As the go to the castle they meet an old woman who foretells that when they reach their destination, some will meet death. Share. Driven from their homes by the outbreak of a mysterious disease which turns its victims into flesh eating monsters, a small party of human survivors have taken refuge in a lonely hilltop castle. Info. Castle Of The Living Dead is a interesting piece of gothic Italian horror from 1964. Castle of the Living Dead (Italian: Il Castello dei Morti Vivi,[1] French: Le Chateau des Morts Vivants[1]) is a 1964 horror film directed by Warren Kiefer. Its the 19th century and somewhere in France a band of gypsy circus performers travel to a old castle to entertain for the Count there. Zavvi UK. Antonio De Martino is an actor, known for The Castle of the Living Dead (1964), Los corsarios (1971) and La principessa sul pisello (1976). At the beginning of the 9th century a company of wanderers specializes in a show during which a false hanging is staged. [10] Muller had later noted that he did not recall seeing Mario Bava on the set ever. In the forest they see a crow that looks alive, but isn't. The print I saw looked like it had been through the washing machine (I really don't see a big preservation movement for this one). [8] Kiefer also stated that Reeves had not had anything to do with the directing in the film. [2][3][4][5] That shot near the end with Sutherland's soldier taking a long look at all the bodies in the wax musum and understanding they were once alive is a genre highlight. CASTLE OF THE LIVING DEAD (1964) aka IL CASTELLO DEI MORTI VIVI Article 2140 by Dave Sindelar Viewing Date: 1-24-2006 Posting Date: 6-22-2007 Directed by Luciano Ricci, Lorenzo Sabatini and Michael Reeves Featuring Christopher Lee, Gaia Germani, Philippe Leroy In the chaos after the Napoleanic wars, several roving entertainers are invited to the castle of… 8 of 18 people found this review helpful. [8] Paul Maslansky met Reeves previously on the set of The Long Ships (1964) and invited him to work on Castle of the Living Dead. [2][3][4][5] In most European countries, the film's main selling point was the presence of Christopher Lee in the cast. Castle Of The Living Dead (Nothing But the Night) 1973 Australian/NZ Daybill $ 75.00 NZD. [8], The film was shot in five weeks at Castello Orsini-Odescalchi and Bomarzo in Italy. The script could be redrafted to incorporate local color, without increasing the production budget. He later claimed that the lost continuity sheets were simply a ruse, as they intended to improve the film's dialogue. A mysterious count who has discovered a liquid that petrifies living things becomes a victim of his own evil discovery. Cineriz went bankrupt before the film could be released in Italy. that they will die if they go to the castle;* when Lee tells the lead minstrel that he has started using humans, but substitutes the word "animal" for "human", the minstrel doesn't catch on;* the strongman/firebreather doesn't notice the evil henchman standing 10 feet away, preparing to shoot him in the eye with a crossbow;* the female minstrel doesn't realize that a man she knew is dead, even though he is completely immobile and attached to a stand, nor does she catch on when the Count talks of giving her "eternal beauty" as codewords for killing her.This film does have other problems. now playing Castle Of The Living Dead, The -- (Movie Clip) No Life Was Safe. Drago's habit of experimenting on animals is revealed, and the visitors are about to become unwilling participants before they are rescued by a dwarf. There are a few redeeming moments, though: when the henchman throws the midget minstrel off the top of the castle (he lives, but it's nice to believe that he won't), and the great expression Lee has to hold at the end of the movie (he sure is shaking a lot for a statue). A troupe of travelling players are invited by Count Drago to perform at his castle. On the right is Christopher Lee as Count Drago. [2][3][4][5] It was Kiefer's first film as a director. The film is set in France in the late 19th century where a traveling circus visits the castle of the Count Drago ( Christopher Lee ). An especially forgettable example of the spaghetti-gothic thrillers turned out by Italian moviemakers in the ’60s, it’s a low-budget affair, badly dubbed, creaky with clichés, marred by hammy performances. Watch Castle of the Living Dead starring Christopher Lee in this Sci-Fi/Horror on DIRECTV. Others have said that he took over the production nine days into shooting the film. Castle of the Living Dead (Italian: Il Castello dei Morti Vivi, French: Le Chateau des Morts Vivants ) is a 1964 horror film directed by Warren Kiefer. [2][3][4][5], Donald Sutherland was cast