Rating: 
Summary: Deep Dish Gothic Extravagance
Review: The simple fact is that this kind of film is a specialized taste. Imagine an old Universal horror film with the budget ramped way down and the Gothicism ramped way, way up.
It's like an extravagantly rich cheesecake, not everybody appreciates a flavor so strong and cloying. You have to love thick gothic atmosphere, stagey black & white cinematography lingering long on a dark castle full of dust, suits of armor, strange sounds and...something else. Much of the film's first half hour is devoted to the protagonist simply & silently exploring the castle by torchlight. There are other things here to enjoy, a ripely macabre plot and the eerie beauty of Barbara Steele, but this film is for those who relish lush Gothicism for its own sake. And you know who you are.
Rating: 
Summary: Supernatural Gothic Love Before Buffy & Angel
Review: This is a fantastic film..I have it on a old vhs tape that i have had since the early 80s..I had recorded it off of a local tv midnight scary movie show called "Uncle Ted's Ghoul School"..I haven't have this on dvd YET but i will be getting it soonly you can bet on that..I wouldn't really call this a scary movie or a horror film..Though it does have that to it as well..This is more on the lines of "Ghost" set in a b/w gothic haunted mansion story..Has a campfire element to it too..It is mostly when it gets going a love story between a alive human..And a gothically HOT SEXY ghost living dead girl named Elisabeth..Played by the gothic temptress of scary movies Barbara Steele..If you never witnessed Barbara Steele's Magic i would strongly suggest that you see this movie..And while you are at also check out her horror classic "Black Sunday (aka mask of satan)" Buy them both and you will have the perfect scary movie double midnight feature."Castle Of BlOOd" is spOOkily filmed..The way this movie is filmed in glorious black and white is very creepy..The first scene is kinda boring though starts with Edgar Allen Poe daring a man to spend the night in the Haunted Mansion..Once you get past that opening scenes get ready for one of the best movies of this kind that you will ever witness..I am looking forward to seeing what all was added here..And i can only imagine how it will look on dvd..Barbara Steele's "Elizabeth" is kinda looks like Mortishia Addams drapped in white..Before the supernatural love story of Buffy and Angel there was this gothic love story between a mortal man and ghost of Elisabeth..Can they be together?? Watch the movie to find out..You will not be disappointed..And with these added scenes here it is sure to add to the exsperiance of watching this masterpiece of a film..Barbara Steele is more then erotic beautiful a gothic temptress......
Rating: 
Summary: Fine Atmospheric Italian Horror
Review: This is a fine example of the Italian Horror film genre which took American Drive-Ins by storm in the 1960's (American title: CASTLE OF TERROR). Star Barbara Steele, having made a sensation in Mario Bava's BLACK SUNDAY (aka: MASK OF SATAN) in 1960, appeared in a string of Euro-Horror classics over the next several years with this film being one of the best. Directed by Bava protege/rival Antonio Margheriti (aka: Anthony Dawson) the story is original and compelling, but the atmospheric black & white cinematography is actually the star of the picture. Sadly, the English dubbing is not very good (it never is really), but the score is hauntingly beautiful. If this DVD is actually the European release print then expect some flashes of nudity, a bit of lesbianism and extended gore in the films mid-section that were trimmed for U.S. release. For fans of Barbara Steele this is a must have, and those who enjoy a good creepy horror story, beautifully filmed will also want to add it to their collections.
Rating:
Summary: 5 Stars Are Not Enough
Review: This is a movie to rival Black Sunday with its candlelit, thick, gothic atmosphere. A writer spends the night in a castle populated with the living dead. Barbara Steele is once again cast as one of the undead and is a beautiful, tragic figure in this black and white masterpiece. Miss Steele is the defintive "living dead girl" in the era of gothic horror. The DVD is very good in both sound and picture quality. A must have for any fan of great gothic horror.
Rating:
Summary: A Very Creepy Horror Film
Review: This was great! I'd never seen this film until this newly released, uncensored international version put out by Synapse. It shows how perfectly a black-and-white film can be used to produce growing, sustained horror with atmosphere. With the lights out, I watched this little gem, and occasionally paused the film to listen to the house when I thought I'd heard an unusual "bump" in the night; after all the horror films I've seen, that doesn't happen that often any more.Castle of Blood (in Italy, "Danse Macabre") was directed by Itallion icon Antonio Margheriti, who made a name for himself with Sword and Sandle and Sci-fi films. In this movie, he created perhaps one of the best evil dead stories of all time. The premise, an eager, young reporter for the London Times meets Edgar Allen Poe and a companion of his, Blackwood, at a tavern called the Four Devils. From the start, we feel as though we've stepped right into a Poe story, where everything is dream-like, and turning slowly towards some approaching horror. Our hero is offered a wager that he can not survive the night in Blackwood's family castle, emerging at dawn unscathed. The castle is supposed to be haunted by something not just frightening, but deadly. In order to assure an interview with Poe for his paper, the young man takes the bet, not at all believing in the supernatural. What follows is a night fraught with evil manifestations, as ghost after ghost must relive the last insanely violent moments before their deaths in the house once a year. Our hero, aided by a beautiful exotic ghost played by Barbara Steel (fresh from her success in "Black Sunday") discovers his very soul is in jepardy unless he can escape the claustraphobic, shadow-filled interior of the house. We're treated to murder and mayhem, and a plot that quickens in pace until it reaches an urgent pitch at the climax of the film that leaves us sitting on the edge of our seats. This movie may not be for everyone, especially young, jaded movie-goers used to glossy red slasher films and cgi monster effects. This is old-style ghost-story telling, where black-and-white filmography is used for the full effect of atmosphere and character empathy. This is also not a film for children, as there is nudity and a brief scene of lesbianism. Four film sources were used to reproduce this original, longest version of the film (it was released in America with the afore-mentioned scenes cut), so at times the sound track switches to Itallion with english subtitles. These scenes are usually brief and do not detract at all from the movies appeal. Understand too, this film is over forty years old, and some of the film elements used to put it back together were hard to find and slightly damaged by time; they are still of such a fine quality, you hardly notice it. The movie is presented in widescreen with a mono soundtrack. Though the voices of the Italion actors is dubbed in english, they did a fine job, so don't worry about a silly, bad acted dubbing that many associate with foreign films from that period. So, if you like fog-shrouded castles, evil ghosts seeking human blood, and fearful flights through dusty, cob-webbed hallways, this is your movie.
Rating:
Summary: Spooky, creepy, just plain 'ol fantastic !!!!
Review: Wow ! This really packs a punch. Not to be missed by any horror fan. They do not make em' like this anymore (unfortunately !!). This is what a true horror movie is all about, extremely light on the gore and heavy on atmosphere, music score and sound effects. Just thinking about that "whispering wind" gives me the creeps ! Web of The Spider is an early 70's remake of this film, although fairly decent, does not come close to Castle of Blood. Do not miss this one folks ! Right up there (if not a notch above) Carnival of Souls and Black Sunday. Dare ya' to watch COB on stormy night with all the lights off !! Ga' head try it ! just Try it !!! ...
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