Danza macabra
Tags: gothic

Plot synopsis:
CASTLE OF BLOOD synopsis **NOTE: In the European version the actors are listed by their real Italian names. In the US version they were given American-sounding names. Below they are referred to in their real Italian names.**On a cold dark night a man is seen outside the Four Devils Tavern in London, looking around. Entering, he goes downstairs where Edgar Allan Poe (Silvano Tranquilli) is reciting lines from one of his stories to Lord Thomas Blackwood (Umberto Raho) and the bartender. He listens for a moment, then introduces himself as Alan Foster (Georges Rivière), a reporter who has been trying to get an interview with Poe. Remembering him as having pursued him without response, he invites Foster to sit down. They discuss death and whether there is an afterlife. At one point, Sir Blackwood invites Foster to spend a night in his castle atop a cliff overlooking the sea at Providence. He must remain there from midnight to dawn, upon which he will receive 100 pounds sterling. Refusing the bet because he can only afford 10 pounds sterling, Foster is persuaded to try if he is not afraid. He is told by both Blackwood and Poe that all those who tried before ended up dead. The most recent deaths were a newlywed couple who never returned but are buried in the castle cemetery. Foster agrees and Poe agrees to accompany them to the castle (which is a two-hour ride by carriage) during which he will interview Poe at length.As they arrive at the castle in the middle of the night, Poe asks Foster if he has any second thoughts before he is left alone. Having none, they bid him goodnight saying they will return in the morning. He waves as they leave. Going inside the gates, he wanders through the narrow cemetery. He sees only a black kitten hanging around. As he ascends the steps he finds a womans garment which he picks up and carries inside with him.Inside he finds an old dusty castle, very dark and dank. Lighting a candelabra, he begins looking round. He hears a noise and goes to an open window. Looking out, he sees nothing and closes it. He taps his cane on an ancient dining table, covered in dust. He sets the candelabra down, removes his cape and hat and places them on the table. Picking up the candelabra, he explores more until he hears a large clock striking eleven. He looks at the grandfather clock, which shows 11:30. The pendulum appears still. As he turns away, he hears the clock strike once more. He looks and sees the pendulum swinging. As he approaches, it stops. He compares the time to that of his pocket watch and sees they are the same.As he looks into another room, he is startled by the image of a man. He goes to investigate and finds a full-length mirror. Tapping on it, he tells himself not to be afraid of his own reflection. He goes on and sees a portrait of Julia Alert (Margrete Robsahm). As he looks again, the portrait seems to be rippling. He tells himself its only a portrait and returns to the table, setting down the candelabra and pulling out note paper and pencil. He tells the portrait that he will make some notes and begins writing.All at once he hears music playing and gets up to see. In another room, he sees a couple dancing but as he approaches the door, it slams shut. Forcing the door open, he finds a dark music room with a harpsichord and harp. He lights a candelabra on the harpsichord, and noticing sheet music there, he sits and begins playing it. Suddenly we see a hand reaching out to touch his shoulder from behind. He is startled and turns to see Elisabeth Blackwood (Barbara Steele) who asks if her brother sent him. Rising, he tells her Lord Blackwood made a bet, but he didnt know anyone else would be in the castle or he wouldnt have accepted the bet. She tells him she fell out with her brother because she was in love with the gardener Herbert (Giovanni Cianfriglia) and Lord Blackwood didnt approve. He tells her he will leave rather than cause her misery, but she insists he stay and win the bet. She says that his room has been prepared. He is surprised and asks how she knew he was coming. She replies that her brother makes the same wager every year on this night and someone comes. As they continue walking, the candles go out just as Elisabeth laughs. He asks who blew them out and she answers only the wind. As they pass by the portrait of Julia, it seems to be rippling again. Elisabeth doesnt see the rippling, but asks about it. Again he tells her he will leave and gather his belongings. She sees the garment he brought in and picks it up, smelling it. He tells her he found it outside.They go upstairs to a bedroom where he sets the candelabra on a desk. Elisabeth sits on the bed and calls him to sit beside her. He comes close and she asks about the world outside. He tells her nothing has changed, but that it is a shame that the world cant share her beauty. She asks him if he finds her attractive and he admits he does. She asks about him and he tells her there is not much to tell. He is single, lonely and works in London as a writer.Suddenly Julia enters the room and says that they have not been introduced. Elisabeth warns Julia not to interfere, telling her that Foster was sent to her by her brother. Julia challenges that, asking Foster if it is true. He says only that he is there because of a wager. Elisabeth tries to get Julia to leave and not to cause any trouble. When she refuses, Elisabeth says that she will leave and does. Julia tells him it is late and that she will also retire. He asks if he will see her in the morning and she tells him no. When he asks if she is leaving, she tells him, no, I only said you wont see me in the daylight. She leaves and he ponders all that was said.Outside in the hall, the two women talk. Elisabeth tells Julia that he belongs to her, that she is in love with him, and they will be happy together. Julia tells her she will not be happy