User reviews

Well executed old and very dark house horror. Good set-up which includes the character of Poe, himself, alluding to the story in a London pub. Although from here it is pretty much the one guy who has taken the dare to visit the house on a particular night running from room to room either looking for or avoiding people, it is still most enjoyable. Plus we have the delightful and enigmatic Barbara Steele. There is some wooden dialogue and some unexplained bits and bobs but it is the super creepy atmosphere that is maintained throughout, that and the super musical score that keep this one moving nicely along. DVD originates from US and has a few extras

I've watched this movie a number of times, and found it to be very good. This movie is also known as "Castle Of Terror", "Coffin Of Terror", and "Dance Macabre". Barbara Steele, is her usual beautiful/creepy self. George Riviere, the male lead, does a good job with his role. The whole movie is dripping with atmosphere, and there is a good deal of tension throughout. The camera angles are good and the acting, for the most part, isn't bad. This film is quite suitable for a rainy day or evening. I have the DVD uncut version, which is far superior to the edited TV version. Grab some popcorn, turn out the lights, settle back and enjoy. John R. Tracy

I remember seeing this film at the West End theater in Louisville, Kentucky when I was a boy. The scene where Dr. Carmus finds the gardener's coffin, and the breathing dead body therein, was the scariest part of the movie for me, only intensified by the darkness of the film. I also wondered about the people hanging from the trees at the end, until I recognized the part of the film in which the family name of the Blackwoods was changed from Blackblood, due to the fact that in the family history there was a character who was known for his many hangings of various people. Sir Thomas Blackwood seemed to get his kicks out of adding to the deaths caused by his family. I also noticed that as Foster first enters the gate of the cemetery, he is careful in noticing the sharp object of the gate, where he meets his end. I would not hesitate to recommend this film to horror movie lovers.

Two men(one being Edgar Allen Poe) in an English pub have drinks with a man eager to earn some quick money.He is dared to spend the night in a haunted house for a quite tidy sum.The catch is the dead of this particular house rise this very night.Previous people that have taken the dare didn't survive. The man takes the dare in spite of the warning.

Once inside the tension begins to rise as the man is joined by previous occupants of the house.He is forced to watch their very own violent deaths as they are repeated this particular night every year.The ghosts then try to lure the young man into joining them,even the ghost(Barbara Steele) who has fallen in love with him.Will he survive to see the dawn?

This is a very well made film.The scares are frequent and you actually care about several of the characters,ghosts included. The house/castle is grim and foreboding.The photography is great and Ms Steele never looked lovelier.

The ending is a real twist that you won't see coming.Give this one an 8!

It's hard to explain the appeal of this movie. It's not a gem as some have said. But I wouldn't characterize it as Euro-trash either. The plot is not very original, and relies on standard haunted house conventions, perhaps pirating some from Robert Wise's THE HAUNTING (1963). It may also have a literary source in Bulwer-Lytton's story "The Haunters and the Haunted," which also tells the story of a disbelieving rationalist who wagers he can spend a night in a mysterious house where spirits relive incidents from past lives. The film is full of continuity holes (or should I say "challenges"), because many may be explained away. But the execution is flawed. Feral cats, sudden scenes of carnage, and other fright effects do not deliver the shudders.

I must say, however, that the film held my interest, primarily because of the creepy, fog-shrouded sets that look better than they ought to on such a small budget, and because the performances are above average for this type of fare. And although the plot is full of old dark house clichés—slamming doors, billowing curtains, and mysterious portraits—some nice dialog makes it all seem less contrived somehow. There is no doubt that the director and writers were absolutely sincere.

There is also some provocative sexual content and nudity following a tradition of salaciousness that seems to have been a necessary ingredient of horror films as far back as Hollywood's pre-code days. So if I were forced to assess whether this glass is half empty or full I would say it is slightly more than half full. This one might appeal to all those baby boomers who watched the soap opera DARK SHADOWS when they were teenagers in the '60's. It has that feel to it, only with better acting and writing.

