The regulars of Rialto's color series in the Wallace line return in different roles. Heinz Drache is not with Scotland Yard. He's an insurance investigator. Horst Tappert is not a chief inspector and is a shady dude with ties to the owner of the castle. Sir John (Siegfried Shurenberg) and Miss Finley are themselves but have more scenes. As usual in the series. Miss Finley's buttocks are constantly fondled by the old letch, something she squealingly accepts without protest. Karin Baal from Dark Eyes of London plays the heir to the castle. There's lots of snakes in this entry as there was in The Blue Hand but no super criminal dressed in a cumbersome costume. The ever mysterious Uta Levka contributes her ever mysterious presence. The cinematography is excellent as usual but the plot is so absurd and goofy the entire film is a self-aware parody. A great deal of patience will be needed to watch this in one sitting unless you are trapped in a theater setting.
7 Reviews
A dog with snake teeth
unbrokenmetal15 June 2007
Warning: Spoilers
The story of "Der Hund von Blackwood Castle" revolves around this castle whose owner has just died. His daughter is asked to sell the castle, but she suspects too many men want to buy it for dubious reasons and refuses to sell it. Of course she gets into trouble, and soon the first body is found. A black dog with snake teeth bites to kill! "Der Hund von Blackwood Castle" is one of the better movies among the colored ones of the Edgar Wallace series. Karin Baal plays the heiress, Heinz Drache as Connery (!) and Horst Tappert as Douglas Fairbanks (!!) belong to the cast as well as two experienced veterans: Siegfried Schürenberg ("A dog was bitten by a man - or the other way around") and Agnes Windeck („People in this inn always die before they pay their bills“).
Quirky and lively
Leofwine_draca19 March 2021
Warning: Spoilers
THE MONSTER OF BLACKWOOD CASTLE (1968, original title Der Hund von Blackwood Castle) is a late-stage krimi offering once again starring genre mainstay Heinz Drache as protagonist. He plays one of a number of mysterious characters, most of them men, who arrive at the remote Blackwood Castle after the death of its owner. What links all of the men and why are they all so eager to gain entrance to the building? And what of the sinister monster that lurks in the local woods, tearing out throats and leaving a string of corpses in its wake?
This one's a pretty quirky effort that plays up the comedy of the situation to good effect; it has a real tongue-in-cheek approach compared to some of the earlier and drier black and white instalments in the Edgar Wallace series. The running time flies past at speed with lots of weirdo characters, humorous situations, and funny interactions. Both actors and actresses get plenty to work with and the unusual touches (a corpse that won't stay dead, a phone in a stuffed polar bear, a dog with snake fangs) make it stand out and lively, an offbeat spin on THE HOUND OF THE BASKERVILLES perhaps. Sure, it's convoluted and the ending stretches credibility, but the important thing is that it's fun throughout.
This one's a pretty quirky effort that plays up the comedy of the situation to good effect; it has a real tongue-in-cheek approach compared to some of the earlier and drier black and white instalments in the Edgar Wallace series. The running time flies past at speed with lots of weirdo characters, humorous situations, and funny interactions. Both actors and actresses get plenty to work with and the unusual touches (a corpse that won't stay dead, a phone in a stuffed polar bear, a dog with snake fangs) make it stand out and lively, an offbeat spin on THE HOUND OF THE BASKERVILLES perhaps. Sure, it's convoluted and the ending stretches credibility, but the important thing is that it's fun throughout.
A murderous canine?
Horst_In_Translation28 April 2016
Warning: Spoilers
"Der Hund von Blackwood Castle" or "The Monster of Blackwood Castle" is a German color movie from almost 50 years ago. It is another addition to the long series of German films that were based on Edgar Wallace novels that were made in the 1960s and 1970s. The director is Alfred Vohrer, like so many other times and the film runs for roughly 88 minutes and is thus slightly longer than they are in average. German movie fanatics may be familiar with actors Heinz Drache, Karin Baal and especially Horst "Derrick" Tappert, who seems to be on the other side of the law in here? Or is he really? The film is once again from start to finish packed with plot twists about who the bad guy is and who is good. And this time not even the one listed first in the cast, which is usually the cop investigating the crimes, is left untouched, which shows how these films really do not take themselves seriously at all. The title includes the antagonist once again, even if the dog is obviously not killing everybody on his own because he wants to. There is a man behind these killings, which should surprise nobody. The dog murder scenes seem fairly ridiculous occasionally, especially the very first one, but the snake poison at least makes it slightly credible I guess. But I would have expected the dog to really brutally mutilate the victims, but oh well.. this would have been too much for the films I guess. All in all, this was a fairly absurd film and I did not find the dramatic/horror contents too credible or too interesting, so i was glad the film did end before the 90-minute mark. I give it a thumbs-down.
