Castle of Blood (Uncensored International Version)
by Antonio Margheriti, Sergio Corbucci
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Actor: Arturo Dominici, Barbara Steele, Georges RiviĆ..re, Margarete Robsahm, Silvano TranquilliDirector: Antonio Margheriti, Sergio Corbucci
DVD: Region Code 1
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Subtitled); French (Original Language)
Format: Black & White, DVD, NTSC, Subtitled
Picture Format: 1.78:1
Running Time: 87 minutes
DVD Release Date: 2002-10-22
Audience Rating: NR (Not Rated)
Studio: Synapse Films
DVD Reviews of Castle of Blood (Uncensored International Version)
DVD Review: Great Eurogothic horror!
Summary: 4 Stars
I'm a huge fan of Italian director Antonio Margheriti, aka Anthony M. Dawson, even though I haven't seen very many of his films. How can this be? Because the ones I have seen revel in low budget schlocky glory. Margheriti is responsible for such classics as "Alien From the Deep," the infamous "Cannibal Apocalypse," and "Killer Fish." He's also the man who brought us several highly entertaining shoot 'em up action/war films, films like "Indio," "Indio 2," "Tiger Joe," "The Last Hunter," "The Hunters of the Golden Cobra," and "Ark of the Sun God." If you need any additional evidence pointing to Dawson's relevancy in the realm of low budget cult classics, he directed the catastrophic "Yor, the Hunter from the Future." If you've seen this disaster, you know how important Margheriti is to lovers of cheese cinema! I'm dying to see all of these films--and a few others--arrive on DVD. Until then, I'm contenting myself with the precious few of this director's earlier movies that have come out, or are soon to come out, on disc: "Castle of Blood," "The Virgin of Nuremberg," and "Seven Deaths in the Cat's Eye" among them. "Castle of Blood" inevitably draws comparisons to Mario Bava's "Black Sunday."
Bava made the superior film, but "Castle of Blood" is just as entertaining in its own right. A black and white entry in the gothic horror field popular in the early 1960s, Margheriti's film possesses all the right elements for a creepy good time: a gloomy castle, ghosts, Barbara Steele, and Edgar Allen Poe. Fun! The movie begins when a journalist by the name of Alan Foster (Georges Riviere) stumbles over the inimitable Poe (Silvano Tranquili) and a companion drinking at a small inn somewhere in England. Eager to interview the writer of superb supernatural tales, he soon agrees to a proposition offered by Poe's drinking companion, one Sir Thomas Blackwood (Umberto Raho). Blackwood owns a decrepit castle out in the sticks, a castle long rumored to hold the restless spirits of long departed souls. On one specific day of the year, he convinces someone to stay in the haunted building. And wouldn't you just know it? The night Foster stumbles into the bar is that very day of the year. Agreeing to Blackwood's bet, the journalist figures he can at least coax an interview out of Poe during the coach ride to the castle. The chances of him filing that story in the morning, however, will decrease with every minute he stays in the castle.
Blackwood's estate is indeed haunted, haunted by several spirits both benevolent and hostile. The first apparition Foster meets, Elisabeth Blackwood (Barbara Steele), couldn't be any nicer. She falls hard for the journalist, and he for her, before the truth about her status in the castle emerges: she's as dead as a doornail. That's sure to put the kibosh on any future matrimonial plans. What's worse, Elisabeth has a few companions to keep her company in eternity. One of them is another lady, the evil Julia (Margarete Robsahm), who has her own designs on poor Elisabeth. There is also a doctor in the house...er, castle who has resided there for quite a few years. Throw in a burly, thuggish looking chap and the hapless couple who took Sir Blackwood's bet the previous year, and it soon becomes apparent that this castle is a rocking place on one night of the year. As the evening proceeds, Foster witnesses the grisly circumstances that led to these people haunting the castle. Alan also discovers why Sir Blackwood went to such great pains to secure fresh meat for the estate. You see, the spiritual denizens of the castle need something from the living if they wish to reappear every year. I leave it to you to discover the identity of this item.
"Castle of Blood" has many good things going for it. The best part of the movie is Barbara Steele. This raven haired beauty starred in a number of these black and white European gothic horror movies, most notably in Bava's "Black Sunday," so it's always nice to see flaunt her copious charms again. She's like the original Goth chick--dark and dangerous yet incredibly sexy at the same time. Moreover, Margheriti gives us a fairly racy scene in which Steele and Robsahm make it abundantly clear what ties their two characters together. It's sort of surprising to see such behavior alluded to in a movie made way back in 1964! Anyway, Steele's appearance helps the film immeasurably. Another effective element in "Castle of Blood" is the atmosphere, which positively oozes doom and gloom. The masterful use of black and white photography helps, no doubt, but so does the claustrophobic ambiance of the castle. This is a building that screams at the top of its lungs, "I'm haunted!" Perhaps the only drawback to the film is pacing, which drags a bit when Foster first arrives at the castle and spends what feels like an eternity wandering about the premises. Aside from that small problem, "Castle of Blood" deftly delivers the chills and thrills.
This "Uncensored International Version" supposedly contains scenes cut out at the time of the movie's original release. I suspect we're talking about a flash of nudity towards the end of the film, and maybe a bit of the gore (tame by today's standards). A photo gallery, a trailer for the film, liner notes, and an alternate opening sequence round out the disc. If you like horror films, definitely give this one a watch. And if you think Barbara Steele is a serious babe, you'll love Margheriti's film. It's not quite as good as "Black Sunday," but it's darn close. Pick up a copy today!
Description of Castle of Blood (Uncensored International Version)
Studio: Wea-des Moines Video Release Date: 10/22/2002 Run time: 89 minutes Rating: NrBestsellers in DVD
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