After watching Terror-Creatures from the Grave last night,I got set to continue exploring the Barbara Steele box set. Recently seeing his very good Euro Spy movie Operazione Goldman,I was pleased to find a title which had Steele team-up with director Antonio Margheriti,which led to me cutting the hairs of death.
View on the film:
Displaying his eye for attention-grabbing openings by surrounding the viewer with flickering flames that place them in the middle of the burning, director Antonio Margheriti reunites with his regular cinematographer collaborator Riccardo Pallottini to brew an icy Gothic Horror vibe via stylishly shooting tracking shots from the ground up that place a bewitching "floating" expression on Karnstein. Appearing to visibly lose interest during the romantic mid-section,Margheriti and Pallottini re-gain their footing in the slithering ending, with ghostly dissolves being triggered by zoom-ins over rats and bugs running along the decaying practical effects.
Stamped with the mark by Margheriti (who did un-credited re-writes) that he found the script poor quality, the writers Ernesto Gastaldi and Tonino Valerii appear undecided over what the film should be,as the beginning and the ending offers a lively Gothic Horror revenge tale of the Karnstein,that is toned down in the middle for an ill-fitting attempt at costume drama romance. Arrogantly snarling at the Karnstein's,George Ardisson gives a very good performance as Baron Kurt Humboldt,who stands out by Ardisson allowing a level of fear to be cast across his face. Playing two roles again, Barbara Steele gives a transfixing performance as the Karnstein's,whose ambiguities Steele turns into starling screams as the long hair of death grows.
View on the film:
Displaying his eye for attention-grabbing openings by surrounding the viewer with flickering flames that place them in the middle of the burning, director Antonio Margheriti reunites with his regular cinematographer collaborator Riccardo Pallottini to brew an icy Gothic Horror vibe via stylishly shooting tracking shots from the ground up that place a bewitching "floating" expression on Karnstein. Appearing to visibly lose interest during the romantic mid-section,Margheriti and Pallottini re-gain their footing in the slithering ending, with ghostly dissolves being triggered by zoom-ins over rats and bugs running along the decaying practical effects.
Stamped with the mark by Margheriti (who did un-credited re-writes) that he found the script poor quality, the writers Ernesto Gastaldi and Tonino Valerii appear undecided over what the film should be,as the beginning and the ending offers a lively Gothic Horror revenge tale of the Karnstein,that is toned down in the middle for an ill-fitting attempt at costume drama romance. Arrogantly snarling at the Karnstein's,George Ardisson gives a very good performance as Baron Kurt Humboldt,who stands out by Ardisson allowing a level of fear to be cast across his face. Playing two roles again, Barbara Steele gives a transfixing performance as the Karnstein's,whose ambiguities Steele turns into starling screams as the long hair of death grows.