and that he will soon learn the secret of this place. Julia threatens to tell him. Elisabeth is upset and runs off.In his room, Foster removes his coat and looks at a small stack of books on the desk. He picks one up and opens it. The title page reads: CARMUS: ELEMENTS OF METAPHYSICS MEDICINE. He goes to the bed to begin reading, but is distracted by a noise coming from the door. He notices the door handle slowly opening. He rises and gets his derringer and stands by the door. When he pulls the door open, he sees Elisabeth, who says that he is still awake. He invites her in and she goes to the bed, where she sees the book. She says that she will leave, so he can read it. He persuades her to remain, telling her how much he likes her and is attracted to her. She answers that she is pleased to hear this and that she wants his body warmth. She asks him to kiss her and embrace her. They embrace and she begs for his kisses and for him to warm her.Meanwhile Julia is listening outside the door. She remarks to herself that she tried to warn Elisabeth but was unsuccessful. She turns to go and runs into William (Benito Stefanelli) who asks about Elisabeth. Julia tells him she will inform Herbert.Alan and Elisabeth are seen in bed, where he expresses his joy of meeting her. She tells him she cant be part of his world because he is in the present, while hers is in the past. He tells her that he doesnt believe that, resting his head on her chest. As he caresses her arm, he suddenly notices that she has no heartbeat. He looks at her and calls her name. She answers and he tells her that he was afraid her heart had stopped beating. She tells him that her heart has not beaten for ten years since she died.Suddenly Herbert bursts into the room with a knife and stabs Elisabeth. He runs from the room with Alan following. Alan shoots him and he falls. As he watches, the body vanishes. Alan returns to the bedroom to find it empty. He begins calling for Elisabeth, going room to room. All at once he encounters Dr. Carmus (Arturo Dominici), who tells him that he will be unable to find Elisabeth. They go into his study where he offers Alan a drink of whiskey. He explains about the three parts of life. The first part (the weakest) is the human body. Second is the spirit within, and third are the senses, which he explains live on after death in some bodies. Alan scoffs at this and Carmus tells him he will prove it. Removing a small case from a cabinet, he produces a small venomous snake which he puts on a table. Cutting off the head, he tells Alan to note how the body continues moving without the head and the head, though severed from the body is still dangerous enough to bite. Alan says that may be true for reptiles, but he doesnt believe its the same for humans. Carmus takes him to the window, where he points out below the graves of Elisabeth and the others. He tells Alan that tonight they each will live out the last five minutes of their lives until they died.They ascend a staircase and Alan begs for more details about Elisabeth. Suddenly the clock chimes and Carmus tells him that the time is at hand and that words mean nothing. He is told to watch below. The room plays back the evening of a festive party where Elisabeth was dancing with her husband William, who stops and goes to get her a drink. As she waits by a window, Herbert knocks from outside. She opens it and he insists on seeing her. She tells him she will try to see him later and closes the window. Julia sees her talking to Herbert but says nothing. William brings the drink to his wife. Sir Blackwood and his wife approach and inform their hosts they must leave. Escorting them outside, Elisabeth then turns aside to talk to Herbert. He takes her aside into the stable and demands her loyalty, saying that she promised herself to him while her husband was away. Suddenly the dream fades and Carmus tells Alan that their deaths will be replayed tonight, as every year at this time.He takes Alan into the bedroom where William and Elisabeth are in bed together. Herbert comes in and strangles William. He then turns on Elisabeth to kill her, but he is knocked out by Julia with a candlestick. He falls with half his face indented from the blow. Julia turns to comfort Elisabeth, telling her she is now safe. Elisabeth reaches for a knife and stabs Julia. Getting out of bed, Elisabeth views the three dead bodies and screams. Alan says he doesnt want to see anymore, and that it must be a trick. Carmus tells Alan that there is more for him to see.Alan sees that the bedroom is now empty. No bodies are present. He begins searching again, calling for Carmus and Elisabeth. When he reaches the study of Carmus, the door opens and he goes in. Next he sees Carmus, who takes a drink of whiskey. Hearing a banging noise, Carmus takes a candelabra and goes from door to door and window to window until he finds the door that keeps banging open and shut. Opening it, he goes downstairs into the crypt room. He passes by an ornate coffin showing a man and a dog to a stone bier. He slides the cover off to see a decomposed woman inside. As he watches, she begins to breathe, then converts into a mist. Going back to his study, he sits down and begins to write. Suddenly Herbert enters and kills him, then bites to suck blood from his neck. At this point Carmus comes back into the room, telling Alan that he has seen how Carmus met his end. When Alan looks at the desk again, no one is there. He picks up the paper Carmus wrote on and reads:  Blood is the fountain of life; only blood brings back the dead to life; we will drink from this fountain!! Alan hears ghostly laughter and pulls out his derringer. Realizing the gun will do no good, he drops in on the desk and exits the study. Soon he hears more laughter from outside. As the front door opens, he hides to watch. The bride (Sylvia Sorrente) and groom enter to spend their wedding night.
