Horror Movie Maven

Lover of all things that slash, gash, bleed, and otherwise terrify.

Category: Reviews (page 3 of 6)

Nightmare Castle (1965)

My take: Have you seen a Barbara Steele movie before? If so, you’ll feel like your’ve seen this one before.

Rating: 2.5 out of 4 stars

At this point in my endeavor to watch all the movies in Studies in Terror, I am starting to get a sense of what a Barbara Steele movie entails. It is usually a period piece. She plays a strong, sexy female who has a propensity for walking into terrifying or macabre situations. There are probably some ghosts or a mad doctor.

nightmare castle poster

Poster for Nightmare Castle with Barbara Steele.

Such is the plot of this film. Here, Barbara Steele plays Muriel, who is married to a mad doctor. He murders her after catching her in flagrante with her gardener/lover.

But she knew what was coming. She changed her will to leave her fortune and castle to her distant relative, Jenny, who happens to look exactly like Muriel. The doctor marries Jenny with the intent of also killing her, but Jenny is not as stupid as she seems and she has the ghost of Muriel on her side.

If you like Barbara Steele movies, then you will enjoy this one too. But it is pretty typical of the gothic Italian horror movies of the 1960s. For this reason, I would only recommend it to fans of that era and type of film.

This is the first film in a while that was able to find on YouTube. Here’s the trailer, replete with castle, mad doctor, and the illustrious Barbara Steele:

Onibaba (1964)

My take: I was riveted because it was a completely unique story in a unique setting.

Rating: 4 out of 4 stars

Atmosphere can make or break a horror movie, and some of the best horror movies can turn inanimate objects into fearful things.

In The Shining, Kubrick managed to embody the Overlook Hotel with horrors. In The Wind, the director made the howling winds carry all the fears and torment of poor Letty.

Likewise, in Onibaba the endless grass field is a character unto itself. The grass makes warriors in feudal Japan lose their way trying to get home. It helps the old woman and young woman, who are the main characters, stalk and kill the warriors who mistakenly wander into the grass field. It hides the deep, old well the women use to dispose of the bodies. It also helps the old woman strike fear into the heart of the young one as she hides amongst the grass dressed as a demon.

onibaba

The demon in the grass in Onibaba.

The story plays out like a fairy tale or parable. The two women kill to survive. When a neighbor returns from war telling them that their son and husband are gone, he sets his eyes on the young girl. The young girl, now newly widowed, reciprocates to the old woman’s dismay. The old woman would not survive without the help of the young woman. So, she hatches a plot to frighten the young woman into believing that her acts of love will land her in hell.

It was a story unlike any I had heard before, and it was utterly refreshing after having watched so many western tales of horror. Additionally, the setting of feudal Japan with samurai and war, kept me guessing at what could possibly happen next.

I would recommend this to anyone who like a bit of history mixed with their horror as well as fans of Japanese horror films.

I got the movie on disc from Netflix. Here is the trailer from the Criterion Collection:

The Castle of the Living Dead (1964)

My take: A lot of elements were utterly cheesy, but it came together somehow to make a movie worth watching.

Rating: 3 out of 4 stars

At times while watching The Castle of the Living Dead, I imagined the writers drawing horror tropes and characters out of a hat to see how they could fit them into the story. The movie seemed to have a lot of things all mixed together:

  • The story is about a group of performers who look like a cross between a band of gypsies and a freak show
  • The evil villain is a count played by Christopher Lee
  • He also happens to be a bit of a mad scientist
  • The count has an eerie castle that the band of performers are paid to visit
  • There a creepy, hunch-backed henchman
  • The castle is filled with taxidermied animals
  • There’s a witch who lives in a hut in the woods

I’ve seen all of these elements before. There were gypsies in the Wolf Man. Christopher Lee has played the most evil count of all time in Dracula. Taxidermied animals abound in the Most Dangerous Game.

