Castle Freak (1995) (V)

Director:

Stuart Gordon

Writers:

Stuart Gordon (story)
H.P. Lovecraft (story)
(more)

Release Date:

14 November 1995 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | Horror | Mystery | Thriller

Tagline:

Hideous... hungry... and loose!

Plot:

A troubled couple and their blind daughter come to Italy to visit a 12th Century castle they've inherited...

Plot Keywords:

Castle | Prostitute | Freak | H.P. Lovecraft | Cult Favorite

Cast

Jeffrey Combs	...	John Reilly
Barbara Crampton	...	Susan Reilly
Jonathan Fuller	...	Giorgio
Jessica Dollarhide	...	Rebecca Reilly
Massimo Sarchielli	...	Giannetti
Elisabeth Kaza	...	Agnese
Luca Zingaretti	...	Forte
Helen Stirling	...	Duchess D'Orsino
Alessandro Sebastian Satta	...	JJ
Raffaella Offidani	...	Sylvana
Marco Stefanelli	...	Benedetti
Tunny Piras	...	Grimaldi
Rolando Cortegiani	...	Tonio
Carolyn Gordon	...	The Gelato People
Suzanna Gordon	...	The Gelato People
Jillian Gordon	...	The Gelato People
Margaret Gordon	...	The Gelato People

Directed by
Stuart Gordon

Writing credits (in alphabetical order)
Stuart Gordon		story
H.P. Lovecraft		story "The Outsider"
Dennis Paoli		screenplay
Dennis Paoli		story

Produced by
Albert Band	....	executive producer
Charles Band	....	executive producer
Maurizio Maggi	....	producer

Original Music by
Richard Band

Cinematography by
Mario Vulpiani

Film Editing by
Bert Glatstein

Casting by
Perry Bullington
Robert MacDonald

Production Design by
Franco Vanorio		(as Frank Vanorio)

Costume Design by
Tiziana Mancini

Makeup Department
Everett Burrell	....	special makeup effects artist
Giancarlo Lucchetti	....	hair stylist
Mike Measimer	....	special makeup effects
Pietro Tenoglio	....	key makeup artist
John Vulich	....	special makeup effects

Production Management
Tullio Lullo	....	production manager
Karen L. Spencer	....	production manager: second unit (as Karen Spencer)
Gretchen G. Wieland	....	post-production supervisor

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Daniela Cortegiani	....	second assistant director
Luigi Vallini	....	first assistant director

Art Department
Salvatore Alonzo	....	property master
John L. Chaldu	....	props: second unit
John Zachary	....	art director: second unit

Sound Department
Roberto Alberghini	....	production sound mixer
Mark Allen	....	sound effects editor
Loren Chun	....	sound effects editor
Marco Di Biase	....	boom operator
Mike Draghi	....	sound re-recording mixer
Cormac Funge	....	sound effects editor
Richard Maxim Garcia	....	foley recordist
Rebecca Goss	....	sound effects editor
Patrick M. Griffith	....	supervising sound editor
Lisa Hannan	....	sound effects editor
Kirk Hunter	....	sound effects editor
Jeff King	....	sound effects editor
John Kohlbrenner	....	sound effects editor
Jeff Mar	....	dialogue editor
Michael McCarty	....	adr recordist
Cynthia Merrill	....	foley editor
Jesse Pomeroy	....	dialogue editor
Stephen P. Robinson	....	sound effects editor (as Steve Robinson)

Special Effects by
Hiroshi Katagiri	....	special makeup effects artist: Optic Nerve Studio Inc.
Davide Trani	....	special effects assistant

Stunts
Margo Stefanelli	....	stunt coordinator

Camera and Electrical Department
Enrico Appetito	....	still photographer
Romualdo Benedetti	....	assistant chief lighting technician
Daniele Massaccesi	....	camera operator
Giorgio Palermi	....	electrician
Mario Palermi	....	gaffer
Armando Salino	....	key grip
James Lawrence Spencer	....	director of photography: second unit
Franco Sterpa	....	first assistant camera
Paolo Tiberti	....	best boy grip
Elena Ucropina	....	second assistant camera

