User Reviews

After the completion of his master's degree, Peter Kleist (Antonio Cantafora) travels to Austria to spend a leisure period doing nothing. He is welcomed in the airport by his uncle Dr. Karl Hummel (Massimo Girotti) and he asks if he could visit the castle of his ancestor, the evil Baron Otto von Kleist a.k.a. Baron Blood. In the Sixteenth Century, the sadistic baron was cursed by a witch Elisabeth Holle that he had burned at the stake and then he was killed by the locals in his Castle of Death. Peter meets the gorgeous Eva Arnold (Elke Sommer) that works restoring the castle and invites her to go with him to the castle after dinner to read an incantation written in an ancient parchment that would evoke the family course and bring the Baron back to life. After reading the magic words, the wind blows the parchment to the fireplace and it burns. When villagers mysterious disappear and Eva is chased by a weird man, they realize that they have released the Baron and they do not have the parchment anymore to call the incantation off. Their hope is that the clairvoyant and medium Christina Hoffmann (Rada Rassimov), who is a descendant of Elisabeth, might help them.

"Baron Blood" is another eerie and spooky movie by Mario Bava. The uncanny story of curse, witchcraft and resurrection is very well supported by the predictable screenplay that works well, but the stylish cinematography, the lighting and shadows and the camera work with unusual angle are impressive and give a creepy and nightmarish atmosphere to the feature. My vote is seven.

Title (Brazil): "Os Horrores do Castelo de Nuremberg" ("The Horrors of the Nuremberg Castle")

Mario Bava is one of the greats of horror cinema, but I wouldn't judge his importance by 'Baron Blood'. It isn't close to his best work. While stylishly directed (to be expected being Bava) and with plenty of atmosphere, it is low on both suspense and gore, and sets up a potentially dynamite premise (the resurrection of an evil Vlad The Impaler-like maniac hell bent on revenge), then goes nowhere much with it. One or two sequences are outstanding, but overall it's a major disappointment, and the usually excellent Joseph Cotton (who did some strong genre work in movies like 'The Abominable Dr Phibes' and 'Soylent Green') is a bit of a let down in the title role. Even so, no Mario Bava movie can be dismissed entirely, and for all its flaws it's still worth watching more than almost all of Hollywood's recent puerile and uninspired horror output.

The closet thing to a remake of Mask of Satan(1960) that Mario Bava ever did was this film. The plotline is the opposite of Mask of Satan(1960) where in this film the witch is not evil. Gli Orrori del Castello di Norimberga/Baron Blood(1972) is an atmospheric supernatural thriller with marvelous cinematography and some good scare scenes. The main source of inspiriation for Baron Blood(1972) is Antonio Margheriti's The Virgin of Nuremberg(1963). Its interesting that Baron Blood(1972) takes place in the birth country of Adolph Hitler. Baron Otto Von Kleist seems to symbolize the atrocities committed by the nazis during the mid 1930s to mid 1940s.

Mario Bava did Baron Blood(1972) right after the controversial blood letting of A Bay of Blood(1971). Baron Blood has some gore scenes but without frequency and show stopping manner of Mario Bava's previous film. Baron Blood was the first and only time that Mario Bava did a film away from home as he didn't like to leave Italy. The music by Stelvio Cipriani is very good. The chase scenes in the film are some of Baron Blood's most exciting scenes. The death of Fritz is a reference to La Maschera del Demonio(1960) and Sei Donne Per L'Assassino(1964).

Elke Sommer doesn't do much in the role of Eva but she does look arousing in short dresses and mini skirts. Elke Sommer would give a much better performance in her next film for Mario Bava called Lisa E il Diavolo/Lisa & the Devil(1974). Joseph Cotten's performance as the evil Baron Otto Von Kleist brings to mind his role as the "Merry Widow Murderer" in Alfred Hitchcock's Shadow of a Doubt(1943). Baron Blood(1972) is not in the same league as the best of Bava's supernatural films such as La Maschera del Demonio/Mask of Satan(1960), La Frusta E il Corpo/Whip & the Body(1963), Operazione Paura/Kill Baby Kill!(1968), and Lisa E il Diavolo/Lisa and the Devil(1974) but is still better than any horror film from Hollywood from the 1990s til now. The set designs for the castle are excellent. The mysterious figure that appears on top of the castle at the end of the film gives me chills everytime I watch this movie.

