Beast and the Magic Sword

Director- Jacinto Molina

Cast- Paul Naschy, Shigeru Amachi

Country of Origin- Spain/Japan
 

Distributor - Mondo Macabro

Number of Discs - 1

Reviewed by  Scott MacDonald

Date- 03/25/2020

    Throughout the late 1960's and 1970's Paul Naschy had firmly established himself as Spain's answer to Universal and Hammer by pretty much playing every single classic monster (Dracula, Wolfman, Hunchback) in his own movies throughout those decades. His most famous character was Waldemar Daninksy, a wolfman, without a consistent origin story that he played over a dozen time over 4 decades.

    This month Mondo Macabro have unveiled the first official domestic release of what amounts to the 11th Daninsky film Beast and the Magic Sword. This film was shot in the early 1980's when Naschy found himself deprived of film funding in his native Spain, and had to look for foreign funding. Much like his earlier Human Beasts, he would find it in Japan. As such he would again revise Daninsky's origin story, this time to take place in feudal Japan.  An ancestor of Waldemar is called upon for a duel with a warrior named Bulcho, that ends with him being cursed. This curse gods down the family line.   The movie picks up centuries later with Waldemar working to try and stop the family curse by traveling to Japan.

    The Beast and the Magic Sword is a Naschy film I'd not seen before. Normally, I'd feel a bit guilty about this, but apparently this one has not seen quality (or any) releases outside of Spain prior to Mondo Macabro unleashing this, so apparently it is understandable. It is a totally wild-ride, going from one whack-tastic horror/fantasy set piece to another. The only real downside is that the film has a 2 hour running time, so while there is enough craziness to sustain the entertainment quality here, it does get to feel a bit long after a while.

    Mondo Macabro presents Beast and the Magic Sword in both an open matte 1:33:1 1080p transfer and a matted 1:66:1 transfer, which MM notes is possibly the correct viewing option. Both look very solid, with excellent color and detail. The audio is presented with a DTS-HD Mono track in Spanish that sounds quite solid and without issue. Extras include a fine commentary by Rod Barnett and Troy Guinn of the famed NaschyCast that is in depth and informative. There is also an introduction and interview with Naschy, and an interview with Gavin Baddeley.