I have never seen a Barbara Steele movie that I haven't liked, and have always been a sucker for a good haunted-house story (especially for such wonderful pictures as "The Legend of Hell House" and the original versions of "The Haunting" and "House on Haunted Hill"), so I had a feeling that "Castle of Blood" would be right up my alley. And boy, was it ever! This French-Italian coproduction, while perhaps not the classic that Steele's first horror film, "Black Sunday," remains to this day, is nevertheless an extremely atmospheric, chilling entry in the spook genre. Filmed in black and white, it manages to convey a genuinely creepy miasma. The film concerns a journalist who bets one Lord Blackwood and an author named Edgar Allen Poe that he can spend the night in Blackwood's castle on the night of All Saints Day, when the spirits of those killed in the castle reenact their fate. The viewer gets to see these deaths, and they ARE pretty horrible, for the most part. The film does indeed send shivers up the viewer's spine, and in the uncut DVD that I just watched--thanks to the fine folks at Synapse--even features a surprising topless scene and some mild lesbianism! And Barbara is wonderful in this movie; her otherworldly beauty is put to good advantage playing a sympathetic spectre. Her mere presence turns a creepy ghost story into something truly memorable. Not for nothing has she been called "The Queen of Horror."

Antonio Margheriti's "Danza Macabra" aka. "Castle Of Blood" of 1964 is a beautiful and incredibly haunting masterpiece of Italian Gothic Horror, and after Mario Bava's "La Maschera Del Demonio" (aka. "Black Sunday") of 1960 and Roger Corman's "Pit And The Pendulum" of 1961 (starring the great Vincent Price) another must-see that earned the wonderful Barbara Steele her more than deserved fame as the most important female Horror icon in the history of motion pictures. But not only is the beautiful and brilliant Barbara Steele one of my favorite actresses of all-time, the screenplay to "Danza Macabra" was co-written by no one less than the cinematic genius Sergio Corbucci, who directed such ingenious Spaghetti Western milestones as "Django" (1966) and "The Great Silence" (1968). Italy's number 2 in the field (right after Mario Bava), Director Antonio Margheriti is one of the all-time masters of Gothic Horror, and "Castle of Blood" is doubtlessly his greatest achievement. Hardly another film works so brilliantly in creating an incredibly haunting, yet beautiful atmosphere as it is the case with this creepy masterpiece.

When he encounters the famous writer of brilliant macabre stories, Edgar Allen Poe, in a gloomy London tavern, young journalist Alan Foster (Georges Rivière) accepts a bet from a nobleman, that he can not spend a night in his haunted castle in the night of all souls' eve. As soon as Foster enters the eerie castle, mysterious things start to happen. After a little while, however, he encounters an enchanting resident of the castle, the stunningly beautiful Elisabeth Blackwood (Barbara Steele). The mysterious events so far, however, have only been forebodings of the terrors the castle bears, however...

The eerie castle setting alone would be sufficient to create a gloomy mood, the excellent black and white cinematography and a great score by Riz Ortolani create an incredibly haunting atmosphere that is eerie beyond comparison. The wonderful Barbara Steele is fantastic as always, I simply can not find enough words to praise this wonderful actress. No other actress has ever been capable of uniting ravishing beauty with the uncanny as it is the case with Steele, and no actress ever will. Besides Steele, the movie's cast contains another stunning beauty, Margarete Robsahm, and she also delivers a great performance. George Rivière's performance as Alan Foster is great, and the rest of the performances are also very good. "Castle of Blood" is outstanding in many departments: Barbara Steele Delivers one of her best performances, the cinematography and locations are beautifully haunting beyond comparison, the atmosphere is incredibly eerie... The film simply is a perfect whole of atmosphere, Gothic beauty and the art of terror. In short: "Castle of Blood" is one of the most atmospheric and greatest Gothic Horror films ever made, and must not be missed by anyone interested in the genre! 10/10

For years now I was aware that this was regarded as one of the best Italian horror films of the 60's. Having finally seen it, I understand the praise but would go further and say that it is one of the definitive examples of gothic horror period. Like the vast majority of films in this category, its story is not the point and is purely a means to an end. A journalist accepts a bet to spend the night in a haunted mansion; when there, this stereotypical sceptic encounters a series of ghostly goings on which grow increasingly disturbing as the night progresses.

