Format:Black & White, Digital Sound, Full Length, Ntsc Language:English (Original Language) Rating:Unrated Number Of Items:1 Running Time:82 Shipping Weight (lbs):0.2 Dimensions (in):7.1 x 5.4 x 0.6
Theatrical Release Date:1964 Release Date:October 4, 2005 Availability:Usually ships in 1-2 business days Shipping:Expedited shipping available Condition:Brand New! Factory Sealed! Ships within 24 hours. Satisfaction Guaranteed. FREE upgrade to EXPEDITED shipping when you order any 4 or more.
Editorial Reviews:
Description Based on Edgar Alan Poe's "Night of the Living Dead", Poe (Silvano Tranquilli) challenges journalist Alan Foster (George Riviere) to spend one night alone in haunted Blackwood Castle. Foster agrees, but soon discovers he is not the only inhabitant of the castle. As he attempts to find an escape from the evil that dwells within the stone walls, Foster struggles to maintain his sanity and his life. Also stars Barbara Steele
Customer Reviews:
Your blood will give us lifeFebruary 13, 2007 13 out of 13 found this review helpful
You could say that "Castle of Blood" is based on the best story Edgar Allan Poe never wrote -- despite what the opening credits say, I cannot find any Poe story called "Danse Macabre."
But despite that, this vintage horror movie is still quite entertaining as a Gothic tragic romance. It suffers from a rather thin plot, but makes up for it by soaking the entire story in atmosphere -- lots of dungeons, coffins, crazed murders, cobwebby corridors, and vampiric ghosts. A danse macabre indeed.
Edgar Allan Poe (Silvano Tranquilli) is on a visit to England, telling a gruesome story to his friend Lord Blackwood. A cocky journalist, Alan Foster (Georges Riviere) is there to interview him, but he ends up taking a wager from Blackwood -- to disprove the supernatural, he'll spend the night of November 2nd (All Souls' Day) in Blackwood's haunted castle.
The castle turns out to be as creepy as expected, but not as abandoned -- Alan meets the beautiful Elizabeth (Barbara Steele), and falls for her despite the fact that she's... well, dead. As the night goes on (with the help of the local wacky scientist), Alan sees the tragedies that led to her death, and those of the other ghosts who drift through the place. But he doesn't realize that the ghosts have plans for him too...
"Castle of Blood" was one of those beautifully decadent-looking Eurohorror movies, full of sumptuous atmosphere and genuinely creepy ghosts. It seems slow by modern standards, especially since there isn't anything jumping out or gratuitous gore'n'guts.
The plot itself is rather thin, with a contrived love story (they fall in eternal love in five minutes!). But who cares? That plot is substantial enough to carry all this atmosphere -- creepy, ghastly atmosphere, peppered with the occasional gruesome murder or flashback to parties. The castle itself seems like a dead rotted thing, covered in cobwebs and dust.
And the story picks up substantially in the second half, when Alan finds out what made all these ghosts in the first place (it involves stabbing, bludgeoning, and lesbian groping). Then director Antonio Margheriti throws a deliciously gruesome plot twist into the story, which elevates it from a ghost story to real, bloodthirsty horror.
Riviera is the one weak link in this movie's cast; his Alan is so smug and stiff that it's hard to care what happens to him. Instead, the good performances are provided by the dead: Steele as the frightened ghostly waif, Margarete Robsahm as her chilly maid, and Arturo Dominici as the most sedate horror scientist ever. Tranquilli also gets a nod for his solid cameo as Poe.
The Westlake version of this movie is not as good as the movie itself, though -- the first few minutes are very grainy and green, and while it improves a lot, it's never really what you'd call crisp. The print has some brief jumps, crackles and lines, and that mediocre English dub. Dedicated fans of this movie will want to get the official rerelease, but this one is good enough for an introduction.
"Castle of Blood" is short on plot, but miles long on atmosphere. And it turns out that it's all this vintage horror movie needs -- nasty ghosts, sumptuous decay and a giant castle.
