR HANDBOOK. Balun's enthusiasm for gore – especially Italian zombie and splatter flicks – was instrumental in my development as a Eurotrash fan.

Eurospy Poster-Gasm (and Bonus VHS-Gasm)

2009-12-29T07:52:00.004-05:00

I spend a lot of time in my office here at home. Probably a good six hours or so a day, even more when I get immersed in a big project like I'm working on now. So I decided that while I've loved assembling my Kinski Kollection I haven't really been appreciating it. Sure, I have a few pieces loitering on my bookshelf but I thought it might be fun – and help me push the Kinski guide along – if the mass of DVDs and VHS tapes, along with the magazines and a few choice collectibles, were on display for me to see each day.

Hauling everything out and rearranging my bookshelf was a start, but I realized that I have so much Kinski stuff that's not on commercial DVD that I needed to replace my slimline cases and low-rent CD-style jewel cases with custom DVD cases.

Admittedly, finding poster artwork for some of these flicks, like THE PLEASURE GIRLS or MAN, PRIDE, VENGEANCE is easier said than done. But I had a fair amount of success last night and even stumbled upon two art archives that should appeal to a few of you trashers.

First up is this Eurospy Poster Collection. The guy who houses it -- David J Deal -- wrote a Eurospy Guide as well as a 70s TV horror movie book. If you scroll down to the bottom of this page you can find the links to some Komissar X and Jerry Cotton posters, too. But it was the Eurospy collection I found most inspiring!

And for those of us who remember the good old days of standing in the video store and drinking in the trashy, goofy, stoopid, lurid and fun VHS box art, you can spend hours at CoverBrowser.com. I immediately recognized tons of flicks that I passed up back in the day, only to realize now that those boxes houses Eurotrash classics I've come to know and love.

NOTE: If you purchase an item via our Amazon links we receive a small referral fee, somewhere between 0% and 10% of your order, depending upon the item. Thanks for your support!

BURDEN OF DREAMS on Netflix Instant View

2009-12-07T07:04:00.004-05:00

I don't know if anybody reading this has purchased one yet, but I'm a big fan of the Roku, the little black box that lets you stream Netflix's Instant View titles right to your TV. I picked one up this fall and though I'm still tinkering with the signal strength from my Apple AirPort Extreme it's a great way to catch up on things when my daughter takes her increasingly infrequent afternoon naps.

If you watch Netflix Instant View titles on your computer, Roku or other device capable of streaming titles to your TV, I highly recommend subscribing to the Netflix Watch Instantly blog which feeds titles that are available through the service. It's easier than working your way through NetFlix's recommendations and will surely lead to much queue-filling.

For my fellow Kinski fans, be sure to check out Les Blank's documentary BURDEN OF DREAMS if you don't already have the Criterion DVD. It's currently available via Instant View and presents a fascinating behind-the-scenes look at the making of Werner Herzog's FITZCARRALDO. Here's their capsule write-up on the flick...

This feature-length documentary from filmmaker Les Blank paints a riveting portrait of megalomaniacal German director Werner Herzog as he worked against almost insurmountable odds in the Amazon jungle to craft his epic movie Fitzcarraldo. Besides capturing the seemingly hexed production's myriad adversities, Blank's camera exposes Herzog as a man obsessed with his art and pressed to the brink of insanity to see his cinematic vision fulfilled.

NOTE: If you purchase an item via our Amazon links, we receive a small referral fee, somewhere between 0% and 10% of your order, depending upon the item. Thanks for your support!

RIP Paul Naschy

2009-12-01T10:29:00.000-05:00

I always hate when I log on to Twitter or Facebook and get smacked in the face by sad news. Especially when you know the news was inevitable even if you wish it wasn't.

This morning's cold dishrag of reality came via the news that Spanish horror icon Paul Naschy (aka Jacinto Molina) had died at the age of 75. (Here's a link to a Spanish-language report of his death.)

Naschy, who starred in some of the most entertaining and original horror films I've ever seen, was instrumental in the rise of the Spanish horror film and a standout force in Eurotrash cinema, both in front of and behind the camera. A prolific writer, director and star, Naschy is probably best known for his frequent appearances as the cursed werewolf Waldemar Daninsky, but is also appreciated by this fan for roles like Alaric de Marnac in HORROR RISES FROM THE TOMB and Gotho in the amazing HUNCHBACK OF THE MORGUE (whose DVD release was recently pushed by Mya from late November to January).

Do yourself a favor and discover some of Naschy's lengthy and entertaining filmography for yourself. No Eurotrash actor other than Klaus Kinski has brought me as much cinematic joy as Senor Naschy and that is high praise, indeed.

Check out our reviews of:
PANIC BEATS
NIGHT OF THE HOWLING BEAST
WEREWOLF SHADOW
HORROR RISES FROM THE TOMB
NIGHT OF THE WEREWOLF
HUMAN BEASTS
EXORCISM
THE HANGING WOMAN
BLUE EYES OF THE BROKEN DOLL
HUNCHBACK OF THE MORGUE

VIDEO: Bourdain Name Checks Kinski!

2009-11-11T07:00:00.004-05:00

Finally got a chance to pull the clip from the recent episode of Anthony Bourdain's NO RESERVATIONS in which he travels to Thailand and name checks Klaus Kinski while dealing with grubby little monkeys that have surrounded his boat.

Awesome CIRCUS OF FEAR Poster on eBay

2009-11-07T07:51:00.002-05:00

This is one of those days where I wish I had a spare $300 laying around to blow on Klaus-abilia. Check out this great poster for the krimi CIRCUS OF FEAR starring Christopher Lee, Eddi Arent and Kinski up for sale on eBay. Even though Klaus has a fairly small supporting role in the flick the poster captures him perfectly as a cigarette-smoking hooligan involved in a heist. The role may be small but it's one of my favorite Klaus Kameos and the poster is just awesome...

EVIL FACE vs. THE HAND THAT FEEDS THE DEAD

2009-11-06T10:31:00.020-05:00

I recently took the opportunity to sit down and watch Sergio Garrone's mad doctor/face transplant thriller THE HAND THAT FEEDS THE DEAD starring Klaus Kinski. The only print I had of the film at the time was a dub of a Turkish VHS secured from Luminous Film and Video Works a few years ago.

I wasn't totally crazy about the flick and felt that there were plotlines that went nowhere and some questionable character motivations, not to mention subtitling courtesy of Luminous that I felt might be a bit dubious.

Well, I'm happy to report that the new Mya DVD version of the flick – titled EVIL FACE – is a vast improvement over such grey market versions in pretty much every facet of the presentation, including the original Italian audio and score (the Luminous version features Turkish dubbing and a different score) and an improved source video (possibly the old GVR Italian VHS?).

Video and audio improvements aside, the biggest improvements here are subtitles that make the dialogue and storyline almost logical (well, as logical as a story about face transplants and mad doctors can be) and the restoration of about 10-15 minutes of footage cut from the Turkish print. Though the new scenes don't provide any additional Kinski moments, they do eliminate a couple head-scratching moments early in the film.

For a quick look at how the Luminous and Mya versions compare, here are some screen captures that should convince any Kinski fans on the fence about the purchase to take the plunge and upgrade their copy.

Kinski gets top billing in the Italian credits (bottom), not so the Turkish credits which give top billing to Turkish star Ayhan Isik (also in Garrone's LOVER OF THE MONSTER which was filmed on the same sets with the same cast, crew and costumes).

The first appearance of Professor Nijinski (Kinski) as his handicapped man servant (Vania in the Mya version, "Johnson" [?!] on the Luminous tape) emerges from the woods on a mission from Tanja, the professor's mysterious, shrouded wife.

It wouldn't be 70s Eurotrash without some fine, feminine forms on display and EVIL FACE/ HAND THAT FEEDS is no exception. Here Sonia (Stella Calderoni) displays her wares for the relunctant Kinski. I wonder if another, even racier version of the film exists. The Mya DVD blog includes photos from an Italian eBay auction featuring clothed and nude versions of shots from this same scene.

What's this?! It's additional footage from the Mya disc as Katja (Marzia Damon) explores the castle's underground passages.

Here Katja searches Tanja's bedroom in a crucial scene missing from the Luminous tape. As she searches the room we see mirrors covered in black paint and candelabras without candles, sure signs that something is afoot in Castle Nijinski. The Luminous tape combines brief shots from this scene with scenes of Katja searching the castle library.

Here the Fake Kinski prepares to operate on Tanja and a poor, unsuspecting victim.

Future Oscar winner Carlo Rambaldi's burn effects look a bit grislier in the Mya version (bottom)...

...not to mention the peeled face of Nijinski and Tanja's final victim.

Here, Kinski delivers his price-of-admission scene as he commiserates with Tanja's beloved doll about how they've been pushed aside, discarded.

The Mya disc provides a significant upgrade over the Turkish print from Luminous and gets a definite thumbs up from The Klaus Kinski Files.

EVIL FACE Has Shipped!

2009-11-02T14:18:00.003-05:00

Just got word through Amazon that my copy of Mya's new disc for EVIL FACE (aka THE HAND THAT FEEDS THE DEAD) has shipped.

While a recent viewing of the flick didn't exactly bowl me over, it's always good to have new prints of these available legitimately.

I'll be sure to post thoughts on it as soon as the flick arrives.

Kinski Sighting: Zine Edition

2009-10-30T08:24:00.004-04:00

As some of you might know I used to publish a food and drink zine called The Hungover Gourmet. I say "used to" because the latest issue of the zine also happens to be the last issue of the zine.

There were many reasons for pulling the plug on the publication – time, money, turnaround, ennui – but the biggest reason was that I really didn't have the passion for plugging away at a print publication anymore. And I'd promised myself that when the passion wasn't there it was time to get out.

So, for the first time in almost 25 years I'm not publishing a zine. Oh sure, I've got three blogs and two websites, but no empty Quark layout on my computer staring back at me, no bulging folders of clips, article ideas, notes, found stuff and artwork just itching to make its way into print. And, like I said, no passion to make it happen.

Luckily, that passion is still out there for other publishers. I don't follow the zine scene as closely as I used to, back when zines like SLIMETIME, HI-TECH TERROR, VIDEOOZE, WET PAINT and GORE GAZETTE were showing up in my mailbox on a regular basis, hipping me to the most outer limits of the trash universe. These days, it seems like a lot of the genre mags are almost pro-zines, with their color covers, glossy paper and handsome layouts.

Which makes it especially nice when a good old photocopied horror film zine like RIGOR MORTIS lands in my hands. This is the second installment of the Baltimore-based zombie-centric publication and it's a nice expansion on the all-zombie-focused first issue. Yes, the 60-page digest is still heavy on living dead content (including a nice comparison of the two versions of NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD as well as an exploration of zombie comedies or zom-coms that sadly fails to include the great NIGHT OF THE CREEPS) but there's also a look at Carpenter's THE FOG, paranormal reality shows and more.

Even our main man Klaus Kinski gets a nice nod, with a five page article on Kinski's performance in Herzog's NOSFERATU and how it compares to other portrayals of the vampire mainstay. Unfortunately, there's no exploration of the trash-tastic NOSFERATU IN VENICE.

While my passion for producing zines may have waned, I'm happy to report that my passion for consuming them – like a zombie chomping down on some brains – is still as strong as ever. Here's hoping Dread Sockett, DeadVida and Co. keep the RIGOR MORTIS fires burning.

Joe Bob Tweets About Klaus

2009-10-27T19:18:00.002-04:00

Leave it to the one and only Joe Bob Briggs to somehow wrap the one and only Klaus Kinski into the Steve Phillips sex addict storyline. Earlier today Briggs tweeted the following:

Steve's a sex addict? / If that's true, here's my question: / What was Klaus Kinski?

Follow Joe Bob's twitter feed here.

Post-Exhumed Report: Alas, No Kinski

2009-10-26T15:10:00.005-04:00

Got home about 24 hours ago from the 3rd Annual Exhumed Films 24-Hour Marathon and I think I'm returning to "normal". This was my third year in attendance and I have to say that while this year's rundown came awfully close to besting the first outing, it fell short ever so slightly.

Seriously, how do you beat GODZILLA VS THE COSMIC MONSTER, DON'T BE AFRAID OF THE DARK, PHANTASM, HELLRAISER, PIECES, BURIAL GROUND, TEENAGE MOTHER, DEMONS and GATES OF HELL, just to name a few?

Still no Kinski but this year's lineup was a winner...

CREEPSHOW: after kicking off the last two years with Carpenter flicks the organizers promised an A-list flick but no JC to start the event. I hadn't seen this anthology in 20 years or so and the stories still hold up nicely. Leslie Nielsen sorta steals the show in his segment and I was impressed by how much more involved "The Crate" was from what I remembered. A fun-packed way to start the festivities.

GODZILLA ON MONSTER ISLAND: though I don't remember it a friend suggested to me that I actually had seen this Godzilla flick many years ago. Described by one pal in attendance as "arson porn" it's largely long monster mashes interspersed with some ludicrous plot about bug-like aliens taking over the earth.

THE FLY (Cronenberg): more bugs, this time in the form of Jeff Goldblum. While the program guide's clue about a "science fiction/horror modern classic" from the 80s had my hopes up for LIFEFORCE, I can't hold a grudge for showing this flick (plus I can rationalize a Halloween week screening on DVD). Great storyline, fabulous acting from the three leads, icky effects and the damn thing is paced like lightning.

THE OBLONG BOX: was one of the few flicks this year that made me feel "meh". Clues suggesting a "old school gothic horror starring two genre favorites" had me crossing my fingers for HORROR EXPRESS, but we got this AIP Poe adaptation with Vincent Price and Christopher Lee instead. Unfortunately, proper appreciation probably required me to pay more attention than I wanted to at this point. And, frankly, a lot of those British people look alike.

FRIDAY THE 13TH PART 4: THE FINAL CHAPTER: here's where things really got rolling. This is easily my favorite installment of the F13 series and I had a smile from ear-to-ear during this one. "Teddy, you know where that corkscrew is?" THWACK!

RAW FORCE: definitely the highlight of the weekend and this coming from somebody whose favorite film ever made closed out the event. I'd seen bits and pieces of this on VHS but never imagined I'd witness what is easily one of the craziest pieces of cinema ever unleashed on an unsuspecting public on the big screen. Cannibals, zombies, kung-fu, inane dialogue, rampant nudity, Cameron Mitchell and the Asian Hitler all team up for what can best be described as a Filipino flick made by Troma. Amazing. Needs to come out on a special edition two-disc DVD from Criterion tomorrow.