Like I say, story isn't what makes a gothic horror tick - its atmosphere. And this film sure has lashings of that, including an arrival scene where the protagonist explores the environs of the mansion and its grounds - this scene is so very bold because it is not afraid to spend a dozen minutes looking around, with no dialogue and no 'action' so to speak. It's all about gothic imagery, with elegant black and white cinematography which captures the cobwebby décor and architecture in its full shadowy splendour. This is a good indicator of the film as a whole, as this is a beautiful looking movie, which is accentuated significantly further with the presence of its two stellar leading ladies - Barbara Steele and Margrete Robsahm. The former is quite rightly regarded as the greatest icon of Italian gothic and here she is utilised splendidly, while the latter is much less known but is stunning here as an icy seductress. Her character Julia has lesbian designs on Steele's Elisabeth, which was a pretty bold angle for an early 60's film to run with and there is an overall strong sense of eroticism embedded in this one generally. The ghostly entities encountered in the house were previously doomed by a love triangle which resulted in multiple murder; these events are re-enacted once a year on All Souls Night, with the unwitting help of the poor sap who enters the house that evening.

The director of this one was Antonio Margheriti, who was something of a jack-of-all-trades who made films in most of the genres of Italian popular cinema. I think this may very well be his masterwork though. Interestingly enough, the director originally allocated this one was Sergio Corbucci who is now famous for classic spaghetti westerns like Django and The Great Silence; in this one, he is drafted in to direct one solitary scene, where Elisabeth's muscle-bound lover Herbert bursts into her bedroom and stabs her to death. Overall, this is upper-level stuff as far as gothic horror goes and indicates once again, that these types of films work so much better in black and white.

Antonio Margheriti's "Danza Macabra"/"Castle of Blood" is an eerie,atmospheric chiller that succeeds on all fronts.It looks absolutely beautiful in black & white and it has wonderfully creepy Gothic vibe.Alan Foster is an English journalist who pursues an interview with visiting American horror writer Edgar Allan Poe.Poe bets Foster that he can't spend one night in the abandoned mansion of Poe's friend,Thomas Blackwood.Accepting the wager,Foster is locked in the mansion and the horror begins!The film is extremely atmospheric and it scared the hell out of me.The crypt sequence is really eerie and the tension is almost unbearable.Barbara Steele looks incredibly beautiful as sinister specter Elisabeth Blackwood."Castle of Blood" is easily one of the best Italian horror movies made in early 60's.A masterpiece!

Though only lasting about 10 minutes or so, the opening exposition is still longer than it needs to be. We're a little shy of one-third through before anything especially meaningful happens, and until then protagonist Alan Foster (Georges Rivière) is merely meandering without direction in a castle too dark to appreciate any details. The plot effectively begins thereafter with the introduction of the spectral Elisabeth Blackwood (Barbara Steele), though still the movie initially strikes a tone notably distinct from the average ghost flick. Only slowly do we gain more eventfulness - 'Castle of blood' isn't for those whose attention easily strays.

I like what we see of the set decoration, and the costume design. The minor special effects and editing employed here look swell. I think there's great promise in the concept - a screenwriter could pursue psychological horror, pure atmosphere, or bloody carnage, and be as underhanded or bombastic as they like: there are fine films that could be made from the ideas behind this one. I regret to say I'm disinclined to think 'Castle of blood' specifically joins that company.

Plot advancement, mostly in the form of dialogue, is written into the film with very little care or passion. That dialogue, and much of the length generally, is so soporific that I actually did nod off and had to rewind to ensure I didn't truly miss anything. Foster's early aimless wandering is echoed later in the film with scarcely more purpose, and the pace is a considerable detriment; I don't think this needed to be 90 minutes long. Moments to capture our attention through liveliness - not through intrigue, or any especial strength of storytelling or film-making - are scattershot until the climax in the last 10 minutes. Truly, at least the finale is reasonably well done. Yet otherwise the viewing experience seems to me to be mostly a lot of waiting, and then waiting some more. Not unlike the spirits in the picture, I dare say.

I didn't have any particular assumptions going in, but I find myself disappointed. Strong possibilities were wasted on a movie that is for the most part unhurried and unbothered to a fault. I had hoped to like 'Castle of blood,' but too many aspects of its production were crafted with a dullness that hampers the story's impact and our entertainment. There are worse things to watch, should you come across this, but don't go out of your way and keep your expectations mild.

Of the many black and white Gothic horror-thrillers to come out of Italy in the '60's, this is undoubtedly one of the best. However, it is, of course, second to Mario Bava's masterpiece "Black Sunday". Both films star the mysterious and very beautiful British actress Barbara Steele who would become a leading figure in these creepy sixties shockers. Plot of this film deals with a cocky reporter(George Riviere) who is offered a wager to spend the night in a supposedly haunted castle. Predictably, he accepts the wager. The million-dollar question is, will he live through the night to collect his prize? Barbara Steele is a captivating "ghost" who roams the halls of the dark, sinister place and makes the man's stay there a little more pleasant. But as the evening passes on, other specters appear, and with less than godly intentions. Beautifully atmospheric chiller with Steele in fine form. A lesbian scene with Barbara and co-star Margaret Robsahm was cut from the film before it was released to the US. The movie was remade six years later and by the same director(Anthony Dawson) as WEB OF THE SPIDER.