Peter Kleist (Antonio Cantafora) takes time off from college and flies to Austria to find out about his ancestry. His Uncle Karl (Massimo Girotti) meets him at the airport and takes him home. On the way, they stop by what used to be their family home. It was once owned by a ancestor of theirs, who was nicknamed "Baron Blood". The castle is now called "The Castle of the Devils". When they arrive, they meet Eva (Elke Sommer), an archivist who is helping with the castles' refinishing; it is being turned into a hotel. Later that night, Peter produces an old manuscript that has an incantation on it to recall the baron from Hell. On a whim, he and Eva go to the castle and pronounce the ritual. Strange things happen immediately, and then people start disappearing.

Cantafora is good as the man who thinks the occult is nothing but a joke, and learns otherwise the hard way. Sommer will never be one of the screen scream queens, but otherwise she is near perfect in her role. She goes from flirting with Peter, to being nervous about what may happen, to being terrified, to being the only one who understands how to bring about the baron's end. Joseph Cotten is excellent in his role as the American who is not afraid to stay in the castle.

As with almost all of Bava's films, the cinematography is excellent. In this case the cinematography was by Emilio Varriano. This is a very good horror film that is worth your time.

A young man travels to Europe and visits the ancient castle of a rather notorious ancestor called Baron Blood, a man whose name is still not very popular in the surrounding villages. Seems the Baron was a bit of a sadist, just in case the "Baron Blood" title didn't give it away already. Our young hero, Peter, meets Elke Sommer, and instead of breaking into the castles dungeon in the middle of the night and having sex like any normal hot young couple in the early 70s,

these two brilliantly decide instead to perform a centuries old ritual designed to raise the dead. When will these people learn? The Baron rises, seen first as a Phantom-of-the-Opera type guy with a face like a spoiled casserole, and later as a wheelchair bound and Maybelline dependent Joseph Cotton.

This really isn't a bad little film. There's some great spooky lighting techniques, some even better funky music and some gorgeous shots of the European

countryside. The ancient, crumbling castle is a wonderful set and the death

scenes are quite gruesome, especially the one featuring an Iron Maiden-ish

casket and a guy who looks a LOT like the late great Peter Lorre. In a nice twist, there's even a centuries-dead witch who turns out to be the GOOD guy! (Or girl, as the case may be) The acting isn't that great, but it doesn't make this an unwatchable film by any means. The story seems loosely based on the life of

Vlad the Impaler, but still manages to be original and interesting. A nice feeling of dread permeates the entire film. One of Bava's best efforts.

Taking a break from his college studies, Peter Kleist (Antonio Cantafora) flies to Austria to get in touch with his heritage. He learns that his notorious ancestor was nicknamed "Baron Blood," a sadist cursed by a witch he burned to death. After meeting Eva (Elke Sommer) they playfully read an incantation at his family's castle and inadvertently bring the infamous Baron back to life, which is when people start dying. Joseph Cotton is on hand as a mysterious wheelchair-bound man who purchases the chateau at auction.

The original Italian title of Mario Bava's "Baron Blood" (1972) is "The horrors of Castle Nuremberg" (translated), which describes the film in a nutshell. In style & content it places just between Hammer gothic horror and the soon-to-come slashers.

The best thing about the flick is its spooky castle ambiance, which brings to mind hallowed horror like "The Terror" (1963), "Bloody Pit of Horror" (1965) and "The Devil's Nightmare" (1971). It's superior to the hammy "Bloody Pit," but pretty much on par with the other two, although I prefer them for various reasons. This one's marred by nonsensical script elements concerning the witch's curious curse & the Baron's unexplained abilities. Nevertheless, it's a top contender for gothic horror atmosphere.

Antonio Cantafora looks like the Euro version of Peter Fonda, albeit less formidable (physically). Meanwhile feminine charms are limited to Elke Sommer, unless you favor witchy women like Christina/Elizabeth (both played by Rada Rassimov, who resembles Celine Dion). Little redhead Nicoletta Elmi (Gretchen) would grow up to be a striking minor actress.

The film runs about 1 hour, 37 minutes, and was shot at Burg Kreuzenstein (castle) and Klosterneuburg (street scenes) & Korneuburg in Lower Austria, as well as Vienna. Writer Vincent G. Fotre was a professional tennis player who dabbled in scriptwriting.

