5
(supernatural elements)
6
(mild sexuality and violence)
3
(see it only if you like old B horror)
Nightmare Castle doesn't have the most creative title in the world, but it at least correlates with the contents of the story (some of these old imported horror movies have names randomly drawn out of a hat or something). In many ways it is still pretty much typical black-and-white Italian B movie horror material, but I enjoyed it a little more than I have some other similar movies.
The count’s wife is having an affair. When he catches the fraternizing pair he tortures them only to find out that by murdering his wife (the wealthy one of the couple) he will ruin himself as she has left everything to her step sister. All is not lost, though. The sister is certifiably crazy though not so much so that the count can’t marry her and drive her completely insane in an effort to regain his wife’s properties. But how much of the sister’s hysteria is insanity and how much is supernatural? It seems the wife and her lover have a plan of revenge from beyond the grave.
It’s an interesting story. Some of the elements could be played out better such as setting the stage for a youth serum that the count gives to his assistant rather than having it pop out of nowhere. It’s almost as if that whole element of the plot was thrown in at the last minute and not written out thoroughly. The ending also comes too abruptly needing a few more minutes of terrorizing the heroes and their desperate search for a way to save themselves. But overall the story comes across well enough to be modestly entertaining.
It's an easy to follow plot even if it gets weird at times with too many unrelated elements, some surrealistic dream sequences, and a lack of focus on the primary plot. I do have to hand it to the director, the dream sequences, as weird as they might be, retain enough lucidity to relate well to what's going on in the waking world.
The biggest downfall of this movie is that the acting is very stiff which slows the story down in places. The movie might have really excelled more with a better cast or better directing of the existing cast.
Morality
There is some mild sexuality as the lovers have their affair although everyone is fully clothed at all times.
There is a little bit of mild strong language.
It’s a horror so of course there is some violence and gruesome moments but it’s tame by modern standards.
Spirituality
In this reality the spirits of the deceased have access to the living. The murdered have a path to revenge on the still living culprits. There is no mention of any heavenly afterlife that I noticed. It's satisfying to see an evil man get his comeuppance at the hands of those he's wronged, but I prefer heading off to Heaven and letting God take care of that kind of stuff. That's just me, I suppose, but a soul trapped on Earth until the end of time sounds more hellish than pleasant in the long run.
Final Thoughts
With a couple of minor complaints I enjoyed the story. The acting keeps the movie from excelling although it isn't so bad that it kills the whole experience. You need to be into old horror movies if you want to think about checking this one out.
Buying Guide
"Nightmare Castle" offers a few different product options though most are unimpressive.
There's now a Blu-ray as well as a few different stand-alone DVD releases though only the one by Severin appears to be worth any attention above the others. There are several multi-movie packs that include this movie.
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 Recommendation:
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.
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
20 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 none.