Other Releases Available:

Releases Reviewed:

Nightmare Castle offers a few different product options though most are unimpressive.

There are a few different stand-alone DVD releases, but only the one by Severin appears to be worth any attention above the others. There are several multi-movie packs that include this movie.

My version is the one included with the Horror Classics 50 pack.

Video:

1.33: It is the typical “full-screen” ratio. It's not bad considering its age but certainly nothing impressive. It can be a bit dark and has a fair amount of trash but is otherwise decent.

Audio:

1.0 mono: Again, the quality is not bad for a movie of this age, but it is nothing notable. I could understand all of the dialogue which is the most I tend to hope for in these old, unrestored films.

Packaging:

This particular disc is housed in a cardboard sleeve contained in a Velcro-fastened box (more recently repackaged in plastic). You can read about the set as a whole in great detail in the Horror Classics (50 pack) guide.

Extras:

There are no extras of any kind.

Other Editions:

The Severin release says it is restored and remastered, and at least one review praises the quality of this transfer. It mentions being uncut and lists a run time of 104 minutes. It offers 2 extras: featurettes on Barbara Steele and the director. It offers a 1.66 ratio making it the only one to list anything other than the standard 1.33 “full-screen” ratio.

Everything else lists the same details as the one I talked about above with no other mention of any extras.

Final Thoughts:

If you care about owning Nightmare Castle on its own merits the Severin release is the way to go. It is the only one I've seen offering a notably improved transfer, the uncut version, or any extras at all. If you don't care about that the Horror Classics 50 pack is an opportunity to get a lot of movies at a bargain price and offers an acceptable if unimpressive version of the movie.