Having recently written a review for WEB OF THE SPIDER (1972), Antonio Margheriti’s color remake of his 1964 CASTLE OF BLOOD (LA DANZA MACABRA), I should also write one for CASTLE. As mentioned in that earlier review, CASTLE is one of the most important and highly regarded examples of Italian Gothic cinema, second only to Mario Bava’s BLACK SUNDAY (1960). Like SUNDAY, the movie stars British actress Barbara Steele who by now was the established “Queen of Italian Horror” much to her regret at the time. As her more critically acclaimed big name European pictures like 8 1/2 and YOUNG TORLESS have mostly been forgotten, Barbara (now in her 80s) is happy to talk about the low budget Italian horror movies that she once regarded only as a meal ticket.
While BLACK SUNDAY made her famous, it was CASTLE that she regarded as her favorite. Part of the reason for that is that she admired and enjoyed working for Antonio Margheriti (billed under the English pseudonym Anthony Dawson) more than her other Italian Gothic directors. Another is that she considered the story more plausible plus it gave her a satisfying single part to play instead of her usual good girl/bad girl double roles. To reprise the plot for those who haven’t read my SPIDER review, a skeptical reporter in the 1840s accepts a wager to spend one night alone in a haunted castle on All Souls Day (Nov.2nd). Once there he encounters a number of people whom he later discovers are not among the living. This is the only night they appear and the ghosts need his blood in order to prolong their existence for another year.
Director Margheriti filmed the movie with 3 cameras at once enabling him not only to save time but to have a variety of shots and angles to choose from. This gave CASTLE the look of one with a much larger budget. The B&W photography is wonderfully atmospheric for the exteriors while the interiors are well focused and beautifully lit. The actors play second fiddle to the visuals although Steele gives an intense performance. The plot is nothing new but the story has some interesting variations explaining the afterlife of the ghosts. I did catch two significant faux pas but not on the first viewing . See if you can spot them. CASTLE retains its overall air of unease and is the very definition of 19th century Gothic. The English language version is 8 minutes shorter than the Italian to remove two suggestive scenes.
The Capsule Critic 