Today would have been Jacinto Molina’s 87th birthday. But even though we lost him over a decade ago, I still think he is more alive with us than ever. When you think how many of his movies have been released in amazing looking Blu-rays, some titles seeing releases in any format for the first time, and even a few that were thought lost, but now are available for everyone to see. To me, that shows that the last impact of his work still is as powerful, if not more, than before.

His legacy grows with each new fan that stumbles upon one of the Waldemar Daninsky titles, amazed at the wide array of monsters filling his films, both human and supernatural, all taking place in some incredible scenic and memorable settings, from old castles, graveyards, and the labs of mad scientists.

I’ve always said that while we do honor those other icons of horror, Karloff, Lugosi, Lee, Cushing, Price, and rest, we know that the big difference between them and Jacinto Molina is that he loved the fantastic cinema and wanted to continue to make these monster movies, the ones that he grew up loving. It wasn’t just a job to him, but a true passion. And for that, he will always have my gratitude for treating the genre with the respect that it deserves.

Long Live Paul Naschy!