User reviews

Medieval plague victims return from the dead to terrorise a group of people who were enemies of a dead man with expertise in the occult.

This is another in the cycle of Italian Gothic horror films that were especially popular in the 60's. It stars the queen of Italian horror from this period, Barbara Steele. She was hardly a scream queen however. She was rarely the one doing the screaming, she was usually the aggressor. In this movie she again is no victim and like always she provides some real class to proceedings. The story itself is fairly standard stuff, with nothing out of the ordinary. It's really pretty decent stuff though if you have an appreciation for horror films with a Gothic atmosphere. There are plenty of well used locations and the mood is effective enough. I enjoyed it and recommend it to fans of Italian Gothic.

An advocate at law : Walter Brandi , arrives in a castie to sette the state of its recently deceased owner . Then there appears vengeful spectres roaming here and there with fateful and scabrous consequences.

Nice horror movie revolving around a haunted house with plenty of scary beings , eerie murders , shocking appearances and anything else . Set at a ghastly castle where happens terrifying and creepy events. In spite of of a few scenarios and its short budget the movie is acceptable thanks to the evocative photography and eerie horror set pieces. Stars the great Barbara Steele , the main figure of the Italian Gothic , here become a terror myth , including films as An Angel for Satan, The Specttro ,She Beast , Nightmare Castle , The horrible secret of Dr Hitchcock , and the classic Mario Bava film : Mark of the Devil or Black Sunday . She is accompanied by a mostly unknown cast such as : Walter Brandi, Maravidí, Alfredo Rizzo, Riccardo Garrone and special mention for Luciano Pigozzi who used to play under pseudonym Allan Collins and nicknamed the Italian Peter Lorre .

Displaying a frightening and thrilling musical score by Aldo Piga . It contains a sinister and dark photography in black and white , taking adequate use of lights ahd shades , as well as the camera positioning , being made by the pretigious Carl Di Palma , to be followed a notorious career as a great cameraman in USA, especially for Woody Allen . The motion picture was decently directed by Massimo Pupillo as Max Hunter . He was a simple artisan who directed a few films as the Spaguetti : Django Kills Softly , terror movies as : La Vendetta di Lady Morgan, and Il boca scarlatto or Bloody Pit of Horror also starred by Walter Brandt along with Mickey Hargitay. Rating : 6/10 . Acceptable and passable .

Having been in a kind of Barbara Steele mood, i decided to throw in the version i have had collecting dust on my video shelf for some time now. Deciding to compare my version to other information that might be listed about this films, i was saddened to find out that the ALPHA VIDEO version listed it's version as a mere 61 minutes, informing me that there was some 24 minutes missing from this release. Saddened i shall now search out the full film and do hope it is a lot better than this well worked over copy i have now. This film deserves to be remastered in a official version that contains everything cut as do all movies being released on to any personal format. ...... Happy Viewing.

I originally caught this black and white thriller in 1966 on a double bill with the color Bloody Pit Of Horror and Terror Creatures made more of an impression on me. It has great atmosphere, graphic special effects makeup (for the time) and a wonderful soundtrack. If anything is lacking, the ending seems a bit rushed. I recommend the VHS version that Something Weird released a few years back. It is struck from an immaculate print and contains the European version of the movie-this includes a brief topless shot (unfortunately not of Babs Steele but she does emerge from her bath in a subsequent tantalizing scene.) The Alpha Video DVD release is taken from a rather scratchy print and is minus the nudity but is available for less than $6.00. This Italian shocker would be a welcome addition to any Euro film collection.

5 tom be per UN medium directed by Massimo Pupillo, is a lackluster spaghetti horror (as in spaghetti western?)! Also known as Cemetery of the Living Dead, this Italian chiller thriller benefits largely from the presence of the stunning queen of horror flicks Barbara Steele. Generally a bunch of nonsense about a terrible plague, in which the victims are then summoned from the dead by an idiot for some vague reason. The transfer is good, but then film was dodge and dubbed to begin with so beware. Still for Steele fans a nice treat at this price.

