The Night of the Executioner

NIGHT OF THE EXECUTIONER promo trailer from Mondo Macabro on Vimeo.

Director - Paul Naschy (The Night of the Werewolf, Howl of the Devil)

Starring - Paul Naschy, Manuel Zarzo (My Dear Killer, The Two Faces of Fear), and Paloma Cela (A Town Called Hell, A Witch Without a Broom)

Release Date - 1992

Genre - Horror/Thriller

Tagline - ""O God, to whom revenge belongs, thy vengeance now disclose" - Psalms 94"

Format - Bluray (Personal Collection) (Screener)

Rating (out of 5):

     I hit a few speed bumps in my October horror binge when I reviewed two films that I thought were horror when they were actually dramas. While they were not the films I was expecting I still enjoyed them. I just finished The Fear blu that was recently released by Mondo Macabro. I thought that it was a horror release but I was wrong. I actually enjoyed the film but it was not something I wanted in my October horror binge. I decided to take a second to make sure another Mondo Macabro release on my list for this month was in fact a horror film. That film was 1992’s Night of the Executioner. I had never seen this one before but I am a big fan of legendary Spanish director and actor Paul Naschy and when I saw that it was a horror title I knew I had to follow up the Fear with it. Once again I want to thank Mondo Macabro for sending this one over for Horror Society and myself to check out. 

      The film follows a doctor (Naschy) who returns home with his wife and daughter after a day of shopping. What they don’t know is that a gang of thugs followed them. They break in and beat the doctor before raping and murdering his wife and daughter. He survives but the attack leaves him unable to speak. He vows revenge against the group and after working out and training with various weapons, he sets out to take them out one by one for taking everyone he loved away from him. 

      If you take the time to actually read my reviews then you may have noticed that the story description may sound like Death Wish and you would be right. This movie is a lot like the meme “can we get blank? No, we have blank at home.” With that being said, I enjoyed this one a lot. While it wasn’t that originally and features a mostly silent Naschy it was still able to entertain and that’s all I’m looking for. The acting in this one is a bit different than your typical Naschy film. Naschy is no stranger to playing monsters, nobles, royalty, and so on. He’s a very versatile actor with a lot of range. However, playing a silent killer is something I’ve never seen him tackle and I kind of liked it. He’s not that menacing but his character is very ruthless and calculating which fits Naschy very well. The supporting cast is fantastic as well but it’s Naschy that is center stage in this one and he does a wonderful job carrying the film. The story for this one is just a Spanish clone of Death Wish but it is still enjoyable. I don’t mind Bronson but I would much rather see Naschy in these roles and would have loved for him to take on multiple sequels to this one. The film is a bit of a slow burn but some of the scenes have brilliant tension before things come to a boil. It could use a bit of a small trim to help with pacing but nothing that would drastically change the overall film. Finally, the film has several deaths with a slight bit of blood with kills similar to Death Wish. We mostly get gun deaths and some stabbings. The effects are minimal and the deaths are easily forgettable. Overall, Night of the Executioner is the Spanish answer to Death Wish and I love it. While the deaths are not that enjoyable the remainder of the film is. I highly recommend it.