THE NEXT VICTIM (aka BLADE OF THE RIPPER): another revelation for me. A stylish and fun Sergio Martino giallo with George Hilton, the scrumptious Edwige Fenech, Ivan Rassimov (described by a pal as the lovechild of Charlton Heston and Klaus Maria Brandauer). Nicely follows some of the great Eurotrash Maxims established through the years. Such as, "If George Hilton is in a giallo, he's guilty of something".

CITY OF THE LIVING DEAD (aka NIGHTMARE CITY): not my favorite Italian splatter zombiefest, but one whose empty-headed plot plays better with a crowd than alone at home. Some great price-of-admission scenes but too much blah-blah-blah pessimism from the female lead for my taste.

HERCULES IN THE HAUNTED WORLD: a (mostly) beautiful print of this dreamy Bava flick starring Reg Park as Hercules and Christopher Lee as the villain. I'd seen this one on DVD and one viewing was probably plenty for me, but it was a nice 2 AM palette cleanser.

TRAUMA (aka HOUSE ON STRAW HILL): another first viewing, though certainly not as good as THE NEXT VICTIM. One friend informed me that the STRAW HILL cut is longer and sleazier than what we saw, which means more nude Linda Hayden and Fiona Richmond if that's possible. Too easy to figure out what's happening, especially after the challenging NEXT VICTIM. Being remade under one its other alternate titles, EXPOSE.

LADY TERMINATOR: to say I never, ever expected to see this on the big-screen would be an enormous understatement. Like RAW FORCE it's a crazoid blend of action, kung-fu and damaged creative forces, but the drawn-out gun battles are a little too repetitious to elevate this one to RAW FORCE level madness. Still, a gorgeous print of a flick I never thought I'd get to see in a theater.

THE CHILDREN: I'd have been impressed by this one simply because it had one of my buddies totally stumped for a good five minutes and he seems to know every 70s and 80s horror flick like the back of his hand. When a school bus passes through a radioactive cloud, the children are turned into murderous monsters (zombies?) who can deep-fry an adult with a touch of their hands. Though it drags a bit in spots, high marks for such a rare treat and for dealing with the taboo of subject of chopping kids' hands off!

PIRANHA: I'm a sucker for nature run amok horror so I would have loved just about anything they threw at me (GRIZZLY, ISLAND CLAWS, EMPIRE OF THE ANTS, etc.). Plus, I'd been awake for about 26 hours straight and had just watched 12 other movies so I was pretty mentally pliable. But this remains one of my favorite of all the post-JAWS rip-offs, with a great cast of genre vets, decent late-70s gore, a witty John Sayles screenplay and tight, fun-loving direction from Joe Dante.

RE-ANIMATOR: what can I say? Not just my favorite horror film but quite literally my favorite film ever made. A near flawless blend of dark comedy, relentless gore and nudity that perfectly capped a great weekend of trash cinema.

They're Not Just Weird... They're Freaks!

2009-10-22T20:47:00.002-04:00

Though it's getting its official DVD release from Mya in just a few weeks I thought the Halloween season would be the perfect time to sit down with my tape of Sergio Garrone's THE HAND THAT FEEDS THE DEAD starring Klaus Kinski as a kinda mad – but mostly just pussy-whipped – doctor trying to restore his disfigured wife's faded beauty. Coming out from Mya under the much better title of EVIL FACE, the flick should not to be confused with DOUBLE FACE also starring Kinski or LOVER OF THE MONSTER, a (superior) Kinski/Garrone effort filmed at the same time as this flick. Another in a long line of "facial transplant mad doctor flicks," HAND is a bewildering mess of a movie, though not without its merits.

After the death of her father in an accident, a beautiful woman (Katia Christine) who was disfigured at the same time pushes her husband (Kinski) to continue research into the field of skin grafts in the hopes of restoring her beauty. With the help of a stumbling, handicapped hulk of an assistant, the pair cut a swath through the available women in the area, arousing the suspicion of a writer who is researching a book on the dead professor's work.

Convinced that her sister met her fate in the castle – a suspicion backed up by finding her sister's ring on the property - the writer and her boyfriend set about to bring down the not-so-good doctor. Complicating matters are the arrival at the castle of a woman (also played by Christine) and her husband (Ayhan Isik). Their carriage ruined in a crash, the two accept the hospitality of the doctor and his mysterious, unseen wife, never knowing the peril their accident has placed them in until it is too late.

While I'm always happy to see a Klaus movie get a legit release, HAND is easily the lesser of the two flicks filmed by Garrone using the same sets, costumes and actors as LOVER. While that film – essentially a nastied up Hammer-esque take on Jekyll & Hyde – features one of my favorite, underrated Kinski performances, the actor only shows flashes of his usual brilliance here. Though I had previously dismissed stories that suggested Kinski was unaware that Garrone was shooting two films simultaneously, the on-screen evidence in HAND might have convinced me otherwise.

Extensive surgery sequences, which provide much of the flick's tame gore, are filmed with an obvious stand-in for the diminutive Kinski. Covered from head to toe in a surgical cap, mask and gown, "Kinski" is only shown in wide shots and in extreme close-ups of his hands as he operates on his wife and whatever unfortunate woman has landed on the other operating table. Granted, Garrone isn't exactly Hitchcock, but I'm pretty confident even he would know to shoot at least one close-up of the German Olivier's penetrating eyes. Further lending credence to these suggestions is the use of a snippet from LOVER to show Kinski's face during an on-screen attack.

Use of a Fake Kinski aside, THE HAND THAT FEEDS THE DEAD is a pretty slow, fairly tame dose of Eurotrash. Kinski sorta saves the day with a nice crazy scene with his wife's doll at the end, but it's one brief shining moment in what is largely a dog of a flick. Minimal gore and an all-too-brief gal-on-gal scene don't help amp up the sleaze factor, though the hulking assistant's perverse relationship with the disfigured wife – which conjures up shades of Paul Naschy's pervy gravedigger and the black magic countess in THE HANGING WOMAN – is a storyline that could have used more development.

I'm hoping the Mya disc proves to be a significant upgrade from the grey market version I picked up on-line a few years back. Sourced from a Turkish VHS with English subs provided by the grey market distributor, the flick has head-scratching moments aplenty, plotlines that go nowhere fast, and changes in attitude that seem bizarre even for a Kinski flick.

A full comparison of the two versions will follow.

Kinski Name Checked on HBO's BORED TO DEATH

2009-10-19T11:20:00.004-04:00

Thanks to the so-so reviews I haven't checked out HBO's BORED TO DEATH yet. Sure, I like the stars (Jason Schwartzman, Zach Galifianakis, Ted Danson) and the pacing and comic structure sounds very Wes Anderson-esque but it has never quite made it onto my watch list.

But based on the e-mail I received this morning from good pal and Exploitation Retrospect co-founder Lou Goncey, maybe it should...

Do you have HBO? There's a show on there called Bored To Death starring Jason Schwartzman. It's an OK show, not great, but I still watch it. Last night's episode had Ted Danson (a regular) sitting with a male escort (don't ask). He's talking with the escort about how his therapist told him to experiment with the same sex in order to get in touch with his femine side (It's that kinda show). The escort all of the sudden says forget the labels man, you should read Klaus Kinski's autobiography. Ted Danson replies, "you mean Werner Herzog's muse?". It came out of left field, and I thought you should know about it.

Thanks Gonster! Along with Ethan Hawke's character Jesse reading All I Need is Love (which Lou famously reviewed before it was pulled from the shelves back in our print zine days) on a train at the beginning of Richard Linklater's BEFORE SUNRISE and Anthony Bourdain dropping Klaus' name during a recent episode of NO RESERVATIONS, this ranks as one of the oddest, most unexpected Klaus mentions in recent time!

Happy 83rd Birthday Klaus!

2009-10-18T18:22:00.004-04:00

The other day an old buddy and I were lamenting the fact that Klaus Kinski left us far too early.

The German Olivier was only 65 when he died in November 1991. Imagine all the things he never got to experience. And we never got to experience him experiencing... the internet, reality TV, additional volumes of his autobiography, an obscene talk show on satellite radio, countless roles in Full Moon direct-to-video flicks that would taint his cinematic legacy, podcasts, a comeback role in a Tarantino movie, quickie divorces, a series on HBO (or maybe USA) and, of course, DVD commentary tracks.

Sigh.

But rather than wax nostalgic at what could have been let us instead raise a glass and toast what was.

While you're at it be sure to check out Kimberly Lindberg's tales of stalking Klaus over at her excellent blog Cinebeats.

Franco Friday... DRACULA Trailer and Interview

2009-10-09T08:51:00.001-04:00

Taking a quick break from our 31 Days of Fright coverage over at Exploitation Retrospect to bring you a few Franco Friday goodies we've been turned on to.

First up, our favorite YouTube-er DocPhnoeker has posted a long German trailer for Franco's EL CONDE DRACULA featuring Christopher Lee, Herbert Lom, Maria Rohm, Soledad Miranda, Jack Taylor and, of course, Klaus Kinski as the silent, bug-eating Renfield. Check out the trailer below:

Then there's a new interview with Franco over at SoldedMiranda.com. Amy Brown was lucky enough to catch up with Franco and Lina Romay at the recent FantasticFest in Austin and chatted with the prolific director for her blog. Nothing revelatory about his frequent work with Kinski but tons of other info for the Franco-phile.

Thanks to David Zuzelo of Tomb It May Concern for the tip.

War is Hell!

2009-09-16T08:00:00.000-04:00

Did you love Quentin Tarantino's INGLOURIOUS BASTERDS? Then check out our six-pack of WWII shenanigans and Naziploitation including Sinferno's all-new review of the SS Hell Pack triple-bill and three Klaus Kinski WWII epics!

Captive Women SS (aka SS Experiment Love Camp)
Churchill's Leopards (with Klaus Kinski)
Five for Hell (with Klaus Kinski)
The Liberators (aka Salt in The Wound... with Klaus Kinski)
Slave Girls of the SS
SS Hell Pack

September ER Update Includes a Handful of Kinski Reviews

2009-09-12T10:41:00.000-04:00

The cool weather means things are just heating up at ER HQ. Check out the latest new reviews from the staff at Exploitation Retrospect including:

PLAGUE TOWN: David Gregory's nightmarish tale of backwoods Irish horrors

HORRIBLE: A near classic from George Eastman and Joe D'Amato

SLIME CITY GRINDHOUSE COLLECTION: Sinferno's look at a quartet of low-budget madness

STONE: The influential Aussie biker flick that helped inspire MAD MAX and THE ROAD WARRIOR

SACRED FLESH: historically questionable UK nunsploitation

GOTH KILL: tongue-in-cheek Satanic mayhem

And, not one, not two, but three Klaus Kinski Klassics (THAT MAN IN ISTANBUL, I AM SARTANA... YOUR GRAVEDIGGER and THERE'S A NOOSE WAITING FOR YOU... TRINITY).

Check 'em all out, not to mention hundreds more trash, horror and exploitation faves at Exploitation Retrospect: The Journal of Junk Culture and Fringe Media.

Who Knew? Bill Hader Loves Klaus Kinski!

2009-09-12T10:18:00.003-04:00

One of my favorite listens each week is The BS Report podcast with Bill Simmons on ESPN.com. I know what you're thinking, "Sports? Really?". Well, if my obsessions were strictly limited to Klaus Kinski, trash cinema and food I wouldn't be very well-rounded, would I?

And Simmons is hardly your typical sports talking head. Just a couple years younger than yours truly, Simmons doesn't work the sports beat or have the kind of unfettered access to players an coaches that broadcasters like to rub in our faces during games. Instead, Simmons is just as likely to interview an actor or comedian (like this week's great Patton Oswalt episode) as he is a fellow ESPN member, sports GM or athlete.

But you could have knocked me over with a feather during this week's interview with Saturday Night Live star and popular comic actor Bill Hader. While talking about their dinner the night before recording the podcast Simmons and Hader had the following exchange:

SIMMONS: "I didn't realize till dinner last night what a gigantic Klaus Kinski fan you are."
HADER: "Oh yeah, Klaus Kinski is amazing. MY BEST FIEND... I can watch that movie any time. It's like the ultimate..."

After that the conversation moves towards Hader's love for the autobiography of Roman Polanski and his Polanski impression, probably because Simmons doesn't know enough about Kinski to keep the conversation rolling.

But, so what? Between this and Anthony Bourdain's recent Kinski namecheck on an episode of No Reservations (which prompted one commentator on Bourdain's blog to write "My sides are still aching from laughing after the Klaus Kinski reference. Watching the monkeys I was thinking exactly that!") can we be entering a mainstream embrace of the German Olivier?

Legendary Eurotrash Producer Harry Alan Towers Dies

2009-08-08T08:43:00.003-04:00

If you're even a casual fan of the world of Eurotrash cinema and B-movies you're familiar with the name Harry Alan Towers. Towers, who died on July 31 after a short illness, was 88-years-old and had a filmography as long as both your arms.

Towers, frequently credited under the pseudonym Peter Welbeck, got his start producing televisions shows in the mid-50s and later moved into movies, a move which brought him into contact with such legendary genre personalities as Jess Franco and Klaus Kinski.

Kinski and Towers would work together repeatedly through the years, including such flicks as CIRCUS OF FEAR (an excellent krimi set in a circus), OUR MAN IN MARRAKESH (featuring Kinski and Tony Randall!), and THE MILLION EYES OF SUMURU as well as the Kinski/Franco collaborations MARQUIS DE SADE: JUSTINE, VENUS IN FURS (co-starring Towers' wife Maria Rohm) and EL CONDE DRACULA.

Over the last three decades Towers was still going strong working on such such films as AMERICAN NINJA 3, THE MANGLER, RIVER OF DEATH and PHANTOM OF THE OPERA to name a few. At the time of his death Towers was working on an adaptation of MOLL FLANDERS and was reportedly at work on a new flick featuring a character he'd brought to the big screen in the 1960s, Sax Rohmer's legendary Fu-Manchu.

Kinski's Nosferatu Named to EW's Top 20 Vampires List

2009-07-31T17:28:00.004-04:00

Imagine my surprise when I pulled the new Entertainment Weekly out of the mailbox this afternoon and flipped to their list of The 20 Greatest Vampires of All Time... and found the one and only Klaus Kinski coming in at a respectable #11 on the list! Not only that but Klaus gets a nice write-up that pats him on the back without some sort of snide remark about his on-set behavior or scandalous autobio.

