Sangue das Virgens

Recently viewed this little gem as "The Torture Chamber of Dr. sadism". Originally released in the US and UK as "The Blood Demon", while it's German title was "Die Schlangengrube und Das Pendel". An odd film that seemed to be a sort of German take on a mixture of Bava with one of Corman's AIP Poe efforts.

Count Regula (Christopher Lee) is drawn and quartered for the death of 12 maidens, but swears his revenge. 35 years later a disparate group ends up at the Counts ruined castle. The 4 travelers are Baroness Lillian (Karin Dor of Bond fame), her maid Babette, Roger (Lex Barker, former Tarzan and a huge star in Germany) and the monk Fabian (a hilarious turn from Vladimir Medar). As it turns out, Roger and the Baroness are the descendants of the folks that originally put the Count to death and he wants revenge. The crazed servant Anatol lures them to the castle and reanimates the Count. The Poe elements then come into play as Roger faces a deadly pendulum and Lillian is faced with a pit full of snakes. Do they foil the reanimated Count or meet their doom? Check this fun film out to see for yourself!

I expected this to be a really bad film, but was very surprised to find that I enjoyed it tremendously. Christopher Lee's performance is all menace, but with just a smattering of black humour to keep things moving. Lex Barker, more than a decade after playing Tarzan, looks great and is a perfect heroic figure. Karin Dor is lovely and does a fair bit of over the top shrieking, but still manages to give a convincing performance. This was a whole lot of fun! A bit of dark humour, Grimm's fairytale mixed with a Mario Bava sensibility and a little Poe thrown in for good measure makes for a superior European horror flick. Hopefully a nicer print will turn up or a DVD release, as the Magnum Entertainment video that I viewed was murky, faded and very badly edited.

It is fortuitous that this film has at last reached the light of day again, (via DVD) since it provides a welcome reminder of the type of Saturday matinée "scary" fare 1960s parents could safely drop the youngsters off to see--in some ways similar to 1962's "The Magic Sword."

Boasting a very "Siegfried" style hero in Lex Barker, a particularly comely brunette heroine, and Christopher Lee at his most cadaverously malevolent, horror fans should not be disappointed in the regulation personalities. Nor will they be disappointed in the abundance of Gothic contrivances: snakes, skulls, potions, glass coffins, razor pendulums etc. etc. And to those with questions about the logic of the narrative, don't bother with them--the rapid fire pacing won't wait for you to find an answer anyway--if nothing else this film does move!

Ultimately, however, it is in the visuals that this film most impresses. Production design and color are of a very high order indeed, ranking very favorably against Jack Asher and Mario Bava, and it is impossible to believe that the previous work of these two gentlemen is not deliberately evoked here.

Much could be observed in this connection, but suffice it to say that rarely has a nocturnal forest been presented more balefully, with gnarled trees juxtaposed against an ultramarine sky.

Even more in its favor is the effective use of a medieval Bavarian town, whose quaint architecture seems right out of E.T.A. Hoffmann. Here is an example of location shooting that counts for something! Overall, although the credits credit Edgar Allan Poe as the basis of the story, the piece feels altogether more like a "penny-dreadful" hybrid pastiche of the aforementioned Hoffmann and Ludwig Tieck.

Highly recommended for admirers of the genre.

The Castle of the Walking Dead is the first film that I have seen directed by Harold Reinl, the filmmaker who helmed numerous 'krimi' (German-made horror-thrillers based on the works of Edgar Wallace, precursors of the Italian 'giallo'), several entries in the 'Dr. Mabuse' series, and most of the 'Karl May' westerns. If this movie is any indication, Reinl is a major talent ripe for rediscovery by fans looking for a cinema that revels in flamboyant visual pyrotechnics, rather than in quotidian literacy and a politically correct 'sensibility'. Reinl may not be Mario Bava, but his extravagantly baroque camera style is nonetheless extremely impressive. The Castle of the Walking Dead is relentlessly designed; each shot has been carefully thought out and executed to its fullest illustrative potential. Set decoration, lighting, and camera movement are all carefully integrated; there is almost no shot that is arbitrary, accidental, or unnecessary. Reinl is an obvious practitioner of the great expressionist tradition in cinema, in which the significance of each shot is determined by the director's architectural and illuminative insight, in opposition to current film dogma, in which the subordinate elements of the shot (the acting, the script) dictates its formal structure. Significantly, only Christopher Lee, a performer who, like Lugosi, his predecessor, understands the physically revelatory importance of the actor to the overall impact of a film, is able to rise to the director's challenge. The Castle of the Walking Dead is ultimately derivative, badly acted, and pointless, but, for fans of cinema, can be a joy to behold. I should note that the DVD that I watched was faded and crappy; one can only hope that in the future the rest of Reinl's output will be rediscovered and restored with the loving care that it deserves. I can't wait.

