It’s not bad or unwatchable but despite the amplitude of the spectacle, the end result is underwhelming.

Great story, amazing characters, superb action, enthralling cinematography. Yes, this is something I am glad I spent money on.

Great example of an old-fashioned, pure-at-heart escapist event movie that doesn't pretend to be anything that it's not and has boat loads of fun being its own ludicrous self.

While it is a pity that the story wasn't told with more visual finesse, this is trivial compared to our real-world problems. It takes a good movie to put that into perspective.

This Gothic Horror dispenses with heaving cleavage, secret passages and all that jazz for a cautionary tale regarding trusting creepy ass Counts who hand you invitations to their similarly creepy castles, and, strangely even for a Euro-horror film, it has Donald Sutherland playing three separate roles...for some reason.Those invited are a travelling troupe of performers led by greedy jerk Bruno, who travels with sister Laura, deaf/mute Gianni, level headed dwarf Nick, and newly recruited horny jerk Philip Leroy, who has taken over the role of Harlequin from violent jerk Luciano Pigozzi, who has flounced off after a bar fight with Bruno. This lot head off to the castle on the promise of a lot of cash, despite the warning of an old witch (Donald Sutherland!) who speaks only in rhyme.The first strange occurrence happens shortly afterwards when Philipe finds what looks like a stuffed crow stuck to a tree branch. Puzzled, he casts it aside and heads for the castle anyway, all the time hitting on Laura while Bruno grunts about the money they'll all make. Of course, Christopher Lee plays Count Drago, who lives in the castle with his hulking man servant. Drago appears to be quite the rabid taxidermist, as his castle is stuffed with all sorts of animals. You'd have to be some sort of actor in a cheap horror film to not guess where things are heading next...especially when Drago mentions that the new creature he's working with is 'the most dangerous of all'.Some people hate this film for some reason, but I found the set up different from the usual gothic horror clichés. Apart from Donald Sutherland's performance as the witch, and the bumbling soldier, it's good that the main hero of the piece ends up being the dwarf, rather than Philipe Leroy. I did have a good laugh at the dwarf dummy that is thrown off the side of the castle, mind. The sight of Donald Sutherland as an old crone speaking in rhyme and making a dwarf touch his/her hump for luck is something to behold also.I think this is also the earliest film I know that uses the Gardens of Bomarzo (aka The Sacred Grove or Park of the Monsters) as a location. Created in the 16th Century, this place is full of bizarre sculptures and buildings used by some fella to cope with the grief of his wife's passing. The Orcus is the most famous of the sculptures, having been used in the film The Relic, the naked Sherilyn Fenn film Phantoms, and of course Luigi Cozzi's utterly demented and classic film The Adventures of Hercules (which is one of the most entertaining films ever made).

Low budget Italian horror film is no big shakes but there's a few things worth mentioning about it. First, it's Donald Sutherland's film debut (in two roles, no less). Why they had him dress up as old hag I do not know. Budgetary reasons I suppose. Sutherland does nothing to impress in his debut. We also have the great Christopher Lee slumming here and giving a typically solid Lee performance, though not his best. There's also a dwarf among the circus performers. He's pretty good and gets to be a hero, which will impress certain types.The story is about a troupe of circus performers summoned to a castle to entertain the mysterious Count Drago (Lee). Little do they know Drago is a weirdo who performs experiments involving embalming animals and people. This certainly sounds intriguing enough but somehow the film manages to be unexceptional and, for the most part, boring. Lee completists and Spaghetti horror fans will want to check it out. I wouldn't recommend it to anyone else.

Terror awaits a troupe of street performers, and a wandering sojourner accompanying them, when they accept an invite to the mysterious Count Drago's castle. They will receive quite a nice wage for their performances as they attempt to supposedly entertain Drago, a scientist who enjoys the art of embalming animals of all kinds as a way of capturing their eternal beauty. This unhealthy obsession yields a terrifying secret..Drago wishes to add the troupe to his collection! Drago has perfected a unique formula which, after injection, causes the victim to freeze instantaneously, forever as they were without the threat of old age removing their beauty and form. Like mannequins, Drago has a whole room enshrined with the bodies of victims he has froze! Will our troupe be able to escape? Drago has a sadistic henchman-manservant Sandro(Mirko Valentin)he uses to capture and kill victims. Donald Sutherland is a treat in dual roles..one as an idiotic officer who bumbles through a sure crime practically right in front of him(..it's unclear just how many times Drago has duped him)and a vengeful witch who seeks retribution towards Drago who once tried out his experiments on her. Gaia Germani portrays the lovely Laura, who Drago obsesses over due to her beauty. Phillippe Leroy is Laura's love-interest, Eric, a former soldier traveling the roads until he met the troupe as two of their group were into an altercation over wages from a street performance. Sutherland's witch forewarned the troupe against going to the castle, but they do not heed her warnings. She informs the troupe's dwarf that he would remain unharmed thanks to an amulet she gives to him.Okay little low-budget horror outing. To be honest, I found it unspectacular with a pace that drags a bit..the film felt much longer than it actually was. But, the castle setting is quite well utilized; I thought the premise was ghoulish enough. Lee was alright, but I thought Mirko, as his cruel lieutenant, stole this feature.

well, I've been looking for this for years, another film lost in the NAFTA/GATT shuffle. Amazingly enough, and with little fanfare, Turner Classic Movies dredged up a "restored" print and sneaked it in late night on Halloween, 2005.Christopher Lee is his usual charismatic self, despite smudges around his eyes as the only real makeup. The plot isn't much of a mystery, but it's fun to watch the cast run through the paces. Often confused with "Blood Castle"/"Torture chamber of Doctor Sadism" in reference works, it's easy to see that many never saw it, since it isn't all that similar except for the star. The two reasons that kept me looking are writer/1st assistant director Michael Reeves, and the debut role for Donald Sutherland. Reeves did his first direction on this, and some things will seem rather familiar to fans of "She beast", and "Witchfinder General", his later works. Sutherland plays 2 roles: an unintelligent soldier, and an old hag who speaks prophecy in rhyme. The hag is voiced by another, but Sutherland did his own dubbing for the soldier. Luciano Pigozzi turns up to add his own charm to the proceedings. Despite comments by others about there not being a huge need for restoration, I have to thank TCM for a lovely job, though the letterbox seems a little tight on top. it's old fashioned, and somewhat obvious, but definitely worthy of preservation.