According to the pop-watchers at EW K2's performance as Stoker's bloodthirsty count ranks below such icons as Christopher Lee's Hammer portrayals, Bela Lugosi, Gary Oldman and characters from something called TWILIGHT and TRUE BLOOD but ahead of Keifer Sutherland in LOST BOYS, Wesley Snipes' portrayal of Blade, and Caleb & Mae from red hot director Kathryn Bigelow's NEAR DARK.

Not bad company for ol' Klaus and maybe it'll turn some people on to what the mag calls "the most human rendering of Stoker's creation". Click the scan below to read the complete write-up...

Friday Trash Update Including a Kouple Kinski Flix

2009-06-19T08:17:00.001-04:00

New reviews posted at the ER website this morning including:

Two 1960s Gothics... Severin's excellent new NIGHTMARE CASTLE disc and the Legend House THE TORTURE CHAMBER OF DR. SADISM disc
A double dose of WWII Kinski action... CHURCHILL'S LEOPARDS and SALT IN THE WOUND (aka THE LIBERATORS)
The short flick CANNIBAL FLESH RIOT and the Asian ghost story anthology VISITS
A trip through the peeps of yesteryear with THE JOHN HOLMES COLLECTION
Plus, Tony Marsiglia's SUZIE HEARTLESS, the SIX FEET UNDER-ish JUST BURIED, and Severin's disc for THE HAIRDRESSER'S HUSBAND

EUROCRIME Documentary Trailer

2009-06-18T08:01:00.001-04:00

For me, one of the most entertaining of all Eurotrash genres has to be the Eurocrime movie. Taking their cues from successful American films like the Dirty Harry pictures and THE GODFATHER, Italian producers and directors imported American actors like John Saxon, Fred Williamson, Charles Bronson, Telly Savalas, Chris Mitchum and Henry Silva and created their own over-the-top, violent, frequently stunt-filled epics that rarely fail to entertain.

Check out this awesome trailer for Mike Malloy's upcoming documentary EUROCRIME: THE ITALIAN COP AND GANGSTER FILMS THAT RULED THE 70s. Ignore the "Preview Unavailable" caption and click away!

LateMag Picks Five Spags Not Directed by Leone

2009-06-11T05:52:00.000-04:00

Lists, lists, lists, everybody has lists.

Earlier this week it was Nazi Flicks to See Before BASTERDS, now LateMag has a small (maybe too small) list of Five Spaghetti Westerns Not Directed by Sergio Leone.

You'll get no argument from me that THE GREAT SILENCE is "one of the greatest Spaghetti Westerns ever made". I love the stark, snowy setting, the mute hero, the cool gun, and especially one of Klaus Kinski's best ever performances as the aptly named psychotic bounty hunter Loco. If you're ever gonna be scared by a guy in a frilly girly shawl, this is the guy.

I don't agree with the final pick on the list (the much discussed and in my opinion highly overrated BULLET FOR THE GENERAL) or the author's dismissal of the entertaining BLACK KILLER as "low rent" but I guess we'll just have to wait for my list!

Nasty Nazis: 15 WWII Flicks to See Before BASTERDS

2009-06-10T09:09:00.000-04:00

Saw the trailer for QT's new flick again the other day and the big screen presentation didn't do anything more to excite me for it. Now comes word that the Weinstein's are pressuring him to cut the flick down to a more fanny-friendly 2-hour running time in advance of its August release Stateside. (Who knows how much truth there is to the rumor.)

In the meantime, FilmJunk posted their list of 15 WWII FLICKS TO CHECK OUT BEFORE BASTERDS and it features some fun Eurotrash including the excellent and entertaining FIVE FOR HELL starring John Garko and Klaus Kinski and currently featured over at Exploitation Retrospect.

I'd probably have put a couple more Klaus flicks on the list ('natch) including CHURCHILL'S LEOPARDS and SALT IN THE WOUND (which actually casts K2 as an American GI anti-hero) but that's just me.

Alex Cox Picks His Top 10 Spags Deaths

2009-04-20T17:19:00.003-04:00

Check out SID & NANCY/REPO MAN director Alex Cox's list of his Top 10 Spaghetti Western Deaths.

Like Cox I find the genre frequently boring and kinda repetitive (just look at the fact that there are so many DJANGO "sequels"), but when it's good – like Sergio Corbucci's brilliant THE GREAT SILENCE or the giallo-western THE PRICE OF DEATH – it can make me forget just how much I dislike westerns.

Cinebeats Names Klaus a Top 10 Character!

2009-04-15T09:25:00.003-04:00

I read a bunch of movie-related blogs... Tomb It May Concern, Damaged 2.0, Groovy Age of Horror, Hammer & Beyond, SlashFilm, Cinema Suicide... the list goes on. Another one of my faves is Cinebeats, self-described as "one woman's love affair with '60s and '70s era cinema". Publisher Kim Lindbergs is a terrific writer and her passion for the wild cinema and the people who made it comes through in each and every post.

Kim's also a card-carrying Klaus Kinski fan so she totally gets additional kudos in my book. Curt Purcell of Groovy Age recently tipped me to a Cinebeats post that I somehow missed. Titled '10 Characters I Love' it's exactly that... Kim's list of her 10 favorite film characters.

Populating the list are such iconic performances as Terence Stamp in THE COLLECTOR, Eli Wallach as Tuco in THE GOOD, THE BAD AND THE UGLY and Delphine Seyrig as Countess Bathory in DAUGHTERS OF DARKNESS.

But coming in at #10 is our very own Klaus Kinski as, well, Klaus Kinski in Werner Herzog's documentary about his tempestuous star, MY BEST FIEND.

Naturally, the list has my head spinning about not just my 10 favorite characters but also my 10 favorite Kinski characters. Look for my lists soon!

Be Back Soon...

2009-02-14T08:35:00.002-05:00

Just a quick post to apologize for my recent absence.

It's a busy time of year for me from a work standpoint and I've been spending pretty much every available office hour knee-deep in client projects.

Things should improve a bit in the next week or so and I'll be back posting away.

In the meantime, I did get a chance to check out BLOODY HANDS OF THE LAW, a DIRTY HARRY-inspired Italian cop flick starring our man Klaus as the silent assassin for a crime syndicate. Much ballyhooed for its supposed violence, BLOODY HANDS meanders a bit too much for its own good and doesn't quite deliver on the supposedly off-the-charts level of violence I'd always heard about. More details to come...

Klaus on Twitter

2009-01-30T07:14:00.005-05:00

I never really got into MySpace but I have to admit that I am fascinated by both Twitter and, to a lesser extent, Facebook. Facebook is a great way to keep in touch with people and I kinda love the way that disparate parts of my life – like Eurotrash-loving pals and my decidedly non-Eurotrash-loving siblings – will collide in ways that I never anticipated.

But Twitter really fascinates me because of the short, almost stream-of-consciousness bursts that its 140 character limit all but imposes. I also enjoy being able to search tweets and see how topics I love are trending. Like Klaus Kinski, for instance. Just click this link to see how Klaus is being talked about (seems like several people have been watching MY BEST FIEND lately) including what current TV show one poster would cast him on.

Perhaps my favorite comment, though, is this one from a user named Syder:

Feeling an acute sensation of celebrity twitter melancholy. How much richer would life have been if Klaus Kinski and twitter had co-existed?

Ruthless Four Pressbook: Part 1

2009-01-30T06:53:00.003-05:00

I picked up a pressbook for the excellent spaghetti western THE RUTHLESS FOUR on eBay a few weeks back. While I'm not a huge spags fan, this one – also sometimes seen on video as SAM COOPER'S GOLD – can be recommended without hesitation.

A SIERRA MADRE-esque tale of suspicion and greed, the film follows Van Heflin, Gilbert Roland, George Hilton and Kinski as they make their way to a gold mine that Cooper (Heflin) has mined... but cannot lug back by himself. The quartet forms an uneasy alliance with Roland playing a former associate of Heflin's who harbors a long-brewing hatred for him and Hilton (the film's one sour note) hamming it up as Manolo, a handsome young man who is like a son to Cooper. Kinski is outstanding and memorable as Brent the Blond, Manolo's domineering, milk drinking lover.

I'll be posting some scans from the pressbook that you might enjoy. Here's an ad for flick to get things started...

On Display

2009-01-28T14:38:00.002-05:00

Currently on display in our living room... great Turkish COBRA VERDE poster with a fantastic painting of Klaus on it.

K2 Co-Star Ernie Borgnine Honored on TCM

2009-01-26T09:42:00.003-05:00

Turner Classic Movies will be honoring legendary actor Ernest Borgnine tonight, January 26, with an exclusive episode of 'Private Screenings' hosted by Robert Osborne. They'll also be screening some Borgnine flicks, though I'm guessing two of my favorites – CODENAME: WILDGEESE co-starring Klaus Kinski and the awesome Eurotrash actioner THE LAST MATCH – will not be included on the list.

Borgnine – who made headlines a few months back by suggesting frequent masturbation was the secret to his vitality at the ripe young age of 91 – has so far been immune to my request for an interview for the Kinski book, or at least his people have been. I can't imagine a guy who would dish about his solo sex habits on national TV would be embarrassed about his days as a Eurotrash stalwart rubbing elbows with K2 and Henry Silva.

CINEMARETRO #13 -- The Big Gundown

2009-01-20T05:38:00.003-05:00

If you're a Klaus Kinski fan chances are you're also a Spaghetti Western fan.

I grew up watching Clint Eastwood's "Man with No Name" flicks and other westerns on UHF channels, but I wouldn't say I'm a huge fan of the genre, even though Sergio Corbucci's THE GREAT SILENCE is one of my Top 5 Kinski Films.

In discussions with other film buffs and Eurotrash nuts I find that people who love Spags really love 'em. If you fall in that group you may want to check out the latest issue of CINEMA RETRO which includes a feature on THE BIG GUNDOWN starring Lee Van Cleef and Thomas Milan and efforts to restore the flick to its original glory.

Among the other great features in the latest issue is entertainment journalist Bruce R. Marshall's fascinating story behind Lee Van Cleef's 1960s cult western The Big Gundown. At this point in his career, Van Cleef was relishing the fact that Sergio Leone's two Dollar westerns had rescued him from financial catastrophe when he could not longer find suitable work in Hollywood. Unlike Clint Eastwood, however, Van Cleef was happy to continue on in the Spaghetti Western genre, making films of varyiing degrees of quality, but always maintaining his position as one of Europe's top movie stars. His 1968 western The Big Gundown teamed him with another popular star of the genre, Tomas Milian under the direction of Sergio Sollima. The film stood out as being a cut above the rest of the pack, but what most fans don't realize is that the movie they've seen is probably not the original, far superior version. In his article for Cinema Retro, Bruce R. Marshall takes a comprehensive and fascinating look at a grass roots effort to restore this movie to its original glory. Marshall interviews a fan who goes under the name of Franco Cleef whose interest in the film has lead him to approach Columbia/Sony about investing in an official restoration of crucial scenes that were cut. However, the film's cachet is not commercial enough to interest Hollywood. Thus, Cleef has taken it upon himself to painstakingly piece together the most complete English -language version of the film possible, using disparate sources to find the relevant footage. (An official restored version of the film has been released in Germany by Kochmedia-dvd.com, but it does not have an English soundtrack.) In Marshall's interview with Cleef, every nuance and aspect of the film is discussed, including specific missing scenes which greatly alter the motivations of the characters. The article also features exclusive comments from the film's director Sergio Sollima as well as a sidebar by Retro's German correspondent Mike Siegel on the history of the German restoration. The article also presents an abundance of extremely rare stills, movie posters and soundtracks from the film.

You can find out more at the CINEMA RETRO website or just pop on over and subscribe.

Vote for HAMMER & BEYOND in Total Film Blog Awards

2009-01-14T13:37:00.000-05:00

I'm pleased to announce that our good pal Holger Haase and his terrific blog HAMMER AND BEYOND: All About the World of Hammer Movies & Talent has been selected as a finalist in the Total Film Horror Movie Blog Awards. Not only does Holger do a great job with his blog but he's been a help to me and my zines/projects over the years, contributing a great piece about Oliver Reed's final watering holes to Hungover Gourmet #7 (still available from our store) and providing moral support and translation assistance with various Kinski-related projects.

Help support a true friend of The Kinski Files and vote for HAMMER & BEYOND today!

FIVE FOR HELL (1969)

2009-01-08T06:58:00.003-05:00

William Tecumseh Sherman once said “War is hell”. Apparently, he never trained under the watchful eye of Lt. Hoffman (Gianni Garko billed here as John Garko), a gum-chewing, softball “throwing” GI charged with assembling a team of crack soldiers for a deadly suicide mission… as if there’s any other kind.

In the flick’s goofy pre-credit sequence, Hoffman rides through the training fields, watching soldiers prep for what must be an upcoming war against Cirque du Soleil. They swing past trenches on parallel bars, acrobatically dispatch enemy combatants, and even spring over treacherous barbed wire thanks to handy trampolines.

Hoffman hand picks his suicide squad and ends up with the acrobatic Nick (Aldo Canti), musclebound McCarthy (Luciano Rossi), safecracking Siracusa (Sal Borgese), and Johnny White (Sam Burke), an explosives expert whose glasses and mousy nature make him a natural for the nickname “Chicken”.

Their mission? Break into the Nazi stronghold at Villa Verde and get a look at the documents for Hitler’s devious “Plan K”. With the Allies blocked “at the foot of the Gustav line” details of the plan could save the lives of 50,000 soldiers.

After a dry run that tests all of their trampoline-bouncing, softball-throwing, safe-cracking acumen, the team assembles in their barracks and dances around far more than I suspect was really going on during WWII.

But that’s about as far as the lightheartedness of this action-comedy goes and FIVE FOR HELL – directed by Gianfranco Parolini (billed as Frank Kramer) – quickly shifts gears and turns into a surprisingly gritty, tense mission flick.

Helping the squad in their mission is curvy double agent Helga Richter (Eurotrash icon Margaret Lee, VENUS IN FURS), a cold and conniving member of the Villa Verde staff who isn’t above covering her own ass or exposing it, depending upon the situation.

