The Italians brought us many great Gothic Horror films in the 1960's, some of the best ever made! Unfortunately "Castle Of The Living Dead" is not one of them, totally wasting a gorgeous, creepy locale with sterile camera-work and a plot that goes nowhere. A skanky medieval theater troupe, which includes a dwarf, get invited by Baron Christopher Lee to perform at his castle. Once they get there they discover that he is interested in an unusual kind of taxidermy and is currently working on "the most dangerous animal" - gee, wonder what that could be! Donald Sutherland shows up in a very early role to further spoil the film in a few hammy roles - as a dimwit police sergeant, and almost unrecognizably as an old witch, and an old man. Nothing about the film, short of the locales, is engrossing or frightening in any capacity. The black and white photography which so many other Euro Horrors used to their shadowy ominous advantage, just feels cheap and cost-effective here. The uninteresting dialogue, terrible dubbing, flat camera angles, complete lack-of-scares and overall silliness do absolutely nothing to help. Between Christopher Lee, the lovely Gaia Germani, and being shot-on-location at both the eerie Parco dei Mostri (The Garden Of The Monsters) and the sinister Castle Odescalchi, this should have been a sure-fire horror classic, but it stands as just a horribly wasted opportunity. Skip this snooze-fest and instead go seek out one of the many Gothic masterpieces that both Italy & Christopher Lee have to offer.
Review of The Castle of the Living Dead
