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7 out of 8 people found the following comment useful :- Prime example of Italian horror, superbly captured on a widescreen DVD., 11 November 2002 Author: TheVid from Colorado Springs
Here's a favorite example of Italian horror cinema, filled with the trademark qualities that have impressed genre-film afficionados for the last half century. It compares favorably with the highly-regarded, Mario Bava classic, BLACK SUNDAY, and features another major appearance by the mysterious beauty, Barbara Steele. The black-and-white cinematography and production design are nicely realized, and an appropriate atmosphere of menace and sexuality is skillfully delivered. All in all, this is a prime example of why Italian horror cinema deserves some appreciation. The music is by Riz Ortolani (of MONDO CANE fame). A very nice DVD from Synapse.
8 out of 11 people found the following comment useful :- CASTLE OF BLOOD (1964) - Synapse DVD Review, 14 June 2004 Author: MARIO GAUCI (marrod@melita.com) from Naxxar, Malta
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. I may cause a stir here but I would take CASTLE OF BLOOD over most of Argento's films, though that doesn't mean that I think Margheriti is a better director.The premise is hardly an original one and the pace is quite slow at times, but my attention was held throughout the film's entire duration. The opening sequence in a tavern reminded me of a similar scene in Jean Epstein's silent version of THE FALL OF THE HOUSE OF USHER (1928). Two other scenes later on were also reminiscent of THE CITY OF THE DEAD (1960): the ballroom crowd materializing out of nowhere, and the famous scene where a snake is decapitated is similar in a way to Christopher Lee's ritual killing of a parrot in the earlier film. Also, when the muscle-bound gardener attacks the newly-wed in her room, we are reminded of a similar scene between Boris Karloff and Mae Clarke in FRANKENSTEIN (1931). 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. Arturo Dominici, as well, is suitably imposing as the helpful but wily Dr. Carmus. Another noteworthy aspect is the film's portrayal of a world-weary Edgar Allan Poe in the guise of Silvano Tranquilli, who captures the famed but tormented writer's essence quite well (even with his limited screentime). Often missing in previous versions of the film is the lesbian subtext - introduced rather too abruptly into the story, but sensitively handled by the two actresses (especially in view of its shooting conditions!). On the other hand, a couple of gratuitous topless shots add nothing to the film and could easily have been avoided (though it appears these were intended for Continental versions only, much like the unnecessary striptease sequence in DEVIL DOLL [1964]). I am also baffled by a couple of other points: what exactly did Elizabeth die of? We see the gardener stab her, but at the end of the film she perishes beside her own grave in the cemetery! 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? In fact, both young male leads are a detriment to the film: the he-man gardener character, especially, is laughable and breaks the mood of the piece, taking one out of the picture! 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. Audio Quality, on the other hand, was pretty bad: distorted at first, then settling down to a fair Mono, which is disrupted on occasion by a weird and rather distracting hum on the soundtrack (as in the SON OF Dracula [1943] DVD from Universal). Extras are slight for this release, but well done nonetheless (especially Tim Lucas's typically enthusiastic and informative liner notes).Also, I did not find the English dubbing all that annoying this time around, and the transition between languages was smoothly handled overall. I was not so unprepared to this eventuality, however: I already have Max Ophuls' celebrated final film, LOLA MONTES (1955) - or rather a badly-cut version of it - on VHS (taped off Italian TV), which is presented in a similar - indeed, far more ragged - patchwork state, alternating between French (with Italian subtitles) and Italian dialogue; and the version of Jacques Tourneur's classic film noir OUT OF THE PAST (1947) that is always shown on Italian TV, also goes abruptly from the Italian dubbing to the original English dialogue! Anyway, the restored bits of dialogue in CASTLE OF BLOOD add some depth to the characters, so we must be thankful that these have been preserved in any way and have now been re-integrated into the main feature. 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'm not sure about his later work, however: for example, despite the acclaim heaped upon Image's DVD of CANNIBAL APOCALYPSE (1980) - which, incidentally, I failed to catch recently on a very rare TV screening - I find extreme gore off-putting, so I seriously doubt I'll ever get around purchasing that one!
