Rating summary

Movie		3.0
Video		4.5
Audio		3.5
Extras		3.5
Overall		3.5

Castle of the Living Dead Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Jeffrey Kauffman June 25, 2021

Note: This film is available on Blu-ray as part of The Eurocrypt of Christopher Lee Collection.

According to the typically semi-reliable IMDb, Christopher Lee amassed an almost astounding 282 acting credits over the course of his long and venerable career. If many younger viewers tend to understandably associate him with films like The Lord of the Rings: The Motion Picture Trilogy and/or Star Wars: Episode II - Attack of the Clones, and if somewhat more seasoned audience members may link him to his long run of so-called "Hammer Horror" outings which account for over twenty of those acting credits and include films like The Curse of Frankenstein, there is obviously by dint of the sheer number included on the IMDb's list a veritable glut of roles with which even diehard Lee fans may not be all that familiar. Severin Films has come to the rescue of Lee fans on the hunt for some rarer titles featuring the actor, amassing five feature films and all the surviving episodes of Lee's anthology series Theatre Macabre, along with a treasure trove of supplementary material.

Some of the supplementary material included on this disc gets into perceived cinematic antecedents to Castle of the Living Dead, but unless I missed something, one film that immediately sprung to my mind as an at least tangential connection doesn't get any kind of a mention. That would be Ingmar Bergman's rather strangely (at least in my personal estimation) lesser remembered The Magician from 1958, which posited a theatrical troupe engaged in various escapades in a quasi-gothic environment. Castle of the Living Dead similarly features a ragtag troupe of performers who are invited to put on their act at the titular castle, which belongs to one Count Drago (Christopher Lee, of course).

The "horror" aspect of the film turns out to have to do with the nefarious Count's schemes to convert people into living statues, courtesy of a top secret potion he has developed. His castle is in fact a "museum" of sorts housing supposedly still alive mannequins. That semi-creepy plot element underlies a lot of other internecine relationships between the various members of the acting troupe, and the film kind of ping pongs between some soap operatic moments and more florid, traditionally Gothic, elements.

Castle of the Living Dead has a bit of film trivia street cred to its benefit in that it offered Donald Sutherland his first major on screen role, or roles, as the case may be, as he depicts both a comical soldier and a witch who has been an unfortunate victim of Drago's potion before it reached "new, improved" status, and who is therefore out for revenge at all costs. Though he's obviously dubbed here, Sutherland is definitely a presence in the film, and his scenes crackle with a certain manic energy that the rest of the story probably frankly could have used more of.

Castle of the Living Dead Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Castle of the Living Dead is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of Severin Films with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 1.67:1. The back cover of the keepcase insert states that this has been "scanned in 4K from the Italian negative for the first time ever". This is by and large a really gorgeous looking transfer that preserves a beautifully organic appearance while also supporting generally excellent detail levels. Fine detail is often almost palpable, to the point that the obvious makeup applied to Sutherland's nose to make him into the witch can look more than a bit artificial. Despite a prevalence of dark interior moments, detail levels are surprisingly consistent throughout the presentation. There are some very brief moments, notably a couple of outdoor scenes, where contrast falters just a bit and densities don't seem quite as fulsome, but the vast majority of this transfer is impressive, especially considering the relative rarity of this title.

Castle of the Living Dead Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Castle of the Living Dead features a DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 Mono track that has occasional slight hints of distortion in some of it more hyperbolic cues, especially some of the high string sounds, but which is otherwise rather boisterous sounding, with a solid midrange and clear accounts of voiceover and effects. Dialogue can occasionally sound a bit hollow, perhaps due at least in part to post looping. Optional English subtitles are available.

Castle of the Living Dead Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Audio Commentary by Film Writer Troy Howarth and Nathaniel Thompson from Mondo Digital is an informational but conversational tour through the film and some of its production mysteries. Thompson sounded a bit mufled to me, as if his perhaps a phone connection wasn't great.


• Audio Commentary by Film Writer Kat Ellinger is another far ranging analysis by Ellinger, who manages to work in everything from gothic horror to Freud in her analysis.


• From the Castle to the Academy (HD; 51:58) is billed as a "career interview" with producer Paul Maslansky, who gives a bunch of biographical data along with various anecdotes about his long life in the film industry.


• The Castle of the Mystery Man (HD; 13:26) features Roberto Curti, author of Mavericks of Italian Cinema, addressing the ostensibly interlocked mysteries of who director Warren Kiefer was and if in fact he directed the film (he did). Curti speaks in pretty heavily accented English, and some may feel optional subtitles might have helped, though I personally had no problem understanding him. Trivia fans may have figured out that Donald Sutherland named his son after the director.


• Bonus Soundtrack CD featuring Angelo F. Lavagnino's score is also included in the keepcase.

Castle of the Living Dead Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

The supporting cast in Castle of the Living Dead may actually be at least as colorful as Christopher Lee himself, and the kind of feudal acting troupe element gives the film a certain carnival-esque flavor. There's not a ton of spookiness at play, though, and so scares are few and far between, but the film does have a certain moodiness to its credit. If the film probably has undeniable deficits, its presentation here is virtually flawless on the video side of things, and not really overly problematic in terms of less effective audio. The supplementary package is very enjoyable, for those who are considering a purchase.