As if this wasn’t enough, FIVE FOR HELL (aka FIVE INTO HELL) features the great Klaus Kinski in a meaty supporting role as the sinister SS Colonel Hans Muller. Kinski, who was born to star as a sinister Nazi, lights up the screen as the evil and suspicious colonel who butts heads with General Gerbordstadt (Irio Fantini), the Villa’s commandant, and desperately wants to get into Helga’s pants, even though he suspects her of being a spy who framed her lover for murder. Kinski infuses Muller with an almost giddy charm as he pursues Lee, finally tightening the noose around her neck until she has no options left.

Though it’s a bit of a stretch to buy the obviously Italian stars traipsing around in German uniforms – a fact the script actually addresses in one standoff with SS guards – the screenplay by Parolini and Renato Izzo (from a story by Sergio Garrone) keeps the action moving with enough gun battles, chases and explosions that you’re more than willing to suspend your disbelief. By the time the 42% Dirty Dozen begins their assault on the villa you won’t care that only two of the members of the squad speak Deutsch (which makes the others wonder if they’re spies) or that Garko throws like he’s having an epileptic fit.

Thanks to a nerve-wracking villa assault, a willingness to kill any member of the cast, an action-packed finale and great performances from the always reliable pair of Garko and Kinski (who starred together in two SARTANA flicks and the excellent THE PRICE OF DEATH) FIVE FOR HELL totally delivers.

FIVE FOR HELL can be found in many cheapo WWII DVD packages. An anamorphic widescreen version is available from the fine folks at Xploited Cinema.

First Klaus of the New Year

2009-01-07T14:46:00.002-05:00

Just finished watching FIVE FOR HELL. This flick's goofy and light-hearted opening 15 minutes belie the gritty, anybody-can-die-at-any-time WWII flick it would soon turn into. Tarantino's new flick should be so nerve-racking. Not to mention a meaty role for Klaus! Solid A and a full review to come.

Check out the trailer...

Merry Klaus-mas to All

2008-12-23T07:21:00.003-05:00

Just a quick note to wish all our readers a very Merry Klaus-mas and Happy, Healthy 2009!

I hope you enjoy reading The Kinski Files and plan to bring you much more in 2009, including more reviews, interviews, images, articles, etc.

Cheers!

35mm JACK THE RIPPER Print on eBay

2008-12-19T17:24:00.001-05:00

It's well documented that Jess Franco's JACK THE RIPPER is not exactly my favorite Klaus Kinski flick. But that doesn't mean my interest is not piqued by this auction for a 35mm print of the flick.

What If Klaus Were Cast as The Joker?!

2008-11-19T06:18:00.005-05:00

While searching for some Klaus info yesterday I stumbled upon this great illustration.

Suppose Klaus were still alive and was cast as The Joker in a Christopher Nolan Bat-flick? Michele Petrelli's digital airbrush illustration shows what that might look like!

Do yourself a favor and check out the full size illustration by clicking the link above.

Klausday Present – Original NOSFERATU Radio Spot

2008-10-18T11:08:00.002-04:00

I picked this up a few months back on eBay and have been waiting for the right time to share it. Since today is Klaus Kinski's 82nd birthday it seemed like the perfect time.

This is an original 30-second radio spot for Herzog's NOSFERATU. I purchased a lot of 20th Century Fox radio promo records simply because this record was included. The spot comes on a 7", 33-1/3 RPM vinyl record with the label as shown at right. The yellow manila envelope is simply stamped NOSFERATU THE VAMPYRE, PHONOGRAPH RECORDS, FRAGILE, DO NOT DROP.

The spot couldn't be more generic, with its long "heartbeat" intro and woman's voice simply stating the title and rating. No mention is made of the enigmatic star.

NOSFERATU Radio Spot (wav) | NOSFERATU Radio Spot (mp3)

Happy Klausday!

2008-10-18T08:32:00.001-04:00

Wishing everybody a Happy Klausday! Born on this day in 1926, Kinski would have been 82 years angry today.

Jess Franco's EL CONDE DRACULA

2008-10-18T08:26:00.002-04:00

I first watched Jess Franco’s polarizing EL CONDE DRACULA (aka COUNT DRACULA) ages ago when we did our tribute to Klaus Kinski – memorable here as perhaps cinema’s most tortured Renfield. And while that old Republic Video VHS tape wasn’t the greatest presentation of this admired and loathed adaptation of the Bram Stoker story it must have had some type of subliminal hidden message that made me remember it more fondly than it truly deserves.

One would expect that infamous Eurotrash scoundrel Franco would have a hell of a time with the Dracula legend, taking full advantage of the erotic, violent and overtly sexual nature of the tale. Surprisingly, Franco's 1969 feature starring an aristocratic-looking Christopher Lee as the Count, Herbert Lom as vampire hunter Van Helsing and the aforementioned Kinski is a surprisingly-restrained and frequently-faithful rendering of Stoker's novel, sans the blood and boobs that have been trademarks of the director’s over-analyzed career.

Opening in 1897 Transylvania (actually Barcelona), we’re introduced to young Jonathan Harker (Fred Williams) as he travels by train to meet up with a new client. When Harker shares the name of his client with his fellow passenger (“Maybe you know him, Count Dracula?”), Franco trots out the first use of his Power-Zoom, a technique ostensibly meant to convey drama and terror. Unfortunately, what it actually conveys here is an overwhelming hack-factor that I’d somehow overlooked – or didn’t want to admit to – during previous viewings.

Naturally, the villagers greet Jonathan with typical Old World superstition, and he must take a carriage to Drac's castle where he finally meets the titular Count. Regally portrayed by Lee, this Dracula is a far cry from his turns in the Hammer flicks that made him a household name to fright fans. Growing younger as the film progresses, this faithful representation of Dracula was reportedly what drew Lee to the project in the first place.

After discovering that his host is actually a bloodthirsty vampire, Harker escapes from the castle and makes his way back to London where he teams up with Dr. Seward (Paul Muller), Van Helsing (Lom, also in Franco’s 99 WOMEN) and Quincy Morris (trashfilm mainstay Jack Taylor in a performance so wooden I worried about dry rot) to battle the lord of the undead.

Admittedly, Franco does succeed in creating a surprising amount of atmosphere (at least for a Franco film), especially in a scene where three female vampires eye up Harker, only to have their attention diverted by the cries of an infant Dracula has acquired for them, and again when a vamped-out Lucy abducts a child from the park (only to end up on a milk canister I guess). Unfortunately, for all the goodwill that such flourishes engender, Franco has no idea how to handle the story’s long stretches where Dracula is absent and the flick suffers in without Lee’s presence.

As for Kinski, he delivers a memorable, moving performance in a role where he could have acted as loony as he wished. Those expecting a sniveling, over-the-top Renfield crawling at the Count's feet will be amazed at the surprising restraint that the actor brings to the part, and it works! I’ve watched a lot of Kinski flicks in my life and it’s hard to recall a role where I felt more sympathy for his character. One just wishes he had some interaction with Lee, who also co-starred with Kinski in the underrated krimi CIRCUS OF FEAR.

I’m disappointed that Franco’s ambitious but ultimately unsuccessful adaptation of the Stoker novel didn’t live up to my memory. Though moody and carried by a couple memorable performances, EL CONDE DRACULA has to be considered a failure due to one of the least memorable endings in vampire film history, a Dracula that ends up being surprisingly easy to dispatch, stretches that strain interest not to mention credibility, and a lack of interaction from the best actors involved with the project.

While the Dark Sky disc delivers the best-looking version of the film we’ll probably ever see (gone is the green fireplace familiar to viewers of the cheapie VHS versions), it’s missing a dramatic scene of a tortured mother looking for her child.

Buy EL CONDE DRACULA at Amazon.

Kartoon Klaus on THE VENTURE BROTHERS?

2008-09-21T17:16:00.004-04:00

The last eight weeks have been totally crazy. Between work and a two-week vacation I haven't had much time to watch any Kinski flicks or even catch up on the final two episodes of the third season of THE VENTURE BROS., the hysterical Adult Swim cartoon parodying everything from super heroes and JONNY QUEST to SIX-MILLION DOLLAR MAN and much more.

So, it was with some raised eyebrows that I went into last night's viewing of the first part of the VENTURE BROS. season finale. My pal Wolfie had intimated that our good friend Klaus was somehow related to the episode, a fact I found almost beyond belief.

Until Brock Sampson's sometimes galpal Molotov Cocktease mentioned that three assassins had been dispatched to eliminate the Venture family's longtime bodyguard, including Herr Trigger, a blonde German with a curious sexual fascination with his weaponry.

Check out these screen captures from the episode and tell me what you think... is Herr Trigger inspired by the one and only German Olivier???

I'm Man Enough to Admit Defeat

2008-07-13T10:10:00.002-04:00

Savvy readers will notice that the list of Klaus viewings for 2008 has been retitled from 'The 100 Kinski Challenge' to 'Klauswatch 2008'.

Sadly, I have come to the conclusion that barring an extremely unforeseen circumstance there is no way in hell I'm going to get to 100 Kinski flicks this year. And so, I am man enough to admit defeat and hope that I can at least double my current list and maybe get to 30 for the year.

Six Degrees of Klaus Kinski... with Steven Seagal

2008-07-13T10:08:00.000-04:00

Delighted to see Klaus' ANDROID co-star Norbert Weisser turn up in a decent supporting role as "Dougger" – a tattooed bomb-maker in training – in Albert Pyun's surprisingly decent TICKER starring Tom Sizemore, Dennis Hopper and Big Steve. Weisser, who grew up in Germany at the time the Klaus krimis were apparently in regular rotation on the tube, gave me a great interview for the book and shared some typically outrageous but also insightful stories about K2.

Kinski Co-Star Pinkas Braun Dies

2008-06-25T06:43:00.003-04:00

Just heard from Holger over at Hammer and Beyond that actor Pinkas Braun has died at the age of 85. Though Braun's name might not be instantly recognizable, fans of Eurotrash films (especially Edgar Wallace krimis) will recognize his face from such films as THE DOOR WITH SEVEN LOCKS, MARK OF THE TORTOISE and THE SECRET OF THE RED ORCHID, all of which also featured Kinski as well as Eurospy outings (NEW YORK CALLING SUPERDRAGON), spaghetti westerns (CLINT, THE NEVADA'S LONER) and the star-studded Sidney Sheldon adaptation BLOODLINE.

Recent Acquisitions

2008-05-22T16:54:00.008-04:00

Been a little slow here lately. Blame my recent trip to Seattle and some client projects that have kept me from adding much in the way of reviews. That hasn't kept me from picking up some cool stuff on eBay, though.

I've recently become very fond of Belgian theatrical posters thanks to their smaller-than-normal size and relative affordability. Check out these recent additions to Kasa Kinski...

I'm not a huge fan of FITZCARRALDO, though I am looking forward to checking out BURDEN OF DREAMS one of these days. I do love this artwork, though, and also have the soundtrack LP with the same image.

Don't believe the poster. Kinski's role in HIS NAME WAS KING is strictly that of a supporting character.

Great artwork with John Garko (as Sartana) and Kinski – as the wonderfully-named bounty hunter Hot Dead – on opposite sides of the poster. The two stars and THE GREAT SILENCE's Frank Wolf do their best to elevate I AM SARTANA, YOUR ANGEL OF DEATH (or YOUR GRAVEDIGGER) to the level of, say, THE PRICE OF DEATH, but it just ain't happening.

Amazon Shipment Notices Get Me All Tingly

2008-04-23T07:49:00.003-04:00

It should come as no surprise that I love getting mail. When I was a kid I used to fill out those giant ads on the back of the Sunday comics for travel brochures and then wait p-a-t-i-e-n-t-l-y as the envelopes for such exotic locales as Williamsburg, VA and Luray Caverns arrived in our mailbox.

Years later I would start zines like Exploitation Retrospect and The Hungover Gourmet partially as an excuse to have something to send like-minded folks in exchange for more mail.

Unfortunately, e-mail doesn't give me quite the same thrill and even going to my PO Box once a week has become a ritual based upon sadness more that anticipation.

But e-mail has taken on a more tingly feel the last couple days. Not only did Amazon inform me that my copies of the new, bonus-packed Replacements reissues are on their way, but I also just received notice that my copy of Johnny Legend's TORTURE CHAMBER OF DR. SADISM / DEATH SMILES ON MURDER Eurosleaze double-feature is also on its way.

This SOLDIER Ad is Way Better Than the Movie

2008-04-19T11:49:00.003-04:00

THE SOLDIER should have been much better. Made in the great period of the 1980s before Gorbachev, glasnost and the Malta Summit, THE SOLDIER revels in its depiction of all Russians as slimy, raping and pillaging scum whose only goal in life is the destruction of "the American way of life." In fact, the Commies in this go 'round are sooooo evil that they steal plutonium and make some kind of bomb which they plant somewhere (I'd actually lost most of my interest by this point).

The only squad that can possibly save the day is run by a CIA operative known only by the code name, "The Soldier." As played by Ken Wahl in pre-'Wiseguy' fashion,"The Soldier" is a mix of James Bond and Rambo... getting caught in hair-raising predicaments and then blasting his way out of them.

Despite sharing top-billing in the ad above, Kinski shows up for about one scene 34 minutes into the flick (okay, so I was clock-watching) as a KGB agent named Dracha who wears a really spiffy white ski outfit and tries to kill Wahl by employing a ski lift and a rocket. Not classic Klaus, but better than nothing.

Much to my disappointment my memory of this flick was better than the actual product. Yes, there is a great beginning on a Philadelphia street near my old stomping grounds. Yes, director James Glickenhaus (THE EXTERMINATOR) includes a few good twists and exploding heads. And yes, the great Steve James (THE EXTERMINATOR, AMERICAN NINJA, AVENGING FORCE) does get to say to a redneck in a bar: "You got two choices asshole... duck or bleed." However, these three minor shining points do nothing to absolve THE SOLDIER of its looong uninteresting stretches.

Who is the Tater? Or, I Really Need to Learn German

2008-04-18T11:14:00.004-04:00

I'll be the first person to admit the Internet is great and has totally changed my life. I haven't worked in an office in over six years, my commute is about 20 feet, and I can take a Kwik Klaus Break whenever I feel the need.

But, man, some of these web-based translators aren't as huge a help as you'd like.

I recently scored a cool lot of Kinski magazine and newspaper clippings, mostly from the 70s and 80s and mostly from Germany. In my effort to try and make sense of some of them for my fine readers I've been playing around with German-to-English web-based translation sites like Systran. Unfortunately, I'm pretty sure the copy on this cool Edgar Wallage krimi ad from Bravo magazine is not asking the burning question, "Who is the Tater?"