3 out of 3 people found the following comment useful :- One of the better Italian horror films of the 60's, 8 August 1999 Author: evilskip from a haunted castle
Two men(one being Edgar Allen Poe) in an English pub have drinks with a man eager to earn some quick money.He is dared to spend the night in a haunted house for a quite tidy sum.The catch is the dead of this particular house rise this very night.Previous people that have taken the dare didn't survive. 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. The house/castle is grim and foreboding.The photography is great and Ms Steele never looked lovelier.The ending is a real twist that you won't see coming.Give this one an 8!
4 out of 5 people found the following comment useful :- Castle of Babes, 2 October 2005 Author: spider63 from United States
I saw this movie as a kid on Creature Feature when I lived in New York. It was a pretty creepy movie, though not as good as Horror Hotel. I just bought this movie on DVD, and it is different from what I remember because in the DVD that I bought there are several scenes where the actors speak in French and/or Italian and no subtitles are provided. Then the other actors respond in English to what was being said. Kind of weird. Also on the DVD box, the names of some of the actors are spelled differently than on IMDb.Aside from that, this movie is different in that the character of Elsie takes her clothes off and provides a nude shot in one scene and in another scene Julia tries to force Elizabeth (Barbara Steele) to make out with her by pushing her down on the bed and kissing her while Steele resists. That scene existed in the TV version, but it was very edited. I wonder if there is any extra footage that could be incorporated into a remastered ultra-edition? It seems sad that some of these old low budget classics have been spliced to bits and sold in all kinds of edited versions. Where are the master tapes and all the unused footage? Aside from the first boring twenty minutes before Allen is delivered to the Castle, the rest of the movie is pretty good. There aren't too many special effects (but Herbert's face after Julia clubs him is a good one). The creepy atmosphere and the strange, exotic, and seductive look of Barbara Steele make the movie a lot better than it should be. I can honestly say that if Barbara Steele had not been in this film, it would be a big zero. She makes the movie a ten!
5 out of 7 people found the following comment useful :- Wonderfully eerie Italian horror., 30 March 2004 Author: HumanoidOfFlesh from Chyby, Poland
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!
2 out of 2 people found the following comment useful :- Good intentions pay off despite clichés, 6 September 2008 Author: HagenTronje from United States
It's hard to explain the appeal of this movie. It's not a gem as some have said. But I wouldn't characterize it as Euro-trash either. The plot is not very original, and borrows—intentionally or not—from Dreyer's VAMPYR (1932), and perhaps a bit from THE HAUNTING (1963). It may also have a literary source in Bulwer-Lytton's story "The Haunters and the Haunted" in which a disbelieving rationalist wagers he can spend a night in a mysterious house where spirits relive incidents from past lives. The film is full of continuity holes (or should I say "challenges"), because many may be explained away. But the execution is flawed. Feral cats, sudden scenes of carnage, and other fright effects do not deliver the shudders.I must say, however, that the film held my interest, primarily because of the creepy, fog-shrouded sets that look better than they ought to on such a small budget, and because the performances are above average for this type of fare. And although the plot is full of old dark house clichés—slamming doors, billowing curtains, and mysterious portraits—some nice dialog makes it all seem less contrived somehow. There is no doubt that the director and writers were absolutely sincere.There is also some provocative sexual content and nudity following a tradition of salaciousness that seems to have been a necessary ingredient of horror films as far back as Hollywood's pre-code days. So if I were forced to assess whether this glass is half empty or full I would say it is slightly more than half full. This one might appeal to all those baby boomers who watched the soap opera DARK SHADOWS when they were teenagers in the '60's. It has that feel to it, only with better acting and writing.