GRADE: B-/B

Outlandish , sick Mario Bava terror flick , it contains thrills, chills, gory effects, scary happenings and high body-count . A young man called Peter (Antonio Cantafora or Michael Coby) goes back to Austria , there he is greeted by his uncle , Karl Hummel (Massimo Girotti), who invites him to stay at his house . After that , both of them visiting the castle of a murderous ancestor , he was the Baron Otto Van Kleist (Joseph Cotten , though at the beginning Vincent Price was approached to play him but he turned down) , a sadistic Baron who was cursed to a horrible death by a witch whom the Baron had burned at the stake . Shortly after , Peter befriends Eva (Elke Sommer) , a history scholar , both of whom go to the eerie castle and read aloud an ancient incantation inside the bell tower . It accidentally brings his dead relative back to life and searching for new victims . Later on , the impressive castle is offered in auction being bought by the cripple Alfred Becker (Joseph Cotten) and then things go wrong when appearing the horrible Baron while continuing his murderous tortures . The movie advert contains sympathetic gimmicks : ¨Special notice : The management disclaims any responsibility for patrons who suffer (A) apopletic strokes , (B) hemorrahages , (C), or (D) Fainting spells during the shockingly gruesome scenes in this film¨. Your Blood Will Run Cold and BoxOffice Hot when "BAR0N BLOOD" comes to town! Positively the most horrifying film ever made...He sought the ultimate in Human Agony ... with instruments of Torture ghastly beyond belief!

Thrilling Italian horror with Mario Bava typical characteristics displaying chills , shocks , violence and torture . Nice terror movie revolving around a haunted castle plot with plenty of murders , eerie appearance by a preternatural being , creepy torture and ghastly events . Set at a ghastly castle where happens scabrous and horrifying events . In spite of a few escenarios and its medium budget the picture is decent , thanks to the adequate filmmaking , stunning cinematography taking great use of lights and shades as well as camera positioning to complement appropriate horror set pieces . This Italian production has Joseph Cotten as a baron who lures his victims at his foreboding castle in order to go on a criminal spree , his makeup was created by the subsequently very popular Carlo Rambaldi , ¨ET's creator¨. Stars the unknown actor Antonio Cantafora who used to use pseudonym Michael Coby , starring some lousy Spaghetti Western . And the gorgeous Elke Sommer shining in her strident mini-shorts , here she became a Scream Queen along with ¨Lisa and the Devil¨ also directed by Mario Bava . This is an acceptable and passable terror film , but no extraordinary ; in fact , Mario Bava directed much better other terror classics . Although packing some good shock images , this Baron Blood doesn't live to its source material .

It packs a colorful cinematography by Antonio Rinaldi as director of photography and Mario Bava himself , though uncredited , shot between september and noviembre 1971 in Burg Kreuzenstein , Austria , at a fairy-tale fortress , near valley of Danube . As well as frightening and suspenseful musical score by Stelvio Cippriani , though the American version was composed by Lex Baxter . The picture was professionally directed by Mario Bava in his usual style , but it has some flaws and gaps . Bava uses his ordinary visual tricks, sustaining interest enough through the fantastic and well-designed scenarios and when there shows up the creepy and scarred Baron who definitively steals the show . Bava was an expert on terror movies, such as : "I vampiri" codirected by Riccardo Freda , "Black Sunday" with horror myth Barbara Steele, "The Whip and the Body" with Christopher Lee, "The girl who knew too much" considered to be the first Giallo, "Black Sabbath" with Boris Karloff, "Planet of Vampires" with Barry Sullivan , "Kill baby kill" , "Hatchet for the honeymoon" , "5 dolls for an August Moon" , "Torture of chamber of baron blood" with "Lisa and the Devil" with Telly Savalas and his last one "Schock" . Though Bava also made other genres as Peplum : "Hercules in the haunted world" , sex comedy : "Four times that night", Viking movie : "Knives of the avenger" and Oriental fantasy : "The wonders of Aladdin" . The picture will appeal to terror genre buffs. Rating 6.5/10.

Mario Bava's BARON BLOOD is a fine a tribute to the monster movies of Hollywood's golden age. So evocative of that period is this film that it takes not even a moment's thought to mentally recast Boris Karloff as the Baron, Nan Grey as his intended victim and to tune away the vivid Technicolor into haunting black and white.

