Le manoir de la terreur

This "pretty good" Corman-styled quasi-Poe entry complete with Vincent Price lookalike, and red herrings, is a little too plodding for it's own good and needs some more frequent and stronger moments of horror to make it to the "very good" level. The same can be said of the Corman-Poe films and such, yet they had great indelible scare moments, fabulous art direction in color and Vincent Price to keep them interesting. This looks like a late night spook show staple from the 60s and 70s, and is fine as such, except I saw it without commercials. I kept thinking it would be better if I'd watched it on an old B&W 20" portable TV on a wire-rack TV stand with potato chips and soda, and a chair with lumpy cushion on a chilly and windy October night just to get into the period.

The opening sequences show both titles ("Horror" and "The Blancheville Monster") neatly after each other, as if the distributors couldn't really decide which of the two was better and/or more appropriate. They should have just called it "The Blancheville Horror"... Problem solved! Anyway, that was totally irrelevant. I'm more and more becoming a fan of director Alberto De Martino! He's been making good horror movies consistently from the early 60's until the mid 80's, yet he never received the respect and appreciation that other Italian directors did. This stylish and severely underrated picture came out alongside loads of other Gothic horror movies and, although not as brilliant as, say, "Black Sunday" or "Kill Baby…Kill", it's a hugely atmospheric and powerfully compelling chill-tale with an overall decent script and convincing set pieces. Only a couple of days prior to her 21st birthday, a beautiful girl travels back to her wealthy father's castle, accompanied by her new lover and best friend. Upon arrival, her brother informs her about the tragic incident that supposedly killed her father and how he got madly obsessed with the legend of the Blancheville family curse. But the new arrivals notice that there are a lot more strange things going on. Why have all the servants been replaced? Why is the brother so nervous about the girl's upcoming birthday? And, most of all, who or what produces those creepy screams at night in the castle's darkest tower? "The Blancheville Monster" offers pretty much all the elements you're looking for in good Gothic horror, including eerie thunderstorms, scary black-caped monsters, ominous vaults and tight costumes that supply the female cast members with impressive cleavage. De Martino does a great directing job, spreading the suspense equally throughout the whole film and the finale – albeit not too hard to predict – is formidably tense. Unlike any of Mario Bava's Gothic horror movies, "The Blancheville Monster" will not haunt your nightmares, but for fans of classic horror it's definitely worth seeing.

I sought out this little gem after reading about it in Tim Lucas' bio of Mario Bava. Lucas believes the effects in this 1962 b/w strongly resemble Bava's technical flourishes. I sought out this title for this reason, but also because I collect films of the era containing the word 'monster' in the title. I also have a growing appreciation for Gothic Italian horror and mystery. After snapping it up on Amazon for about five bucks including postage, I am pleased to announce that it was well worth my time and effort.

There is a lot to like about this movie, including an eerie score and loads of captivating locations and sets; the crumbling abbey is reminiscent of Universal's "Dracula" but much more realistic and effectively photographed. Moments of the film seem over the top, and overcooked, but it stands up well for its time overall. This is especially desirable to those of us who recall the old Shock Theatre days of television, and enjoy Italian Gothic horror of the 60s.

This is an early Italian Gothic concerning the Blancheville family , as the daughter, Ombrella Colli, of an insane count returns her home to pay a visit, being accompanied by her boyfriend : John Taylor and his sister : Iran Eory. At the mansion they are received by a doctor : Leo Anchoriz, the grumpy housekeeper : Helga Line, the butler : Paco Moran and finally her brother : Gerard Tichy. But this count is turned nutty, fearing his daughter will fall victim of an ancient curse that has plagued his family throughout centuries, the reason for he wants to kill her and to be sacrified to fullfil the eerie legend.

A terror movie with chills, thrills, creepy scenes and plot twists. Interesting script from Giovanni Grimaldi, Bruno Corbucci, Natividad Zaro, being freely inspired on Edgar Allan Poe novels as The fall of the House of Usher . The plot is plenty of surprises, terror moments , ghastly atmosphere with thunder and lightning, twists and turns. One of the first Italian horror, this time in co-production with Spain, that's why it is full of Spanish actors as Leo Anchoriz, Iran Eory, Gerard Tichy, Paco Moran, Helga Line, while the Italian ones are the unknown Ombrella Colli under pseudonym Joan Hills and Matterasi as John Taylor.

This coproduction is financed by Spanish producers : Alberto Aguilera, Natividad Zaro and Italian as Italo Zingarelli. It displays an evocative cinematography with gloomy atmosphere by prestigious cameraman Alejandro Ulloa who photographed the classic Horroe Express . Shot on location in San Martin de Valdeiglesias (Madrid) where several terror films have been filmed, specially Paul Naschy/Waldemar Daninski movies. Furthermore, thrilling and frightening musical score by Carlo Franci and uncredited Piccillo. The motion picture was well directed by Alberto de Martino. He was a prolific artisan who wrote and directed during the 60s, 70s, 80s ordinary genres of the Italian B series as Peplum : Invincible Glatiator, Triumph of Hercules, Seven Spartans. Eurospy : Operation Lady Chaplin, Upperseven, OK Connery . Macaroni Combat : Dirty Heroes. Thriller, Giallo and Poliziesco : The insatiables, The Counselor, Rome versus Chicago, Puma Man , The Killer is on the Phone, Magnum special for Tony Saitta . Spaghetti Western : Django shoots first, 7th Cavalry, 100 000 dollars per Ringo. Terror : Antichrist , Holocaust 2000 and Horror.

I had no idea what to expect from this one, but it turned out to be Italy's response to the Roger Corman Edgar Allan Poe films, and it's actually pretty good.

In late 19th century northern France, lovely Emily De Blancheville returns to her ancestral home from finishing school to find that her brother has sacked the entire staff and all the new servants are creepy. Worse yet, her father – whom she had believed to be killed in a fire – is actually alive but hideously burned and criminally insane, and locked up in the tower. Her brother explains that there is a curse on the De Blancheville line, and their father believes that the curse can only be broken if Emily dies before her 21st birthday, which is coming up so close that they've already got the castle bedecked with festive balloons. Well, to make 89 minutes short, the father escapes and pretty soon Emily is in for a bad time of it.

What I liked about this film: It's produced by "Llama Films", which has to make a person smile. The leading ladies are all lovely, and Emily's little peekaboo nightie is extremely flattering (yeah, yeah, I know, men are pigs. Oink, oink). The location and sets are amazing, with real castles and genuine ruins (it's so cold, even indoors, that you can constantly see the actors' breath). The monster's makeup seems to be some kind of Kharis mask, Italian style. The dialog is priceless, if a tad wordy ("You will follow me, Emily. To your tomb. To your death. To die. To die. To die. To die"). Have I mentioned it was produced by Llama Films? Oh, and the brother ("Roderick", what else) is played by a guy who looks like Vincent Price. At least, in the context of this film. There are a lot of other shenanigans, with a doctor who is not what he appears, a housekeeper who is exactly what she appears, a premature burial, et al, but I don't like to give away too much of the plot. Sometimes, you have to just let the film run its course and try not to think about what it all means for months, or even years.