This Gothic Horror contains a few firsts, for me at least. It has the earliest example I know of boobs in an Italian horror film (not Barbara Steele's I'm afraid), it also has the earliest example of erotic undead lesbianism, and sadly it has the earliest example of the Italians killing an animal on screen. That bit wasn't so good.

A journalist enters a pub to interview Edgar Allan Poe and ends up being involved in a wager by Umberto Raho to spend the night at a haunted castle that no one has returned alive from. The journalist is all like 'sure buddy, don't see anything wrong with that' and I was all set up to see doors moving on their own and all that jazz.

That happens for a little while, but then Barbara Steele turns and starts putting the moves on the guy! Naturally, the guy's willing to disregard the metaphysical psychobabble coming out of her mouth in order to get her into bed, but imagine his surprise when another chick turns up and shows an interest too! At first the guy is pinching himself but then of course there's two women in a room together so they start arguing with each other. Things get even stranger when more people turn up and our journalist starts wondering if it was a good idea to take that wager, as these folks are dead and reliving their last moments over and over again. Can he escape perhaps maybe? This film didn't grab me right away but it does pick up as it goes along so you can forgive the dull spots. It reminded me a lot of Umberto Lenzi's House of Lost Souls (1988) only nowhere near as funny. You also get Barbara Steele with her heaving cleavage and six inch long eyelashes. Could have done without the snake being killed though - not sure why they had to include that.

It now makes more sense to me that Margheriti's Giallo Seven Deaths In The Cats Eye has a Gothic setting (that's a good one - an ape is one of the suspects!).

I originally saw this movie as a boy at the old Rialto Theatre as part of a Saturday afternoon matinée triple bill which also featured Vincent Price's "Last Man on Earth" and Mario Bava's "Nightmare Castle." I had nightmares about blood lusting ghosts for a week afterwards! Though I didn't know it then, all three movies would prove to be classics of the genre. No wonder I was so scared! Though all three films frightened me, it was Castle of Blood that had the most profound impact.

It was the first on the bill. I didn't even get to see it from the beginning as we were late getting to the cinema and missed the first 20 minutes of the movie. That's lot to miss since the edited print only ran about 79 minutes (the unedited runs 87minutes). But despite this, the dark creepy atmosphere (complete with ruined castles, fog enshrouded cemeteries, shadows and cobwebs), Gothic set design, strong acting, and suspense (especially the last 20 minutes) scared the bejeepers out of me and made a lasting impression It took me years to finally get a copy of the film for my collection. Since it was a French - Italian import, it wasn't a movie that showed up on the late show in Winnipeg. I couldn't quite remember the title (remember I didn't get to seen the beginning of the film and was scared witless), and to make matters worse, the film had been released under literally a dozen different movie titles (aka Danze Macabre, Coffin of Terror, Castle of Terror, Long Night of Terror, etc...) and the USA/UK working title "Castle of Blood" was very generic, similar to dozens of other "b" horror and suspense films, making it illusive. But thanks to the internet and perseverance, I found it at last! What a treat to finally watch the film in its entirety after so many years! It may not have had quite the sheer emotional impact that it did when I was a boy, but as haunted house movies go, it's stands up well and compares favourably to similar iconic films of the period such as "The Haunting," "The Innocents" or "Black Sunday," The film is a fine early effort of Italian director Antonio Margheriti. It stars 60's scream queen icon Barbara Steele and features a well written screenplay by Sergio Corbucci about a sceptical writer (Georges Riviere) who, on a bet, spends the night in haunted house and unsuspectingly becomes part of an annual ongoing ghostly story. The hypnotic Steele is well cast as the ghostly love interest - as is Arturo Dominici as Dr. Carmus, and Margarete Robsahm as Julia.

Many of the tricks Margheriti employs to create the film's eerie atmosphere (cobwebs, creaking doors, fog, etc) are bound to seem cliché to a modern audience, but they work far more effectively in black and white than they ever could in modern day colour. Rather than using body counts and special effects, the film creates scares the old fashion way, relying on a good story, stylish direction, fine set production, interesting camera work, and strong acting performances. Margheriti does a marvellous job taking these elements and building the film's suspense as the horrifying paranormal secret of the house gradually reveals itself to the unwitting writer.