Reall old and good horror with a great actors and great less directing. Original Italian horror film and really good one.

Starring: Walter Brandi, Mirella Mravidi, Barbara Steele. Director: Massimo Pupillo.

An attorney (Walter Brandi) arrives at a castle to settle the estate of its recently deceased owner. The owner's wife (Barbara Steele) and daughter reveal that he was someone who was able to summon the souls of ancient plague victims and, in fact, his spirit was roaming the castle at that very moment.

Not surprisingly for an Italian film of 1965, the quality (at least in the copy released by Mill Creek) is of average or below average quality. And unlike Mario Bava's "Planet of the Vampires", which came out the same year, this film is in black and white. Hopefully some day a company will invest in cleaning up an original print. (Dark Sky Films would be perfect for this, if we use their version of "She-Beast" as a template. Comparing the Mill Creek version of that film with Dark Sky's is the difference between trash and treasure.)

The most redeeming element of this film is Barbara Steele, who steals the show with her large, mesmerizing eyes. Walter Brandi, who plays the attorney Albert Kovac, is a formidable lead, and it is a shame I am not better acquainted with him. He appeared in other horror gems of the era: "Bloody Pit of Horror" and "Curse of the Blood Ghouls", and acts as sort of a poor man's Giacomo Rossi-Stuart. Interestingly, the actress who showed the most potential -- Tilde Till, who played the maid -- never acted in anything else.

Director Massimo Pupillo gave producer Ralph Zucker the directing credit, despite Zucker having no directing responsibilities at all. Why Pupillo found this film not worthy of carrying his name is beyond me... it is a solid story, allegedly based on the work of Edgar Allan Poe (though I do not know which story and rather doubt the source). To say Pupillo was a rival of Bava would give him too much credit, but he is an important figure in the early Italian horror scene.

Perhaps, in fact, Pupillo was a colleague of Bava's. The film's writer, Romano Migliorini, also wrote the Bava classics "Kill Baby Kill" and "Lisa and the Devil"... not to mention the original "Inglorious Bastards". So maybe they were all within the same circle? Yet, Bava now has the glory while this atmospheric Gothic horror -- easily on par with Roger Corman's Poe films -- is left forgotten.

Luca Palmerini's review consists of two words: "good stuff". Ignoring the occasional audio problems and lackluster video quality, this is a fair statement. The plot, acting and directing are all superb, and any fan of classic film will really enjoy it. Again, I hope a better copy surfaces, but until then there is still enough to appreciate here.

When an Italian Gothic Horror film from the 60s stars Barbara Steele, this is more or less the recipe for cinematic perfection, at least in the mind of yours truly. The wonderful Miss Steele, doubtlessly the most iconic Horror actress ever, is best known for her fantastic roles in some of the most fascinating Italian Horror films, including Mario Bava's masterpiece LA MASCHERA DEL DEMONIO ("Black Sunday"/"The Mask of Satan", 1960), Antonio Margheriti's masterpiece DANZA MACABRA ("Castle of Blood", 1964) and I LUNGHI CAPELLI DELLA MORTE ("The Long Hair of Death", 1964), Mario Caiano's AMANTI D'OLTRETOMBA ("Nightmare Castle", 1965), Camillo Mastrocinque's UN ANGELO PER SATANA (1964), and Riccardo Freda's L'ORRIBILE DR. HICHCOCK and LO SPETTRO. Outside Italy, she starred in another one of the all-time greatest Gothic Horror films, Roger Corman's PIT AND THE PENDULUM (1961), alongside fellow Horror legend Vincent Price. While Massimo Pupillo's 5 TOMBE PER UN MEDIUM aka. TERROR CREATURES FROM THE GRAVE (1965) is not among the most memorable Italian Horror films starring Steele, it is nonetheless an entertaining and creepy little flick that my fellow Eurohorror buffs should enjoy.