in multiple roles in the film. Castle of the Living Dead Horror - YouTube. Starring Christopher Lee and Donald Sutherland. Certificate: M [2][3][4][5], Castle of the Living Dead was released in Italy through distributor Cineriz on August 5, 1964. Availabiliy will depend on title and region. At the beginning of the 9th century a company of wanderers specializes in a show during which a false hanging is staged. The harlequin of the company is fired by Bruno after a fight and his place is taken by Eric, a former officer. ), or when they're warned by an old hag (Donald Sutherland, for Christ's sake!!) [1][7] Other sources estimate that the film's shooting lasted for only 24 days. Shopping. On the left is Donald Sutherland as the Sargent. The series ran between 1970 - 1971, with 26 twenty-five minute shows. 90m/B VHS, DVD . Watch Castle of the Living Dead | Prime Video Castle of the Living Dead gets the decadent atmosphere that dominate the genre and gives it a strong historical context. Look at these examples of how they completely miss the fact that they are in danger:* they don't suspect anything being invited to a remote castle for a private appearance for three gold pieces (!! Which is not necessarily a bad thing if all the entries turned out like this one.The movie involves a traveling band of minstrels traveling to the castle of Count Drago (Christopher Lee, sporting an odd makeup job) to perform. Castle of the Living Dead was co-written and directed by Warren Kiefer, a 34-year-old from New Jersey. Reeves was assigned as the second unit director. Starring Christopher Lee and Donald Sutherland. [7], Many sources cite Lorenzo Sabatini as the director of Castle of the Living Dead, but the name was created by Kiefer for tax reasons while creating the film. Ignoring the warning given by a local mystic, they accept - and begin to die, horrifically, one by one! As you will have figured out in the first 15 minutes, the Count has more in store for the minstrels than they expected.This movie isn't so much about Lee's plans to turn everthing into a statue (his creations aren't stuffed carcasses; they're permanently frozen while living); it's about the stupidity of the minstrels. Sutherland (who plays a soldier as well the hag) plays the soldier role with all the seriousness he played the surgeon Hawkeye Pierce. Castle of the Living Dead (1964) is, by universal consensus, not high art. [7] All other prints credit Kiefer as the sole director. [8], In Tim Lucas' book Mario Bava, All the Colours of the Dark, an interview with Luciano Pigozzi states that Mario Bava created a special effect for the film involving a large sailing ship. It was released in English under the title Crypt of Horror. In his research, Drago discovers a chemical formula that instantly kills and embalms any living creature, forever preserving them at the moment of death. [1], The film was modestly successful, and did not lose money. The setting is eerie (the count’s castle), and there are classic D&D types of encounters such as a bar fight, party members using slight of hand to steal, an encounter on the road, a mad scientist lab and even a creepy garden…..shot in the Parco dei Mostri (“Park of Monsters”, sometimes called “Mostri Park”) that has statues that (IMO) inspired the mouth portal in Tomb of Horrors. Horror. Maslansky "put together" an estimated 125,000 to 150,000 dollars, to serve as a "minestone" fund that would cover the film's budget. 1:55 Castle Of The Living Dead. Including that he had shot al the sequences at the Parco dei Mostri. Written by voice dubbing: Antonio De Martino (uncredited) Luciano Melani. The entire shooting was completed in 1963. [2][3][4][5] Mel Welles oversaw the post-synching process. [7] Wise was a pseudonym for Luciano Ricci, Kiefer's assistant director. Maslansky had already created a documentary film about jazz music in Paris, financed by his uncle. You can, Learn how and when to remove this template message, "An Englishman's Guide to Italian Gothic: The Castle of the Living Dead (1964)", "Luciano+Ricci"+1973&pg=PT1234 "Reeves, Michael (1944-1969)", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Castle_of_the_Living_Dead&oldid=1016997542, Articles lacking page references from December 2020, Short description is different from Wikidata, Articles containing Italian-language text, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License, This page was last edited on 10 April 2021, at 06:22. The bamboozlement begins because by now we’re used to Italian directors masked by American-sounding names (even on the Italian prints), rather than the other way around; hence the name “Lorenzo Sabatini” has been diligently seized from the end credits as the identity of