The Black Castle (1952)

Director:

Nathan Juran

Writer:

Jerry Sackheim (writer)

Release Date:

15 December 1952 (Sweden)

Genre:

Drama | Mystery | Horror | Action | Romance

Plot:

Man investigates the disappearance of two of his friends who were the guests of a sinister Austrian count. |

Plot Keywords:

Count | Mysterious Passage | Pendant | Eye Patch | Leopard Hunt

Cast

Richard Greene	...	Sir Ronald Burton, alias Richard Beckett
Boris Karloff	...	Dr. Meissen
Stephen McNally	...	Count Karl von Bruno
Rita Corday	...	Countess Elga von Bruno
Lon Chaney Jr.	...	Gargon
John Hoyt	...	Count Steiken
Michael Pate	...	Count Ernst von Melcher
Nancy Valentine	...	Therese Von Wilk
Tudor Owen	...	Romley
Henry Corden	...	Fender
Otto Waldis	...	Krantz, the innkeeper

Runtime:

82 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Recording)

Certification:

Canada:PG (Ontario) | Finland:(Banned) (1952) | USA:Unrated | Sweden:15

Company:

Universal International Pictures (UI)

Goofs:

Anachronisms: The movie was supposed to be set in the 18th century, yet there are German Shepherds in he courtyard. The German Shepherd came into being around 1900.

Quotes:

Count Karl von Bruno: Doctor, you're an expert on medical science. Isn't it true that the Ancient Romans were pain worshippers?
Dr. Meissen: Oh, yes, Herr Count. They even held endurance contests. It was a mark of distinction to suffer in silence.
Count Steiken: [Being treated for an arm wound by Dr. Meissen] Ah, naaah! Oh, no!
Count Karl von Bruno: Do you hear that, Steiken?
Count Steiken: [Screaming] Aaah, ah, ah! I'm not an Ancient Roman!
Servant: Herr Count, Mr. Beckett is here.
Count Karl von Bruno: Well, bring him in for this should amuse him too.
Count Steiken: [to Dr. Meissen] Ooohh! - You idiot! You call yourself a doctor?
Count Karl von Bruno: [Sadistically twisting Steiken's arm] And you? You call yourself a man?
[...]

Movie Connections:

Featured in "Son of Svengoolie: The Black Castle (1952) (#1.116)" (1981)

Soundtrack:

3rd and 1st movements from Serenata No.13 'Eine kleine Nachtmusik' K.525

Compelling Gothic horror/drama

It's strange that I keep on discovering movies in which Boris Karloff actually plays the GOOD guy! The man will always be an icon of horror-cinema, of course, but I used to think he exclusively portrayed monsters, mad scientists and psychopaths. Here in this forgotten 50's Goth epic, Karloff stars as the noble and honorable resident doctor of an Austrian castle community of which the owner – Count Von Bruno – is the only true sadist and murderer! Sir Ronal Burton arrives at the castle to search for his two missing friends, of which he believes Von Bruno captured and killed them, and eventually relies on Karloff's character Meissen to save him. Von Bruno is a real villain who enjoys barbaric hunting games and holds an impressive collection of torture devices in his dungeon. Burton falls in love with his repressed wife Elga and when he's unmasked as Von Bruno's ancient nemesis, they're both locked up in the cellar. The script of "The Black Castle" is rather complex, but well constructed and rich on topics that fans of vintage Gothic cinema will certainly appreciate. The atmosphere in the extended hunting game sequences reminded me a bit of "The Most Dangerous Game" and the set pieces inside the castle looked genuinely sinister. There are more than enough sub plots and twisted supportive characters to keep the film compelling despite the lack of gruesome horror situations and make-up effects. The cast features another familiar horror face, Lon Chaney Jr., but he and Karloff sadly don't get enough screen time to list "The Black Castle" among their most memorable achievements in acting. This was the debut feature of the respectable director Nathan Juran, who went on making fun & undemanding Sci-Fi/horror flicks like "The Deadly Mantis", "20 Million Miles to Earth" and "The Brain from Planet Arous".