As in FRANKENSTIEN or THE MUMMY, the evil in the film is unwittingly unleashed upon the world by the film's hero. In this case it is American Peter Kleist, who returns to the German castle of his ancestor Baron Otto Von Kleist. Even though he is aware that his ancestor, nicknamed "Baron Blood" was a sadistic monster who butchered and tortured the people of the countryside, Peter foolishly recites an ancient spell capable of resurrecting the Baron. The restored Von Kleist immediately resumes his homicidal ways, and now Peter, assisted by the beautiful Elke Sommer as a local historian, must find a way to undo what he has thoughtlessly wrought.

In the classic horror films of the 1930's the monsters were iconic and unforgettable, while the heroes were bland and almost entirely irrelevant. After all, who remembers who played the "hero" opposite Lugosi in Dracula or Karloff in THE MUMMY? (For trivia's sake it was David Manners in both films.) No, the villain/monster may have spent much of the picture lurking about off screen, or skulking in the shadows, but nevertheless he was always indisputably the star of the show.

BARON BLOOD maintains this link to its cinematic forbearers. Antonio Cantafora's Peter Kleist is satisfactory, but eminently forgettable, while Joseph Cotton, obviously having a ball, is terrific in his villainous role. Cotton's performance as the resurrected Von Kleist is spot on perfect, filled with evil charm and malevolent glee. He dominates the screen in the best tradition of the movie monsters of old.

In fact, there is only one significant departure from the classic monster films. Even in the days before the Hayes Commission, blood and gore were rarely seen and usually only suggested in Hollywood motion pictures. BARON BLOOD was produced without such restrictions and, though mild when compared to more recent horror films, it does contain some explicit moments that would have been completely unacceptable in the 1930's. Even as a tribute to the grand old days, it must remembered that BARON BLOOD was produced to appeal to a contemporary 1970's audience. Bava however realized that things modern will inevitably intrude upon the classic, and made light of this by placing soda pop machines in the halls of the Gothic Von Kleist castle and having prerecorded screams available in the Baron's torture chamber at the flip of a switch.

Not as arty as LISA AND THE DEVIL, not as graphic as BAY OF BLOOD, BARON BLOOD is often unjustly overlooked, or simply dismissed as a minor effort of Mario Bava's later period. Such hasty judgments do the film a great disservice. If BARON BLOOD has less of the striking cinematography of Bava's best films, it must be argued that such innovation would be out of place in a film striving to recapture the look and atmosphere of the original Hollywood horror movies. If one accepts the movie for what it is, a fine tribute to the genre's past, then BARON BLOOD is a great success, both as a homage and as work unto itself.

BARON BLOOD has been released in numerous VHS and laserdisc editions. The DVD release from Image Entertainment is probably the best example of the film currently available, featuring an uncut 1.85:1 widescreen presentation of the film, complete with the original European musical score, which was replaced when the film was released theatrically in North America.

After the completion of his master's degree, Peter Kleist (Antonio Cantafora) travels to Austria to spend a leisure period doing nothing. He is welcomed in the airport by his uncle Dr. Karl Hummel (Massimo Girotti) and he asks if he could visit the castle of his ancestor, the evil Baron Otto von Kleist a.k.a. Baron Blood. In the Sixteenth Century, the sadistic baron was cursed by a witch Elisabeth Holle that he had burned at the stake and then he was killed by the locals in his Castle of Death. Peter meets the gorgeous Eva Arnold (Elke Sommer) that works restoring the castle and invites her to go with him to the castle after dinner to read an incantation written in an ancient parchment that would evoke the family course and bring the Baron back to life. After reading the magic words, the wind blows the parchment to the fireplace and it burns. When villagers mysterious disappear and Eva is chased by a weird man, they realize that they have released the Baron and they do not have the parchment anymore to call the incantation off. Their hope is that the clairvoyant and medium Christina Hoffmann (Rada Rassimov), who is a descendant of Elisabeth, might help them.

"Baron Blood" is another eerie and spooky movie of Mario Bava. The uncanny story of curse, witchcraft and resurrection is very well supported by the predictable screenplay that works well, but the stylish cinematography, the lighting and shadows and the camera work with unusual angle are impressive and give a creepy and nightmarish atmosphere to the feature. This is the first time that I see this movie and the IMDb Rating is underrated; I believe fans of horror movies will really like "Baron Blood". My vote is seven.

