Le manoir de la terreur

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.

Though it has somehow or other managed to escape all the standard reference books, this film is a real and unheralded discovery--a visually distinguished and absorbing Gothic thriller, halfway between Bava country and the Mexican gothics like "The Witch's Mirror".

"Blancheville Monster" where have you been hiding? Right off the bat, we are treated to a deliciously evocative visual opening--a wintry, bare tree ridden country road, awash with an icy looking rain, beyond which stands the distant castle on the mountain.

Ann Radcliffe would be well pleased! And the film keeps on delivering: two attractive female leads, a mysterious and scarred man locked in a tower room, frequent thunder and lightning, and all the necessary accoutrements of remote castle Gothic, from flickering torches to doleful turns on the family harpsichord.

The countryside in which the film is shot has the desolate beauty of a November day, and strongly suggests the Brittany in which the film is set, (though not shot). In this sense, some of the landscapes resemble those in Bresson's "Diary of a Country Priest." Devotees of the genre are herewith advised to seek this out. It's far more deserving than some of its over-hyped relatives.

A young, beautiful blonde, her best friend from college with her brother and an admirer of her blonde beauty reach "home," the stately residence of the famed and fabled Blachevilles. Upon arriving there, we meet the brother Roderick, a scary looking housekeeper that seems to possess a station way above her ranks, and a doctor that oozes something not closely related to charm. It seems that all the old servants have been let go and that the patriarch - the father- has recently died - or not? I liked this film for several reasons. If nothing else it has atmosphere. The castle used is an impressive set. The black and white cinematography accentuates the rooms of the castle, a huge family tomb, grounds swirling with fog, and a lot more. We have a huge organ being grinded out in a few scenes in classic horror classic fashion(say that fast five times). The story and the "monster" are nothing fantastic at all, but the film works because the artful direction is able to build suspense. Now, if you are the type of viewer that needs a lot of action, then you really must stay away as this film is more talking and all red herrings(in what turns out to be a not all that clever mystery of who is the Blancheville monster). There is some rather preposterous story about an ancient curse on the family that will die off when the last female(?) descendant turns 21 - utter rubbish. But it is incidental when one looks at the way the film was filmed, and the pace slowly creeps up from slower to slow and then finally fast at the end in the revelation of what has lain cloaked the whole time. This was an Italian production with lots of Spanish influence(much of the cast is Spanish). The actors are all decent and able to make you believe in them at times. This is by no means a great horror film, but it, as other reviewers have noted, is in the same vein as a Roger Corman movie of the same period or a black and white Hammer film. This is the Euro version with no big stars but a decent story and lots of mood.

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.

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.