On paper, I would have called this entire plot derivative and a hodgepodge. However, it somehow all ties together. Maybe it is because there is so much packed into the film. Maybe it is Christopher Lee’s superb ability to play the villain.

There was also a surprising bonus: Donald Sutherland plays a range of strange parts in the film. He’s a police Sargent who investigates when people start dying at the castle.

castle of the living dead

On the left is Donald Sutherland as the Sargent. On the right is Christopher Lee as Count Drago.

 

He also plays the old witch who lives in the woods as well as an old man.

castle of the living dead - witch

Donald Sutherland as the witch in Castle of the Living Dead.

Seeing him pop up occasionally added a lot of fun to the movie.

This is the type of movie I would put in a horror marathon with friends, simply for the hodgepodge of horror themes. I would also recommend it to fans of classic horror and fans of Christopher Lee.

I found the movie on Daily Motion, though it was quite blurry. Here’s the trailer in YouTube:

Blood and Black Lace (1964)

My take: Some gruesome scenes, but not enough of a story to hold my interest.

Rating: 2 out of 4 stars

According to the all-knowing source known as Wikipedia, Blood and Black Lace ( Sei donne per l’assassino in the original Italian) inspired some of my favorite filmmakers, Tarantino and Scorsese included. But I just don’t see it. To me, this movie was an excuse to show some attractive models getting murdered.

Blood and Black Lace is about a bunch of models who are working at a fashion house. When one gets murdered, tensions quickly rise. Another girl finds dead girl’s diary, and everyone wants a piece of that book. It turns out that they all have secrets, but the murderer is willing to kill to keep his or her identity hidden.

blood and black lace

I think it is safe to say that their modeling careers are over. – spoken by Lenny Briscoe if he were at the scene

This movie is full of tropes from the giallo films of the 1960s and 70s. Giallo films were a wave of crime thrillers, and this is one of the earliest of them. While normally I can forgive the tropes in an early film, I could not get past it in this film. Perhaps it was the dubbed voice track. Perhaps it was the overacting.

What the film did have going for it were some good, solid death scenes. For this reason, I would still recommend this movie to people who like crime thrillers, giallo films and Italian horror.

I got a copy of Blood and Black Lace on disc from Netflix. Here’s the trailer, which makes it sound a lot better than it actually is:

The Masque of the Red Death (1964)

My take: It’s a bit too theatrical for my liking, but it has Vincent Price in it. So, I watched until the end.

Rating: 2 out of 4 stars

There is not a Vincent Price movie I don’t like, but this is definitely one that I don’t love. The Masque of the Red Death is the movie version of the classic Poe tale.

The story follows a young peasant girl, Francesca, who is kidnapped by Prince Prospero, played by Vincent Price. He takes her after her father and brother defy him and also after he discovers that there is a plague in the town known as the red death. Then he burns her village to the ground. Poor girl.

Of course Prince Prospero turns out to be an even bigger jerk than he first appears. He reveals to Francesca that he is a satanist and a downright cruel ruler. Francesca works to escape, but Prince Prospero is too wily for her. But the Red Death is also wily in its own way.

masque of the red death

The excellent poster for the Masque of the Red Death with Vincent Price.

It’s an okay story for a period piece, but the sets and costumes made the movie feel like a piece of bad community theater. Vincent Price was the only thing worth watching in the movie, but that may be just because I am such a huge fan of his work.

I would still recommend this movie to people who like period movies, Poe-inspired horror and Vincent Price films.

I got the movie on a disc via Netflix, but you can also find it online in some hidden corners of the Internet. Here’s the trailer via YouTube:

You see that dance scene at the beginning of the trailer? That is when I actually rolled my eyes.

The Whip and the Body (1963)

My take: An interesting spin on the classic ghost story. Worth watching, especially if you like Italian horror.

