3/5 Gothic Steele
  by J. Nixon (desert southwest)
Not the best horror film Barbara Steele did, but worth a watch if you like this type of thing. Man makes a bet about staying overnight in a haunted castle, etc. The gothic style makes the film a little dark.

5/5 Great old gothic horror flick starring Barbara Steele
  by Grapey Grimes (Cincy, OH)
This DVD has everything going for it. Great, creepy movie, Barbara Steele, awesome packaging, Edgar Allan Poe as a character, interesting booklet, good special features.

It's actually amazing the lengths these guys went to to present this movie in it's longest, most complete version. It was assembled from from 4 or 5 (cant remember now) source prints for the best audio and cleanest print, and greatly extended from the original U.S. release. Some short portions are in French with English subtitles since scenes are included that were never dubbed for U.S. release, but this does not take away any enjoyment from the movie and these scenes are really quite brief.

The treatment given this movie in this DVD package is on par with what one usually expects from companies such as Criterion. I'll be watching this one on Halloween night for many years to come.



1/5 One star is too much!
  by Maryann Tatro (Western MA USA)
In this movie there is a scene where they cut off the head of a live garter snake! It was disgusting, especially when they pan in on it's dead wriggling body. Make beleive blood and guts is one thing but actual cruelty in a movie is a big no no for me.

4/5 Castle of Blood - Revisiting An Old Haunt
  by R. L. Rheubottom (Canada)
I originally saw this movie as a boy at the old Rialto Theatre as part of a Saturday afternoon matinee triple bill which also featured Vincent Price's "Last Man on Earth" and Mario Bava's "Nightmare Castle." I had nightmares about blood lusting ghosts for a week afterwards! Though I didn't know it then, all three movies would prove to be classics of the genre. No wonder I was so scared! Though all three films frightened me, it was Castle of Blood that had the most profound impact.

It was the first on the bill. I didn't even get to see it from the beginning as we were late getting to the cinema and missed the first 20 minutes of the movie. That's lot to miss since the edited print only ran about 79 minutes (the unedited runs 87minutes). But despite this, the dark creepy atmosphere (complete with ruined castles, fog enshrouded cemeteries, shadows and cobwebs), Gothic set design, strong acting, and suspense (especially the last 20 minutes) scared the bejeepers out of me and made a lasting impression

It took me years to finally get a copy of the film for my collection. Since it was a French - Italian import, it wasn't a movie that showed up on the late show in Winnipeg. I couldn't quite remember the title (remember I didn't get to seen the beginning of the film and was scared witless), and to make matters worse, the film had been released under literally a dozen different movie titles (aka Danze Macabre, Coffin of Terror, Castle of Terror, Long Night of Terror, etc...) and the USA/UK working title "Castle of Blood" was very generic, similar to dozens of other "b" horror and suspense films, making it illusive. But thanks to the internet and perseverance, I found it at last!

What a treat to finally watch the film in its entirety after so many years! It may not have had quite the sheer emotional impact that it did when I was a boy, but as haunted house movies go, it's stands up well and compares favourably to similar iconic films of the period such as "The Haunting," "The Innocents" or "Black Sunday,"

The film is a fine early effort of Italian director Antonio Margheriti. It stars 60's scream queen icon Barbara Steele and features a well written screenplay by Sergio Corbucci about a sceptical writer (Georges Riviere) who, on a bet, spends the night in haunted house and unsuspectingly becomes part of an annual ongoing ghostly story. The hypnotic Steele is well cast as the ghostly love interest - as is Arturo Dominici as Dr. Carmus, and Margarete Robsahm as Julia.

Many of the tricks Margheriti employs to create the film's eerie atmosphere (cobwebs, creaking doors, fog, etc) are bound to seem cliché to a modern audience, but they work far more effectively in black and white than they ever could in modern day colour. Rather than using body counts and special effects, the film creates scares the old fashion way, relying on a good story, stylish direction, fine set production, interesting camera work, and strong acting performances. Margheriti does a marvellous job taking these elements and building the film's suspense as the horrifying paranormal secret of the house gradually reveals itself to the unwitting writer.

The film is not without faults. The pace drags at the beginning of the film (ironically, the 20 minutes I originally missed). This is probably worsened by Synapse films effort to restore the film to its original length. Though fans will likely appreciate the chance to see the film restored - in terms of the intro - it may have been more of hindrance than a help. The English voice dubs are merely passable and, in the restored scenes, the language shifts from English to French (English subtitles provided) which is sure to be annoying to some viewers.

However, Synapse Films deserves kudos for the quality of the print. Clearly some effort was put into its restoration and deservedly so.

I enjoyed the film immensely and highly recommend it to aficionados of 60's Italian Goth films, or anyone who enjoys a good ghost story.

Rob Rheubottom

Winnipeg, MB Canada


2/5 Castle of Blood
  by Christine A. Smith (Lakeport, CA United States)
Quick delivery - but what a snore fest. It was better 20 some-odd years ago when I first saw it. Not so scary any more.