Castle of Blood

Underrated director who made versatility his trademark, Antonio Margheriti (alias “Anthony M. Dawson”), was the craftsman behind a handful of extremely effective Gothic horror movies spanning an entire decade (1963-1973).

“Castle of Blood” is a worthy example of his work, sort of an abridged version of Edgar Allan Poe’s poetry, which particularly raises metaphysical questions of the transitory nature of the boundary between life and death (“Death isn’t completely accepted unless the victim is ready to die“). Using time dilation and a purposely unhurried narrative pace, Margheriti emphasizes the dreamlike nature of a story rich with subtle eroticism and characterized by the torpid recursiveness typical of twilight states of consciousness.

Almost entirely filmed with interior shots, the film avails itself of Riccardo Pallottini’s refined B/W, essential for generating that sense of irresistible enchantment that seems to ooze first from the very castle walls, then from the anechoic presences. These presences, although basically ghosts, demonstrate features in common with vampires, such as requiring fresh blood to remain viable (analogous creatures will turn up later in Massimo Pupillo’s “Lady Morgan’s Vengeance“, 1965).

Still, it bears mentioning that the film clearly shows its age more than a half century after its release. In fact, despite retaining some interesting aspects, the work appears rather dated, an opinion expressed by Margheriti himself in one of his most recently granted interviews – basically, the wearisome wanderings of Alan and Dr. Carmus would be particularly hard for modern audiences to stomach. As far as the characters are concerned, the ethereal Elisabeth stands out, played with a “vis tragica” by Barbara Steele, whose undeniable charm seems to grow on everyone (men and women, dead or alive).

The film could have done without the scene where a poor grass snake – being passed off as the lethal poisonous variety – gets brutally decapitated.