The film is not without faults. The pace drags at the beginning of the film (ironically, the 20 minutes I originally missed). This is probably worsened by Synapse films effort to restore the film to its original length. Though fans will likely appreciate the chance to see the film restored - in terms of the intro - it may have been more of hindrance than a help. The English voice dubs are merely passable and, in the restored scenes, the language shifts from English to French (English subtitles provided) which is sure to be annoying to some viewers.

However, Synapse Films deserves kudos for the quality of the print. Clearly some effort was put into its restoration and deservedly so.

I enjoyed the film immensely and highly recommend it to aficionados of 60's Italian Goth films, or anyone who enjoys a good ghost story.

Rob Rheubottom Winnipeg, MB Canada

While interviewing the famous writer Edgar Allan Poe : Silvano Tanquili, a journalist named Foster : Georges Riviere takes a bet with Thomas Blackwood : Umberto Raho , so that he can spend one night at a tenebrous and haunted house. There appear to him vengeful spectres and bloodsuckers roaming here and there, resulting in fateful consequences.

Nice terror movie revolving around the house haunted plot with plenty of ghosts , eerie appearances formed by preternatural beings , creepy murders and ghastly events. Set at a ghastly castle where happens scabrous and horrifying events . In spite of a few escenarios and its low budget the picture is pretty well, 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. Acceptable starring , an obstinate journalist well incarnated by Georges Riviere . Special mention for the always great Barbara Steele , here become a Terror myth along with other films she starred as Black Sunday and She-Beast. Support cast are very fine , such as : Arturo Dominici, Margrete Robsahm, Silvano Tranquili , Umberto Raho , Benito Stefanelli and Giovanni Cianfriglia who used to play under pseudonym as Ken Wood for Spaghetti Westerns.

Displaying a thrilling and frightening musical score by Riz Ortalani. It contains a dark and sinister cinematography in black and white by Riccardo Pallotini . The motion picture was compellingly directed by Antonio Margheriti or Anthony M. Dawson and uncredited by Sergio Corbucci, the latter a prestigious filmmaker of notorious Spaghetti Westerns. Antonio Margheritti was a good craftsman expert on horror and exploitation films. Antonio directed with skill and aplomb from 1956 to his death in 2002. He made all kinds of genres , some of them splendidly directed and others mediocre or failures. As he realized wartime movies, such as : The Last Hunter , Tornado, Codename Wild Geese , Der Commander , Command Leopard . Sci-Fi : War of Planets , Planet of the Prowl , Criminal of the Galaxy , Yor the Hunter from the future , Treasure Planet .Spaghetti Western : Joko, Dynamite Joe , The Stranger and the Gunfighter , Take a Hard Ride , Ghosts go West , Joe implacable God Said to Cain. And Terror : Virgin of Nuremberg , Cannibal Apocalypse , Alien From Deep , Flesh for Dracula, Flesh for Frankenstein, among others. Rating 7.5/10. Better than average. The picture will appeal to Italian Gothic aficionados.

I saw this film when I was 10 or 11 years old, alone in my parent's basement on a Saturday night. It was being shown on "Chiller Theatre," a regular fright feature that I watched religiously as a young 'un. Now, I have seen many old horror films thanks to Chiller Theatre, but none ever stuck with me like "Danse Macabre," a.k.a. "Castle of Blood." I am 51 now, and only last year was I fortunate enough to locate a relatively recent, quality DVD edition of this wonderfully shudder-inducing supernatural classic, having thought I'd never manage to see it again. I have already watched it four more times, and cannot seem to get tired of it.

They just don't make spook films like this one anymore. Haunted catacombs and mist-enshrouded graveyards just don't work as well in color as they did in black and white back in the day. Anyway, this one has Edgar Allen Poe and Barbara Steele, deliciously shadowy, cobweb-wrap'ed haunted castle sets, restless spirits re-enacting their deaths... and a wickedly ironic ending.

IMO, this one's right up there with Robert Wise's "The Haunting," "The Innocents" (with Deborah Kerr), and the more recent "The Others."