Rating: 3 out of 4 stars

I’m starting to see why people like Italian horror movies. After having watched Castle of Blood and The Horrible Dr. Hichcock, a pattern is becoming evident. Those Italians pushed some boundaries. I don’t know how they got past the censors with some of these films. The Horrible Dr. Hichcock and Castle of Blood both had elements of necrophilia. Now, with The Whip and the Body, we are getting a sadomasochistic love story. This isn’t something you see everyday.

The Whip and the Body (La frusta e il corpo in the original Italian) stars Christopher Lee as Kurt, an estranged son returned home. He claims to be back to congratulate his brother on his recent marriage. But he has actually returned to reclaim his title, claim his right to inherit his father’s property, and to steal away his brother’s bride, Nevenka.

the whip and the body

Kurt and Nevenka making out on the beach in The Whip and the Body.

He manages to get away with the latter in a graphic beach scene between Kurt and Nevenka that involves some whipping and the implication of some very hot sex.  The next morning, a servant finds Nevenka unconscious on the beach, and Kurt is found dead in his room, stabbed.

Nevenka awakes from her unconscious state but slowly begins to believe she is haunted by the ghost of Kurt. She sees him in the shadows of her room, finds footprints leading from the window, and feels the sting of his whip.

I liked this movie for the same reasons I liked The Horrible Dr. Hichcock. The story was unique and contained subject matter than you rarely see in films from this era. Adding sadomasochism to the plot managed to make a basic ghost story feel fresh and interesting.

I’d recommend this movie to fans of Italian horror, Christopher Lee and haunted castle movies.

I ordered a DVD via Amazon, but you can also find the movie online. I could not find a trailer on YouTube in English, but here is one in the original Italian:

Devil Doll (1964)

My take: This is a truly terrifying tale of a hypnotist with a ventriloquist doll that is more than it seems.

Rating: 3 out of 4 stars

Horror stories have helped to develop in me an innate fear of dolls. Child’s Play, Annabelle, that one Twilight Zone episode are just a few that come to mind. This movie was similarly terrifying and did not help me with my fear.

The story is about a reporter who is investigating a new act in town, the Great Vorelli. Vorelli is a hypnotist and ventriloquist who is able to make his doll do things no other doll can do. The doll can talk while Vorelli eats and drinks. He can also walk to the edge of the stage on his own, without strings.

devil doll 1964

Poster for Devil Doll from 1964.

The effect is frightening and mesmerizing to the audience, but the reporter wants to know how it works. He ends up unraveling the strange history or Vorelli and the doll’s nefarious origins.

The story was unique but easy to follow, Vorelli was fascinating to watch, and the doll was downright creepy. All of these elements made for a solid scary-doll picture, and one that I plan to add to my line-up of favorite classic horror.

I recommend this one to fans of classic horror and those who enjoy scary movies about dolls.

I got the movie on DVD from Netflix, but you can also find it online. Here’s the trailer:

Castle of Blood (1964)

My take: The movie is a bit hokey and a bit slow, but it does have Barbara Steele in it. She makes it slightly more interesting than it would be without her.

Rating: 2 out of 4 stars

Castle of Blood, which was released as Danza Macabre in Italy, opens with Edgar Allen Poe, a reporter and a member of that land-owning gentry at a bar. It seems ripe for a joke, and it certainly feels like one.

The reporter ends up being goaded into spending the night alone in the lord’s castle. The castle is rumored to be haunted, and those who spend the night are never seen again. The reporter agrees, for reasons I certainly did not understand.

Barbara Steele Castle of Blood

Barbara Steele is dead girl in love in Castle of Blood.

When he is dropped off, the film truly begins with slow camera shots following the reporter as he enters the castle and walks from room to room. He eventually discovers that the castle is inhabited. He meets the young and beautiful  Elisabeth Blackwood, played by Barbara Steele, and he instantly falls in love.

But it takes the reporter far to long to figure out that Elisabeth is actually dead along with all of the other residents of the castle. And the ghosts need his blood in order to keep coming back to life each year on All Soul’s Eve.

