by Victoria Silverwolf

Now that February has much of the Northern Hemisphere in the grip of winter, it's a good time to escape the cold and seek out a different kind of chill.  Head out to your local movie theater or drive-in (bring a blanket) and watch a good horror movie.  Or at least a horror movie.  Not all of them are good.

Two that I recently sat through represent the apex and the nadir of the genre.  Well, that's a bit of exaggeration.  The good one isn't that good.  It's hardly in the same class as, say, last year's The Haunting, which is a modern classic.  But it's worth watching, so let's take a look.

Castle of Blood: Barbara Steele and the Italian Gothic Horror Film

The history of Italian fright films of the modern era begins with I Vampiri (1957).  It was not until the 1960 release of La maschera del demonio, known in the English-speaking world as Black Sunday, however, that anyone sat up and took notice.  The international success of this gruesome shocker launched the careers of director Mario Bava and star Barbara Steele.

Steele is a British actress of unusual beauty.  Her striking features can suggest innocence or evil.

Innocence

Evil!

After Black Sunday, Steele went on to haunt audiences in Roger Corman's Pit and the Pendulum.  She then returned to Italy, specializing in scary movies.  (But not always.  You may have caught her in Frederico Fellini's 8½.) These include The Horrible Dr. Hichcock and The Ghost.  Her latest terrifying feature is Castle of Blood.

Known in its native land as Danza Macabra, the film begins with an English journalist interviewing Edgar Allan Poe in a tavern.  (By the way, the ghastly anecdote our fictional Poe relates here is clearly based on his 1835 short story, Berenice.) The skeptical reporter denies that Poe's accounts are real.  An aristocrat bets that the journalist cannot spend a full night in his ancestral home on All Souls' Day.  The journalist accepts the wager, and the terror begins.

Poe tells his story

At first, things don't seem too bad.  Barbara Steele shows up as the aristocrat's lovely sister, and the two quickly become lovers.  Another woman living in the castle tries to come between them.  A man of science is also present.  He explains some of the weird things that happen, but they remain mysterious.  The journalist meets his fate in an ironic ending.

The hero and his new girlfriend

A particularly spooky scene

Although slow at times, the film is eerie and compelling.  The black-and-white cinematography is moody and atmospheric.

Four stars.

The Incredibly Strange Creatures Who Stopped Living and Became Mixed-Up Zombies: The Weird World of Z Movies

Sometimes considered the ultimate example of the Z movie

The term Z movie has recently come into use, referring to films, generally of poor quality, with extremely low budgets.  Many of these are labors of love, made independently outside the usual Hollywood system.  A lot of them are science fiction and horror movies.  Examples abound, from Robot Monster (1953) to Teenagers from Outer Space (1959), previously reviewed by our host.

A relatively new name in this dubious field is Ray Dennis Steckler.  A couple of years ago, he directed Wild Guitar, one of a handful of films that Arch Hall Sr. produced as vehicles for his son, Arch Hall Jr.  Now Steckler has made a movie for himself, going so far as to star in it under the outrageous pseudonym Cash Flagg.

And he's married to second-billed Carolyn Brandt

So what do we get if we dare to watch this movie?  Well, not much.

Our director, producer, and star

Steckler (or Flagg) shows up at a carnival with some other folks.  He gets mixed up with a fortune teller who hypnotizes him and sends him out to kill people. 

"I see that you will all soon star in a very bad movie."

That's about it, although we do get some guys near the end of the film with faces scarred by acid.  I suppose these are the title characters.

"Hi.  I'm an incredibly strange creature . . . Oh, you know the rest."

We also get lots of dance sequences, starring Carolyn Brandt.

A little something for the leg men in the audience

Credit where credit is due.  The color cinematography is actually pretty good.  Somehow this makes the movie's failings stand out even more.  I'd suggest bringing a group of friends with you to make fun of it.

One star.

Until next time, see you at the movies!

Coming soon!