As they go upstairs, Alan calls out to them to warn them they are going to their deaths, but realizes they cant hear him and there is nothing he can do but watch. He notices the door standing open and goes to it. It closes and he tries to open it, but the handle breaks off. He realizes he is trapped. He begins calling out loud, hoping Carmus can set him free while he is still alive.Upstairs, the amorous couple is kissing but hears a noise. He goes to investigate and she begins to undress by the fire. As she gazes at her reflection in the mirror, we see Herbert approach from behind. Seeing him, she screams as he attacks. Her husband rushes in to find Elsi dead, and is killed by Herbert. The scene vanishes and Alan sees the couple approaching him. They tell him it is now his turn. He runs downstairs and sees Carmus, who tells him that he is next. He tries to run, but each of them are closing in on him. All at once he sees Elisabeth, who tells him which way to run. She says they need his blood to be able to live again next year for a few minutes.
Alan runs down a hall and is trapped as the others approach. At the last second, Elisabeth opens a door and leads him through. Again she tells him they need his blood but if he can escape they will die. He tells her to come with him, grabbing her arm. She cries no, that she cannot enter his world. He insists, pulling her along through corridors. She continues to tell him that she cant come with him because she is dead. Finally they go outside where she collapses, telling him goodbye. Her body deteriorates completely away until she is only dust. He stumbles through the graveyard, hearing the voices of the others calling him. As he comes under the tree with the low branches, he sees the bodies of the others hanging from high limbs. They all tell him there is no escape and they will live by his blood. He makes it to the gate and steps outside, thinking he is safe. Suddenly the gate closes and a metal rod pierces him through, killing him and holding his body upright.The next morning Poe and Blackwood arrive in their carriage and Poe remarks how he is standing there. But when they approach they see he is dead. Blackwood takes money from Alans wallet, telling Poe he must collect on the debt. Blackwood says he will arrange for burial in the cemetery. Poe says he can now write the story, but no one will believe it.The voices of Elisabeth and Alan are heard talking to each other. She says  you stayed with me, Alan. He replies:  yes, Elisabeth.

Review: The man takes the dare in spite of the warning.Once inside the tension begins to rise as the man is joined by previous occupants of the house.He is forced to watch their very own violent deaths as they are repeated this particular night every year.The ghosts then try to lure the young man into joining them,even the ghost(Barbara Steele) who has fallen in love with him.Will he survive to see the dawn?This is a very well made film.The scares are frequent and you actually care about several of the characters,ghosts included.
Plot of this film deals with a cocky reporter(George Riviere) who is offered a wager to spend the night in a supposedly haunted castle.
"Castle Of Blood" of 1964 is a beautiful and incredibly haunting masterpiece of Italian Gothic Horror, and after Mario Bava's "La Maschera Del Demonio" (aka.
"Black Sunday") of 1960 and Roger Corman's "Pit And The Pendulum" of 1961 (starring the great Vincent Price) another must-see that earned the wonderful Barbara Steele her more than deserved fame as the most important female Horror icon in the history of motion pictures.
