Inquisition: Limited Red Case Edition – Mondo Macabro (4k UHD)

Theatrical Release Date: Spain, 1978
Director: Paul Naschy
Writer: Paul Naschy
Cast: Paul Naschy, Daniela Giordano, Mónica Randall, Ricardo Merino, Tony Isbert, Julia Saly, Antonio Iranzo, Juan Luis Galiardo, Eduardo Calvo, Tota Alba

Release Date: March 24th, 2026
Approximate Running Time: 89 Minutes 54 Seconds
Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1 Widescreen / 2160 Progressive / HEVC / H.265
Rating: NR
Sound: DTS-HD Mono Spanish, DTS-HD Mono English
Subtitles: English
Region Coding: Region Free
Retail Price: $35.00

"In 16th century France, Inquisitor and magistrate Bernard de Fossey (Paul Naschy) travels to the plague-ridden region of Peyriac in search of witches and devil worshipers. Local beauty Catherine (Daniela Giordano) quickly catches his eye, tormenting him with impure thoughts, although her affections lie with her handsome fiancé Jean. Meanwhile, embittered one-eyed manservant Rénover (Antonio Iranzo) presents Bernard with his first group of torture victims when he accuses several sexy young things who spurned his advances of being witches responsible for the plague.

One by one beautiful women are tortured on the rack then burned at the stake. No-one seems able to halt the Inquisition's reign of terror or the baseless accusations that cause so many innocent deaths. When Jean dies in mysterious circumstances, Catherine allies herself with Satan to get revenge on her enemies - foremost among them, De Fossey himself." - synopsis provided by the distributor

Video: 5/5

Here’s the information provided about the transfer, “2160p presentation taken from a new 4K restoration of the original camera negative."

Inquisition comes on a 66 GB dual layer 4K UHD

Disc Size: 56.2 GB

Feature: 48.1 GB

When compared to Mondo Macabro’s 2017 Blu-ray, this new release is a marked improvement. The most notable area of improvement is its organic appearance, where its predecessor had issues with digital noise reduction.

Audio: 4.5/5 (DTS-HD Mono Spanish), 4.25/5 (DTS-HD Mono English)

This release comes with two audio options, a DTS-HD mono mix in English and a DTS-HD mono mix in Spanish. With this release are removable English subtitles. Both tracks sound clean, clear, and balanced throughout. The main difference between these two audio mixes is the quality of their translations. The Spanish track does a better job reinforcing the subject matter at hand.

Extras:

Extras for this release include an introduction with actor/director Paul Naschy (7 minutes 36 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo Spanish with removable English subtitles), an interview with actress Daniela Giordano (14 minutes 22 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo Italian with English subtitles), an interview with Paul Naschy’s son Sergio Molina (21 minutes 39 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo Spanish with removable English subtitles), an interview with actress Loreta Tovar (19 minutes 30 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo Spanish with removable English subtitles), an audio commentary with Rod Barnett and Troy Guinn (the Naschycast), reversible cover art, and a slipcover.

Summary:

Inquisition marked Paul Naschy's debut as director. Besides casting himself in the lead role, he also wrote this film's screenplay. No name has become more synonymous with Spanish horror cinema than Paul Naschy, who, as an actor, portrayed wolf men, a hunchback, vampires, and other monsters. Although he is most remembered for his films that had classic horror cinema monsters, his diverse filmography includes films like Inquisition that take horror to another level. Inquisition’s narrative takes place during mediaeval evil times, and the result is a film that is one of the best examples of the panic and destruction caused by inquisitions.

A witchfinder general falls in love with a woman who’s made a pact with the devil.

The opening step up does a phenomenal job setting the tone and the stage for the events that follow. The well-crafted narrative builds momentum with a series of tense moments that build upon each other and culminate with an exemplary finale that serves as a perfect coda. Another strength of the narrative is how well it blends exposition and explanation elements. 

All around, the cast are great in their roles, especially Daniela Giordano (Four Times That Night) in the role of Catherine, a young woman who professes her loyalty to Satan after the man she loved gets murdered. Other performances of note are Mónica Randall (My Dear Killer) in the role of Madeleine, the woman who introduces Catherine to black magic and Antonio Iranzo (Cut-Throats Nine) in the role of Rénover, a disfigured servant who lusts after Catherine’s sister. Of course, Paul Naschy (Curse of the Devil) delivers another solid performance in the dual roles of a witch-finder named Bernard de Fossey and Satan.