Title (Brazil): Not Available

Note: On 07 Oct 2018 I saw this film again.

Mario Bava is known for his horror movies. This one, "Baron Blood" is finest is it can be. A tale of the supernatural, and revenge on the accursed. An American student who visited his uncle in Europe to help restore a castle. Only to later acknowledge that it once belonged to a sadistic baron. The baron was known for torturing the villagers, and he executed a witch after she puts a spell on him. The nephew and another student joined him in the castle one night to resurrect the baron. They succeeded and he went killing new victims. They had to have outside help when the paper he had got blown into the fire. The plot was fascinating, the scenery was outstanding. With a nice cast like Joseph Cotton and Elke Sommer, this movie is a fine hit. Gave birth to other horror movies later on in years. 4 out of 5 stars

Mario Bava was above any star he could ever put into a film for he was the star of the film behind the camera. With the possible exception of Barbara Steele in Black Sunday, Bava's films are noted mostly for Bava's direction and Baron Blood is no exception. The acting in the film is competent, but what makes this a great horror film is the visual landscapes Bava paints for us, whether it is a sadistic caped killer rampaging the tiny streets of a dark European night filled with fog or the stately grandeur of the animated dead within the confines of the castle, Bava is an artist using colours like a Rembrandt or Picasso. Baron Blood is a gruesome film filled with genuine terror and it will scare because it is scary in both content and with its heavy mood looming throughout.

Peter, you miserable jerk! Peter Kleist returns to his ancestral home in Austria. It turns out that one of his distant relatives was an evil Baron who liked to impale people for kicks. So, when Peter finds an old paper that contains an incantation to return the wicked Baron from the dead, this pathetic excuse for a human being reads it out loud and, not surprisingly, the crazy dead monster returns to life and begins massacring people. If I have said it once, I've said it a thousand times...DON'T read ancient incantations to revive the dead...especially EVIL dead people. But, Peter is a stupid jerk and unleashes a reign of terror. Later, a man named Alfred Becker (Joseph Cotten) arrives in town. Little do the folks realize that this wheelchair-bound old man is actually Otto von Kleist....the REAL Baron Blood!

So is the film any good? Well, like so many of Mario Bava's films, it does a great job of creating a scary atmosphere and mood. The only problem in this regard is the beginning, as there is some god- awful music that doesn't at all fit the movie and sounds just horrid. Also, the look of the zombie-fied Baron when he's out killing folks is pretty good--and will appropriately scare the pants off you. My only problem with the film is Peter...no one can be that dumb. I wish there was some other way the Baron could have been revived--such as by having Peter being insane or just plain evil, as THAT would have explained his actions. Otherwise, a creepy and worthwhile horror film. Not among the director's best, but still a pretty good little film.

NOTE: Despite receiving top billing, Joseph Cotten is really barely in the film at all.

Like most Italian directors, Mario Bava tried his hand at many different film genres, but the one he's clearly best at is Gothic horror. Bava made some great Gothic horror films in his career; Black Sunday, Black Sabbath and Kill, Baby...Kill being among the best of them; and Baron Blood is certainly up there with those films. The film is not particularly original; there's plenty of films in which an ancient evil comes back to haunt the living; Bava's own Black Sunday being an early example, but what makes this film stand out is Bava's style and attention to detail; despite the fact that the plot line would be well at home in a trash flick; Bava has made a very artistic film out of it. At the centre of the film is Peter Kleist. He returns to Austria to claim the castle of his ancestor; a sixteenth century torturer known as 'Baron Blood'. The evil Baron was killed by a witch, but her good work is undone when Peter and his girlfriend read the incantation that releases the Baron from his slumber, and it's not long before he's up to his old tricks again...

The best thing about this film is undoubtedly the style and atmosphere that Bava gives it. The film looks absolutely stunning and the locations used work brilliantly within the context of the plot. The castle at the centre of the film makes for a great place to set a Gothic horror movie and locations such as the torture chamber really help to give the film a truly horrific style. The gore is not one of the main features of this movie, but there's still some on display and the killings are generally very good - seeing the Baron try out his torture devices on various unlucky victims is a lot of fun. With the plot being so simple, the film isn't always totally engaging, but the atmosphere is always enough to keep the film focused. The Baron himself is a ghastly creation and his first appearance is a major highlight. The acting isn't helped by some bad dubbing, but cult stars Elke Sommer and Joseph Cotten deliver good performances. The ending is predictable like the majority of the film but it's good enough and overall I can certainly recommend this film to people who value style over substance and appreciate a good Gothic horror movie!