Italy produced a lot of really great and original horror films in the 1960's - and this is certainly one of them! The first thing you will notice about Danse Macabre is the style of the film. Shot in beautiful black and white, and due to director Antonio Margheriti's use of lighting; the film almost looks like it could be a German expressionistic horror film. This, coupled with the horror-filled plot line ensures that Danse Macabre is a film that truly captures the essence of horror. Of course, the fact that the beautiful Barbara Steele appears in the film doesn't harm matters - and the good news continues as, in this film, she gets to flex her acting muscles more than she did in the films that made her famous. The plot is very aware of the time in which this was released, and so incorporates the great Edgar Allen Poe. We follow Alan Foster, a writer who accepts a bet from Poe himself and Lord Blackwood that he can't spend an entire night in the latter's creepy old castle. Everyone that has spent the night there previously has died...and our hero is about to meet the previous wager-takers!

Nowadays, horror films don't tend to focus so much on each shot and the result is that there isn't much beauty left in the genre. It is refreshing, therefore, to see this film. Many of the shots here are incredibly beautiful - from the female side of the couple wearing just a see-through skirt, to my personal favourite - a shot of smoke creeping in from under a door. This my first Antonio Margheriti film, and even after seeing just this one; it's obvious that he was one of Italy's premier directors. Also interesting is the fact that screenplay was co-written by another of the Italian greats; Django creator Sergio Corbucci. The plot can meander a little too much at times, but there's always enough atmosphere on hand to make sure that the film never becomes boring - and the fact that it is always intriguing, even when the plot slows down, ensures the same thing. The way that Danse Macabre utilises the 'haunted house' theme is both well done and original, and helps to keep the story as eerie as possible. On the whole, fans of Italian and/or cult cinema will not want to miss this little gem!

In my teenage years I discovered this film by my vampire aficionado Corinne Muller. Corinne lived a few house's over from me and our relationship was strictly horror movies. My friends and younger sister would pile into Corrine's den and watch the popular soap opera "Dark Shadows" which aired daily every afternoon on the ABC network. I remember the enormous popularity of that program especially with young kids who ran pell-mell from school to catch the half hour macabre themed saga. When I was 7 years old I also watched the original Bela Lugosi version of Dracula which scared me so much that I ran out of the room at top speed and hid under the covers in the safety of my bedroom. In the 1960's there came a large influx of foreign versions of horror films coming out of the United Kingdom and Italy. Castle of Blood or Castle of Terror is a perfect example of fine Italian cinematography and direction. At first glance I was sort of scared. Our film is shot in Black and white which by no means diminishes the visual quality of the movie. This film takes place in the nonindustrial era in London, England around 1860. Our story starts with two writers named Foster and Poe, Edgar Allan to be exact,in a tavern discussing a possible bet. The terms of the bet explained by Poe are the following...Going to a nearby haunted castle and spending the night on "All Souls Eve" and stay alive the next day to collect. This castle has a litany of horrible deaths through the years of prior guests and inhabitants. Obviously this film is clearly dubbed in English but not noticeable enough to hurt the continuity of the movie. Writer Alan Foster (George Riviere) the male lead in this evening of meeting departed people, enters the castle and is instantly locked inside. He meets to his delight, an attractive Woman, Elisabeth Blackwood (Barbara Steele) wearing a lovely white negligee. The lovely centerpiece in this musty old mansion. To avoid spoilers Alan witnesses and interacts with ghosts in solid human form all night witnessing the previous ghastly murders in chronological order. I personally enjoyed the romantic scenes Alan had with Elisabeth. The movie does contain violent scenes but balanced with the lovely Barbara and her jealous low-cut rival Julia (Margrete Robsahm) kind of makes you forget your watching a horror genre type film and instead more of a romance and lust based movie. There is a lesbian theme here which is sutle but it's apparent that Julia wants Elisabeth's affections. There is nudity in the film depending on which version you purchase which makes the horror scenes more except-able. The wardrobe department gets high marks for this film as all our characters are impeccably dressed for that time period. Barbara Steele in her fancy hoped gown wants you to come a courting. This movie had two directors Sergio Corbucci and Antonio Margheriti and it payed off as the movie was shot in two weeks time and under budget. Barbara Steele and Sylvia Sorrente captured my fancy and some 40 years later I never get tired off watching them on the screen despite the bloodshed. This opened my interest in Barbara Steele movies and I love them all. Just remember if your going to spend the night in a haunted house, spend it with Barbara and she'll share her bed with you. I guess Ghosts don't snore.