El caminante

El caminante (1979)

*** 1/2 (out of 4)

Tomas (David Rocha) is a young man who is befriended by Leonardo (Paul Naschy) who promises him a great adventure, which will lead to wealth. What Tomas doesn't realize is that Leonardo is actually the Devil who has come to Earth to see what man is like.

EL CAMINANTE, also known as THE DEVIL INCARNATE, is considered by many to be Paul Naschy's masterpiece. Naschy will always be remembered for the various horror films that he appeared in but we all know his most famous character was playing the werewolf in a string of movies that made him a horror legend. EL CAMINANTE is a lesser known picture and that's a real shame because it's a perfectly entertaining black comedy that really has a lot going for it.

When this film was originally announced I wasn't familiar with it but after some research it became clear that many considered it Naschy's best. Usually this type of hype ends up in disappointment but that actually wasn't the case here because I thought the film was extremely good and I'd agree that it was the best film from Naschy. Not only is it the best screenplay I've seen from him but I'd also argue that his direction was spot-on throughout and even his performance was quite great.

Basically what happens is that we see the Devil character going from one scene to the next where he encounters a wide range of people and all of them fall for the temptation that he offers them. This leads to some extremely funny scenes and I must admit that I was shocked to see how well Naschy handled the comic timing. Not only in his performance but the way, as a director, he builds up the scenes and the laughs. I thought Naschy was superb in the role of the Devil and he really fit the part perfectly and delivered.

The film offers up plenty of sex, violence and nudity so fans of EuroSleaze will be really happy. That's especially true in regards to the nudity as there are a large number of beautiful ladies who strip down. EL CAMINANTE is certainly a highly entertaining film that mixes laughs with a bunch of sleaze and in the end the picture really delivered the goods.

'El Caminante is grimly set in doomy medieval times, and the sublimely talented writer/director Paul Naschy appears to be having a devilish good time playing an itinerant, mesmerisingly mysterious, traveller Leonardo (Paul Naschy). A darkly enigmatic, murderously philosophical rogue, which, unsurprisingly, appears tailor-made for someone with Naschy's bravura, almost preternatural talent for creating fascinatingly larger-than-life villains. His exemplary acting prowess, ably matched by a no less conspicuous talent for compelling, fear-festooned filmmaking!

Observing this perverse pilgrim's progress, it becomes obvious that, Leonardo is a far from righteous individual. His motivations are mercenary, perhaps, even satanic in nature! Along with his young eager-to-please acolyte, the fornicating, exquisitely eerie epicurean finally finds himself stripped of all his nefariously acquired wealth. Retreating to a bordello wherein his lustful propensity for evil percolates to ever more profane levels of ignominy and foul licentiousness! His degeneracy culminating in a grisly, theologically intriguing, blood n' thunder climax that certainly gives the viewer much more to ponder on than the soporific recycled junk of today. 'El Caminante' is arguably one of the more diabolically intriguing occult offerings from the Iberian iconoclast, and remains a must-own title for all avid Naschy fans!

Another review of a Paul Naschy film from me and this time it's a tongue in cheek bawdy historical black comedy where Naschy plays the devil in human form , calls himself Leonardo , takes a young man called Tomas under his wing and shows how humanity can be easily taken in they give way to the sins of lust and greed

That's basically it story wise but to be fair it is relatively amusing and Naschy appears to be having a lot of fun in a type of role I rarely see him in which probably explains why I think it's one of his better performances from an actor who isn't really in danger of being Oscar nominated . That said EL CAMINANTE is very one note and episodic . Leonardo and Tomas arrive at someones dwellings , Leonardo rogers the mistress of the house to within an inch of her life and then it's back to the beaten track for a couple of minutes before arriving at another dwelling to do a bit more rogering . Keep repeating again until the end credits come up . There's not really much more to the plot than that and any subtext there is is all too obvious - don't give in to temptation . There's also a rather haphazard element to the editing which gives the impression some of the film has ended up on the cutting room floor when it shouldn't have but like I said things happen that are relatively amusing in a relatively amusing film

I'm not a massive Paul Naschy fan, he is enthusiastic and has produced numerous and fairly varied films, always on the edge but equally always with limited budgets which sometimes shows more than one would wish. But here's a surprise, one I'd never even heard of and its great! Bawdy, blasphemous, cynical and funny, it is also very well constructed, with decent dialogue and persuasive performances. Basically, our director plays the lead (of course) and represents the devil on earth giving himself a break from his normal duties and getting his hands dirty closer to the action, as you might say. Some scenes are more cruel than others but none of it is very nice, as you might expect, if the very devil himself, is leading the way. Lots of deceived ladies and robbed dignitaries and much fun along the way. Naschy has a glint in his eye throughout and when the most terrible (or best) bits are about to unfold, his face glows devil red. Really! Great entry point for non Naschy fans, an absolute must for existing fans and generally good, bad taste fun for all.

No werewolves this time as Paul Naschy writes, directs, and stars in a film about the Devil.

It seems that the Devil (Naschy) is traveling the world on a sort of holiday to take stock of how mankind is doing. A tale of debauchery and gluttony, he discovers the seven deadly sins are alive and well.

Silvia Aguilar and Adriana Vega both star in this film. They have long resumes of nudity in film, and they do not disappoint here. Of course, there are lesser stars appearing nude also.

In the end, the Devil finds that men are as bad if not worse than he is. He robs, and fornicates, and cheats his way, but he is robbed and cheated and left for dead himself.