I wish this ad was available as a large poster! I love that image of comic relief Eddie Arent at the back holding a blood-stained knife and that sepia-toned pic of Kinski and Arent at the bottom left is from one of my favorite scenes from CIRCUS OF FEAR, which is what I'm currently watching.

German Magazine Ad for VENOM

2008-04-17T16:03:00.002-04:00

You're probably aware of the story behind Kinski's involvement with the film VENOM. Though Steven Spielberg wanted him for a role in the blockbuster-to-be RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK, Klaus passed on that slice of cinematic immortality because he was being offered more cash to star as the kidnapper/terrorist Jacmel in the tale of a black mamba on the loose in a London flat.

Personally, I'm a fan of the flick and really enjoy the tension-so-thick-you-can-cut-it-with-a-knife "chemistry" between Klaus and co-star Oliver Reed, who brings a sweaty desperation to the role of Dave, the desperate and sweaty chauffeur/kidnapper. Though I'd love to have seen what original director Tobe Hooper did with the material, one listen to the commentary track on the Blue Underground DVD makes me appreciate the job Piers Haggard did in not only wrangling his two larger-than-life stars but also producing an entertaining flick with a healthy dose of our man Klaus.

Here's a funky, Klaus-centric German magazine ad for the flick, here known as DIE SCHWARZE MAMBA...

Awesome Kinski Box Art

2008-04-15T15:57:00.004-04:00

Sorry for the light posting schedule of late. If you've been paying attention to the 100 Kinski Challenge list over in the sidebar you know it's not for lack of watching. In recent weeks I've knocked off TO KILL A RAT, SECRET OF THE RED ORCHID and COMMANDO LEOPARD but I'm way behind on reviews. Don't fret, they're coming, as well as other goodies and tidbits I'll be unveiling in the coming weeks.

In the meantime, here's some groovy Klaus box art that just arrived and I felt the need to share. First up is a classic big box for PSYCHOPATH (1968) which despite its spooky sounding name is not horror-related at all. As soon as I opened the package this box was in I got a big smile on my face because it immediately made me think of The Pennsauken Mart (RIP). I can remember staring at this box on its shelves many nights on my way to the Eric movie theater, Liquor Mart, Crazy Eddie's Beef & Beer... or all three.

I haven't seen PSYCHOPATH yet but that box art is destined to suck me in... and soon! I have seen CREATURE WITH THE BLUE HAND (1967), however, and it's easily one of my favorite Kinski flicks not to mention a favorite krimi. How can you go wrong with Klaus playing twin brothers, one of whom is convicted of a series of brutal murders?

Acquired, retitled THE BLOODY DEAD and spiced up with some additional gore footage by Sam Sherman, BLUE HAND has been out in a variety of packages over the years. I was always fond of one BLOODY DEAD box that featured an illustration of a very 70s-era Klaus wielding a Freddy Kreuger-style glove, despite the fact that the mid-60s flick takes place on the grounds of a castle manor and is relatively bloodless.

But this box might give that one a run for its money. For some reason it features an upside down Madonna-wannabe being menaced by, well, a drawing of a blue hand.

Give the folks at Platinum Productions credit for their very literal interpretation of the film's title.

Big thanks to Wolfie from Eurotrash Paradise for sending these my way!

Will There Be FITZCARRALDO 2060?

2008-04-02T05:28:00.003-04:00

I'm no fan of April Fool's Day gags. It's hard enough to know what to believe on the internet without having to have your bullshit filter strapped on for an entire day, making you suspicious of every single thing you read.

Like this tidbit from SlashFilm (who did give me a chuckle yesterday with their "news" on the SUPERMAN VS. SPIDER-MAN big-screen project)... though there's absolutely no actual reports on this outside the SlashFilm post, it's just crazy enough to be true.

The good, and potentially great, news? This is just crazy, let me catch my breath. One of the best actors working today, Daniel Day-Lewis, is in talks to follow-up his Oscar-winning role in Paul Thomas Anderson’s There Will Be Blood with yet another award-caliber epic. So, what’s the sort of off-putting (but not necessarily bad) news? If it pans out, Day-Lewis’s next film will belong to Hollywood’s current remake pantheon, though this one sounds more like a bold and careful “re-envisioning.”

Director Peter Weir (Master and Commander, The Last Wave) and Warner Bros. are fast-tracking an $80 million remake of Fitzcarraldo, Werner Herzog’s classic and quite deranged 1982 film about an ambitious man who strikes out, against all rationality, to construct an opera house deep in the Peruvian jungle. Day-Lewis will star as the aforementioned man, a role originally made famous by the German nut Klaus Kinski.

Though I'm no huge fan of the original flick, I must admit I'm somewhat intrigued by the idea of a futuristic Fitzcarraldo hauling space steamboats.

Johnny Legend Presents DEATH SMILES AT MURDER

2008-03-28T17:20:00.004-04:00

While putting together my order for the latest batch of Spanish horror goodies from the fine folks at BCI – SAGA OF THE DRACULAS, BLUE EYES OF THE BROKEN DOLL & HUMAN BEASTS hit the streets earlier this week – I discovered that another dose of Eurotrash has landed on the video store shelves.

Make that a double dose of Eurotrash, including an appearance by our good buddy Klaus Kinski.

Be sure to check out the Johnny Legend Presents Eurotrash Double Feature THE TORTURE CHAMBER OF DR. SADISM along with Joe D'Amato's head-scratching sleazefest DEATH SMILES AT MURDER co-starring Kinski as a test-tube-jiggling doc whose forehead vein throbs as he oggles former Miss Sweden Ewa Aulin.

I haven't seen DR. SADISM and I have a PAL version of DEATH SMILES, but I had to order this one to see how the presentation of this fascinating head-scratcher stacks up.

Buy the DR. SADISM/DEATH SMILES double feature disc at Amazon.

I AM SARTANA, YOUR GRAVEDIGGER! (1969)

2008-03-28T17:10:00.003-04:00

Finally got a chance to sit down with the entertaining, but ultimately disappointing, I AM SARTANA, YOUR GRAVEDIGGER. On the one hand I was totally jazzed to see the top-notch cast: Gianni Garko (billed as John Garko) from the highly entertaining THE PRICE OF DEATH stars as the titular gunman, Frank Wolff from THE GREAT SILENCE turns up as Sartana's snitch pal Buddy Ben, and the ever-reliable Klaus Kinski lends his support as the gambling addicted bounty hunter with the awesome name of Hot Dead. Yes, Hot Dead.

When Sartana is falsely accused of robbing a bank of $300,000 he finds himself with a $10,000 bounty on his head. Not surprisingly, this kind of coin brings enemies, friends and casual acquaintances of the derringer-packing gunman out of the woodwork looking to collect... dead or alive.

Traveling the countryside, Sartana tracks down clues, gets into adventures, and kills somewhere around a hundred or so of the most incredibly inept gunslingers ever to strap on a six-shooter.

On the other hand, the episodic nature of Sartana's travels makes for a storyline that never engaged me. The flick seems to meander more than progress and it feels like there are a bazillion side characters all of whom have connections to our anti-hero, yet I never really cared about them. Mostly they were simply corpse fodder as Sartana got to the bottom of the faux heist.

Which is too bad because Garko brings the same screen presence, charm and acrobatic flair to the role as he did to Mr. Silver in the exceptional giallo western THE PRICE OF DEATH (also co-starring Kinski). There's a smug self-assuredness to his Sartana. No cuffs can hold him, no number of gunslingers rattles him, which is ultimately does him a disservice because we never feel like the character is in any danger. I've not seen any of the other three Sartana flicks (this is the second), but my appreciation for Garko grows with each role so I'll definitely be checking them out -- especially 1968's IF YOU MEET SARTANA PRAY FOR YOUR DEATH, which also features Kinski but in what appears to be a different role than Hot Dead.

Speaking of Hot Dead, Kinski is downright charming as the unrepentant gambler who uses his side job as a bounty hunter to fund his addiction. Aside from a fun showdown with Sartana towards the film's conclusion, Kinski's standout scene comes when he discovers that the friendly game of poker he's playing on a stagecoach is rigged. When the stagecoach is robbed Hot Dead coolly dispenses with the gunmen and has their bodies thrown aboard so he can stake his game with the bounties on their heads. He even has his own little theme music, though it sounds vaguely like a Christmas carol by way of Nashville.

It's a surprisingly light role for the notoriously high-strung Kinski and makes for an interesting antidote to his turn as Loco, the brutal bounty hunter that steals the show in Sergio Corbucci's THE GREAT SILENCE.

With colorful character names like Butch Dynamite, Slim Shotgun and Tracey Three Aces, one would expect I AM SARTANA to be more entertaining. While Garko, Kinski and Wolff give it their best, this Sartana adventure comes up a little short.

THERE'S A NOOSE WAITING FOR YOU TRINITY! (1972)

2008-02-28T16:04:00.004-05:00

After a heavy duty month+ of nothing but work, work, work interrupted by baby wrangling and diaper changing, Afternoons with Klaus have finally returned here at Kasa Klaus.

Today's triumphant return featured the entertaining Eurowestern THERE'S A NOOSE WAITING FOR YOU... TRINITY! aka THE RETURN OF CLINT THE STRANGER, directed by and starring George Martin in a sequel to/remake of CLINT THE NEVADA'S LONER.

Trinity Harrison (Martin) abandoned his wife and two children in order to seek revenge on the man who killed his brother and sister-in-law on their wedding night. After busting out of prison he returns home to find that his wife has assumed the role of a widow and is working a farm outside of town.

Assuming the guise of Joe, Trinity takes on a job as her farmhand so he can keep an eye on her and their two kids: Jimmy, his too-big-for-his-britches son who resents the father who abandoned them; and, Betty, a tomboy who doesn't remember her dear old dad. And has a voice that's like nails across a chalkboard.

Naturally, his return lands Trinity smack dab in the middle of a battle between local farmers/ranchers and an unscrupulous businessman who wants to buy up all the land so he can sell it to the government. Not above a little arm twisting, the land baron has a team of thugs who harass, beat up, and shoot those who won't cooperate, even framing a local farmer for the murder of a bank guard.

Essentially, THERE'S A NOOSE... is one long build-up to Trinity's inevitable breaking point as Harrison eschews opportunity after opportunity to make the thugs eat lead, though he does get into a couple full-scale fistfights with them.

Hanging around the periphery of all this action is our man Klaus as Scott, a long-haired, cigar-chomping bounty hunter who has a penchant for brining his captures back dead because they're a lot less trouble that way. When he hears of the $5000 reward for bringing Trinity in alive, he heads to the gunman's old town to see if he can track him down.

While everybody else in the cast has a fairly straightforward, cliched role to play (Long Suffering Wife, Mouthy Kid, Sheriff Who Looks the Other Way, Simmering Gunman Pretending to be Cowardly), Kinski easily gets the flick's juiciest, most interesting role.

Unsure that Joe is really Trinity, Scott watches and waits, hoping for a sign that will prove his hunch right. Along the way we get to see the cold-blooded side of this bounty hunter, which makes the twists and turns his character takes all the more interesting. Though not outright heroic, leave it to Kinski to win over the audience all the while sneering through his ever-present ceegar.

Kinski's character aside, THERE'S A NOOSE... doesn't hold many surprises and suffers from not enough plot development. The bad guys are fairly stock issue and the land baron's role is so underdeveloped that it's hard to ever give a crap about him or his plan. Martin is fine as the simmering quick draw artist but you never develop a ton of sympathy for his character or his plight. Most regrettably, the big showdown with the bad guys is anti-climactic at best, despite the film setting itself up for a rousing gun battle.

An entertaining entry in the annals of the Eurotrash western, THERE'S A NOOSE WAITING FOR YOU... TRINITY! has the potential to be much more than it is. But it's well worth watching for a top-notch turn by Kinski that'll have you guessing till the very end.

THE PRICE OF DEATH (1971)

2008-01-29T06:06:00.000-05:00

I've realized that the best way to get me to enjoy a spaghetti western is to dispense with the dreary, shopworn spags cliches and simply execute another genre in a western setting. Of the spags I've watched recently (and all enjoyed!), MAN, PRIDE & VENGEANCE was a take on 'Carmen' with a very noirish plot featuring an evil femme fatale and BLACK KILLER was more like a traditional spaghetti western but had some elements of a caper or sting flick flirting around its edges, while THE PRICE OF DEATH is like a private detective story/thriller/giallo set in the Old West.

Gianni Garko is great as Silver ("Call me Mr. Silver!" he insists more than once in the flick, occasionally slapping the person he's talking to after he says it.), a hot shot hired gun/private eye (?) who gets a job from his old pal Jeff – a frontier lawyer with a taste for the bottle – whose client has landed in jail, suspected of armed robbery and multiple murders. It's no surprise that the client is played by Klaus Kinski, and he infuses Chester Conway – town black sheep – with plenty of flippant, sneering attitude, even in the face of the gallows that are to hang him being built outside his jail cell window.

Silver comes to the town of Applebee Junction to get to the bottom of the casino robbery gone wrong that landed Conway in the pokey. Three masked men burst into the house of loose cards and looser women, killed a working girl and a bartender, then absconded with about $200 in cash. Two members of the trio end up dead in the aftermath and Conway is the lone suspect in the caper, due in part to the bloody money in his possession, but largely because he's widely reviled by the townsfolk. A long history of drinking, fighting, troublemaking and stealing other guys's gals has left him without many friends.

Naturally, the shifty good-for-nothing Conway has an alibi for the night in question, but he's unwilling to give up his whereabouts. Even to the lawyer trying to save his neck.

Thanks to some quick detective work (he buys the clothes the dead robbers were wearing from the undertaker) Silver deduces that the sheriff couldn't have possibly shot the fleeing robbers and that there's more to Applebee Junction than meets the eye.

While THE PRICE OF DEATH could have benefited from a few less amateurish performances from some of the peripheral townsfolk, the core actors are uniformly excellent in their parts. Garko (the star of NIGHT OF THE DEVILS, which couldn't be more opposite in tone) is charming as the two-fisted, derringer-packing outsider who finds himself at odds with the whole town. In their rush to hang Conway for a crime he didn't commit they conveniently overlook the real killer in their midst, not to mention the hypocrisy and corruption running rampant through the town.