In 1911, the attorney Albert Kovac (Walter Brandi) arrives at a Gothic castle in order to settle the will of the owner, Jeronimus Hauff. Hauff died one year earlier, but insisted in being interred for a year, before being re-buried. The castle is now inhabited by Hauff's daughter Corinne (Mirella Marvadi) his second wife, Corinne's step-mother Cleo (Barbara Steele), and the caretaker Kurt (Luciano Pigozzi). The rest of the personnel leaves the castle by night, since it is said to be haunted. In the 15th century, the Hauff castle had been the scene of the grisly execution of several man accused of deliberately spreading the plague out of pure malice. At the attorney's arrival, the village near the castle is struck by a series of mysterious and violent deaths...

As almost all Italian Gothic Horror films, this one is elegantly filmed and supported by a moody score. For 1965 standards, the film includes several moments of rather explicit gore. The death scenes are great and there are some awesome macabre set-pieces such as a glass showcase displaying severed hands. While there is no explicit sleaze or nudity, the film delivers some mild erotic scenes, such as Barbara Steele taking a bath. The settings are nice, and the film maintains an eerie atmosphere from the start. The storyline is not too coherent, and, sadly, Barbara Steele's screen-time is very limited. Apart from Barbara Steele, the most well-known face in the film is Italian cult regular Luciano Pigozzi, who is known for his resemblance to Peter Lorre, and who was part of countless Italian genre flicks from the 60s to the 80s.

Overall, 5 TOMBE PER UN MEDIUM is not one of the highlights in Barbara Steele's Italian Horror filmography; however, this has to be seen in the context that the film is in excellent company. Italian Gothic Horror films with Barabara Steele are generally as atmospheric and great as Horror cinema gets, and even this lesser one is a highly entertaining film that Cult lovers should not miss. Barbara Steele, we worship thee!

This Italian Gothic film stars an ever-good Barbara Steele, but the other actors are all almost sickening, especially the unsupportable blond chick, who lets out some incredibly loud cries and she does it so suddenly that she might be easily considered the most frightening thing in this horrible film(in a negative way, of course!). Although some nice exploitation attempts, the film is bad, really bad. The director, especially, seems to have gone on holiday throughout the all movie and wakes up only at the end of it(but it's too late, pal!). The end is something so ridiculous and so senseless that really make the audience break out a loud laughing(obviously an unintentional one...). I don't want to say anything more not to spoil your surprise!

In one of the many Italian horror flicks from the early-to-mid 1960s, lawyer Albert Kovac (Walter Brandi) goes to a country estate where it turns out that the owner has been dead for a year. This family buried plague victims hundreds of years earlier. But the owner might have never totally left, and his widow Cleo (Barbara Steele) is the most eye-opening of people.

Oh, I can't accurately describe "5 tombe per un medium" (called "Terror-Creatures from the Grave" in the US). You gotta see it. A previous reviewer accurately called it top-notch Eurohorror. Some scenes really give you a "gotcha" feeling. And above all, Barbara Steele is HOT HOT HOT! You're sure to like this movie.

pure water...pure water

When an attorney arrives to do business with the owner of an estate, he learns that the man is dead. However, he's been dead a year and the letter was only sent recently! The signature and seal appear real...how could this be? Instead of just going back home (like any normal person), the attorney hangs about for some time--and people begin to die. Could this dead man who was apparently obsessed with contacting the souls of dead plague victims be reaching from beyond the grave for revenge? Well, considering the film stars Barbara Steel, who made a career out of Italian horror films, you can probably assume the worst.

Although I like horror movies, I sure found my attention waning throughout the film. Much of it was because the script was pretty dull and convoluted and much of it was the cheapness of the production. Either way, Steele fanatics might be the only ones who really like this one.