No serious Horror-lover will doubt that Mario Bava is one of greatest geniuses ever in the Horror genre (to me personally, he's one of the greatest geniuses in motion picture history), and even though "Gli Orrori Dell Castello Di Norimberga" of 1972 is not one of my favorite films by this great director, this film of the delicate aka. title "Baron Blood" is yet another brilliant Gothic tale from Bava. This creepy film that, by the way, takes place in my home country Austria, is another proof that Mario Bava was an absolute master of atmosphere who knew to combine elegance and terror like no other. Impressive Colors, a tantalizing atmosphere, immense eeriness and genuine shocks make this a must-see for Italian Horror buffs that is made even more memorable by its stars, the always great Joseph Cotten and, especially, Bava's regular scream-queen Elke Sommer, who also starred in another, equally recommended, Bava Classic, "Lisa And The Devil".

Peter Kleist, a University student, comes to Austria to attend the auction of a castle owned by his ancestors. His ancestry includes the sadistic Baron von Kleist, an infamous torturer and murderous madman who committed his evil deeds in this exact castle... This was the last Gothic Horror film by the supreme master of the genre - and what a film it is! "Baron Blood" is a highly atmospheric and genuinely scary Gothic tale that delivers pure creepiness throughout - all that in the unique Bava style. As stated above, this is not one of my favorites from Bava. I am talking about the brilliant director of Gothic masterpieces such as "Black Sunday", "Kill Baby... Kill", "The Whip And The Body", however, and even though "Baron Blood" does, in my opinion, just not quite reach the brilliance-level of the films I just named, it is yet another brilliant film by Bava. An eerie castle full of imaginative torturing devices does not only provide a haunting atmosphere, but also multiple moments of nastiness and pure shock. The cinematography and colors are, as usual for Bava, pure Gothic perfection. A film that is as stylish as it is terrifying, "Baron Blood" is another mesmerizing Gothic tale from Bava and an absolute must-see for fans of Italian Horror! Do not miss!

Peter Kleist (Antonio Cantafora), descendant of cruel tyrant Baron Otto von Kleist (Joseph Cotten), travels to Austria, where he visits the home of his ancestors, a grand castle being converted into a hotel. Together with beautiful architecture student Eva (Elke Sommer), Peter sneaks into the castle late at night where he stupidly reads aloud an incantation that brings the sadistic Otto (known as Baron Blood by the locals) back to life.

To date, I have only seen a handful of Mario Bava's movies (I've actually watched more films directed by his son Lamberto), but, based on those, I cannot see what all the fuss is about: I found A Bay of Blood, Five Dolls for an August Moon, and The Whip and the Body reasonably entertaining, and Black Sunday was passable, but I hated Lisa and the Devil (as well as the re-edited version, The House of Exorcism). Nothing I've seen thus far stands out to me as being the work of a genius, and Baron Blood doesn't change this fact.

Bava's direction is undeniably stylish, with inventive camera placement and movement, plenty of atmosphere, and strong use of lighting (a chase scene through fog-shrouded streets providing the film's most impressive visuals), but his storytelling is weak, the pacing is dull and he is unable to coax a decent performance from lovely leading lady Elke Sommer, whose overacting undermines any of the director's more effective touches. If Bava had dialled up the craziness with some outrageous gore and a spot of nudity, it would be easier to forgive the tired and rather silly plot (would someone willingly bring a murderous ancestor back from the dead out of curiosity?); as it stands, this is yet another disappointment from the so-called master of Italian gothic horror.

Mario Bava directed a number of masterpieces of European horror. "Black Sunday" is probably his best known, and "Black Sabbath" is another good one. "Gli orrori del castello di Norimberga" ("Baron Blood" in English) isn't any horror masterpiece. Its strength isn't in horror. In addition to the fine scenery, Elke Sommer wears some sexy outfits. That's how it is with most of her movies. I don't watch them for plot or acting. I just want to stare at her and develop lewd fantasies. Interpret the movie like that and you're sure to have a great time watching it. Bava went on to cast Sommer in "Lisa and the Devil" (also called "The House of Exorcism"). Good times.