Kinski plays most of his part from a jail cell but communicates more emotion and range with his eyes and contempt-filled sneer than the rest of the cast together could muster. Even when he's facing certain death he has time to flirt with Pollie, the luscious casino manager who disappears from the film far too quickly.

A highly entertaining detective western!

THAT MAN IN ISTANBUL (1965)

2008-01-16T12:49:00.000-05:00

Nasty criminal types (including Klaus Kinski as Dr. Schenck) with plans for world domination through nuclear arms try to throw off Uncle Sam by blowing up a plane carrying two government agents and what appears to be Professor Pendergast (Umberto Raho), a nuclear scientist who was being held for $1 million ransom. Luckily, the faux scientist's foot survived the blast (!) and quick-thinking American agents realize that they've been duped. Saucy FBI agent Kenny (Sylva Koscina) and her magnificent 60s breasts recognize American ex-pat Tony Massinas (Horst Bucholz) in one of the surveillance photos and she sets off to Istanbul to see how the nightclub-owning playboy is involved in the scheme.

Turns out Masssinas isn't involved and though he has no love lost for the country that booted him out and killed his father, the thought of recovering the $1 million dollar ransom spurs him into action. Pretty soon he's helping Kenny sift through a United Nations of bad guys to get to the bottom of things, save the professor and find the dough.

Actually, despite her FBI pedigree it seems like Tony's the one doing all the work and Koscina sadly disappears for large chunks of the action. At least the producers know to throw us some more eye candy every now and then and we're treated to the equally curvy Perrette Pradier as the mysterious Elisabeth Furst as well as numerous scenes set around swimming pools and bath houses.

Clocking in at almost two hours, THAT MAN IN ISTANBUL suffers from not knowing when to quit. The first hour is quite entertaining, complete with the ransom exchange gone horribly wrong, a winning performance from Bucholz as the smug man of action, and some action sequences worthy of a certain popular 60s spy franchise. (Even the score by Georges Gararentz will remind viewers of the globe-hopping pop orchestration found in the Bond flicks.) We even get Koscina stripping down to her bra and panties for an evaluation by Massinas and his trusty sidekicks Bogo and Brain. (I kid you not.) After looking her over and declaring they'd seen better the trio dub her "Miss Babyfat," a nickname that sticks throughout the flick.

Unfortunately, the first hour's cinematic goodwill gets thrown out the window and the flick puts Tony into one predicament too many as the story lurches towards the finale. And even then the producers don't feel like we've gotten our money's worth and treat us to an additional ten minutes that might as well have a 'Tacked On Epilogue' title card before it.

Fellow Kinski fans shouldn't get too excited by the actor's appearance in the pre-credit ransom sequence. Sure, we get some sinister dial twisting from the star, but he's MIA for the next hour or so. But when he returns for an energetic fight scene with anti-hero Massinas you'll be glad he did. How anyone could have seen this film at the time and not cast him as a villain or henchman in a Bond flick is beyond me. A small supporting role, but the man leaves his mark.

I don't have a ton of Eurospy experience to compare THAT MAN to but I'd give it a grudging recommendation based on the action sequences, great locations, curvy 60s eye candy, top-notch supporting Klaus, and a sense of fun without being insulting.

LOVER OF THE MONSTER (1974)

2008-01-11T06:11:00.000-05:00

Alex Nijinsi (Kinski) and his lovely, curvy, younger wife Anna (Katia Christine) are an estranged couple hoping to repair their marriage by moving to her family home which has been left to her by her father. Alex, a former (?) doctor, is apparently given to fits of jealousy and it's suggested that this has led to the problems in their marriage.

And though they're giving it a go at this new location, the couple is obviously still having problems, illustrated by their bedrooms at opposite ends of the house (a plan Anna apparently never shared with Alex if we're to believe his surprise at the arrangement) and his continued tendency to peer at and spy on Anna whenever she's away from his side.

(This gives rise to lots more opportunities for Skulking Klaus, making this the perfect half of a curtain-peering fetishist's double bill along with BLACK KILLER.)

But it seems that Alex has plenty of reason to keep an eye on his wife as the couple's new neighbor -- Dr. Igor Walensky (Ayhan Isik) -- shows up seemingly within minutes of their arrival and begins showering Anna with compliments and attention.

Seeking solace in the house's library one night, Alex flies into a rage and discovers a journal kept by Anna's father, also a doctor. The good doctor's lab -- complete with beakers, ancient battery cells and more Hammer/Universal issue mad scientist gizmos -- is still intact underneath the house. When Sasha, the family dog, ends up dead one day, it provides Alex with the perfect opportunity to try the experiments in the journal and see if the old man had been successful in bridging the gap between life and death.

When the experiment goes wrong and Alex is shocked by the machinery (huh?), it appears to unleash a dormant side of his personality, turning LOVER OF THE MONSTER aka LE AMANTI DEL MOSTRO into an interesting take on the old Jekyll and Hyde tale with a bit of Jack the Ripper thrown in for the hell of it.

Soon, Alex's monstrous side is out roaming the countryside, killing villagers and throttling naked chicks as they sell their bodies to fat sleazeballs. Blaming not one but two area vagabonds, an angry mob kills one suspect and then hauls in another when more bodies are discovered.

Not surprisingly, the Jekyll/Hyde storyline gives Kinski plenty of opportunity to flex his acting chops and he relishes in shifting gears between the sickly, foppish, frequently-bedridden Alex and the gaunt, hollow-cheeked, crazy-eyed monster. Quite frankly, had his performance in Jess Franco's JACK THE RIPPER been a bit more like this I'd probably think more highly of that flick.

Aside from a bit of nudity and rough violence, LOVER OF THE MONSTER has the distinct feel of a nasty Hammer flick, especially the Frankenstein cycle. The period costumes, castle setting, angry villagers, laboratory sets, numbskull magistrates and marauding monster all have a familiar feel while the overwrought score would be right at home in a black & white Universal tale.

The flick certainly has occasional lapses in logic (Walensky and Anna discuss how there have been no more murders, despite the fact that they've just found Boris, the castle caretaker, murdered outside the entrance to the lab) and characters make gigantic leaps that seem to belie their intelligence. But it's loads of fun watching Kinski play the sickly doctor and his wild alter ego. It's never quite clear if the machinery actually caused the monstrous side of him or if it simply awakened it, but who really cares?

Hardcore Eurotrash fans might be put off by the low-level of sleaze in the flick. There's a bit of bloody experimentation when Alex tries to re-animate Sasha and the last act seems destined for a gorey trip down Frankenstein Lane, but director Sergio Garrone opts for a more interesting ending as Alex tries to right his wrongs. DEATH SMILES AT MURDER it ain't.

Not to be confused with THE HAND THAT FEEDS THE DEAD, another Italian/Turkish co-production filmed simultaneously with LOVER featuring the same cast, sets and director. Legend has it that Kinski was not informed they were making two films, though I suspect that's apocryphal. Watch for the in-joke when they visit the grave of Anna's father.

While not a great flick by any stretch, LOVER moves pretty fast (it's just 85 or so minutes long) and any lulls are frequently perked up by a little nudity or violence.

Am I Man Enough for the 100 Kinski Challenge?

2008-01-10T09:06:00.000-05:00

Friends laughed when I told them that this year was, for me, The Year of Klaus.

"What does that make other years?," several of them asked, pointing to my frequent chatter about the German Olivier, stacks of posters, DVDs, magazine and books, and constant trawling of eBay for groovy Klaus-abilia.

And you know what? They were right. It seems like every year I approach my fascination with, appreciation for, and, yeah, downright love of all things Klaus in the same sorta haphazard fashion.

But not 2008. The gauntlet has been thrown down in the form of The 100 Kinski Challenge. The quest to watch no less than one-hundred films featuring the brilliant, irascible star of such wide-ranging vehicles as SLAUGHTER HOTEL, THE INN ON THE RIVER, DEATH SMILES AT MURDER, THE FIGHTING FISTS OF SHANGHAI JOE and NOSFERATU, just to name a few.

So follow along with me here at The Klaus Kinski Files, your one-stop shop for all things Klaus. I'll be listing the films in the nav bar to the right as I watch them and posting reviews along the way.

Who knows? Maybe you'll even feel compelled to join in the fun.

Are you man/woman enough for the 100 Kinski Challenge? You've got 356 more days to find out!

BLACK KILLER (1971)

2008-01-10T08:03:00.000-05:00

After spending a couple days with CHURCHILL'S LEOPARDS and applying SALT IN THE WOUND I've left Klaus behind enemy lines and arrived in the Old West. It's Tombstone, Arizona and the town is under the thumb of the wild and ruthless bunch known as the O'Hara brothers. (Certainly the swarthiest looking guys named O'Hara I've ever seen.)

Lawmen don't have a long shelf life in Tombstone, and the O'Haras dispatch the new sheriff in short order by blowing up his office, shooting him repeatedly, stringing him up in the center of town, and sticking the wanted poster of Pedro O'Hara to his chest with a variety of knives. (Seems the brothers were dismayed by the paltry $10,000 reward.)

Into this dangerous territory rides James Webb (Kinski), a soft-spoken, long-haired lawyer whose hefty law tomes contain much more than case studies. The lawyer has hollowed out the pages and inserted a gun that he can shoot with the aid of a string he's attached to the trigger. Apparently aiming is far more overrated than I was led to believe as Webb repeatedly takes out bad guys with a single shot while holding the book around waist level!

Also arriving in town around the same time is Burt Collins (Fred Robsahm), though he's referred to as both Bud and Burt throughout the film. Seems Bud/Burt is a former town resident but hasn't been back in a while. His brother Peter (Jerry Collins) still lives in the area, but has given up the family land to go live with his "Indian" galpal Sarah (Marina Malfatti), whose skills with a bow and arrow will come in handy later on. Not to mention her fabulously nice ass.

Naturally, gunslinging, card-cheating, rough-bearded Bud/Burt is the perfect candidate for the newly opened position of sheriff and he takes on the job thanks to the hefty reward being offered for the capture (or death) of Pedro O'Hara.

This sets up the flick's core story, with the O'Hara boys plotting to kill Bud/Burt and vice versa. Kinski, in another solid supporting turn, spends most of his time peering through curtains, opening/closing windows and keeping tabs on Judge Wilson (Dante Maggio), who is up to some kind of underhanded land deals involving the O'Haras.

If you've seen more than a handful of spaghetti westerns you can pretty much connect all the dots in BLACK KILLER's plotline. There's the assault on the two brothers and the Indian chick, the drunken party/brawl, and the unexpected return of someone "left for dead", all leading up to the finale.

What keeps BLACK KILLER from falling into the trap of being too predictable is the sub-plot involving Webb, Wilson and the land deals. Webb's motivations are muddled throughout. At times he seems like he's helping Collins clean up the town and regain the family land, at other times not so much. In fact, his actual motives don't become "clear" until the final moments of the film and even then I went "Huh?".

But BLACK KILLER is certainly entertaining enough and Klaus -- looking like he stopped in on his way home from the SLAUGHTER HOTEL set -- is always a treat to watch, especially when he's shooting his gun/book or sneaking around keeping the audience guessing about just what the hell he's up to.

BLACK KILLER falls firmly in the middle of Klaus's spaghetti western output for this hombre. Not as great as THE GREAT SILENCE but certainly not as meandering and unmemorable as HIS NAME WAS KING.

SALT IN THE WOUND (aka THE LIBERATORS) (1969)

2008-01-04T06:47:00.000-05:00

After watching Klaus attempt to foil an Allied plan to blow up the dam in CHURCHILL'S LEOPARDS, I was ready for a second dose of WWII war-xploitation, this time with our boy switching sides and starring as -- wait for it -- an American GI.

Frankly, when SALT IN THE WOUND (aka THE LIBERATORS) started I wasn't even sure the disc contained the right movie. I'd previously seen the film about 20 years ago when my Klaus fascination really started, but I most definitely did not remember the ponderous, pretentious opening in which a narrator talks about the creation of the earth and sky and all the creatures on the planet as the screen fills with shots of rock formations and deserted stretches of land. ("Crap. I hope they didn't put a peplum on here by mistake," I thought as I folded my laundry.)

But it was the right movie and before the credits even roll we're treated to two American soldiers who cross the line, even for wartime. One -- a seemingly battle-fatigued African American soldier named John Grayson (Ray Saunders) -- murders a group of surrendering German soldiers. The other -- an opportunistic little sleaze named Brian Haskins (Kinski) -- kills an elderly German woman when she catches him robbing her home of what valuables she has left.

Court martialed and sentenced to die in front of a firing squad, the two condemned men are handed over to Lt. Michael Sheppard (George Hilton), a green West Point grad getting his first taste of what really goes on at the front. Taking charge of the execution detail Sheppard ends up leading them right to their death as a squad of Germans attack the soldiers while they're loading their rifles in accordance with protocol. Seizing the chance to escape, Haskins and Grayson high tail it into the woods with Sheppard joining them (when he eventually reaches them Kinski snarls a wisecrack about making up his mind a little faster next time).

Sheppard -- a by-the-book officer out to make up for his gaffe -- is determined to take the two killers in and see they get the justice they escaped. After a few ill-advised attempts are foiled by the soldiers (including one in which Grayson leaps at Sheppard off a cliff wall!), the three form an uneasy alliance and realize that sticking together is their best hope for survival against the Germans. Along the way, Haskins and Grayson adopt new identities in an effort to distance themselves from their pasts and maybe carve out a new life after the war.

Emerging from the hillside they discover a deserted-looking Italian village. When the residents see the Americans they hail them as liberators (hence one of the flick's alternate titles) and greet them with open arms. Unfortunately, the Germans also have their sites set on the town (I'm not exactly sure why as the scenes with the Nazi officers aren't dubbed in English) and it's up to the three GIs to hold off the Germans and save the townsfolk that have so warmly welcomed them.

While CHURCHILL'S LEOPARDS is a pretty straightforward action movie that can only go as far as star Richard Harrison can take it, SALT IN THE WOUND is a riveting and entertaining war drama with plenty going on, not to mention a juicy leading role for Kinski. His Brian Haskins/Norman Carr is cold, opportunistic and out for nobody but himself, a trait that rears its head at the ugliest of times. But he's also touched by the love of a woman in the village (Betsy Bell) and the gratitude and acceptance of the villagers appears to cause some cracks in his cynical facade.