Even my third generation, dubbed copy of this Italian made creature feature can't obscure the fact that this is a prime slice of Gothic cinema. Walter Brandi (Playgirls and the Vampire) stars as a lawyer sent to a gloomy castle to meet a client...who turns out to have been dead for a year! Barbara Steele is here as the widow of the deceased, and there's a plentiful supply of red herrings, gruesome make-up (all the more suggestive in black and white), thunder and lightning, and terrific atmosphere. The English language print seems to have suffered some cuts (though it is, surprisingly, letterboxed correctly), so I await a DVD restoration.

Another of those Barbara Steele Italian horror movies. I guess it's the dark black hair that always gets her cast as a heavy. She is always quite striking and a pretty good actress. This one is full of revenge, plague, and pestilence. Apparently, the lord of the manor has been mistreated or privy to the shenanigans of about five people and seeks revenge from the grave on them. One is his unfaithful wife, Steele. Each murder is set up in some bizarre way, each person murdered in an ugly, undignified way. There's always something in me that says, "Did they really deserve to die, or could he have cast them into some legal trap, like the Count of Monte Cristo. But death it is. Some of the people who die are not horrible people, but it doesn't matter. This guy has powers in the great beyond. What about his soul, one full of vengeance. Why have the spirits allowed him to be so heartless and venomous. The two good people, are a young lawyer and the daughter of the castle's former resident. She is tiresome and rather insipid. He is mostly confused. Nobody in his right mind should still be in that castle. But it is quite scary and visually impressive. It's worth an hour and a half.

"An attorney travels to his client's castle to conduct some business where he learns upon arriving the client died almost a year ago. The client's widow and daughter then tell the attorney an incredible tale of how the owner was able to revive the spirits of long-deceased plague victims and how his spirit roams the halls of the castle. Doubting their story, the attorney begins to reconsider when a rash of mysterious deaths occur at the castle," according to the DVD sleeve's synopsis.

Translated from Italy as "Terror-Creatures from the Grave", this disappointing slice of horror is most notable for the inclusion of the always delectable Barbara Steele (as Cleo Hauff) in its cast. She takes a bath, she screams, and she always livens up a mediocre movie. And, Luciano Pigozzi (as Kurt) is another wasted asset. Walter Brandi (as Albert Kovac) and Mirella Maravidi (as Corinne Hauff) play the more ordinary hero and heroine.

*** 5 tombe per un medium (6/23/65) Massimo Pupillo ~ Walter Brandi, Mirella Maravidi, Barbara Steele

Being a Barbara Steele AND Italian Gothic horror fanatic, "Terror-Creatures from the Grave" has been standing on my must-see list for many years, and I also owned a bootleg copy on DVD, but it was literally unwatchable with picture quality as poor and diseased as the plague carriers the film revolves on. Now that I've finally watched a restored version, I still can't say I'm wildly enthusiast about the film even though it features everything that I usually seek for in horror cinema. Perhaps it's because I saw so many other Gothic horrors in between the time I first purchased and eventually watched "Terror Creatures from the Grave" or perhaps it's simply because the story never truly shifts into gear despite all its potential strong points. During the opening credits, and even proudly on the DVD-cover already, the movie claims to be inspired by the works of Edgar Allan Poe. Well, that's easy marketing! The script isn't an adaptation of one of his stories, but because Poe wrote about the Black Plague (undoubtedly the source is "The Masque of the Red Death") he gets mentioned as an inspiration and a much wider audience is attracted! Besides, who needs extra marketing when you've got the one and only Barbara Steele - at the peak of her popularity - starring in a bathtub sequence? The plot is chock-full of macabre elements and the atmosphere leaves plenty of space for ominous tension and supernatural strangeness that unfortunately never comes to the surface. Handsome young attorney Albert Kovac gets summoned to the estate of Professor Hauff for arranging his last will and testament, but upon his arrival Albert finds out that the good Prof has been dead for nearly a year. His beautiful second wife Cleo is skeptical and wary of Albert presence, but her equally attractive stepdaughter Corinne is delighted and even hopes for Albert to help solving the mystery surrounding her father's death. Albert finds out that the family mansion got built up from the remnants of an institution where 16th century plague carriers used to be locked away (that's just asking for trouble) and the Professor found a method to resurrect them from the death. With the first anniversary of the Professor's death approaching, several people who were close to him are dying in mysterious and gruesome ways. "Terror Creatures from the Grave" easily could have been a modest genre classic, what with its uncanny references towards the Black Plague and multiple eerie make-up effects, but the pacing is dreadfully slow and the script is far too talkative. Massimo Pupillo really should have studied the films of Mario Bava a little more carefully, and then he would have known that Italian Gothic horror primarily thrives on atmosphere, cinematography and better use of set pieces rather than on drivel. Mrs. Steele seems a lot less interested in her role here than, say, "Black Sunday" or "Castle of Blood", but even with a mediocre performance she still depicts an impressive wicked stepmother character.