While carnage is a given for a horror film, when it comes to the cinema of Paul Naschy, his films tend to lean into the sleaze, and Inquisition takes full advantage of its female cast members' alluring attributes. Another area where Inquisition stands out is its torture scenes, most of which are not for the faint of heart. Ultimately, Inquisition is an unflinching account of the power given to those who expose witches and other heretics.

Inquisition gets an excellent release from Mondo Macabro that comes with a solid audio/video presentation and informative extras. Highly recommended.

Note: This edition is limited to 1200 copies.

Note about the 4K screenshots: It is not possible to make Dolby Vision or HDR10 screenshots that faithfully match the experience of watching a film in motion on a TV. Instead of not having any screenshots, all of the 4K screenshots are m2ts taken with a MPC-HC player and lossless PNGs.

Written by Michael Den Boer

The People Who Own the Dark – Severin Films (Blu-ray)

Theatrical Release Date: Spain, 1976
Director: León Klimovsky
Writers: Gabriel Moreno Burgos, Vicente Aranda
Cast: Nadiuska, Alberto de Mendoza, Teresa Gimpera, Emiliano Redondo, Julia Saly, Tomás Picó, Diana Polakov, Antonio Mayans, Maria Perschy, Paul Naschy

Release Date: February 3rd, 2026
Approximate Running Times: 99 Minutes 57 Seconds (Spanish Cut), 83 Minutes 2 Seconds (U.S. Cut)
Aspect Ratio: 1.66:1 Widescreen / 1080 Progressive / MPEG-4 AVC (Spanish Cut), 1.85:1 Widescreen / 1080 Progressive / MPEG-4 AVC (U.S. Cut)
Rating: NR
Sound: DTS-HD Mono Spanish (Spanish Cut), DTS-HD Mono English (U.S. Cut)
Subtitles: English (Spanish Cut), English SDH (U.S. Cut)
Region Coding: Region Free
Retail Price: $219.95 (Exorcismo: Defying A Dictator & Raising Hell In Post-Franco Spain)

Video: 5/5 (Spanish Cut), 19.5 GB (U.S. Cut)

Here’s the information provided about this release's transfer, "4K scan from original camera negative provided by Vivavision. 4K scan from the 35mm print of the U.S. cut scanned by Severin Films."

The People Who Own the Dark comes on a 50 GB dual layer Blu-ray.

Disc Size: 45.4 GB

Feature: 23.7 GB (Spanish Cut), 19.5 GB (U.S. Cut)

The Spanish cut’s source looks excellent, free of any distracting imperfections. Flesh tones look healthy, colors are nicely saturated, image clarity, black levels, and compression are solid, and the image always looks organic.

Although this new transfer is a substantial improvement over Code Red’s Blu-ray, some source damage remains. Flesh tones and colors look correct, image clarity and black levels are strong, compression is solid, and the image retains an organic look.

Audio: 5/5 (DTS-HD Mono Spanish), 4/5 (DTS-HD Mono English)

The Spanish cut comes with one audio option, a DTS-HD mono mix in Spanish with removable English subtitles. The audio sounds excellent; dialogue always comes through clearly, everything sounds balanced, and ambient sounds are well represented.

The U.S. cut comes with one audio option, a DTS-HD mono mix in English with removable English SDH. The audio is a noticeable improvement over Code Red’s Blu-ray release; dialogue always comes through clearly, and everything sounds balanced.

Extras:

Extras for The People Who Own the Dark include a U.S. theatrical trailer (1 minute 5 seconds, Dolby Digital mono English, no subtitles), an interview titled A Unique Iconography In Spanish Terror with Ángel Sala, head of programming at the Sitges Film Festival (18 minutes 9 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo Spanish with removable English subtitles), an interview with actor Antonio Mayans titled Joking on Set (9 minutes 25 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo Spanish with removable English subtitles), and an audio commentary with Rod Barnett and Troy Guinn, film historians/co-hosts of NaschyCast for the Spanish cut.

The People Who Own the Dark is currently only available as part of a collection of films titled Exorcismo: Defying A Dictator & Raising Hell In Post-Franco Spain. That release comes with 17 additional films, a documentary about Spanish cinema titled Exorcismo: The Transgressive Legacy of Clasificada "S," and a 168-page book.

Summary:

León Klimovsky directed The People Who Own the Dark. He frequently worked with Paul Naschy. His notable films are Werewolf Shadow, Vengeance of the Zombies, A Dragonfly for Each Corpse, and The Vampires’ Night Orgy.

