Castle of Blood (1964)

It was only recently that I discovered the wonder of the Italian Gothic genre, and I'm happy to say that this film is indeed one of the best. The crisp use of black and white photography makes the events portrayed appear stark and effective (Bava would have been proud), and the tone too is genuinely nasty. By the end of the film, the viewer is left unsure of what has occurred, only that in some way evil has won again, and will go on winning and winning for eternity. Added to that, it also manages to be extremely unsettling and very frightening in some moments.Director Antonio Margheriti (who later turned to adventure flicks like THE LAST HUNTER) keeps things moving along at a swift pace, ensuring that there is always something interesting happening on screen to keep the viewer occupied. While the plot is of the standard haunted house variety, there are plenty of neat flourishes, such as one of the actors actually playing Poe himself, researching material for a new story! The setting is excellent, a large and Gothic building full of fine furniture, layered in thick dust and cobwebs, where the stench of death is heavy in the air and terrible occurrences are played out in full.We see people die in violent ways, and although we know that they are merely playbacks and cannot harm the hero of the film, they still manage to be frightening. Especially the mysteriously half-naked muscular man, a murderer who goes around with a knife and stabs people, for what reason, who knows? The lack of knowledge about the ghosts makes it all the more frightening, as we only see what the character of Foster sees, nothing more, we are as left in the dark as he is.Georges Riviere gives a solid performance as the male lead, charismatic, romantic and heroic when the time calls for it. However it's the wonderful Barbara Steele who steals (sorry) the film as a ghost who wants to help Riviere, but in the end is unable to leave the building and crumbles away. Even darkness is thrown on Steele's apparently honourable intentions towards the living man she loves, as we hear her voice quite happily whispering "now we can be together" at the very end of the film, after the hero has been killed in a genuinely shocking way, just after we think he's safe. The rest of the cast all perform well, the actors and actresses portraying the spirits of the castle all intone their characters with just the right level of menace without exaggerating, especially the sinister Dr. Carmus character who first acts as our narrator but then turns out to be seeking Foster's blood like the rest of the castle's inhabitants.If you're in the mood for a good atmospheric chiller, then this knocks spots off even well-made competition like THE HAUNTING. Gruesome and frightening, CASTLE OF BLOOD comes across as something of a tragedy as its become lost in time to modern audiences, undeservedly so. It's a film which shows that budget and special effects aren't important, just strong camera-work and storytelling are needed to make an effective horror film, which this indeed is.

It's hard to explain the appeal of this movie. It's not a gem as some have said. But I wouldn't characterize it as Euro-trash either. The plot is not very original, and relies on standard haunted house conventions, perhaps pirating some from Robert Wise's THE HAUNTING (1963). It may also have a literary source in Bulwer-Lytton's story "The Haunters and the Haunted," which also tells the story of a disbelieving rationalist who wagers he can spend a night in a mysterious house where spirits relive incidents from past lives. The film is full of continuity holes (or should I say "challenges"), because many may be explained away. But the execution is flawed. Feral cats, sudden scenes of carnage, and other fright effects do not deliver the shudders.I must say, however, that the film held my interest, primarily because of the creepy, fog-shrouded sets that look better than they ought to on such a small budget, and because the performances are above average for this type of fare. And although the plot is full of old dark house clichés—slamming doors, billowing curtains, and mysterious portraits—some nice dialog makes it all seem less contrived somehow. There is no doubt that the director and writers were absolutely sincere.There is also some provocative sexual content and nudity following a tradition of salaciousness that seems to have been a necessary ingredient of horror films as far back as Hollywood's pre-code days. So if I were forced to assess whether this glass is half empty or full I would say it is slightly more than half full. This one might appeal to all those baby boomers who watched the soap opera DARK SHADOWS when they were teenagers in the '60's. It has that feel to it, only with better acting and writing.

One of the greatest examples of Italian Gothic, "Castle of Blood" has everything you could ask for in a genre film and more, employing the basic elements of classic Universal Horror films with the over sexuality of 60's cinema, therefore turning the otherwise routine story into something fresh and original. Though Antonio Marghereti has something of a mixed bag career, this is one of his best achievements, whose stylish directing creates some haunting set pieces and evocative, nightmarish atmosphere that has never been bettered. Riz Ortolani's score is as darkly erotic as it's unique approach at the Gothic Horror, blending perfectly with the latter. Just as the soundtrack, Barbara Steele is perfectly cast as our protagonist's 'love interest from beyond grave', and whose awkward sex appeal is extremely representative of the film's own macabre sensuality. It would be interesting to see this back-to-back with Mario Bava's "Black Sunday", which has a similar tone as well as having Steele in the lead role. Both films are also probably the best of the dying B&W Italian horror films, before it switched to hellishly colorful efforts, starting with Bava's equally mesmerizing "Black Sabbath" in 1963. Overall, 10/10

I've watched this movie a number of times, and found it to be very good. This movie is also known as "Castle Of Terror", "Coffin Of Terror", and "Dance Macabre". Barbara Steele, is her usual beautiful/creepy self. George Riviere, the male lead, does a good job with his role. The whole movie is dripping with atmosphere, and there is a good deal of tension throughout. The camera angles are good and the acting, for the most part, isn't bad. This film is quite suitable for a rainy day or evening. I have the DVD uncut version, which is far superior to the edited TV version. Grab some popcorn, turn out the lights, settle back and enjoy. John R. Tracy