The Recent Boom of Spanish Exploitation cinema on U.S. Boutique Labels: The case of Paul Naschy.

Much of Spanish cinema has been perennially difficult to obtain or even access through legal means in the United States, with the exceptions of cine de calidad by a handful of auteur directors, such as Carlos Saura, Luis Buñuel, Luis García Berlanga, Pedro Almodóvar, or Iciar Bollaín, through labels such as Criterion. In recent years, however, boutique labels from the U.S. have begun releasing deluxe editions of works from some of Spain's most marginalized and shunned directors of the 1970s and 80s, which include Paul Naschy, Jesús (Jess) Franco, Narciso Ibáñez Serrador, José Ramón Larraz, Eloy de la Iglesia, or Amando de Ossorio. In 2017, Andy Willis explained the popularity of actor/director Paul Naschy as a cult film star rather than a traditional one, who owes his fame to horror fanzines and fan websites. His earliest films were originally more popular outside of Spain. Though he filmed there, he was required to claim a setting outside of the Peninsula, use non-Spanish actresses, and eliminate excessive violence and nudity, except in the international versions. Boutique labels have released a total of twenty-seven Naschy films on Blu Ray and 4K between 2015 and 2023. These are high-resolution films not available on streaming sites, so these editions maintain a certain level of exclusivity. These are the Spanish films with the largest fanbase, so with the sharpened focus on studies in popular culture, it is essential that we analyze the current appeal, reception, and relevance of this formerly discredited and often ostracized film genre. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]