A young man, Peter, goes to Austria looking for relatives. He also finds a huge castle being renovated which belonged to an ancestor of his...Baron Blood. Blood was an evil man who tortured and killed people until being killed himself. Unwittingly, Peter brings the Baron back from the dead. Then things really start getting bloody...

This is a review of the uncut version (which runs about 100 minutes) not the PG 90 minute version.

One of Bava's better horror films. It looks just beautiful, has an eerie atmosphere and moves fairly quickly (after a slow opening). There's also plenty of blood (most of it is missing from the PG version). As noted before, the opening half hour or so is slow and dull...but after Cotten shows up, things really get moving.

The bad parts: Elke Sommer--she looks great but is not a particularly good actress. She isn't terrible but she isn't good either...also, she has the worst scream I've ever heard! Cotten appears to be drunk during most of the movie and really chews the scenery again and again. The dubbing of everybody else is terrible! It's even worse than those Godzilla movies! And the plot is kind of vague.

Still, it spooked me, had some truly beautiful settings and lighting and enough blood for a horror fan like me. Worth catching...try to see the uncut, newly done print.

The one thing this film has going for it is a nice atmosphere for horror fans... fog/smoke, old castles, incantation for raising the dead, scary torture chamber, weird but well filmed scenes, a witch and, above all, a mad sadist ghost or demon! The story is alright enough, not to bad.

Joseph Cotten as Baron Otto von Kleist aka Baron Blood / Alfred Becker was good - he was better in this horror film than I anticipated (I really don't think of Cotten as a horror actor that's why I mentioned it).

One thing about these types of films - the living dead or undead always seems to have plenty of money - filthy rich they are! How does a long time dead man get such riches without selling off his gold? The money has changed over the years (I think in every country) so how can he spend it - sell it I suppose to those interested in old money I guess. Whatever, I still by into it for a movie. LOL.

Not a bad film to watch for fans of the older horror - in particular the Italian horror films.

6/10

It might not be top tier Bava, but any Bava is still highly enjoyable. This is one of your more straightforward plots concerning a sadistic evil baron brought back from the dead by accident. In fact, it's so straightforward I kept waiting for a twist that never actually occurred.

It's the evil Baron's distant direct relative who unleashes the grumpy undead bastard. He's one of these know-it-all young seventies gents who just has to revisit his family tree by going back to his home in Austria, getting an incantation, talking a sexy Euro babe (Elke Sommer) into helping him, then indirectly burning the parchment that could possibly send the Baron back to his grave.

I've probably watched too many Italian films set in Castles and/or huge mansions, but while this rotten faced murderer was going around pouncing on folk, I couldn't help but think that it was all a Scooby Doo type ruse by someone in disguise to get some sort of inheritance. I was wrong, though. There really is an undead aristocrat on the loose – but what has wheelchair bound Joseph Cotton got to do with it?

Yep, it really is an undead monster on the loose film, but it's one directed by Mario Bava, so you get immaculate cinematography and colour schemes, a dark atmosphere (especially during the bit witch Rada Rassimov channels the spirit of the Baron's old enemy, plus the sight of impaled people on the battlements of the castle), and some properly tense scenes, for example Elke Sommer being chased by the Baron through fog-filled streets.

The ending's a good one too – I can't argue with the undead rising (is this a case of Bava being ahead the pack again?). This one goes down a bit too smoothly, but others rate it as one of Bava's best, so it's just a case of taste. I'm a big fan of his last film, Shock, and I'm sure others are down on that one.

Also - you can't go wrong with a zombified Luciano Pigozzi! I suppose most people also point out that this isn't as gory as some of Mario Bava's films too.

Peter goes to Austria to relax after getting his MA and to..."find his roots." He stays with an uncle who shows him the castle that belonged to his dead ancestor (aka Baron Blood), who was notorious for his torture chamber. He meets an architecture student named Eva and they find out the Baron was cursed under a witch's spell. So they decide to invoke the Baron's spirit. Why? Because Peter can't pass the chance to get to know one of his ancestors. Really. This is the worst Bava movie I've seen so far. Not to say it was bad. Baron Blood is very stylish and entertaining, gruesome, suspenseful, and the sets are great. The main problem is that the plot is absurd and the characters and their apparent motivations are extremely stupid. The horrid 70s song that opens and closes the movie should have never been recorded. My Rating: 5.5/10