Castle of Blood

Castle of Blood (Danza Macabra) (1964)

Runtime: 91 minutes

Directed by: Sergio Corbucci for one scene... the rest, Antonio Margheriti

Starring: Barbara Steele, Georges Riviere, Margrete Robsahm, Arturo Dominici, Silvano Tranquilli

From: Several different Italian & French companies

An Italian Gothic horror picture set in England featuring Edgar Allan Poe (!) as a minor character and cult hero Barbara Steele as the lead girl--yes, please. There needed to be at least a bit of Gothic in October so I streamed this picture-its original Italian title Danza Macabra-via Arrow's streaming site.

At a tavern in England, a journalist encounters a Lord in discussion w/ Poe. He joins in and after a few minutes, journalist Alan agrees to a bet to stay at the Lord's abandoned mansion for a night. Literally, no one's survived the bet before, but Alan doesn't believe in the supernatural or any of that hoodoo voodoo nonsense. Unfortunately for him...

The original idea for the film came from Sergio Corbucci; unfortunately for him, his schedule only allowed him to film one scene. The rest was from famous (or perhaps infamous) genre director Antonio Margheriti. What a Gothic delight it was between the eerie story, the spirits, the large tremendous set that set the mood, the fog, the cobwebs the dark castle constantly lit perfectly... then of course Steele seems to be an apt fit for a Gothic tale in terms of appearance. The movie was also more erotic than expected; the copy I saw had an opening praising the restoration work done on the print, & also noted that a few cut moments were added back in. Does this include the scene of a supporting female character going topless?

The story has a measured pace although with the setting, the mood, the classical score from Riz Ortolani & the black and white cinematography, the vibes were strong and I loved being enveloped in this world. I enjoyed it more than most yet genre fans may at least like the film, even if the story isn't the most surprising.