| CASTLE OF BLOOD |
| Lord Blackwood and Edgar Allan Poe are in an English pub are having drinks. A young writer by the name of Alan Foster joins them.Foster is very eager not only to interview Poe but to earn some quick money as well.Lord Blackwood wishes to make a wager with him. He wants to wager the young man that he cannot spend a night in his country estate. The house is reputed to be haunted only on this particular night.Previous people that have taken the bet 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 the very beautiful Elizabeth (Barbara Steele)and other occupants of the house. The people he meets all begin to die violent deaths and Foster is helpless to stop them. In reality most of the people he meets are the ghosts reliving their last night of their lives in this house. Once they relive their brutal demises, the ghosts then try to lure the young man into their clutches so they can drink his blood and return the next year. 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. Some have knocked the film for being too slow but it is a ghost story and depends on atmosphere and mood. The set up is enough to drag the viewer in and keep your interest.The house/castle is grim and foreboding.The photography is great and Ms Steele never looked lovelier. And then there is that knock out ending that stuck in my mind from the first time I saw this film on tv in the late 1960's. The dvd is a wonderful affair that varies a bit from old tv prints and bootlegs were used to.There are some additional scenes that are french subtitled. There is also a bit of nudity used to sell the picture in Europe. This is a film well worth it for those with a bit of patience. |
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