Mr. Sardonicus (1961)

User Rating:

6.6/10   

Director:

William Castle

Writers:

Ray Russell (story)
Ray Russell (screenplay)

Release Date:

1962 (Austria)

Genre:

Drama | Horror | Mystery

Tagline:

A man of evil... with a face that could stop a heart!

Plot:

A search for a winning lottery ticket in his dead father's grave causes Sardonicus' face to freeze in a horrible grimace...

Plot Keywords:

Baron | Mask | Doctor | Lottery Ticket | Castle

Cast

Oskar Homolka	...	Krull (as Oscar Homolka)
Ronald Lewis	...	Sir Robert Cargrave
Audrey Dalton	...	Maude Sardonicus
Guy Rolfe	...	Baron Sardonicus
Vladimir Sokoloff	...	Henryk Toleslawski
Erika Peters	...	Elenka
Lorna Hanson	...	Anna
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Edith Atwater	...	Nurse
James Forrest	...	Wainwright

Also Known As:

Sardonicus (UK)

Runtime:

89 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Finland:(Banned) (1961) | UK:12 | USA:Approved | West Germany:16

Company:

William Castle Productions

Trivia:

The correct term for Baron Sardonicus' condition is hysterical rictus.

Goofs:

Crew or equipment visible: As the Doctor arrives in the train depot in Gorslava, the door opens and the camera pulling away is reflected in the door's glass.

Quotes:

Gatekeeper: Sardonicus?
Sir Robert Cargrave: Why were you so frightened?
Gatekeeper: Aah, sir, you would not understand. You are young. You do not yet have daughters!

Movie Connections:

Featured in "Creature Features: Mr. Sardonicus (#1.38)" (1971)

Soundtrack:

Foggy, Foggy Dew

"Don't Make A Face Like That, It Could Freeze That Way": The Movie

Did you ever hear when you were a kid not to make nasty faces because someday it could freeze that way? That isn't exactly the premise for this but the end result is the same, a man who has his face frozen in a hideous grin that he has to hide behind a mask. A doctor is summoned to the castle of an old flame of his, somewhere on the European continent, in some made-up country, and it seems that her husband is the man who wears this mask. As a young man, he had dug up his father's grave to seek a winning lottery ticket but while he got the ticket and the riches his face was hideously distorted as a result of the shock from seeing his father's decomposing body. You win some, you lose some. At any rate the doctor is summoned to help this man and if he doesn't then harm will come to his wife. This is fairly enjoyable but it IS William Castle, who graces us with his presence's before and after the actual film, firstly to introduce it and lastly to allow the viewers to vote on whether or not the Baron Sardonicus had suffered enough or if he needed to suffer some more. I guess at original showings of the film the customers were provided with a "voting card" with a thumbs up or thumbs down depending on how the card was held. I'm not sure there was ever an alternate ending though so the result is always the same, at least on DVD. Kind of dated and hokey but not bad, enjoyable entertainment and mildly spooky. 7 out of 10.