The narrative revolves around a group of wealthy aristocrats and politicians getting together for a night of debauchery with some ladies in the dungeon of a castle. What should have been a decadent night of pleasure quickly turned into a walking nightmare. The partygoers discover that they are the only survivors of a nuclear holocaust.

The primary reason The People Who Own the Dark is effective lies in its intriguing premise and rich atmosphere. That said, there are many moments in which the narrative tends to drag, and yet the end result is a very eerie post-apocalyptic thriller that comes damn close to pulling off all its ambitions.

The People Who Own the Dark’s greatest strength is its scenes involving the blind (zombie-like characters) who shambled around town and eventually followed the survivors of the nuclear holocaust back to their home. The People Who Own the Dark features a notable amount of nudity and sexual content, along with sufficiently gory kills.

The cast performs well in their roles, and while no single performance stands out, many viewers who are interested in The People Who Own the Dark are particularly drawn to Paul Naschy (Horror Rises from the Tomb) in the role of Borne. That said, the cast is filled with many recognizable faces like Nadiuska (Beatriz), Alberto de Mendoza (The Case of the Scorpion's Tail), Antonio Mayans (Cries of Pleasure), and Maria Perschy (Blue Eyes of the Broken Doll). Ultimately, The People Who Own the Dark is a Spanish post-apocalyptic film that is equal parts Night of the Living Dead and The Omega Man.

A note about the two versions: while the Spanish version is longer, these extra moments are further fleshing out of characters, and they do not feature any additional sleaze or gore. That said, the English language version omits about 16 minutes of footage, and it has different opening credits.

Severin Films gives The People Who Own the Dark a definitive release. Highly recommended.

                                                    Spanish Cut Screenshots.

                                                             U.S. Cut Screenshots.

Written by Michael Den Boer

Frankenstein's Bloody Terror (3-D) – Kino Lorber (Blu-ray)

Theatrical Release Date: Spain/West Germany, 1968
Director: Enrique López Eguiluz
Writer: Paul Naschy (as Jacinto Molina)
Cast: Paul Naschy, Dyanik Zurakowska, Manuel Manzaneque, Rosanna Yanni, Gualberto Galbán, Aurora de Alba, Julián Ugarte, José Nieto, Carlos Casaravilla, Ángel Menéndez, Antonio Jiménez Escribano

Release Date: August 26th, 2025
Approximate Running Time: 78 Minutes 13 Seconds
Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1 Widescreen / 1080 Progressive / MPEG-4 AVCC
Rating: NR
Sound: DTS-HD Mono English
Subtitles: English SDH
Region Coding: Region A
Retail Price: $29.95

"Waldemar Daninsky (Naschy) suffers the bite of a werewolf and seeks the aid of a pair of occultists to rid himself of the curse. But Dr. Mikhelov and his wife (Julián Ugarte and Aurora de Alba) are in fact vampires, and Waldemar’s only defense against them is to unchain the lycanthrope within." - synopsis provided by the distributor

Video:

Here’s the information provided about this release's transfer, "Newly mastered in 4K from 35mm elements of the U.S. release cut of the film (compromised by decomposition), this Kino Cult edition has been meticulously restored by the 3-D Film Archive and is presented in both the stereoscopic (3-D player and monitor required) and anaglyph versions (one pair of red/green glasses provided)."

Frankenstein's Bloody Terror comes on a 50 GB dual layer Blu-ray.

Disc Size: 43.2 GB

Feature: 19.6 GB (3-D Version/2-D Version), 18.4 GB (Anaglyph Version)

There are obvious limitations to these transfers, and without being able to access the original negative, I have no doubt that these transfers cannot look any better than they do here. That said, the 3-D presentation is the strongest of the three included; colors fare much better than the other two versions, in which they look flat.

Audio:

This release comes with one option, a DTS-HD mono mix in English with removable English SDH. The audio sounds clean and balanced; range-wise, it is limited.

Extras:

Extras for this release include three radio spots (1 minute 42 seconds, Dolby Digital mono English, no subtitles), a theatrical trailer (3 minutes 4 seconds, Dolby Digital mono English, no subtitles), alternate opening title sequence under the titled Hell’s Creatures (2 minutes 15 seconds, Dolby Digital mono with text in English), nine deleted scenes with text information about them (15 minutes 41 seconds, 2.35:1 aspect ratio, Dolby Digital mono English, no subtitles), a featurette with novelist and film critic Tim Lucas titled About the 3-D Restoration (25 minutes 28 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), an audio commentary with Tim Lucas, an audio commentary with film historians Troy Howarth, Troy Guinn and Rodney Barnett, a pair of red/green glasses, reversible cover art, and a slipcover (limited to the first pressing).