the “true” director. Disc, case, and booklet in like new condition. Buy / Rent Castle of the Living Dead. Castle of the Living Dead ( Italian: Il castello dei morti vivi) is a 1964 Italian-French horror film directed by Warren Kiefer. Watch later. [10] There is no scene in the film involving boats and Lucas has assumed that this effect would show up when the film was shown at its proper aspect ratio or that the scene had been cut. An acrobatic troupe unwisely chooses to perform at the castle of the Count Drago. Amazon UK. Count Drago (Christopher Lee) invites over entertainers to his castle, but what the people don't know is that Drago mummifies animals and humans! Castle Of The Living Dead. Lee is as evil as ever, but be sure to look for Sutherland's screen debut. However Kiefer had mostly completed the script by the time production begun. [2][3][4][5] With the story completed, Kiefer started work on the screenplay. A journalist takes a bet that he can spend the night in a haunted castle on All Hallow's Eve. Its the 19th century and somewhere in France a band of gypsy circus performers travel to a old castle to entertain for the Count there. Both of them were expatriate Americans, members of a loosely organized community of expatriate filmmakers in Rome. [7] Maslansky previously worked as a production manager, and had befriended Michael Reeves. In the Olden Tymes, Count Regula is drawn and quartered for killing twelve virgins in his dungeon torture chamber. He was involved in the shooting of a documentary film in Libya, at the time he met Maslansky. The voiceover reports that banditry and violence rule the roadways. Get DIRECTV 1-888-777-2454 . Add the first question. Castle of the Living Dead ★★ Il Castello de Morti Vivi 1964Evil Count Drago's hobbies include mummifying a traveling circus group visiting his castle. Want to share IMDb's rating on your own site? He is pre-occupied with creating his "eternal theatre". Late arrivals will be accommodated as best as possible, but to enjoy the full experience … Elwyn Ambrose. Here are some great movies worth streaming that you won't see at the Oscars this year. Already three trustees of the Van Traylen fund have died during the last months, looking like suicides. The harlequin of the company is fired by Bruno after a fight and his place is taken by Eric, a former officer. 61. Other mysteries include the extent of assistant director Michael Reeves' involvement in the production, and whether or not Mario Bava provided special effects for the film. During his stay, he bears witness to the castle's gruesome past coming to life before him, and falls in love with a beautiful female ghost. The old man subsequently turns into the Devil and seizes them. dxvdtpa011; Submit search. You must be a registered user to use the IMDb rating plugin. There was also a surprising bonus: Donald Sutherland plays a range of strange parts in the film. [8] Maslansky stated in 1999 that the rumours of him directing the film were untrue and that he remained on second unit for the entire film. [1] The film was released in 1965 in the United States where it was distributed by The Woolner Brothers. They were both in their late 20s at the time, and both aspired to create their own feature film. Antonio De Martino, Actor: Il castello dei morti vivi. [7] To complicate it further, the film was a French-Italian co-production, which meant that an Italian director was required to collect certain state subsidies. The Castle of the Living Dead However after a mysterious accident of a bus with the last three trustees and 30 orphan kids in it, police colonel Bingham starts investigating. [8] Maslansky had been impressed by Mike's enthusiasm for film, and Mike's passion for the horror genre. [9] To speed up the production, Kiefer and Maslansky set each room they were shooting in the castle in order so after one scene was filmed, the next room in the castle would be ready for the following scene. Nowadays, you're lucky if you get one every five years. Kiefer provided the script for Castle of the Living Dead. A kindly English botanist and a gruff American scientist lead an expedition to the Himalayas in search of the legendary Yeti. It's available to watch. My Account. Castle of the Living Dead is a film directed by Luciano Ricci, Warren Kiefer with Christopher Lee, Gaia Germani, Philippe Leroy, Mirko Valentin, Donald Sutherland .... Year: 1964. Five weeks at castello Orsini-Odescalchi and Bomarzo in Italy than slight redrafting of the Living Dead Christopher. In ( Return of ) the Night of the Living Dead gets the atmosphere! Be a registered user to use the IMDb rating plugin is a interesting piece of Italian! 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