Rediscovering this film after twenty years or so, Kinski's performance is a revelation and immediately jumps into my Top 10 Klaus Performances. The voice talent is totally wrong for him (it needs to be more weasely and less "gruff American GI"), but like most great Kinski performances he doesn't need words to deliver his most powerful moments. In particular, a scene when the trio first arrives in the village and Daniela (Bell) gives him flowers is powerful, touching stuff.

It's a fun anti-hero role for a star usually cast as a heavy or red herring and he relishes sneering his way through the early parts of the film. You can see his contempt for everyone from MPs, the military court and scared soldiers to chaplains, the Allies and Germans dripping from every word and motion. His struggle to keep the bad parts of his personality at bay later in the flick make SALT IN THE WOUND a rock-solid keeper.

Coolest. Shirts. Ever.

2008-01-04T06:44:00.000-05:00

If you're about my age (41) and anything like me you probably had a weird fascination with VHS company logos during the video heyday.

Face it, when you're standing in a video store's "Horror" section staring at three walls' worth of movies you may or may not have ever heard of something has to start the weeding out process.

For me, one of things was the pedigree of the video company. Companies like New World, Lightning and Wizard definitely had a leg up on the competition, and the appearance of the Vestron logo on a box almost guaranteed a rental.

Relive those thrilling days of praying the tape didn't break while you watched a heavily chopped up, heavily hyped Italian flick or scrambling around looking for your other VCR and dubbing cables so you could have your own copy of whatever trash you got in Tuesday night's Rent 1 Get 1 Free splurge.

Rotten Cotton is now selling Retro 80's Video Company Logo T-Shirts that are simply outstanding. All the companies mentioned above are represented as well as the likes of Continental (I think they put out the first copies of John Waters films I ever saw), Paragon (who brought us THE ONE-ARMED EXECUTIONER and other classics), Embassy and more.

I hate the Rotten Cotton site's use of frames but if you want to see these, and I know you do, go to their site and click 'New Shit' in the left menu, then click the 'Retro 80's' link in the body copy.

Klaus-ing Out the Old Year with CHURCHILL'S LEOPARDS

2007-12-31T23:14:00.000-05:00

Just finished watching the new Wild East disc of CHURCHILL'S LEOPARDS (aka THE DIRTY DAM BUSTERS), which is a pretty entertaining "gotta blow up the dam", French Resistance and Brit Commandos vs. Evil Nazis flick.

Richard Harrison -- in a twist worthy of a Jean Claude Van Damme flick -- stars as twin brothers (!), one a Nazi officer, the other a British commando. In an effort to cut off the German supply lines and leave them "hamstrung" (mmmm, hamstrung), Churchill himself concocts Operation: Overwatch (or something to that effect) which is designed to drill a hole in the base of the dam, plant some explosive and make it go boom. The surrounding area would be flooded, roads would be destroyed and two Panzer divisions would be forced to eat one another.

Klaus plays the suspicious, chain smoking Captain Holtz who seems to think something is hinky with Lt. Muller right off the bat. Sooner or later you know Klaus is going to get to the bottom of it, but you're not sure how. It's a meaty supporting role for K2 and he gives Holtz more personality beyond the typical evil SS officer with impeccable fashion taste. He has a sense of humor and appreciates the finer things in life. But he's not above taking 20 hostages to sweat a confession out of the townsfolk for the murder of two German soldiers.

In the end it's a race against time as Muller's girlfriend (Helga Line of HORROR EXPRESS, HORROR RISES FROM THE TOMB and LORELEI'S GRASP) arrives and is sure to get to the bottom of the deception. Or will she? Other familiar faces include Frank Brana (RETURN OF THE BLIND DEAD) as a French Resistance fighter and Giacomo Rossi-Stuart (FIGHTING FISTS OF SHANGHAI JOE, CRIMES OF THE BLACK CAT, DEATH SMILED AT MURDER and tons more) as the head of the commando unit.

Good stuff and I'm sure it looks great compared to what was previously available. A couple audio glitches early on but nothing after that.

Though I'd planned to cross over into the new year by watching NIGHT OF THE ZOMBIES our chatter about NIGHT OF THE CREEPS has me all a twitter so I've got it up and running now. "The good news is your dates are here. The bad news is, they're dead."

Nothing Says Xmas in Baltimore Like a Natty Boh Tree

2007-12-22T11:11:00.001-05:00

Just a quick note to wish all a happy and safe holiday season, or in the immortal words of Krusty the Klown, "have a merry Christmas, a happy Hanukkah, a kwaazy Kwanza, a tip-top Tet, and a solemn, dignified, Ramadan. And now a word from MY god, our sponsors!"

We rang in the holiday season last night with a holiday dinner at Paper Moon Diner and visit to Hampden's annual lights-travaganza featuring more low wattage bulbs, animatronic Santas, and stuff that screams "It's Freaking Festive!" than you can shake a stick at. For the full effect check out our Flickr set from the evening. But here are some of my faves...

That's our daughter Ryan doing her best Cindy Lou Who impression.

Ryan deep in conversation with THG contributor and Smile Hon, You're in Baltimore editor WP Tandy. Oh yeah, the new issue of Smile Hon is out now and looks fabulous, so get on over to Eight Stone Press HQ for all the ordering info.

Admittedly, my mind tended to wander during Catholic school religion class. But I definitely don't recall Mary and Joseph having Jesus in a gingerbread house.

Yes, that's a giant projection screen on the rooftop showing Bob Clark's seminal holiday fave A CHRISTMAS STORY. Overhead while walking past: "As soon as I heard my new boss didn't like that movie I knew I wouldn't like working for him."

And, yes, those are Schlitz Beer Can holiday lights hanging from the porch.

But nothing says Christmas Baltimore-Style like a Natty Boh and Old Bay Xmas tree.

From all of us here at The Hungover Gourmet, Exploitation Retrospect and The Klaus Kinski Files, best wishes for the holiday season!

Keep Those Spaghetti Westerns Straight

2007-12-20T06:48:00.000-05:00

One of the things I love about Kinski is that if you look at his filmography you get a real sense for what was popular – at least in the world of Eurotrash – at the time. Krimis, giallos, europsy and spaghetti westerns make up the bulk of his epic 1960s/early 1970s output, with the occasional heist flick and World War II story thrown in just to break things up.

Unfortunately, between original foreign-language titles and re-titles for seemingly every foreign market, keeping the flicks straight can be a real challenge. Especially when it comes to spaghetti westerns.

Check out a film I know under the title A FISTFUL OF DEATH. An episodic attempt to mesh the legends of The Lone Ranger and Butch Cassidy the flick features Kinski as Reverend Cotten, a long-haired preacher who excels at horseshoes and fistfighting. Despite receiving top billing on most video store boxes you'll find, the role is a small one.

Filmed under the title GIU LA TESTA... HOMBRE it's also known as BALLAD OF DJANGO, the aforementioned A FISTFUL OF DEATH, and the awesome title of STRANGE TALE OF MINNESOTA STINKY. I've even seen a DVD of it using the title ADIOS COMPANEROS.

While checking out The Bloody Italiana Blog this morning I read their post about The Spaghetti Western Database. Here's hoping this site will help me keep my Klaus Spags straight!

Maybe My Fave Klaus Still Ever

2007-12-03T17:26:00.000-05:00

Today's mail brought the new Wild East WWII Klaus Double Feature disc with CHURCHILL'S LEOPARDS and SALT IN THE WOUND aka THE LIBERATORS the way they were meant to be seen, not on the crappy budget VHS tapes I've had for years.

But that pales in comparison to the still that I won on eBay that showed up in my mailbox today, too. Something tells me ol' Klaus didn't mind posing for this one... just check out the license plate on the car...

Evil Never Looked So Good...

2007-12-01T11:10:00.000-05:00

Still working on some new reviews and articles for the site but since I've received some e-mails asking for more I thought I'd start sharing some of the great items in my Klaus Kollection. Here's one of my latest additions, a fantastic Belgian poster for the new-to-DVD flick CHURCHILL'S LEOPARDS. (BTW, I should be reviewing this one in the next couple weeks as my copy from Xploited Cinema is on its way.)

Anyway, I picked this guy and another Belgian Klaus poster up at eBay thanks to a tip from David Z over at TOMB IT MAY CONCERN. Check it out...

There Was Nothing "Natural" About That Guy

2007-11-23T09:54:00.001-05:00

The following is taken from the pages of ER #33/34, our Winter 1992 Conspiracy-themed double issue. Today celebrates the 16th anniversary of Klaus' death and the continued interest in him as an actor, author, artist, performer and poet makes me wish he was still around to bask in the deserved attention – and defend himself against those who would rather take potshots at his personality than admit that he was a truly gifted actor. A man who gave it his all whether he was starring in one of Herzog's epics or playing a time-traveling bad guy in a TV movie with William Devane and Lauren Hutton. Look for some Klassic Kinski Moments coming to this blog over the next few days...

Me: Did you hear who died? Kinski...
Lou: Aw man, now I'm really depressed. What did he die of?
Me: They're saying natural causes.
Lou: Bullshit -- there was nothin' natural about that guy.

On Saturday, November 23rd, 1991, exploitation actor extraordinaire Klaus Kinski was found dead in his Los Angeles home. With his shock of white hair, rubbery face, spooky bug-eyes, and somewhat bizarre accent ("zoom kind uv collactive intelligence"), Kinski made a lasting impression on both the film world and the ER staff.

From his first film -- 1948's MORITURI -- through his work in more recent fare as CREATURE (aka TITAN FIND), K2 always left the viewer wondering, "How much of this is real and how much is an act?" Up front, confrontational, and often shocking, Kinski was so real it was surreal.

Having made headlines for his hostile relationship with director Werner Herzog (a relationship that brought out the best in both men), Klaus splashed into the news again with his autobiography, All I Need is Love. Pulled from shelves after only a brief release, rumors abounded as to why. Though Random House maintains that legal wranglings with an Italian publisher were the real reason, we prefer to believe that the book's near-pornographic prose, vividly detailing many of K2's 160-some alleged sexual encounters, frightened the weasely publisher. Either way, this sucker's a collectors item to be cherished.

Though he'll probably be remembered more for being "Natassia Kinski's father," a candle will always burn brightly in these offices in HIS memory. When all is said and done, Klaus Kinski will be remembered as one of a kind... a true original.

NOSSY IN VENICE Day 3: Links and Reviews

2007-11-15T17:00:00.000-05:00

Finally had a chance to sit down and watch the much improved print of NOSFERATU IN VENICE this week. Frankly, it was almost like watching a new film since the old Greek VHS I watched was full frame, dark and about an 837th generation dupe. Though I'm still compiling my thoughts on the film – which I'd rate a solid B/B+ by the way – here are some links to other pages devoted to the film. (Surprise, most of them are fairly disparaging.)

Wikipedia Entry for the Flick
IMDB Page
Digital Conquest (this is where I got my widescreen, dubbed print)
Brief review at Moria
A discussion of the film at DVD Maniacs
Dismissive review at Scary Movie Review
A positive review from Vampyres Online
Review at All Movie Portal

NOSSY IN VENICE Day 2: Neil Vokes Art

2007-11-14T19:49:00.000-05:00

I wouldn't call my collection of Klaus-related items "world class" by any stretch of the imagination, but I have picked up some cool stuff here and there. One of my favorite items in my collection is a collage of scenes from NOSFERATU IN VENICE as interpreted by Rondo award-winning illustrator (and good pal) Neil Vokes.

Vokes – who has illustrated such great graphic novels as THE BLACK FOREST and its sequel, PARLIAMENT OF JUSTICE (with writer Mike Oeming), and THE WICKED WEST and its followup – originally showcased this artwork back in 2003 on The Eurotrash Paradise during a discussion of the film. Not too long afterwards I was able to acquire the artwork from Neil at a horror convention and, as I say, it's one of my prized possessions of Klaus-work.

Check it out below and click to enlarge...

NOSSY IN VENICE Day 1: Turkish Poster

2007-11-13T05:24:00.000-05:00

Expect a number of NOSFERATU IN VENICE posts over the next few days. At The Eurotrash Paradise we have a monthly feature called The Twisted Video Book Club or TVBC for short, in which a member picks a Eurotrash flick for discussion. November is my month and in memory of the anniversary of Kinski's death (coming up in 10 days) we'll be discussing NOSFERATU IN VENICE.

I'm really looking forward to watching this one again. My first viewing of this, Kinski's penultimate film, was via a 837th generation Greek VHS that barely got a grade of "watchable". Recently, though, I upgraded to a copy of the widescreen Japanese laserdisc which features English dubbing and (supposedly) more gore than other prints that have surfaced.

To get you warmed up for some NOSSY IN VENICE talk here's a look at what I believe is a Turkish one-sheet for the flick. Here it's retitled DRACULA and there's an obvious bikini top painted on the one-time topless chick on the left.

More to come tomorrow, so stay tuned!

Revised ER Website Launches

2007-10-26T15:46:00.001-04:00

It has been a long time coming but the newly revised Exploitation Retrospect website is now alive and kicking.

The biggest change has been a facelift to the look of the site with a newly-designed home page that features five new reviews each week. These reviews will be updated each Friday and I can't thank enough the site's incredible contributors who have spent the last few months filling up my hard drive with tons of new material.

This week's featured reviews are CREATURE FROM THE HILLBILLY LAGOON, GRINDHOUSE TRASH CLASSICS, BACTERIUM, THE RED QUEEN KILLS SEVEN TIMES, and VIDEO VIOLENCE.

In addition to the facelift you may notice that there's a new button at the top for a section called 'BOOK'. I'm pleased to announce that 2008 will see the publication of the first volume of material from ER, featuring both classic reviews from the long out-of-print zine which ran from 1986 to 2000 and material that will be all-new. Longtime ER contributors like Tom Crites, Louis Fowler, Doug Waltz and Mike Wood will be featured as well as some special, surprise contributors from the world of exploitation and horror film criticism and blogs.

We'll be unveiling more details as they're confirmed, so stay tuned to the website and this blog for more info as it becomes available.

Until then, I hope you enjoy the new look and the upcoming wave of new content. Please don't hesitate to post any comments about the site here at the blog or contact me at editor@dantenet.com.

More Klaus Birthday Stuff

2007-10-18T15:20:00.000-04:00

While chatting about Klaus over at The Eurotrash Paradise, my pal Wolfie turned me on to this site featuring some great photos of Klaus from various stages of his life.