What a cool-o little flick this is! Christopher Lee is Count Regula (say that name real fast and see what it sounds like) who, at films beginning, has a spiked mask nailed to his face and is then drawn and quartered in a public square for the torture/murders of 12 virgins. 35 years later, the daughter of the woman who turned him in and the son of the man who sentenced him, are brought to an eerie castle in the deep dark woods.

There's a GREAT spooky carriage ride through the creepiest forest in the world, where dead-pale bodies hang from the branches. The castle looks pretty convincing; drippy stone walls lined with human skulls and draped with cobwebs, its corridors choked with vultures. There are pits filled with poisonous snakes and hairy spiders, skeletons everywhere. A pretty blond maid is nearly impaled on a board full of spikes and The Pit and The Pendulum is re-enacted, with all of the sweaty tension of the original tale. Christopher Lee looks wonderfully terrible - a shambling, blueish corpse with a nail-hole scarred face, absolutely void of emotion as he plots his revenge against our beautiful couple. There's a lot of tension here, lots of icky-yucky moments and a genuinely creepy atmosphere that seeps into every single frame. There's also a rare, non-saccharine and totally satisfying happy ending. Don't miss this one, it's really great!

Castle of The Walking Dead is the video version of the Constantin Film, Die Schlangengrube und das Pendel, and as such is shortened by approximately 15 minutes from the original. This film, released in 1967, is interesting for several reasons although it is certainly no classic. The careers of Lex (`Tarzan') Barker and Christopher Lee crossed briefly here and the presence of the lovely Karin Dor (wife of director Harald Reinl), whom readers may recognize from her role in the Fu Manchu films (which also starred Lee) of the same era, added a bit of grace to an otherwise grim story. Castle of . . . is an interesting mix of excellent atmosphere hampered by odd editing and sometimes laughable storyline. I was impressed by the sets and grim mood the film projected from beginning to end, and the presence of Lee makes this must see viewing for his many followers. However, this was far from his best work and one wonders if he was not overextending himself during this very busy period in his career.

Set in what appears to be 17th or 18th century Germany, Count Regula (Lee) is drawn and quartered for his offenses. 35 years later, his manservant Anatole, (ably portrayed by Carl Lange) initiates a rite to bring him back to life on Good Friday. The good Count requires the blood of 13 virgins for this to be achieved and, you guessed it, Dor as Baroness Lillian Von Brabandt is to be number 13. So the countess, and Barker as Roger Montelise, son of the judge who condemned the count many years before, are duped into visiting Regula's castle. One of the few scenes in the film which combines outstanding atmosphere with sold story line comes when Montelis and his party are being coached to the castle. A very frightening and disturbing ride it was through a forest of hanging bodies and detached limbs, giving some much needed credibility to a mostly mediocre offering. At the castle, the flow of the story breaks down. Several scripting mistakes are painfully obvious. Two examples: In one scene, Anatole is shot in the chest by Roger's man and we see a small amount of dark red blood before the bullet hole supernaturally closes. A few minutes later, Anatole cuts his wrist and green blood drips to Regula's coffin. In another, it is established that the `undead', Anatole and Regula, cannot bear the presence of a Christian cross in the same room with them. Yet instead of throwing it in his face and escaping, Dor meekly obeys Anatole's harsh command to remove it from his sight! But, in the end, the good guys win, vanquishing the risen to life Regula and the evil Anatole. They are taken away by the same coach they came in on and we are led to believe they lived happily ever after. Castle of . . . will be of interest to fans of European and/or obscure horror and the previously mentioned Lee cultists. Years ago I viewed the longer version, released under the American title, The Torture Chamber of Dr. Sadism and the added 15 minutes enhances the story greatly, so find that copy if you can. Castle of . . . was another release from InterGlobal Home Video, whom collectors like me owe a huge debt to.