The Castle of the Living Dead

Despite featuring ample atmosphere and solid turns by Christopher Lee and Donald Sutherland, The Castle of the Living Dead fails to chill.

The story unfolds in post-Napoleonic Wars France. A travelling theatre troupe accepts an invitation to perform for a local nobleman. On the road to his castle, they find the woods completely silent, and spy a stuffed bird perched on a branch. They think it a joke, but an old witch emerges from the forest speaking in rhymes urging them to beware the castle, foretelling that some will live, some will die.

They continue, of course, and meet the nobleman, the enigmatic Count Drago, played by Christopher Lee. Taxidermy specimens abound in Drago’s castle, and the troupe soon discovers to their horror that Drago has concocted a formula that can kill and instantly embalm any living creature—including humans—and that Drago wants them as specimens. As the witch’s prophecy unfolds, the troupe find themselves fighting for their lives.

The Italian-French production leveraged the Orsini-Odescalchi castle and Bomarzo sculpture garden in Lazio, Italy, which provide an immersive gothic atmosphere of looming castles, monstrous statues, and wooded isolation.

Trouble is, writer-director Warren Kiefer fails to inject any actual scares. It’s as though he got distracted by the story’s quirks and influences—from the witch speaking in rhymes to the theatre troupe’s performance, to the obvious Psycho and The Most Dangerous Game references—that he forgot the basics. Instead, he devotes pages to his characters talking about how frightened they are, and assumes the audience will be frightened for them.

Unfortunately, we can’t connect with the characters because they don’t behave in any relatable manner. Kiefer’s female lead, Laura, alternates between a strong-willed lead and agency-less damsel-in-distress, often in the same scene.

Opposite her, our nominal hero Eric’s entire characterization consists of him being a former soldier. He too behaves inconsistently, alternating between confident action star and inept bystander. In a near-laughable early scene, Laura screams from an adjacent room and Eric looks around and grabs a gun before creeping toward the scream.

We don’t care about these characters, so the obvious danger they’re wandering into approaching the castle doesn’t alarm us. Instead, it intrigues us, and we’re rewarded with the film’s brightest spot, Christopher Lee, who evokes his Dracula persona full of smooth charm and commanding presence, only he’s not a vampire but a mad scientist. His striking baritone infuses his dialogue with gravitas, and his goatee, darkened eyes, and slicked-back hair make for a magnetic visage. It also helps that his character proves the lone constant throughout. The film works when he’s on screen, but he’s not on screen nearly enough.

Donald Sutherland also shines in his first credited appearance—a dual role as both the bumbling local constable and the aforementioned rhyming witch. His lively performances feel plucked from a different, kookier movie that looks more entertaining than the one we’re provided.

Compounding matters, the technical execution proves sloppy.

As was common in Italian films of that era, all dialogue was dubbed in during post-production, as the international cast would all speak their native languages during filming. But, according to Jonathan Rigby in Christopher Lee: The Authorized Screen History, the producer lost the soundtrack and continuity reports, meaning the cast didn’t know what lines they were dubbing during post. This results in some glaring dialogue mismatch, the worst of which sees characters mouthing words while the soundtrack has only grunts or mumbles.

The photography also underwhelms. While the framing is excellent, the exposure is wrong. All the outdoor scenes feel like bright sunny days, instead of gothic gloom. The day-for-night scenes feature glaring shadows and bright skies. I suspect this was down to using cheaper film stock, and the film suffers for it.

It’s a shame. The film has all the ingredients for a successful horror movie but Kiefer didn’t know the recipe. Though Christopher Lee fans should enjoy his performance, he’s not on screen enough to justify the investment. The same applies to fans of Donald Sutherland, relegating this effort to completists only.