I really dig the one pictured at right, which appears to have been shot during his recording of Francois Villon poetry. He might just be manic, but it appears to show Klaus laughing, something you rarely see him doing in other pix. In fact, other than that great shot at the end of MY BEST FIEND, I can't think of any others that show Kinski smiling or appearing to have a good time. It's kinda sad, really.

Anyway, check out the pix, especially the one where it looks like he's prepping for his one-man show, MOE: The Angriest Stooge.

Close-Up Blog-A-Thon: The Creature is Sly

2007-10-18T11:16:00.000-04:00

The film is A BULLET FOR THE GENERAL, a politically-charged late 1960s Spaghetti Western starring Lou Castel as an American who joins up with El Chucho (Gian Maria Volonte) and his gang of marauding bandits. Highly regarded by critics, Eurotrash fans and directors like Alex Cox, BULLET is considered by some to rank among the greatest Spaghetti Westerns ever made. Me? I like THE GREAT SILENCE.

Though my first viewing of BULLET left me underwhelmed (perhaps due to the build-up from fellow Eurotrash fans and my lukewarm response to the whole western genre), the flick does feature one outstanding scene that not only makes the film worth watching, but also points to the brilliance of Klaus Kinski.

Kinski co-stars as El Santo, Chucho's half-brother (the two bear little, if any resemblance, to one another) and a revolutionary fueled by a religious fervor. This zealous rage spills over into what one critic suggests "may be one of the most fantastic sequences in any western." Frankly, I disagree... there's no "maybe" about it.

In the scene, Kinski – dressed in a monk's robe – leaps atop a fortress wall and looks down upon a medal ceremony honoring Mexican soldiers. His hair wild, his blue eyes flaring, several days worth of stubble covering his face, El Santo howls at the soldiers gathered below, all of whom seem terrified of this madman staring down at them. As he recites The Lord's Prayer, El Santo begins lobbing grenades at the troops, punctuating the prayer with ear-splitting KABOOMs!

Watching the sequence, which concludes with El Santo taking up a rifle and firing on the soldiers with his fellow rebels, it's hard to rationalize this wild performance with the money-hungry pain-in-the-ass Kinski would appear to be during the filming of flicks like VENOM (listen to director Piers Haggard's commentary track) or REVENGE OF THE STOLEN STARS (see our interview with Barry Hickey at the Online Guide to Klaus Kinski).

The period of the late 1960s and early 1970s were a Golden Age of sorts for Klaus. His international fame had not spread yet – the career-defining AGUIRRE, THE WRATH OF GOD didn't come out until 1972 and Kinski was free to flex his acting chops in a wide variety of roles.

There were more Spaghetti Westerns, including THE GREAT SILENCE (1969), perhaps the greatest example of the genre and Kinski's greatest performance, this time as a the aptly-named Loco, a ruthless bounty hunter squaring off against a mute gunslinger. One of his most robust performances of the era came in GRAND SLAM (1967), an elaborate caper flick co-starring Edward G. Robinson and Janet Leigh. And let us not forget krimis like DOUBLE FACE (1969), the soon-to-be-released on DVD war flicks SALT IN THE WOUND (1969) and CHURCHILL'S LEOPARDS (1970) and the sexually charged giallo SLAUGHTER HOTEL (1971).

Prior to his major international score, though, Kinski appeared in a handful of flicks for Spanish director Jess Franco. While some directors that worked with Kinski relished the opportunity to take pot-shots at him after his death, Franco appeared to love working with the star, casting him in roles both small (such as his standout turn as a memorable, silent Renfield in EL CONDE DRACULA) and large (a titular turn in the director's gory JACK THE RIPPER).

In the existential VENUS IN FURS (1969), Kinski stars as Ahmed, one of a trio of sadists that may or may not have killed a beautiful young woman in front of Jimmy, a jazz trumpeteer played by James Darren. When Jimmy arrives in Rio he meets a woman who is a dead ringer for the young beauty and he wonders what's going on. In a series of hypnotic episodes the three pervs find themselves encountering the "victim" as well, though without the same results as before.

Kinski's role in the film is brief and his voice is dubbed by that of another actor. But fans will be hard-pressed to complain, because he's never looked better on film. In the scene where he's introduced, Franco has the other actors "freeze" while Kinski is free to move in the background. Decked out in a black tux and looking like he could be getting ready to play the villain Le Chifre in a 1960s Bond adaptation, Kinski steps toward the camera and is framed against a red background (the color is predominant throughout the film).

A complete 180 from his look in BULLET, Kinski is nothing but the suave, sadistic playboy on the make and Franco captures the gaunt features and penetrating, icy eyes that would serve the actor so well in the many, many villainous roles to come.

Close-Up Blog-A-Thon: Intro

2007-10-18T11:02:00.000-04:00

A month ago I was making my way through the Web, following what seemed like a series of random links that took me from one movie blog to another and another. Looking back on that day, I now realize that unseen forces may have been at work, perhaps the hand of a certain notorious but brilliant actor guiding my mouse... from the beyond?

Eventually, I landed at The House Next Door, an intelligent, well-written and thought-provoking blog covering everything from cinema to television. There I discovered information about the upcoming Close-Up Blog-A-Thon, a web-based event scheduled to run from October 12-21 that celebrated the greatness of the closeup.

Naturally, it took about two seconds for me to commit to writing an entry about Klaus Kinski, the man for whom the close-up was invented. And, with today being the 81st anniversary of K2's birth, I only had to sit. And wait. And choose.

And with 200+ entries in the man's legendary filmography, selecting just one, perhaps no more than two, would present me with one of my greatest challenges.

But, after much thought and meditation I was able to select two scenes, two shots in fact, that brilliantly capture the man they called Klaus Kinski.

Happy 81st Birthday Klaus!

2007-10-18T10:50:00.000-04:00

It's October 18th and that can only mean one thing – it's time to celebrate the 81st birthday of the one, the only Klaus Kinski. It's hard to believe that Klaus has almost been gone for 16 years and the thought is doubly tragic when you consider how great it would be if he was still around today, appearing on reality shows (FOX's 'So You Want to Be the Next German Olivier', perhaps?), and providing commentary for the many Klaus flicks still to make their way to legit DVD.

Sigh. In the meantime we'll just have to make do with the memories we have and cherish those special Klaus-tastic moments that make his flicks so worthwhile.

Don't know what to do to commemorate the day? Why not check out our Online Guide to Klaus Kinski at the Exploitation Retrospect website? You can sample reviews of such K2 flicks as DEATH SMILED AT MURDER, VENOM and LIFESPAN, read our popular interview with Kinski Kostar Barry Hickey, or even check out an American Film article about him.

John Buechler on Kinski Effects

2007-09-13T06:37:00.000-04:00

I've been flipping through a ton of horror zines and mags lately as I get items ready for posting to eBay. Every once in a while I stumble upon a reference to Klaus Kinski, like the interview below with effects wiz John Carl Buechler, the man behind the effects for such flicks as TOMB OF THE WEREWOLF (a fun Fred Olen Ray flick with Paul Naschy), the horrid MINER'S MASSACRE (which Buechler also directed), and the astounding BLOOD SURF. Click the images to view larger scans of the interview which was found in the pages of Splatter Times #6.

Virtual Kinski Box Art Gallery

2007-09-11T06:04:00.000-04:00

Like the LP, the lost art of the VHS cover is, indeed, a lost art. DVD covers are often shoddy montages of scenes from the film whereas VHS covers tended to replicate – or create their own – dramatic posters.

And nobody's face lends itself to interpretation like the one and only Klaus Kinski. Check out Scarecrow Video's "Virtual Gallery" of Kinski VHS box cover art (there is a DVD cover or two thrown in there) and you might get an idea why this guy is so captivating, even if he's only in the flick for five minutes.

Horror Zines and Mag Auctions

2007-08-31T07:43:00.001-04:00

After taking the summer months off to hang with Chris and Ryan, it's time to get back to the serious business of selling. This week I started working my way through the boxes and boxes and boxes of old horror zines and mags that I have. The first batch were posted last night, including several early issues of the info and interview packed SCARLET STREET and the 80s gore zine SPLATTER TIMES.

Weird Coincidence with Jack the Ripper

2007-08-31T06:33:00.000-04:00

How weird.

According to History.com, today marks the 119th anniversary of the murder of Whitechapel prostitute Mary Ann Nichols. Nichols was considered the first victim of the notorious Jack the Ripper, the sadistic serial killer who plagued London for several more months. The last Ripper victim, Mary Kelly, was killed on November 7th. No more murders were ever officially attributed to the killer and the case was closed – unsolved – several years later.

I say "weird" because of the movie that's supposed to arrive at my house later today courtesy of NetFlix – MURDER BY DECREE, Bob Clark's 1979 thriller starring Christopher Plummer as fictional detective Sherlock Holmes, hot on the trail of The Ripper.

Naturally, if we're talking about "Saucy Jack" (as he's referred to in THIS IS SPINAL TAP) I have to mention Jess Franco's JACK THE RIPPER starring the one and only Klaus Kinski. Here's my take from a fresh watch of the uncut director's version of the flick from last summer.

And while we're at it, don't forget that DECREE star Plummer appeared with Kinski in NOSFERATU IN VENICE, which I'll be reviewing soon now that I have an uncut, widescreen presentation of the flick to replace my 800th generation Greek subtitled, full frame VHS.

Klaus Goes to War Double Bill Coming to DVD

2007-08-27T12:49:00.000-04:00

Just found out that Wild East is bringing not one but two Klaus Goes to War flicks to DVD. Best of all, this double feature disc features both flicks for one low price.

You get CHURCHILL'S LEOPARDS (1970) with Klaus as a sadistic SS officer alongside Richard Harrison. Also on the bill is SALT IN THE WOUND (1969) aka THE LIBERATORS.

I saw THE LIBERATORS version years ago when I was working on the Kinski issue of ER. It was one of those cheapy budget VHS tapes you could pick up at Woolworth's so it didn't have any credits whatsoever.

Set in the waning days of World War II, THE LIBERATORS instantly earned my respect by opening with a major gunfight with the dreaded Nazi scum. And when that battle ends with a crazed GI wasting the captured Krauts and his commanding officer, I thought my head was going to explode... and we had yet to catch a glimpse of our man of the hour, Klaus Kinski.

Much to my surprise though, when K2 does pop up, it is not as a German soldier like any right thinking human being would expect. No, instead we have a young Klaus with a slick pompadour and Joe American accent pumping out all sorts of attitude as a US soldier on his way to be executed for the murder of an innocent German civilian. (Hey come on...we were at war you know.)

When a group of Germans ambush the soldiers sent to execute Klaus and the crazed soldier mentioned earlier, the two take the opportunity to grab a couple guns, shoot some Krauts, and dash into the hills. An act of God? Just dumb luck? You decide.

The fly in the ointment here is that the Lieutenant of the execution squad (who looks a hell of a lot like a young Bradford Dillman) also avoids death and is forced to flee behind enemy lines with the two escapees. After a few silly attempts at taking the two in, the Lt. realizes that if they are going to survive the three have to team up. That they do, killing more Nazis along the way and adopting new identities in order to avoid the certain death which will soon be coming their way.

THE LIBERATORS is action-packed without being too much of a war film and just enough of a redemption tale without being too sappy. I'm totally looking forward to seeing this flick again and checking out CHURCHILL'S LEOPARDS!

Another Year Another Eurotrash World, er, Gathering

2007-08-14T18:44:00.000-04:00

Another year, another gathering of The Eurotrash Paradise under my belt. Actually, it's more like over my belt as it seems like we ate and drank and ate and drank our way through four days of fun, friends, movies, buying and more. Unfortunately, these weekends are too short and infrequent, but what are you going to do?

Also unofficially dubbed Christmas in August (nobody owns that, do they?), these gatherings are a great time to exchange movies, posters, books, mags and more with friends you know will appreciate them. This year I made out like a bandit and my weekend haul of Kinski-specific items (gifts and purchases) included:

A YEAR OF FEAR by Bryan Senn: this terrific new book is just what the title suggests. Senn offers up 366 horror films, one for each day, that somehow ties in to an event from that day. March 25th – the anniversary of the discovery of Titan, Saturn's moon – features the 1984 Kinski flick CREATURE. Bryan and I don't always see eye-to-eye (he prefers snooty Eurobrews, soccer and LAKE PLACID while I dig American swill, pro football and FRIDAY THE 13TH) but his writing is always engaging and entertaining, and he never pulls his punches.
TARGET FOR KILLING: I've never seen this 1966 Eurospy flick featuring Stewart Granger and Kinski, but it now sits on my shelf awaiting a viewing.
The latest issues of FILM COMMENT which features a four page article on Kinski by Maitland McDonagh.
And not one, not two but three new Klaus Kinski movie posters (SCHIZOID, VENOM and the BEAST OF THE YELLOW NIGHT/CREATURE WITH THE BLUE HAND double bill) plus an awesome window card for WEB OF THE SPIDER featuring Kinski as Edgar Allan Poe with a moustache that can only be defined as "whispy".

Say Hi to Ryan

2007-06-06T09:28:00.001-04:00

As regular readers of this blog know, my wife and I have been expecting our first child. In the midst of LeBron James' bust out playoff performance on Thursday night Chris let me know that she was pretty sure she was in labor (To which I replied, "Did you see that dunk by LeBron?!" I don't think I was quite ready yet).

By Friday morning we were pretty convinced that this was the real deal and our doctor confirmed it. Around noon we were on our way to the hospital and getting whisked in to a delivery room. A few hours later all 20.5" and 7 lbs. 2 oz. of Ryan Taylor arrived kicking and screaming in this world.

To say that the birth of my daughter was one of the most surreal experiences of my life is a bit of an understatement. It brings a certain clarity and focus to your life that wasn't there before and makes you think that all the crap you've gone through, mistakes you've made, near disasters you somehow lived through, everything you've done was somehow leading up to this.

I know, that's some heavy philosophical bs from a guy who writes a blog called The Klaus Kinski Files, but as Dalton says in ROAD HOUSE, "Nobody wins a fight." I'm not sure what that has to do with anything, but that's what Ryan and I were watching last night so it sorta stuck with me.

We'll probably be a little light on posts until our schedules go from topsy-turvy to just discombobulated, but I'm sure you can understand.

Herzog Interview at The Onion AV Club... Sadly No Kinski

2007-05-24T09:56:00.001-04:00

Frequent Kinski director Werner Herzog gives a brief interview to the Onion AV Club. Sadly, no talk about my man Klaus Kinski.