Mr. Sardonicus (1961)

A search for a winning lottery ticket in his dead father's grave causes Sardonicus' face to freeze in a horrible grimace, until he forces a doctor to treat his affliction--with even more ... See full summary »

Director:

William Castle

Writers:

Ray Russell (screenplay), Ray Russell (novel)

Stars:

Ronald Lewis, Audrey Dalton, Guy Rolfe

Cast

Cast overview:
Ronald Lewis	...	Sir Robert Cargrave
Audrey Dalton	...	Baroness Maude Sardonicus
Guy Rolfe	...	Baron Sardonicus / Marek Toleslawski
Oskar Homolka	...	Krull (as Oscar Homolka)
Vladimir Sokoloff	...	Henryk Toleslawski
Erika Peters	...	Elenka Toleslawski
Lorna Hanson	...	Anna

Storyline

A search for a winning lottery ticket in his dead father's grave causes Sardonicus' face to freeze in a horrible grimace, until he forces a doctor to treat his affliction--with even more grotesque results! The audience gets an opportunity to vote--via the "Punishment Poll"--for the penalty Sardonicus must pay for his deeds...

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Plot Keywords:

face | baron | mask | lottery ticket | doctor | 

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Taglines:

The Only Picture With the Punishment Poll!

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Genres:

Drama | Horror | Mystery

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Certificate:

Approved

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

12 February 1962 (Denmark)

Also Known As:

Der unheimliche Mr. Sardonicus

Company Credits

Production Co:

William Castle Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

89 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA Sound Recording)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

When Sir Robert first arrives at Castle Sardonicus, the castle is in view in the background. The lighted windows make the castle look like a skull.

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Goofs

Sir Robert attempts to shave when he is already clean-shaven to begin with.

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Quotes

[last lines]
Krull: Master, I'm very sorry, but I missed him. The train had already left.

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Connections

Featured in Sweets to the Sweet: The Candyman Mythos (2004)

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Soundtracks

"Foggy, Foggy Dew"
(English folk song)
Sung by Ronald Lewis

User Reviews

Disturbing but memorable!

I saw this in the "show" when I was about 10, and seriously, I have never forgotten it. About 20 years ago, I noticed that it was on a station out of Toledo in the middle of the night, and even though I had to get up in the morning, and they had commercials every 10 minutes, I stayed up (after setting the alarm to GET UP) and watched the whole movie... I guess I am a William Castle fan, I have to admit it. (One other that still kills me is Homicidal, and woo hoo Richard Rust is in it, too, my favorite!) I play the lottery every day now, too, and that storyline about the ticket in the grave just GETS ME!! This is one odd film, like everything Castle does, but ya gotta love it!! It sticks with you, once you've seen it, you are hooked forever.