Italy's number 2 in the field (right after Mario Bava), Director Antonio Margheriti is one of the all-time masters of Gothic Horror, and "Castle of Blood" is doubtlessly his greatest achievement.
When he encounters the famous writer of brilliant macabre stories, Edgar Allen Poe, in a gloomy London tavern, young journalist Alan Foster (Georges Rivière) accepts a bet from a nobleman, that he can not spend a night in his haunted castle in the night of all souls' eve.
The mysterious events so far, however, have only been forebodings of the terrors the castle bears, however...The eerie castle setting alone would be sufficient to create a gloomy mood, the excellent black and white cinematography and a great score by Riz Ortolani create an incredibly haunting atmosphere that is eerie beyond comparison.
"Castle of Blood" is outstanding in many departments: Barbara Steele Delivers one of her best performances, the cinematography and locations are beautifully haunting beyond comparison, the atmosphere is incredibly eerie...
In short: "Castle of Blood" is one of the most atmospheric and greatest Gothic Horror films ever made, and must not be missed by anyone interested in the genre!
Antonio Margheriti's "Danza Macabra"/"Castle of Blood" is an eerie,atmospheric chiller that succeeds on all fronts.It looks absolutely beautiful in black & white and it has wonderfully creepy Gothic vibe.Alan Foster is an English journalist who pursues an interview with visiting American horror writer Edgar Allan Poe.Poe bets Foster that he can't spend one night in the abandoned mansion of Poe's friend,Thomas Blackwood.Accepting the wager,Foster is locked in the mansion and the horror begins!The film is extremely atmospheric and it scared the hell out of me.The crypt sequence is really eerie and the tension is almost unbearable.Barbara Steele looks incredibly beautiful as sinister specter Elisabeth Blackwood."Castle of Blood" is easily one of the best Italian horror movies made in early 60's.A masterpiece!.
At the start of this week, I received Antonio Margheriti's Gothic horror classic LA DANZA MACABRA (1964), courtesy of Synapse Film's DVD entitled CASTLE OF BLOOD, and I ended up watching it on Christmas Day!
This was only my fourth film from this Euro-Cult director, who passed away only too recently; the others - KILLER FISH (1978), THE ARK OF THE SUN GOD (1982; aka: HUNTERS OF THE GOLDEN COBRA) and TORNADO (1983) - are hardly anything to brag about and, in any case, this was eons ago so it's as if CASTLE OF BLOOD was my introduction proper to Margheriti's work.After having read a number of mixed reviews (including Brian Lindsey's on the Eccentric Cinema website), I did not quite know what to expect but I must say that I was genuinely surprised by this film for I liked it a lot.
Then again, CASTLE OF BLOOD looks forward to THE ASPHYX (1972) in their common argument about a person or thing not giving up on life unless he or it is prepared to die.The film evokes a great atmosphere, considering that budget and shooting schedule must have been pretty tight: smooth and interesting camera-work (particularly some tilted shots used for disorienting effect), expressive shadowy lighting and the expansive yet claustrophobic sets, all of which are beautifully complemented by a fine and eclectic score by Riz Ortolani.There are several other qualities that elevate the film rightfully to its renowned place in the pantheon of Italian horror, not least of all is the presence of two highly attractive ladies - Barbara Steele and Margarete Robsahm.
Steele effectively alternates between vulnerability and aggressiveness - thus building upon her dual roles in BLACK Sunday (1960) - by giving her character a sense of inner conflict (her willingness to die at the end rather than have to repeat the castle's 'night of terror' ordeal over and over), though her thunder here is often stolen by Robsahm who manages an admirable subtlety in her (relatively) brief and enigmatic appearance.
And can anyone explain those hanging bodies which Alan Foster (Georges Riviere's character) passes by immediately afterwards, as he stumbles outside the castle grounds?Where the film comes up short is in the stilted dialogue of the romantic interludes - if the Barbara Steele/John Richardson relationship in BLACK Sunday comes off as unconvincing, what about the Steele/Riviere match here?