Summary:

Frankenstein's Bloody Terror, originally known as The Mark of the Wolf Man, was the first of 12 films (11 were completed) where Paul Naschy portrayed a werewolf named Count Waldemar Daninsky. The Mark of the Wolf Man was renamed for its U.S. release; 15 minutes of footage were removed, mostly the opening reel and credits, while newly created opening credits were added. That said, having never seen The Mark of the Wolf Man, the full-length version, this review is only a comment on the U.S. version.

A man suffering from lycanthropy unknowingly invites two vampires into his home who claim their knowledge of the occult can cure him.

Frankenstein's Bloody Terror lacks the style that Paul Naschy’s later Waldemar Daninsky films all have. It was directed by Enrique López Eguiluz, a filmmaker not familiar with the horror genre; his most notable film is Santo Faces Death. Although a lot of effort went into the staging of moments that would exploit the 3-D format, the bulk of the visuals are uninspired.

Paul Naschy, throughout his career, has often paid homage to Hollywood’s classic monsters of the 1920s and 30s, and Lon Chaney has an undeniable influence on him. For Frankenstein's Bloody Terror, the first screenplay he wrote, these influences can be felt throughout; it is a film that has werewolves and vampires, and oddly enough, there is no Frankenstein despite its retitling. That said, despite having many core elements he would often return to, they are lacking the execution that his later films have.

Though things start off strong with the introduction of the werewolf who's awakened by two gypsies who disturbed his tomb, the middle act lacks focus, while things finally pick up momentum in the last act. Most of that middle act is Waldemar Daninsky staying in an abandoned monastery where he is restrained so he cannot hurt anyone, while his friend searches for a cure. Most of the monster action comes in the last act, where Waldemar Daninsky and another werewolf clash against two vampires.

Does the deleted footage improve upon the U.S. version? Despite fleshing some things out, most of these moments feel like filler. That said, seeing The Mark of the Wolf Man in its full-length version and in Spanish would likely enhance many elements that do not work well in the U.S. version. Ultimately, Frankenstein's Bloody Terror is tame, lacking the carnage and exploitation elements that drive Paul Naschy’s later horror films.

Kino Lorber gives Frankenstein's Bloody Terror its best home media release to date.

 

Written by Michael Den Boer

Dr. Jekyll vs. The Werewolf – Mondo Macabro (4k UHD)

Theatrical Release Date: Spain, 1972
Director: León Klimovsky
Writer: Paul Naschy
Cast: Paul Naschy, Shirley Corrigan, Jack Taylor, Mirta Miller, José Marco, Luis Induni, Barta Barri, Luis Gaspar, Elsa Zabala, Lucy Tiller, Jorge Vico, Adolfo Thous

Release Date: June 10th, 2025
Approximate Running Time: 85 Minutes 56 Seconds (Spanish Cut)
Aspect Ratio: 1.66:1 Widescreen / 2160 Progressive / HEVC / H.265
Rating: NR
Sound: DTS-HD Mono Spanish, DTS-HD Mono English
Subtitles: English
Region Coding: Region Free
Retail Price: $34.95

"Quite simply the most crazed and delirious film of Spanish horror icon Paul Naschy’s long career. The trouble starts when our favorite El Hombre Lobo, Waldemar Daninsky (Naschy, of course) goes to the infamous Dr Jekyll (Euro-cult fave Jack Taylor) for help ridding himself of the lycanthropy curse. Things don’t exactly go as planned. The results are some of the most bizarre and entertaining moments of the entire 70s Spanish horror boom." - synopsis provided by the distributor

Video: 5/5

Here’s the information provided about the Spanish cut's transfer, "Brand new 4K restoration provided by the licensor. It appears that Dr. Jekyll vs. The Werewolf was released in at least 4 different versions.

The original Spanish cut, with "clothed" scenes, a version released in the U.S. with some "clothed" and some "naked" scenes, a version released in the UK with some scenes cut and a version available in Germany with all of the stronger scenes intact.

The current owner of the film only has access to the Spanish version. Despite a long search we are unable to locate usable 35mm materials for all of the cut or altered scenes. To recreate the most complete version of the film, as presented here, we had to uses a mixture of 16mm footage and clips from analogue and digital video sources of variable quality."

