Haunted Castle is at it's best a very dark, gothic cautionary tale about doing anything for fame. Unfortunately it goes to some fairly violent extremes to prove it's point. Played in IMAX theaters across America it is billed as a simple, animated trip through a haunted castle. This draws parents with children who might already be at wherever is housing the IMAX screen (aquariums, zoos, etc...) to bring their children in, where they are confronted with a plot about a young musician being enticed by Satan (referred to innocuously as "Mr. D") to sell his soul for eternity. Only a brief part of the film takes place in the actual mansion; the rest is a literal journey through the depths of hell where "Johnny" (whose eyes we see through) is shown how various dead musician's souls are being tortured. (Most vivid in my mind is the opera singer who is strung to a rack and slowly lowered into a vat of acid and barracuda.) The film's 3D effects are mind boggling but often misplaced if not neglected, and there are at least two scenes that play like over-produced music videos. (The last five or six minutes of the film are essentially the credits played VERY SLOWLY over a "performance" by Johnny's band.) In all, if you are not easily grossed out or terrified and don't mind some boring moments, the film is visually stunning, but NOT FOR CHILDREN.
Review of Haunted Castle