Bizarre but enjoyable Krimi mystery
The_Void17 July 2008
I have to admit that I don't know a great deal about Krimi creator Edgar Wallace, but I would guess that he's a fan of Sherlock Holmes; as this film takes obvious influence from the classic story 'The Hound of the Baskervilles'. It's not a direct rip-off, however (despite several similarities) and it has to be said that once again the German writer has created an inventive and off the wall story that is sure to delight mystery fans. The film begins with an amusing pop song played over the credits. As the title suggests, the bulk of this film takes place in an around the grounds of an old castle named Blackwood Castle. There's a problem in the area as several people have turned up dead - but the police can't work if they've been killed by a dog or died from snake venom. The owner of Blackwood Castle has passed away and so his daughter has come to claim the castle; but she is hassled by a stream of visitors who seem extremely interested in the castle. Also added into the mix are an insurance investigator and a couple of Scotland Yard detectives.
The film is set in England and despite the fact that everyone speaks German; the film does actually have a British feel to it. The thing I like most about the Krimi genre is undoubtedly the style of it and once again director Alfred Vohrer has created a beautiful world for the film to take place in full of rich colours and grandiose locations. The film was obviously shot on a budget, but that's not a big problem. The mystery itself can get a bit messy, but there's always plenty going on and the film easily fills its ninety minute running time. In fact, it's quite unbelievable the range of characters that have somehow been fitted into this film! It does have to be said that the story is not as wacky as some other films in the genre, but there's still plenty of odd goings on; the whole deal with the murders and the dog is a particularly imaginative highlight! The film is clearly not meant to be taken 100% seriously, and indeed the script does allow for some humour, which actually works well with the plot. It all boils down to an entertaining conclusion that somewhat makes sense; and although this film is not for everyone, it is very entertaining and I'm sure Krimi fans will enjoy it!
The film is set in England and despite the fact that everyone speaks German; the film does actually have a British feel to it. The thing I like most about the Krimi genre is undoubtedly the style of it and once again director Alfred Vohrer has created a beautiful world for the film to take place in full of rich colours and grandiose locations. The film was obviously shot on a budget, but that's not a big problem. The mystery itself can get a bit messy, but there's always plenty going on and the film easily fills its ninety minute running time. In fact, it's quite unbelievable the range of characters that have somehow been fitted into this film! It does have to be said that the story is not as wacky as some other films in the genre, but there's still plenty of odd goings on; the whole deal with the murders and the dog is a particularly imaginative highlight! The film is clearly not meant to be taken 100% seriously, and indeed the script does allow for some humour, which actually works well with the plot. It all boils down to an entertaining conclusion that somewhat makes sense; and although this film is not for everyone, it is very entertaining and I'm sure Krimi fans will enjoy it!
The Baskervilles, you say? Never heard of them. And they have a hound as well?
Coventry25 November 2021
Of all the Edgar Wallace Krimi-flicks I've seen thus far, and admittedly there are quite a few still left, "The Hound of Blackwood Castle" is definitely my favorite one. And yet, I had some doubts at first, because the title and premise initially made it look as if it would be a light-version of the legendary "The Hound of the Baskervilles" tale. Of course, I should have known that Edgar Wallace is a respectable and original writer himself, who doesn't need to copy ideas from Sir Arthur Conan Doyle.
Two things make "The Hound of Blackwood Castle" really good. For starters, it's an up-tempo Krimi without a single dull moment. Contrary to several others in the series, the plot is engaging from start to finish, with the exact right number of characters, surprising plot-twists, ingenious death traps & killing methods, and self-aware humor. The other, and possibly even more important strongpoint is the absence of certain actors and the annoying stereotypes they always portray. As much as I love Klaus Kinski (he's one of my favorite actors of all times), it's a relief he doesn't star in his usual role of silent but ultimately evil sidekick for once. An even bigger relief is the non-starring of Eddi Arent. He always plays the hopelessly clumsy fool who has to provides laughs. Siegfried Schürenberg takes over the role of the fool, as the self-indulgent head of Scotland Yard, and his humor works.
The plot is lovely, with a whole of people - one more sinister than the next - gathering in and around the titular Blackwood castle, in search of something that must be very valuable. Those that come close, or maybe not even at all, are attacked and killed by a monstrous dog with vampire teeth; - for real!
Two things make "The Hound of Blackwood Castle" really good. For starters, it's an up-tempo Krimi without a single dull moment. Contrary to several others in the series, the plot is engaging from start to finish, with the exact right number of characters, surprising plot-twists, ingenious death traps & killing methods, and self-aware humor. The other, and possibly even more important strongpoint is the absence of certain actors and the annoying stereotypes they always portray. As much as I love Klaus Kinski (he's one of my favorite actors of all times), it's a relief he doesn't star in his usual role of silent but ultimately evil sidekick for once. An even bigger relief is the non-starring of Eddi Arent. He always plays the hopelessly clumsy fool who has to provides laughs. Siegfried Schürenberg takes over the role of the fool, as the self-indulgent head of Scotland Yard, and his humor works.
The plot is lovely, with a whole of people - one more sinister than the next - gathering in and around the titular Blackwood castle, in search of something that must be very valuable. Those that come close, or maybe not even at all, are attacked and killed by a monstrous dog with vampire teeth; - for real!
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