Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		4.0
Audio		4.0
Extras		1.5
Overall		3.5

The Black Castle Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Jeffrey Kauffman September 15, 2022

Note: This version of this film is available on Blu-ray as part of Universal Terror.

Universal rightly or wrongly is often considered to be the studio when it comes to horror films, at least during the so-called Golden Era of Hollywood (we can discuss Hammer and other Johnny-Come-Lately studios at another time). The title Universal Terror and a cover emblazoned with the name Karloff in even bigger letters may of course (appropriately, to utilize a term associated with being raised from the dead) resurrect memories of such classics as Frankenstein and/or The Mummy, but the three films Eureka! Entertainment has released under its Eureka Classics imprint are considerably less remembered than either of those iconic landmarks, which is not to suggest this trio of films doesn't offer its own spooky pleasures at times. These three films received prior releases in Region A courtesy of Shout! Factory (evidently licensing requires an exclamation point in the distributor's name), and while the video and audio presentations are similar, these sport different supplements.

Commentators Stephen Jones and Kim Newman make the case in their analysis of this film that it both harkens back to the Universal horror enterprises of yore, while staying au courant with then popular swashbucklers, and perhaps even presaging the glut of Hammer films that would regularly utilize the imprimatur of Edgar Allen Poe, even if that wasn't exactly warranted all of the time. Just to make things all the more confusing, Jones and Newman also aver this is a more or less sequel to Universal's The Strange Door, at least in terms of cast and crew affiliations. The story here involves a swashbuckler named Sir Ronald Burton (Richard Greene), who may or may not be "not quite dead yet" as the story opens, which leads Jones and Newman to cite efforts like The Premature Burial. More basic plot details can be found in Brian Orndorf's The Black Castle Blu-ray review of the Shout! release. As often happens, my scores may vary from other reviews of the same material.

The Black Castle Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

The Black Castle is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of Eureka! Classics, an imprint of Eureka! Entertainment, with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 1.37:1. Eureka! only sent check discs for the purposes of this review, and so I'm not privy to any verbiage in an insert booklet, but the press sheet briefly mentions " Night Key and The Black Castle presented from 2K scans of fine grain film elements". I found this to be a somewhat more consistently pleasing looking transfer than Night Key, perhaps due at least in part to the difference in their ages. Detail levels are generally excellent throughout this presentation, and solid contrast helps to support some near chiaroscuro lighting effects. There's some very minor age related wear and tear, but nothing of any import, and the entire presentation has a nicely organic appearance.

The Black Castle Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The Black Castle features an LPCM 2.0 Mono track which is very much in keeping with the two others in this set. Somewhat limited dynamic range and an intermittently boxy sound offer occasional hurdles, and this has a bit more of a strident high end than the others in this set for whatever reason, but all dialogue is rendered without any major problems. Optional English subtitles are available.

The Black Castle Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Audio Commentary with Stephen Jones and Kim Newman


• Stills Gallery: Production Stills (HD)


• Stills Gallery: Artwork and Ephemera (HD)

The Black Castle Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

The horror elements here are somewhat muted, and it's probably salient to note that both Boris Karloff and especially Lon Chaney are definitely in supporting roles, but this offering has an unexpected amount of swagger and fun. Technical merits are generally solid and the commentary very appealing. Recommended.