"Castle of the Living Dead" sounds like quite a generic title that could be given to just about any movie; but in this case it actually is relevant to the plot of the film. The plot is actually not bad and is something of a cross-over between the mad scientist and Gothic horror genres as we follow the owner of an old castle as he lures people to him and proceeds to mummify them to 'preserve their beauty'. The plot actually isn't bad, but unfortunately the execution is lacklustre in the extreme and what we end up with is a frankly boring horror film. Apparently it took three people to direct this film - I have no idea how - but interestingly, one of the names on the directors list is Michael Reeves; the unfortunate director behind the masterpiece 'Witchfinder General' in 1968. The film feels very cheap and the black and white cinematography only adds to that, rather than adding atmosphere as is often the case with Gothic horror from this period. The most notable thing about this film is obviously the presence of the great Christopher Lee, though in fitting with the rest of the movie; he's not at his best and his performance feels rather flat. There's also a triple role for fellow legend Donald Sutherland. The movie drones on for about ninety minutes with barely a scare in sight and we finish on an unsurprising note. Overall, this is not a good film and I don't recommend it.
Review of The Castle of the Living Dead
