Spaghetti Western
Director ~ Josef Kluge
Josef Kluge was born
on May 29, 1921, in Louny, Czechoslovakia. He was a director, animator and art
director. He directed eighteen films between 1944 and 1983 and is known for “Pomluvaci”
(1968), “Xantipa a Sokrates” (1961) and “Rekuv románek” (1966). From 1944-1979
he also worked as an animator on eight films.
Towards the end of
his career he became and art director and worked on the 1978-1981 television
series “O Mikesovi”
He died on March 18, 1988 in Prague,
Czechoslovakia at the age of 66.
Josef Kluge was a
director on one Euro-western, “Úkryt cerného Billa” in 1964.
KLUGE, Josef (aka J. Kluge) [5/29/1921,
Louny, Czechoslovakia – 3/18/1988, Prague, Czechoslovakia] – director, writer,
animator.
Úkryt cerného Billa – 1964
Spaghetti Western Screenwriter ~ Amando De Ossorio
Amando de Ossorio was a Spanish film director,
screenwriter, and painter renowned for his contributions to the horror genre,
particularly his creation of the cult classic Blind Dead tetralogy featuring
undead Knights Templar as central antagonists. Born in A Coruña, Galicia, Spain
on April 6, 1918. He emerged as a key figure in Spain's 1970s "fantaterror"
wave, blending low-budget ingenuity with original mythology inspired by
European folklore and classic horror tropes to produce influential, atmospheric
films that gained international acclaim despite domestic censorship under the
Franco regime.
Ossorio's early life was marked by a passion for cinema
and the arts, shaped by his family's cultural milieu in A Coruña and frequent
viewings of silent films and Universal monsters at local theaters like Cine
París and Cine Savoy. A sickly youth who was declared unfit for military
service during the Spanish Civil War due to health issues, he studied
journalism in Madrid in the 1940s, worked in radio adapting literary classics,
and briefly held a banking job in A Coruña while pursuing photography and hosting
intellectual gatherings. Relocating permanently to Madrid in 1949, he
transitioned into filmmaking through short films, industrial documentaries, and
scriptwriting collaborations, though frustrations with alterations to his work
prompted him to direct independently. His debut feature, the censored
anti-death penalty allegory “Bandera Negra” (1956), faced release issues,
leading him to hone his craft on spaghetti westerns, musical comedies, and
youth dramas to fund his true interest in horror.
Ossorio's horror breakthrough arrived with “Malenka, la
sobrina del vampire” (1969), a vampire tale starring Anita Ekberg that sold
over 500,000 tickets in Spain and paved the way for his signature series. He
then crafted the Blind Dead saga, “La noche del terror ciego” (1972), “El
ataque de los muertos sin ojos” (1973), “El buque maldito” (1974), and “La
noche de las gaviotas” (1975), inventing blind, mummified Templars who ritually
drain virgins' blood for immortality, a novel fusion of zombie, vampire, and
Galician legend elements produced under severe constraints like four-week
shoots and Francoist oversight. These films, alongside others like “La soga de
la Muerte” (1972) and “El mariscal del infierno” (1974), established him as a
pioneer of Spanish fantastique horror, comparable to contemporaries Paul Naschy
and Jesús Franco, with their slow-paced dread and innovative visuals earning
cult status worldwide.
In his later years, Ossorio directed fewer films as the
horror boom waned amid the rise of erotic cinema post-Franco, with his final
works including the drama “Pasión prohibida” (1980) and the adventure-horror
“Serpiente de mar” (1985) featuring Ray Milland. Retiring from directing, he
returned to painting eerie Templar imagery and lived modestly in Madrid, where
he humbly reflected on his legacy in interviews, noting the irony of Galician
folklore's dark tales. Ossorio died on January 13, 2001, at home in Madrid; his
Blind Dead series endures as a cornerstone of Eurohorror, influencing
filmmakers like John Carpenter and studied in film archives for its resourceful
storytelling and cultural impact.
Amando De Ossorio wrote screenplays for three Spaghetti
westerns: “La tumba del pistolero” (Tomb of the Pistolero) in 1964, “Rebeldes
en Canada” (Rebels in Canada) in 1965 and “La pazienza ha un limite… noi no!” (Patience
has a Limit, We Don’t) with Fabio Carboni and Armando Morandi in 1974.
De OSSORIO, Amando (aka Albert Mann) (Amando Rodriguez) [4/6/1918, A Coruña, A Coruña, Galicia, Spain – 1/13/2001,
Madrid, Madrid, Spain] – director, assistant director, writer, SFX, actor.
Tomb of the
Pistolero – 1964 (co)?
Rebels in Canada –
1965
Patience has a
Limit, We Don’t – 1974 (co)
Spaghetti Western
Cinematographer ~ Karen Nixon
Karen Nixon is a
director,
writer, cinematographer who works for Mesa Verde Film Productions. Along with
her husband Rob and sons Warren and Blake and daughter Honor they have made a
number of small Euro-western shorts since 2020.
Karen Nixon has been
a cinematographer on three Euro-westerns: “Armonika” with Blake Nixon in 2023 “Chameleone”
in 2024 and “Blood Will Be Shed” in 2025.
NIXON, Karen – director, writer,
cinematographer, married to actor Rob Nixon mother of actor Warren Nixon,
actress Honor Nixon, actor Blake Nixon.
Armonika – 2023 (co)
Chameleone – 2024
Blood Will Be Shed -
2025