Editorial Department
Keith Henderson	....	assistant editor
D. Brett Schramm	....	post-production assistant

Music Department
Keely Dietrick	....	music coordinator
Pat Siciliano	....	music supervisor

Other crew
Marco Albertini	....	production assistant
Tamara Alessi	....	production coordinator
James Ferguson	....	production coordinator
Donatella Maiorca	....	continuity
Karen Spencer	....	producer: second unit
Paolo Zibetti	....	production assistant

Production Companies

• Full Moon Enterprises
• Full Moon Entertainment

Distributors

• 21st Century Pictures Group (Australia)
• Another World Entertainment (2010) (Denmark) (DVD)
• Beam Entertainment (Japan) (DVD producer)
• Creative Axa Co. Ltd. (Japan) (DVD)
• Echo Bridge Home Entertainment (2010) (USA) (DVD)
• Full Moon Entertainment (1995) (USA) (video) (laserdisc)
• Full Moon Entertainment (1997) (USA) (DVD)
• Full Moon Entertainment (USA) (VHS)
• Full Moon Pictures
• Future Film (2010) (Finland) (DVD)
• Living Colour Entertainment (2008) (Netherlands) (DVD) (Mr. Horror Presents #6)
• VTI Ação (199?) (Brazil) (VHS)
• Works Editora (2004) (Brazil) (DVD)

Also Known As:

"Stuart Gordon's Castle Freak" - USA (complete title)

MPAA:

Rated R for some strong violence and gore, a scene of sexuality and some language

Runtime:

90 min | USA:95 min (unrated version)

Country:

USA

Language:

English | Italian | Swedish

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Certification:

Finland:K-18 (self applied) (2007) | Australia:R | Germany:18 | UK:18 (video premiere) | USA:R

Filming Locations:

Giove, Terni, Umbria, Italy

Company:

Full Moon Enterprises

Trivia:

The first Full Moon film to be released outside of Paramount.

Goofs:

Continuity: Giorgio, the freak, could not remove his metal arm restraint without ripping his thumb off first, as the restraint was too small. But near the end of the film John easily put this restraint on his own arm, and earlier Giorgio put the same restraint over both arms of the prostitute.

Quotes:

John Reilly:[Breaking open the crypt to reveal an empty coffin] Giorgio D'Orsino he was never burried. She kept him alive! He's here somewhere in this castle?

Creepy and Sad Horror Tale

Stuart Gordon's "Castle Freak" of 1995 is a creepy, gory, sad and quite original little horror flick and yet another proof that the man is a more than gifted director. It is certainly not Gordon's best movie (his absolute masterpiece is "Re-Animator", with "From Beyond" as a close second), but it nevertheless is a highly atmospheric and unusual Horror film, and especially worth watching as the 1990s were a more than poor decade for Horror in which good horror films, such as this one, were rare.

The film takes place in the homeland of great Horror, namely Bella Italia, where it is excellently set in an eerie old castle. John and Susan Reilly, a troubled married couple, have inherited the castle, and come to Italy with their blind daughter in order to take a look at their inheritance. The Reillys soon have to realize that their marital disputes are not their only trouble in their creepy new home... Gordon's regular star, the great Jeffrey Combs who is without doubt one of the greatest Horror actors of his generation, stars as John Reilly, the family father, and he is great in the role. His fellow "Re-Animator" cast member, the beautiful Barbara Crampton is very good as the wife. Jonathan Fuller is also very good. The film is creepy and highly atmospheric throughout and has many highly intense moments. Castles are always a great setting for Horror films, in my opinion, and this one is particularly eerie. This certainly isn't one of Stuart Gordon's best, but there is no doubt that it outshines most other Horror productions from the mid 90s. As far as I am concerned, "Castle Freak" doesn't reach the brilliance of "Re-Animator", but it is definitely a creepy, highly atmospheric and original, above average example of good 90s Horror. Recommended!