2 out of 2 people found the following comment useful :- Another Brilliant Gothic Tale With Steele, 23 May 2007 Author: Benjamin Gauss from Salzburg, Austria
Antonio Margheriti's "Danza Macabra" aka. "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. But not only is the beautiful and brilliant Barbara Steele one of my favorite actresses of all-time, the screenplay to "Danza Macabra" was co-written by no one less than the cinematic genius Sergio Corbucci, who directed such ingenious Spaghetti Western milestones as "Django" (1966) and "The Great Silence" (1968). 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. Hardly another film works so brilliantly in creating an incredibly haunting, yet beautiful atmosphere as it is the case with this creepy masterpiece. 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. As soon as Foster enters the eerie castle, mysterious things start to happen. After a little while, however, he encounters an enchanting resident of the castle, the stunningly beautiful Elisabeth Blackwood (Barbara Steele). 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. The wonderful Barbara Steele is fantastic as always, I simply can not find enough words to praise this wonderful actress. No other actress has ever been capable of uniting ravishing beauty with the uncanny as it is the case with Steele, and no actress ever will. Besides Steele, the movie's cast contains another stunning beauty, Margarete Robsahm, and she also delivers a great performance. George Rivière's performance as Alan Foster is great, and the rest of the performances are also very good. "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... The film simply is a perfect whole of atmosphere, Gothic beauty and the art of terror. 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! 10/10
2 out of 2 people found the following comment useful :- Well executed old and very dark house horror, 3 January 2007 Author: christopher-underwood from Greenwich - London
Well executed old and very dark house horror. Good set-up which includes the character of Poe, himself, alluding to the story in a London pub. Although from here it is pretty much the one guy who has taken the dare to visit the house on a particular night running from room to room either looking for or avoiding people, it is still most enjoyable. Plus we have the delightful and enigmatic Barbara Steele. There is some wooden dialogue and some unexplained bits and bobs but it is the super creepy atmosphere that is maintained throughout, that and the super musical score that keep this one moving nicely along. DVD originates from US and has a few extras
1 out of 1 people found the following comment useful :- A Genuinely Creepy Miasma, 17 December 2007 Author: ferbs54 from United States
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. And boy, was it ever! 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. Filmed in black and white, it manages to convey a genuinely creepy miasma. The film concerns a journalist who bets one Lord Blackwood and an author named Edgar Allen Poe that he can spend the night in Blackwood's castle on the night of All Saints Day, when the spirits of those killed in the castle reenact their fate. The viewer gets to see these deaths, and they ARE pretty horrible, for the most part. The film does indeed send shivers up the viewer's spine, and in the uncut DVD that I just watched--thanks to the fine folks at Synapse--even features a surprising topless scene and some mild lesbianism! And Barbara is wonderful in this movie; her otherworldly beauty is put to good advantage playing a sympathetic spectre. Her mere presence turns a creepy ghost story into something truly memorable. Not for nothing has she been called "The Queen of Horror."
1 out of 1 people found the following comment useful :- dark, creepy, atmospheric and claustrophobic, 10 July 2006 Author: TheatreX from Louisville, KY
This begins a wager between Edgar Allen Poe and a journalist...Poe bets that the man can not spend an entire night in a creepy castle. Well, of course he can, but will he come out unscathed? Hard to say with all these strange people that aren't supposed to be there wandering around, including the icy Barbara Steele. This is a fairly odd film in that the presentation is both in French and English, and switches back and forth a few times. Perhaps this is done because bits of dialog were lost? It's also rather dark and claustrophobic, being that one doesn't see much beyond a small circle of light that candles and such generate, plus there's a feel of dread and impending doom pretty much at all times. This version (on Synapse) is also uncensored and I wondered what might be censored in a film from 1964 until I saw the topless scene, I guess that might be it. Overall this is pretty good and in gloomy black and white. Barbara Steele definitely makes the movie too. 8 out of 10.
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