Castle of Blood
1964, directed by Antonio Margheriti, released by Synapse

Movie
You may have seen this film under numerous titles. Synapse has presented it under the US title Castle of Blood. Although La Danza Macabra, Castle of Terror, Danse Macabre, and numerous other titles have been associated with the film.

And as with many other Italian movies, the direction was credited to Anthony Dawson - a friendlier name than Antonio Margheriti, perhaps. Margheriti is also known for his direction of Cannibal Apocalypse, among many others movies.

Writing credits go to Sergio Corbucci (who directed classic Westerns like Django, Companeros, The Great Silence), along with Giovanni Grimaldi (Jean Grimaud). Credit is also given to the Edgar Allan Poe story "Danse Macabre" - although, there really is not a Poe story by that name.

The story: Late at night in an English pub, the acclaimed US writer Edgar Allan Poe is telling tales to a friend, Sir Thomas Blackwood. An ambitious English journalist, Alan Foster (Georges Rivière) is dying for an interview with Poe. Figuratively dying, of course, but this is a horror movie. As Poe asserts that his stories are all true, Foster naturally scoffs at the claim.

The result of this polite, mild dispute is a wager. Does Foster dare to spend the night in Blackwood's haunted castle? Six hours in the castle will earn Foster a small amount of money - but more importantly, some time to interview Poe on the trip to the castle.

Having agreed to the wager, and entering the castle, Foster settles in for what he expects to be an uneventful night. However, he quickly encounters two beautiful women: Elisabeth Blackwood (Barbara Steele of Black Sunday, Pit and the Pendulum, 8 1/2) and Julia (Margarete Robsahm).

Foster is immediately taken with Elisabeth - but as he becomes more involved with her, he begins to realize that there are secrets hidden in Blackwood's castle. For these two lovely ladies are not the only ones occupying the castle, there is also a murderous madman, and a doctor of metaphysics. Can Foster piece together the mystery of this haunted castle, survive the night, and escape to collect his wager?

Video
For all the delays in this release, I was hoping for a bit more from the transfer. Synapse has provided an anamorphic transfer, in the 1.78:1 aspect ratio. There are constant defects in the video, which originate at the source - dirt, specks, etc. Some missing frames on occasion, too, resulting in some jerky sequences. But underneath all that, this is a good-looking black and white movie.

Overall, disappointing, but I would hesitate to blame Synapse. I expect that the material they had to work with was so deteriorated, that only so much could be done. I don't have much experience with Synapse DVDs - but the amount of time they spent on this DVD release - I would guess that this is the best presentation we could hope for.

Audio
The audio is about on equal par with the quality of the video. The options are either English or French language - both of which are Dolby Digital mono. Again, I would attribute the shortcomings to the unfortunate lack of preservation for Castle of Blood. And this near 40 year-old movie is presented as well as can be expected, considering the condition of the source materials.

As noted on the packaging and insert, the reconstruction of the audio track was a difficult process. Multiple audio tracks were used to salvage a complete track for the full, uncensored edit of the film. And in doing this, the only audio available for some scenes was in French. So for brief periods in the film, the language will revert to French - and English subtitles will be provided. This is a small sacrifice for the restoration of the previously censored scenes, though.

Audio for the most part is clear, so no problems there. But expect some consistent noise through the film, although it isn't too distracting. We are also treated with an excellent score from Riz Ortolani (The House on the Edge of the Park, Cannibal Holocaust, Don't Torture a Duckling).

Trash Factor
A fair amount of shocks, for a film from the mid 1960's, with a bit of violence thrown in. Extremely mild violence by today's standards, but perhaps a little more shocking for that era. Blood devouring ghosts! You gotta love that!

I believe most of the cuts made to censor the US version were to remove the some of the more risqué scenes. And as far as the female cast, you have a prominent role by the alluring, unique beauty that is Barbara Steele. Some nice cleavage in the flashback sequence.

Playing opposite the black-haired Barbara is the blonde Margarete Robsahm. A more classic beauty - and together in a controversial scene with Barbara Steele and lesbian undertones - taboo!

And as a bonus, there is a bit of topless nudity in the film. A small bit, from a small role. Silvia Sorrente plays the doomed lover Elsi - who has some nice topless scenes before succumbing to the "Castle of Blood."

Extras
Minimal extras here. There is a US theatrical trailer, along with the original US opening credits sequence. And finally, a gallery with stills, artwork, etc.

It is unfortunate that a more comprehensive retrospective couldn't have been made. Synapse boasts having Barbara Steele view this DVD during development - but why not any true DVD supplements from those involved in making the movie, like Anchor Bay and Blue Underground are apt to do?

Packaging
Synapse has put together a very appealing cover design, utilizing imagery from theatrical posters. The insert booklet contains a 2-page essay written by film historian Tim Lucas. Some neat anecdotes and history surrounding the film and players. But sadly, a poor substitute for any true DVD supplements.

Overall
Bottom-line, this movie is a must-see for any fan of Italian horror, early horror, or Barbara Steele. The audio / visual presentation may not be outstanding - but what alternatives do we really have? As I said above, I don't believe this was a "rush-job" DVD release by Synapse. I think they created the best looking and sounding, uncensored version of Castle of Blood they could. But unfortunately, they did not have the best raw materials to work with. Yet, unless some pristine audio masters, video negatives, etc are discovered - this is the best we can hope for.

Comments on the DVD presentation out of the way - this is a wonderful movie. A rather simple, and engaging sequence with Edgar Allan Poe sets-up the events in the castle. And from there, we have a neat little haunted house story. Excellent concept, script, and performances make for a solid movie. Margheriti's direction, along with the cinematography of Riccardo Pallottini are highly effective in creating suspense and thrills. It's an all too brief 90-minute movie, never boring. I highly recommend this DVD for rental or purchase!

Recommended:
Yes

Viewing Format: DVD