Castle of the Living Dead (1964) Il castello dei morti vivi (original title)

Directors:

Luciano Ricci
Lorenzo Sabatini
(more)

Writers:

Michael Reeves
Lorenzo Sabatini

Release Date:

5 August 1964 (Italy)

Genre:

Horror | Sci-Fi | Thriller

Tagline:

How much shock can the human brain endure before it cracks?

Plot:

Count Drago (Christopher Lee) invites over entertainers to his castle, but what the people don't know is that Drago mummifies animals and humans!

Plot Keywords:

Entertainer | Castle | Prophecy | Mummy | Raven

Cast

Christopher Lee	...	Count Drago
Gaia Germani	...	Laura
Philippe Leroy	...	Eric
Mirko Valentin	...	Sandro
Donald Sutherland	...	Sgt. Paul / The witch / The old man
Renato Terra	...	Policeman (as Renato Terra Caizzi)
Antonio De Martino	...	Nick
Luciano Pigozzi	...	Dart
Ennio Antonelli	...	Gianni
Jacques Stany	...	Bruno
Luigi Bonos	...	Marc (as Luigi W. Bonos)

Directed by
Luciano Ricci		(as Herbert Wise)
Lorenzo Sabatini		(as Warren Kiefer)
Michael Reeves		(uncredited)

Writing credits (in alphabetical order)
Michael Reeves
Lorenzo Sabatini		(as Warren Kiefer)

Produced by
Paul Maslansky	....	producer

Original Music by
Angelo Francesco Lavagnino

Cinematography by
Aldo Tonti

Film Editing by
Mario Serandrei

Art Direction by
Carlo Gentili

Makeup Department
Guglielmo Bonotti	....	makeup artist

Production Management
Renato Dandi	....	production manager
Antonio Girasante	....	production manager

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Frederick Muller	....	assistant director (as Fritz Muller)
Michael Reeves	....	second unit director

Sound Department
Fiorenzo Magli	....	sound

Camera and Electrical Department
Luigi Kuveiller	....	camera operator

Music Department
Luca di Silverio	....	soundtrack album producer
Carlo Savina	....	conductor

Production Companies

• Filmsonor
• Francinor
• Serena

Distributors

• Cineriz (1964) (Italy) (theatrical)
• Tigon Film Distributors (1965) (UK) (theatrical) (dubbed)
• Woolner Brothers Pictures Inc. (1965) (USA) (theatrical) (dubbed)
• American-International Television (AIP-TV) (19??) (USA) (TV) (dubbed)
• Deimos Entertainment (2008) (USA) (DVD)
• Something Weird Video (SWV) (????) (USA) (VHS)

Other Companies

• Digitmovies Alternative Entertainment  soundtrack

Also Known As:

"Il castello dei morti vivi" - Italy (original title)

Runtime:

Italy:91 min | UK:90 min

Country:

Italy | France

Language:

Italian

Color:

Black and White

Sound Mix:

Mono

Filming Locations:

Bomarzo, Viterbo, Lazio, Italy

Company:

Filmsonor

Trivia:

According to Christopher Lee, during postsynch stage, he had to dub his own voice only with a vague memory of his lines because a continuity girl had neglected to record the dialogs of the film on paper.

Movie Connections:

Featured in "Son of Svengoolie: Castle of the Living Dead (1964) (#1.128)" (1981)

An Eerie Film With Great Ambiance

Ambiance is what it's all about, and this film has plenty of it. The setting is Europe during the Napoleonic era. A traveling circus troop has been invited to perform at a mysterious castle for a Count and his sleazy looking sidekick. This appears to be Donald Sutherland's first film, and he does a terrific job in a dual role. His presentation of an old hag-like witch is unforgettable. After seeing the movie, I found myself repeating some of the macabre rhymes, such as "Some will live and some will die before the morning sun is high." The acting is solid throughout. Don't expect a lot of action or violence. There's plenty of suspense throughout, however. The female minstrel is most exotic looking, and one watches in anticipation that she might eventually hike her skirt. The tension generated is occasionally broken by comic relief; some of it unintentional no doubt. There is a bit of sword play at the end, which appeared very awkward, but the awkwardness seemed to enhance the realism in a most peculiar way. It had been years since I had seen this film, and I fondly recalled it. I was successful in locating a reasonably crisp copy on DVD. I plan on watching it again soon. I easily rate it a 7 out of 10 based on entertainment value. After all, how many films can offer up their own midget toss?