While the premise of the story is solid for a gothic haunted castle tale, the film is much too slow to be of interest. The ties of Poe are tenuous and the long shots of the reporter walking through each room seem to drag on. It is evident that the director wanted to build atmosphere and tension, but in that endeavor he failed.

I would still recommend this movie to fans of Barbara Steele and early Italian horror, but it is not one I would recommend to every fan of horror.

I watched the movie on Daily Motion. Here’s the trailer:

The Horrible Dr. Hichcock (1962)

My take: The plot makes this film one worth watching. Necrophilia is not so common, even amongst horror films.

Rating: 3 out of 4 stars

According to Studies in Terror, The Horrible Dr. Hichcock shared its billing with The Awful Dr. Orlaf. I did not enjoy The Awful Dr. Orlaf, so I had my hopes low for this one. I was pleasantly surprised, however.

The most interesting aspect of The Horrible Dr. Hichcock is the plot. It’s about Dr. Hichcock, an anesthesiologist who also happens to be a necrophiliac. Lucky for him, his wife plays along and allows him to drug her so he can have his way. But one night he miscalculates the drugs and she overdoses.

Dr. Hichcock flees his home, unable to live around the things that remind him of his dead wife (you would think he would be happy that she is actually dead, but apparently that is not how his fetish works). He returns 12 years later with a new wife, who knows nothing of his strange appetites or his intentions for her.

The new wife is played by Barbara Steele, and it’s the first movie I have seen with her in it. I can now see why she became such a huge name in horror. She is downright interesting to watch with her high cheekbones, ink-black hair, and coal-rimmed eyes. There is something about her demeanor that just fits with the gothic feeling of this film and is utterly relatable.

Barbara Steele

Barbara Steele looks out the window in fear in The Horrible Dr. Hichcock.

If you like gothic tales, Italian horror or classic horror in general, I would recommend this film. The plot truly pushes the boundaries and keeps you entertained from beginning to end.

I found the movie online at Daily Motion. Here’s the trailer, which doesn’t do it justice:

Tales of Terror (1962)

My take: Can’t go wrong with three Poe-inspired tales that all have Vincent Price in them.

Rating: 3 out of 4 stars

Let me just be clear: I love me some Vincent Price. If his name is associated with a horror film, I am pretty much guaranteed to enjoy it on some level. Just the sound of his voice sets the mood for a creepy tale.

I did not read the summary of Tales of Terror before I hit play. As a result, I screamed like a school girl when I heard Vincent Price’s voice narrating the start of the movie. And he stuck around through all three stories in this feature.

In the first story, he plays a hermit widower whose estranged daughter returns home. He always blamed his daughter for the wife’s demise, but he quickly learns that his wife’s death was not as simple as he believed.

In the second story, Vincent plays a celebrated wine taster opposite Peter Lorre (Mad Love and The Maltese Falcon). Peter Lorre’s character is an alcoholic, and Vincent Price’s character takes advantage of his drunkenness by having an affair with his wife. But the alcoholic is more devious than he seems.

tales of terror price

Vincent Price playing a famous wine taster and philanderer in The Black Cat, the second tale in Tales of Terror.

In the third story, Vincent plays a man on his death-bed, who uses a hypnotist, played by Basil Rathbone, to alleviate his pain. But the hypnotist takes a cruel pleasure in controlling Vincent’s character’s mind.

Each story on its own would not be enough for a feature-length film. But the short stories work well together. Their short length helps you quickly get over any plot holes or other annoyances. And the all-star cast makes it a fun movie to watch.

I would recommend this movie to fans of Poe, Vincent Price and classic gothic horror.

I got the movie on a disc from Netflix. Here’s the trailer that I found on YouTube:

Older posts Newer posts

© 2024 Horror Movie Maven

Theme by Anders NorenUp ↑