Director – Mario Caiano (Seven Pistols for a Massacre)
Starring – Barbara Steele (Piranha, The Silent Scream), Paul Muller (Lady Frankenstein), and Helga Line (Horror Express)
Release Date – 1965
Tagline(s) – “So weird! …So shocking! Do YOU dare see it!” and “A mad, sadistic scientist on the loose”
Those of you that have actually been reading my reviews may think that because the movie is bad that I did not have a good time watching it. The truth is I always have fun watching a movie and I can only name one or two times that the movie was so bad that I did not enjoy myself. I personally have a soft spot for bad movies. They may not have any redeeming qualities but they may still make you laugh unintentionally. I just genuinely like watching movies.
I heard about this movie when I was younger but was not interested in it. At the time I really liked my horror flicks bloody instead of the psychological type. After accumulating a few copies of this film on various box sets, I decided it was time to finally watch it.
**Spoiler Alert**The film follows a maniacal count who fancies himself a scientist. The sadistic count found his wife in bed with her secret lover. He kills the two lovers and discovers that she left her fortune to her twin sister who is institutionalized. He swoops in on his white horse and marries her.
The count and his servant
plan on using her mental illness against her and drug her. They hope that after drugging her she will drift off in to insanity and he will inherit the castle and fortune. However, before he is able to slip her the hallucinogenic she starts to hear her deceased sister’s voice. The count chalks it up to her actually being crazy and assumes his plan is unfolding accordingly. The new bride keeps hearing her sister more and more which slowly works on her fragile mind. When she starts to think she is actually insane her dead sister and lover appear to settle an old score.**Spoiler Alert**
This movie has so much going for it but fails as an overall film. The film does have a lot of great qualities but in the end it all comes together with the bad to create a mediocre and mildly entertaining flick. The acting is great across the board. The entire cast does an amazing job. This is my first Barbara Steele flick and I can definitely see what the big deal is when it comes to her. She does a great job in her dual role in this film as the slutty first wife of the count and her innocent, mentally unstable sister.
The story is great though it is nothing special. The storyline is perfect for a black and white film. Because the movie was filmed in black and white we get this great haunted house vibe that creates great atmosphere and tension. The film, like so many of the time, lacks on special effects. What little we are treated to is nothing special nor “aww” inspiring.
The downfall of the flick is the slow burning dialogue and pointless scenes. Many of the scenes contain horrible dialogue that goes nowhere, as well as, scenes that truly have nothing to do with the story what so ever. I often caught myself screaming at the television asking why I had to see that. Overall, this is a slow burning film that is a great watch if your looking for something you have not seen before, however, this movie has no replay value.