Dr. Jekyll vs. The Werewolf comes on a 66 GB dual layer 4K UHD.

Disc Size: 33.8 GB

Feature: 33.7 GB

The Spanish cut's source is in excellent shape. Flesh tones look correct, colors are nicely saturated, image clarity, contrast, black levels, and compression are solid, and the image always looks organic. That said, this is Mondo Macabro’s best-looking Paul Naschy film transfer. The bulk of the source, the export cut, is comparable to the Spanish cut’s source, with a few moments where the quality does dip due to using lower-quality sources.

Audio: 4/5 (DTS-HD Mono Spanish), 4.25.5 (DTS-HD Mono English)

The Spanish cut comes with two audio options, a DTS-HD mono mix in Spanish and a DTS-HD mono mix in English. Included are removable English subtitles for the Spanish-language track. The Spanish language track has some instances of background hiss; both English language tracks are in better shape. That said, dialog always comes through clearly, everything sounds balanced, and range-wise, these two tracks sound good.

Extras:

Extras for this release include an audio commentary with Rodney Barnett and Troy Guinn of the NaschyCast for the Spanish cut.

Summary:

Directed by León Klimovsky, a filmmaker who frequently worked with Paul Naschy. His notable films are Werewolf Shadow, Vengeance of the Zombies, A Dragonfly for Each Corpse, and The Vampires’ Night Orgy.

The narrative revolves around a man suffering from lycanthropy whose search for a cure leads him to the grandson of Dr. Jekyll.

Over the course of his five-decade career, Paul Naschy showed a kinship for the horror genre, especially films with monsters that were clearly inspired by Universal’s classic monster films of the 1930s and 1940s. With Dr. Jekyll vs. The Werewolf, Paul Naschy once again makes a film that is filled with familiar monsters, albeit with his own personal twist on them. Also, Dr. Jekyll vs. The Werewolf would mark the sixth time that Paul Naschy portrayed Waldemar Daninsky, a character he would portray 12 times.

The premise—a man returning to Transylvania, the place where he was born—sets a solid foundation from which Dr. Jekyll vs. The Werewolf builds. And though Paul Naschy does not appear until around the 18-minute mark, it is clear that his character is the protagonist. His character is given a heroic introduction when he saves a woman who is about to be raped by a gang of thieves who just killed her husband. From there, the woman quickly forgets about her dead husband and falls in love with Waldemar Daninsky. Anyone who has seen a fair number of Paul Naschy films knows that women cannot resist the characters he portrays.

As good as the entire cast in the roles, they all take a beat seat to Paul Naschy, who once again delivers an enthralling performance. His enthusiasm and affection for horror cinema make his performances all the more potent. Mirta Miller's (Eyeball) portrayal of Dr. Jekyll’s grandson’s assistant is a standout performance. Her character is devoted to Dr. Jekyll’s grandson, and when scorned, she unleashes hell. Not to be overlooked is Jack Taylor's (Succubus) portrayal of Dr. Jekyll’s grandson.

Though it is not uncommon for a Paul Naschy film to have multiple classic monsters, Dr. Jekyll vs. The Werewolf is filled with them. Besides Waldemar Daninsky, who is a werewolf, there is a witch named Bela; Dr. Jekyll’s grandson fulfills the role of the mad scientist; and Waldemar Daninsky is also Mr. Hyde. That said, Dr. Jekyll vs. the Werewolf is a mishmash of monsters that is melded into one cohesive thing that somehow works.

From a production standpoint, Dr. Jekyll vs. The Werewolf is a film where everything perfectly falls into place. The narrative’s pacing does a great job of maintaining momentum, and a superb finale provides a very satisfying coda. Also, the visuals create a lot of atmosphere, and Antón García Abril (The Tombs of the Blind Dead) delivers an exemplary score that reinforces the foreboding mood. Another area where Dr. Jekyll vs. The Werewolf has gore effects. Ultimately, Dr. Jekyll vs. The Werewolf is a solid entry in Paul Naschy’s Waldemar Daninsky films, and although it may not be the best film in this series, it is still in the top three.

Dr. Jekyll vs. The Werewolf gets an exceptional release from Mondo Macabro that comes with a solid audio/video presentation and informative audio commentary, highly recommended.

Note about the 4K screenshots: It is not possible to make Dolby Vision or HDR10 screenshots that faithfully match the experience of watching a film in motion on a TV. Instead of not having any screenshots, all of the 4K screenshots are m2ts taken with a VLC player and lossless PNGs.

Written by Michael Den Boer