You won't be disappointed!

Thanks for the memories!

Good story, Not enough for a whole film

The plot isn't so bad, but the pace of storytelling is too slow which makes people bored. Certain moments are so obvious and unnecessary for the main plot. I would've fast-forwarded those moments if it was an online streaming. The ending looks like implying a sequel, not sure if this movie will get one

"The Haunted Castle" is one of the lesser known and rather unpopular – judging by the other user comments – earliest accomplishments by the great visual artist F.W. Murnau ("Nosferatu", "Faust", "Der Januskopf"). Personally I fail to comprehend why it's so obscure and neglected, because I watched an ambitious and even convoluted whodunit/mystery thriller with eerily atmospheric set pieces, intriguing characters and a few nicely elaborated moments of suspense. Okay, first and foremost, the English title is misleading and even downright irrelevant. The titular caste isn't haunted or besieged by ghosts whatsoever. It's merely the gathering place of a selected clique of prominent aristocrats on the evening before they go fox-hunting. The cozy ambiance is disturbed when the uncanny Count Oetsch shows up at the castle uninvited. Oetsch is accused, especially by the widow, of murdering his own brother. His former sister-in-law arrives later at the party, together with her new husband, and tension rises among the group. The countess goes to confession with another guest, namely the honorable Father Faramünd from Rome. When he mysteriously vanishes as well, Count Oetsch is suddenly suspected of two murders, especially since he behaves so arrogantly and strange. "The Haunted Castle" certainly isn't the visually astounding and hypnotizing expressionist masterpiece that "Nosferatu" was. It's more of a straightforward thriller relying on plot instead of Gothic atmosphere and experimental choreography. This movie is, in fact, released one whole decade sooner than it should have been released. The script is overly "talkative" and contains more interruptions to display dialog and descriptions than any other silent movie from that era I have seen. And then still it seems as if Murnau needed more opportunities for text, as too many sequences show characters talking without their conversations being translated in writing. I really think that F.W. Murnau craved for sound technology here, more half a decade before it became possible, to let his characters express themselves and to generate the apt mood. Nevertheless, a more than interesting and warmly recommended piece of antique for cinema fanatics to check out.

Several people in a house come face to face with a murder mystery -- and one of them is guilty of the crime! This film has no familiar actors, and something of a misleading title (it is not a literal translation of the German). The phrase "haunted castle" clearly implies a horror film and not a detective story, but there is very little horror here.Lothar Mehnert stars as Count Oetsch, and although I know absolutely nothing about him, I was very drawn to his performance. He has a striking look that I think makes for a good stage or screen presence. What else has he done? I do not know, but should seek it out.The film is light on humor, though there is a sequence I will call "the kitchen boy dream" that I found funny. What is it implying? What does it mean? How does it connect to the big story? I have no idea.The Kino DVD contains a book / film comparison and I would recommend this. It shows how radically different the film is in some ways from the book. While the essence is the same, I would almost have to say they are two different creatures altogether.

Be advised that this film was released by Alpha Video--a company that ever seems to do any restoration on their films. This is especially problematic for old silent films like this one, as the print is so poor it's almost not worth seeing the film. But, in many cases, there are no other companies releasing that particular video, so you either take it or leave it! As I am a nut about silents, I realized the print would totally suck--so it wasn't any surprise that it did. Sadly, both films on this DVD (this one and "Wolf Blood") were pretty ragged prints and despite the great titles, neither are really horror films. In addition, watching "The Haunted Castle" was a bit more difficult because both the German AND English subtitles appeared on the screen together--this took a bit of time to get used to.The biggest reason I got this DVD was it was directed by the amazing F.W. Murnau--the man responsible just one year later for "Nosferatu" (probably the scariest silent horror film) as well as "The Last Laugh", "Faust" and "Sunrise"--four of the greatest silents ever made. I have already seen about eight of his films (perhaps one or two more) and was excited when it came in the mail. UNFORTUNATELY, this was not among the director's better films and I honestly think most silent film buffs would never suspect this was one of his films if they weren't told it was. That's because the film lacks the style and the skill you'd expect from a great director--let alone Murnau. Now this isn't saying it's a terrible film--it just isn't a particularly distinguished one.The story is about a house guest who arrives and refuses to leave the castle--even though he's thought by many to be a murderer--and the widow is also scheduled to arrive! This is a dumb ploy, as this was a private home--why didn't they just have the police toss him out of the home?! This made no sense at all. Through the course of the film, this accused but acquitted murderer unravels a plan to expose the killer. The last 1/4 of the film is pretty cool--but the first 3/4 is sluggish and archaic--made in a plodding and old fashioned style even for 1921. Overall, nothing particularly distinguished about this film...even if it is a Murnau film. It's probably mostly of interest to film historians and die-hard silent fans like myself.

One character has a dream of a ghoulish hand abducting him, but otherwise, the gobs of eye makeup on the actors, typical then, is as haunting as this film, "The Haunted Castle" (which isn't a literal translation, anyhow), gets. It's more of a mystery picture--a whodunit, fundamentally.This is an early offering in F.W. Murnau's film-making career, and none of the brilliance of his later films ("Nosferatu", "The Last Laugh", "Faust", "Sunrise") is evident here. "The Haunted Castle" is prosaically filmed, despite the assistance of two competent cinematographers, László Schäffer ("Berlin: Symphony of a Great City") and Fritz Arno Wagner ("Nosferatu" and several of Fritz Lang and G.W. Pabst's films). Additionally, Hermann Warm ("Caligari") was the production designer. The castle interiors are rather rich, at least. But, the miniature used for the exterior views of the castle, as a transition effect, is overused and ineffective. I don't care for the iris openings and closings, either; they're usually too obtrusive for transition editing.Anyhow, there were some surprises in the plot for me, but that didn't make it worthwhile. Despite having another giant of Weimer cinema, Carl Mayer ("Caligari", "The Last Laugh"), as one of the screenwriters, the plot is slow-paced and never evolves to anything higher than a whodunit--and not even a good one at that. The acting is too obvious and overdone, as well. The talent involved did much better work elsewhere.