I wanted to like it more than I actually did... But much of the humor totally escaped me and I walked out only mildly impressed.

All of these films share one commonality, that being a kind of emotional center that humanizes a cast of monsters.

The film's masterful storytelling did its job. The message was clear. No need to overdo.

The film never slows down or bores, plunging from one harrowing sequence to the next.

I just saw "The Strange Door" starring Charles Laughton. Once again, an unsuspecting man ends up doing the will of a monster. Once again, there is a woman who has been forced into a marriage. The actors, Richard Greene, Boris Karloff, and others do a bang up job in the period piece. The Count is after revenge, having lost his eye to the protagonist. He is a hunter and plays a cat and mouse game with his adversary. Karloff is the conflicted servant who tries hard to be moral, but he fears for his own life when the chips are down. The final ten minutes are pretty good, but much is preachy and sluggish. It's always a joy to watch Karloff. Lon Chaney, Jr. is sort of wasted. Quite past his prime, unfortunately.

*Spoiler/plot- 1952, A very watch able costume and sword mystery dealing with foreign lands. The film deals with a revenge plot of noblemen and a love story with a beautiful married noble lady of the countries court being held hostage by her evil husband. Secret death potions, broken promises, and graveyards abound in this film till the end.*Special Stars- Richard Greene, Boris Karlof, Stephen McNalley, Lon Chaney Jr., John Hoyt, Tudor Owen *Theme- Love can conquer evil and maybe even death itself.*Based on- Edgar Allan Poe stories.*Trivia/location/goofs- Nice to see a Universal film studios early sneak peek at British actor, Richard Green before his huge stardom in the UK years later as Robin Hood for baby boomer's.*Emotion- A very enjoyable, colorful and interesting film due the really good acting and dialog of the leading cast; especially the hero lead actor, a young Richard Greene (50's TV 'Robin Hood' fame). The villains are well cast and achieve their roles especially sinister with most of them recognizable film and TV 'heavies' of famous note.

Brave and dashing adventurer Sir Ronald Burton (a solid and likable performance by Richard Greene) goes to the castle of the sinister Count Karl von Bruno (splendidly essayed with divinely wicked glee by Stephen McNally) to investigate the disappearance of two friends who were guests of the Count. Complications ensue when Burton falls for the Count's fetching wife Countess Elga von Bruno (an appealing portrayal by the lovely Rita Corday). Director Nathan Juran, working from an engrossing script by Jerry Sackheim, relates the absorbing story at a steady pace, does an expert job of creating and sustaining a supremely spooky ooga-booga gloom-doom mood, and stages the stirring outbursts of action with real aplomb. McNally's deliciously slimy and sadistic villainy keeps the picture humming throughout. Moreover, it's nice to see the always terrific Boris Karloff in a sizable change-of-pace good guy role as Dr. Meissen, a kindly physician who helps Ronald out, Popping up in sturdy supporting parts are Lon Chaney Jr. as the hulking, brutish Gorgon, Michael Pate as the haughty Count Ernst von Melcher, John Hoyt as the equally snooty Count Steiken, Tudor Owen as Ronald's loyal servant Romley, and Henry Corden as browbeaten coachman Fender. Irving Glasberg's crisp black and white cinematography and the robust shuddery score are both up to par. An enjoyable movie.

It's strange that I keep on discovering movies in which Boris Karloff actually plays the GOOD guy! The man will always be an icon of horror-cinema, of course, but I used to think he exclusively portrayed monsters, mad scientists and psychopaths. Here in this forgotten 50's Goth epic, Karloff stars as the noble and honorable resident doctor of an Austrian castle community of which the owner – Count Von Bruno – is the only true sadist and murderer! Sir Ronal Burton arrives at the castle to search for his two missing friends, of which he believes Von Bruno captured and killed them, and eventually relies on Karloff's character Meissen to save him. Von Bruno is a real villain who enjoys barbaric hunting games and holds an impressive collection of torture devices in his dungeon. Burton falls in love with his repressed wife Elga and when he's unmasked as Von Bruno's ancient nemesis, they're both locked up in the cellar. The script of "The Black Castle" is rather complex, but well constructed and rich on topics that fans of vintage Gothic cinema will certainly appreciate. The atmosphere in the extended hunting game sequences reminded me a bit of "The Most Dangerous Game" and the set pieces inside the castle looked genuinely sinister. There are more than enough sub plots and twisted supportive characters to keep the film compelling despite the lack of gruesome horror situations and make-up effects. The cast features another familiar horror face, Lon Chaney Jr., but he and Karloff sadly don't get enough screen time to list "The Black Castle" among their most memorable achievements in acting. This was the debut feature of the respectable director Nathan Juran, who went on making fun & undemanding Sci-Fi/horror flicks like "The Deadly Mantis", "20 Million Miles to Earth" and "The Brain from Planet Arous".