Apart from this, couldn't they have picked one of the women to 'vampirize' successive victims?!Among the film's highlights are: the snake scene I mentioned earlier, which is genuinely skin-crawling; another uncomfortable moment is when the rotting corpse in the castle's cellar starts to move (who exactly is he?); the re-enactment of the murders, and the way it vividly captures Foster's desperation at his failure to stop them at every turn, not quite believing that what he is watching has already happened; the blood-craving ghosts' attack on Foster at the end, which reaches a fine pitch of frenzy before he is led to safety by Elizabeth - and to what he believes is freedom; Foster's violent death scene, then, is quite stunning - worthy of Bava or Argento at their best.As for the DVD presentation, I thought the Picture Quality neither better nor worse than expected; it was quite pleasant, in fact.
It's a pity, however, that the alternate French-language track (reportedly in even worse shape than the English one!) wasn't subtitled in its entirety, as this dubbing is still the more natural-sounding.I am now looking forward to watching more Margheriti from this vintage, particularly THE LONG HAIR OF DEATH (1964) - his other film with Barbara Steele - but also WEB OF THE SPIDER (1970), the director's own color (and allegedly inferior) remake of CASTLE OF BLOOD, with Anthony Franciosa, Michele Mercier and Klaus Kinski - themselves no strangers to horror films.
I have never seen a Barbara Steele movie that I haven't liked, and have always been a sucker for a good haunted-house story (especially for such wonderful pictures as "The Legend of Hell House" and the original versions of "The Haunting" and "House on Haunted Hill"), so I had a feeling that "Castle of Blood" would be right up my alley.
This French-Italian coproduction, while perhaps not the classic that Steele's first horror film, "Black Sunday," remains to this day, is nevertheless an extremely atmospheric, chilling entry in the spook genre.
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.
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.
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.
Anyway, this one has Edgar Allen Poe and Barbara Steele, deliciously shadowy, cobweb-wrap'ed haunted castle sets, restless spirits re-enacting their deaths...
The plot is very aware of the time in which this was released, and so incorporates the great Edgar Allen Poe. We follow Alan Foster, a writer who accepts a bet from Poe himself and Lord Blackwood that he can't spend an entire night in the latter's creepy old castle.
If you're a fan of Gothic horror, then you're definitely absolutely guaranteed to LOVE this wondrous Italian 60's film "Castle of Blood".
Film dominated by raven-haired Barbara Steele, it was seen when I was seven or eight and created permanent images of pallid vampiric men and women stalking a castle, seeking blood.
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.
It's the Samhain and a young journalist meets up with Edgar Allan Poe in a London tavern and agrees to spend a night in a haunted castle from where no one comes out alive for a wager.
True to its title, this is a macabre dance as the journalist staggers around the castle with a candelabra at hand and meets up with a variety of characters that may or may not be ghosts, including a seductive Barbara Steele in a nightgown, a creepy bearded Dr. Carmus whose name recalls Camus the writer but whose appearance has something of Ze Do Caixao/Coffin Joe, and a shirtless buff guy who seems to have wandered off a Maciste set.
Whatever the movie has going for it comes from those very qualities that mark it as an Italian Gothic horror film.
It is interesting that he did the original in black and white and the remake in color.Castle of Blood is excellent Italian Gothic.
Poe and Lord Blackwood, owner of a haunted castle, bet American writer Alan Foster (George Riviere) that he cannot spend All Souls Night in said castle and survive.
The terms of the bet explained by Poe are the following...Going to a nearby haunted castle and spending the night on "All Souls Eve" and stay alive the next day to collect.
The movie does contain violent scenes but balanced with the lovely Barbara and her jealous low-cut rival Julia (Margrete Robsahm) kind of makes you forget your watching a horror genre type film and instead more of a romance and lust based movie.
That bit wasn't so good.A journalist enters a pub to interview Edgar Allan Poe and ends up being involved in a wager by Umberto Raho to spend the night at a haunted castle that no one has returned alive from.
Castle of Blood (1964)*** (out of 4) Based on Edgar Allan Poe's Dance Macabre, this Italian horror film has author Alan Foster (Georges Riviere) accepting a bet to stay inside a haunted castle on All Soul's Eve. Once inside the castle he feels he is going to win the bet but soon he meets the beautiful Elizabeth (Barbara Steele) who appears to be dead.I must admit that I was really shocked by how much I enjoyed CASTLE OF BLOOD.
Director Antonio Margheriti certainly knew how to build up an atmosphere and I thought this was one of the more effective Gothic films to come from Italy.The greatest thing working for the first are the first twenty-minutes where the director manages to really make you fear the castle.
