Il castello dei morti vivi

Low budget Italian horror film is no big shakes but there's a few things worth mentioning about it. First, it's Donald Sutherland's film debut (in two roles, no less). Why they had him dress up as old hag I do not know. Budgetary reasons I suppose. Sutherland does nothing to impress in his debut. We also have the great Christopher Lee slumming here and giving a typically solid Lee performance, though not his best. There's also a dwarf among the circus performers. He's pretty good and gets to be a hero, which will impress certain types.

The story is about a troupe of circus performers summoned to a castle to entertain the mysterious Count Drago (Lee). Little do they know Drago is a weirdo who performs experiments involving embalming animals and people. This certainly sounds intriguing enough but somehow the film manages to be unexceptional and, for the most part, boring. Lee completists and Spaghetti horror fans will want to check it out. I wouldn't recommend it to anyone else.

Christopher Lee pops up in a lot of shonky Euro-horror, but I didn't expect to see Donald Sutherland's name to appear in the opening credits for Castle of the Living Dead. Sutherland's big screen debut sees the actor playing multiple roles: firstly, he plays an old hag who warns the members of a travelling acting troupe of impending death if they continue to the castle of Count Drago (Lee) where they are to perform; then he plays the incompetent police sargeant who is oblivious to the count's experiments in the suspension of life, using humans subjects; and according to IMDb, Sutherland also plays an old man, but I don't recall seeing that character.

The film's main star, Christopher Lee, could play his role in his sleep: villanous aristocrat Count Drago is bread and butter for the actor. The count is assisted in his work by a drooling maniac called Sandro (Mirko Valentin), who captures victims for Drago. In the film's best (ie. Funniest) scene, Sandro chases Nick (Antonio De Martino), the troupe's heroic dwarf, to the top of a tower, picks the little fellow up and throws him over the parapet. The dwarf, or rather a very unconvincing dummy, falls and lands on a pile of hay. Extra points awarded for dwarf throwing! Another cool moment sees Drago using a toy catapult to fire a poisoned dart into a man's eye. Nasty!

The direction by Warren Kiefer is rather clumsy, as is the editing, and the dubbing is terrible, but the crude technical nature of the film adds to its charm. Kiefer does make good use of his gothic location, especially the ornamental gardens and grottos that surround the castle (I know I've seen that place in another old horror film, but I can't quite put my finger in it*). All in all, this is a fun piece of low-budget Euro-horror that trundles along at a decent pace and never bores -- far from a classic but certainly worth a go for fans of this kind of hokum.

*I just read Bezenby's review, which lists other films that use the same location. The film I was trying to think of was Meridian (AKA Phantoms) starring Sherilyn Fenn.

After the many years I spent searching for "Castle of the Living Dead" and considering the rather high price I eventually paid for the Blu-Ray DVD, I can't help feeling a little bit disappointed. Surely, it's a fun and spooky gothic euro-horror effort, but it doesn't come close in terms of quality to some of Christopher Lee's other contemporary work in the same genre, like "The City of the Dead", "The Virgin of Nuremberg" or "The Torture Chamber of Dr. Sadism".

Compared to these three, and various other classic Gothic horrors, "Castle of the Living Dead" is a lot less atmospheric and unsettling, and the plot isn't very engaging. The opening sequences are still quite grim, with a mysteriously eerie figure randomly killing and abducting people in a forest. This person than invites a traveling circus community to come and perform privately at the castle of his master; - Count Drago. The count (Lee) turns out to be a fanatic taxidermist, but he doesn't necessarily only stuff animal, and his object don't necessarily have to be dead...

The film is ineffective as a wholesome, due to the muddled script and slow pacing, but several isolated highlights make this film worthwhile. There is, naturally, the intimidating performance of Christopher Lee (with pitch-black eyes), but also strong supportive roles by Mirko Valentin (as the nasty henchman) and Antonio De Martino (as a heroic dwarf), ominous set-pieces (like a tunnel entrance shaped as a devil face) and a few creepy shots of a room full of stuffed ...objects. Most reviewers mention the dual role of Donald Sutherland as another highlight, but I found his performance rather hysterical. But, most of all, I missed the feeling of genuine fright. Shame.

The Castle of the Living Dead is quite a good, little known thriller about a man named Count Drago who has found the secret to preserving life instantly, a sort of life in death concept. His castle is full of all kinds of creatures that are in death just as they were in life. Lee plays the title role with relish as he entertains a group of roving entertainers in his castle. The film is quite atmospheric with some very good chase scenes through dark corridors and a graveyard as well. The cast is pretty decent with a pint-sized dwarf besting all. The film is of some note as it is one of the earliest performances of Donald Sutherland, who has a field day playing an incompetent policeman and a witch/old hag. Quite a good European little horror film!

A delightful B-Horror film filled with odd characters, shadowed corridors, and a decent plot...Castle of the Living Dead, when viewed late at night, will keep the viewer more amused than scared. I first saw this film as a boy and forever thereafter, tried to remember the title so I could see it again. Where else can you find a movie other than Lord of the Rings, with a heroic dwarf (wish he was born later in life so that he could have played Frodo)and his side kick deaf-mute giant (perhaps the inspiration for Miller's MasterBlaster), Donald Sutherland as a witch and a bungling police/soldier (keeping his trademark smirk in tact), and a beautiful female victim that is saved from poisoning by a thirsty cat. Also, two other performances must be given honorable mention...the sullen Cristopher Lee playing Count Drago, who bears the resemblance of a Gothic Heroin addict..and his henchman Sandro, whose bulging eyes and psycho-drenched laugh, make for added cinema enjoyment. This is a foreign film and carries some of the Socio-pathic drama an early 1960's horror film might entail. No graphic slashing here, but the dart in the eye of the lowly deaf/mute delivers a taste for future gore films. The dubbing is close enough to understand and keeps in pace with the film's B- status. The plot line is basic, but interesting...taking place just after the Napoleanic Wars, a mad Count who is interested in science, discovers a way of prolonging life...only his results are stereotypically creepy. When a traveling troupe of circus performers are bid to come and entertain at his castle, the plot enfolds into a all-out who is going to live and who is going to die story. Sutherland's witch character prophesizes this much, so the tension mounts towards who the final survivors will be. I loved the set of this movie, which must have been filmed on location. The Castle's giant faced back entrance is a must see and the huge stone animal objects in the entangled gardens, make this Black and White film eerie and strange. Wind, shadows, moonlit night, large castle chambers and outdoor gardens...all the makings of a chilling tale. I highly recommend this film, but suggest to view it only late, late, late night...with a pot of popcorn and maybe with one friend. Also, this could be a perfect slumber party film, as well...but would be so with differing results. For when you add these odd Castle of the Living Dead characters, with a mixture of humorous comments and tired people...the outcome is sure to create a cult film status for a new generation of viewers.

cuzdogg