After receiving a letter from spiritualist Jeronimus Hauff, requesting to discuss the details of his will, lawyer Albert Kovac (Walter Brandi) arrives at the Hauff villa only to discover that his client has been dead for almost a year. Invited to stay the night by Hauff's widow Cleo (enigmatic Italian horror legend Barbara Steele), a perplexed Albert begins to investigate the mysterious circumstances behind his client's death, a series of recent grisly murders leading him to realise the full terrifying extent of Hauff's powers: the ability to call on the spirits of long-dead 'plague spreaders' to help him exact revenge on those who betrayed him.

Stephen King once described Sam Raimi's gruelling 1981 splatter-fest The Evil Dead as 'ferociously original'. Ferocious it most certainly is, but having just seen Massimo Pupillo's stylish Gothic horror Terror Creatures From The Grave (1965) I'm no longer so sure about original, for as I watched, I couldn't help but repeatedly draw parallels between it and Raimi's classic video nasty.

Both films feature a group of people in a creepy abode who fall victim to evil spirits from beyond the grave; both films have someone listening to an old recording detailing the demonic powers at work; both films make use of a lullaby to add extra creepiness; both films have a character who wanders out into some creepy woods only to turn up at the door later covered in wounds; both films have clocks that stop and start at will; and both films feature a demonic POV tracking shot that ends up in an extreme close up of a character's terrified face. Hell, Terror Creatures even has a couple of scenes of nasty gore (albeit in black and white).

However, spotting these similarities hasn't made me think any less of Raimi: we all have to get our inspiration from somewhere, and The Evil Dead remains a firm favourite of mine, a superb piece of film-making that never fails to entertain. If anything, my love for Raimi's film has helped me to appreciate this particular Euro-horror more than I otherwise might have, every comparison driving home just how inventive and visually arresting Pupillo's film really is, despite its sometimes confusing story, admittedly creaky Gothic clichés, and undeniably weak denouement.

When a movie is badly dubbed into English with a horrible video and sound transfer and yet still manages to keep you interested, you know you are watching a good film. Barbara Steele stars in this Edgar Allen Poe tale revolving around a plague, revenge, witchcraft and zombies. Stylishly striking shots, creepy Gothic atmosphere, a quick moving, interesting story and some wonderfully gory special effects will keep you straining your eyes and ears while attempting to watch this goodie, which sadly, is only available via a horribly washed out, faded, garbled, splotchy print shoveled out by several discount/dollar DVDs - but its definitely worth the effort. Someone please remaster this classic. Of special interest to anyone who likes Hammer, Italo or Gothic Horror and Barbara Steele fans.

When an attorney arrives at a very old manor home of the recently deceased owner, he learns the history of the place: The deceased owner was someone who could summon ancient souls from their graves - they were victims of the plague. The attorney stays to learn more and the occupants of the home will die one by one in a gruesome manner.

Barbara Steele is good in the film. The film is worth watching if you like the "spooky old manor home" type of films, Gothic movies and zombies and/or vampires. It's not the best "spooky old manor home" film but it's not the worst - it's a fairly good and entertaining film.

This movie would be good to make into a double feature with Nightmare Castle (1965) starring Barbra Steele or even The Old Dark House (1932) with Boris Karloff.

7/10