Margrete Robsahm, Silvano Tranquilli and Silvia Sorrente are all good as well.CASTLE OF BLOOD really works as a creepy, old-fashion horror film that goes for atmosphere more than anything else.
But then, I was a teenager back in those days, not as jaded about films as I am now.CASTLE OF BLOOD (aka: DANSE MACABRE) is a fine example of the 60s Italian horror genre, along with Mario Bava's BLACK SUNDAY(1960), CURSE OF THE LIVING DEAD (aka: KILL BABY KILL) (1966) and Mario Caiano's NIGHTMARE CASTLE (1965).
Only the films sometimes hokey music and the rather abrupt `love at first sight' between Elizabeth (Barbara Steele) and Alan (Georges Rivière) mar an otherwise surprisingly entertaining movie.While visiting England, Edgar Allan Poe sits in a pub, telling one of his ghostly stories to Count Blackwood.
Alan cannot afford the bet, so he bets his life for a 10 pound wager.Unlike Mario Bava's overpraised `Black Sunday,' (aka `The Mask of Satan'), `Castle of Blood' is fairly restrained, making the few moments of violence even more dreadful, especially surprising from a director usually associated with those terrible Italian space movies from the 60s.It's a pity the only version of this film I've found is badly deteriorated (and recorded) pan and scan version.
When Foster reveals his scepticism on the subject, Blackwood bets that he cannot spend a night alone in his castle, a place reputedly haunted by its previous guests, all of whom have mysteriously disappeared during their stay...Fancy something really Gothic?
Then look no further than Castle of Blood, a film so fog-bound, dust-covered and strewn with cobwebs that it sent my Gothic-ometer clean off the scale; Foster's home for the night is the kind of place that would even give Herman Munster goosebumps!Unsurprisingly, the Blackwood family pile's reputation as haunted turns out to be well deserved, the journalist spending most of the night bumping into a series of spooky occupants, including the enchanting Elisabeth (Barbara Steele), her love rival Julia (Margarete Robsahm), a musclebound killer (Giovanni Cianfriglia), and the creepy Dr. Carmus (Arturo Dominici); this superbly effective supernatural set-up gives director Antonio Margheriti all he needs to pile on the atmosphere and scares—Castle of Blood really does deliver in terms of macabre visuals and shivers.Perhaps a little too much of the running time is spent on Foster wandering aimlessly around the old castle, but with so many great moments—the scene with the decapitated snake, the topless ghost bride, the corpses hanging in the trees—this is one Italian Gothic horror that is genuinely deserving of its praise.7.5 out of 10, rounded up to 8 for IMDb..
The plot of CASTLE OF BLOOD has been sufficiently related in the previous comments, so I won't repeat the details of Alan, penniless journalist, spending a night in haunted Blackwood Manor, falling in love with ghostly Elizabeth, and almost escaping from the other vampiric occupants.
I love the Gothic atmosphere created in some of the older Italian and Mexican horror films.
In fact, the character of Poe appears in the beginning and end of the film--though it didn't look especially like him.A rich man makes a bet with a guy down on his luck that he cannot stay the entire night in a manner home.
Castle of Blood is a good example of the quality work in the horror genre being turned out in Italy in the 60s.
The film has all of the right elements - old dark house, atmosphere, a decent story, and Barbara Steele.
Steele makes most any film worth seeing.The story concerns a haunted castle.
But once he does find something, the movie picks up and become quite enjoyable.Castle of Blood is a definite must for Steele fans and fans of Italian Gothic horror in general..
This complicated story begins fairly simply, with an English journalist accepting a wager from Edgar Allen Poe and his friend Lord Blackwood that he cannot spend a night in the haunted Blackwood castle.
This is a fun movie, with absolutely everything: ghosts, the spooky castle, repeated visions of past events, sex and violence ( though both have been toned down in the version most Americans have seen over the years.) The alluring, captivating Barbara Steele is the main reason to see it.
The place is supposed to be uninhabited but those who visit it -- which happens once a year -- are never seen again.Riviere is dropped off at the castle's gate by the owner and Poe, whose carriage then trundles off into the night in the film's most unsettling scene.
The movie begins with a journalist named "Alan Foster" (Georges Riviere) walking into an English pub on a cold, foggy night to hopefully get an interview with the renowned American writer, "Edgar Allan Poe" (Silvano Tranquilli).
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.
Ever since I saw Black Sunday (great movie) I wanted to see more of Barbara Steele.