“The wretched murderer was drawn and quartered five and thirty years ago.”
Count Regula (Christopher Lee) has made a pack with the devil. For immortality he is sacrificing 13 virgins. He is, however, one short when he is captured and sentenced to death by Roger Von Marienberg (Lex Barker). The 13th maiden Baroness Lilian von Brabant (Karin Dor) is freed. The Count on the other hand is drawn and quartered. Before he dies the Count swears revenge on those responsible for this death.
Thirty-five years later Roger Mont Elise (Lex Baxter) is a man without a past. Left at an orphanage he knows nothing about himself. Not even his name. He receives a letter from Count Regula inviting him to his castle. The seal on the letter is the same as an amulet that Roger carries. It is the only thing he has that is from his past. The Baroness Lilian von Brabant (Karin Dor) also receives an invitation to the castle. Her letter states that she has an inheritance due her from her mother, the previous Baroness Lilian von Brabant.
As he is leaving a priest, Father Fabian (Vladimir Medar) tells Roger that he needs to get to a christening in the area of the castle and asks Roger if he can ride with him. Roger agrees. On the way they see the carriage up ahead containing the Baroness and her maid Babette (Christiane Rucker) attacked by black cloaked highway men. They run to the women’s aid. The carriage horses and the driver are taken but the women are saved and unharmed. They all continue on in Roger’s carriage. While passing through a bizarre forest with dead people and body parts hanging from trees the carriage with the women is stolen and the men find themselves in Count Regula’s Blood Castle.
Anatol (Carl Lange) is Regula’s servant. He is undead from taking some of the potion that Rugula was making before he was killed. The potion turned his blood green. He uses some of his blood to bring Regula back to life. Regula confirms that Roger was the son of the magistrate that condemned him to death and that Lilian is the daughter of the one who turned him in to the police. Regula has nasty plans for both of them.
“Castle of the Walking Dead” AKA “Torture Chamber of Dr. Sadism” AKA “The Blood Demon” AKA “The Snake Pit and the Pendulum” was released in 1967 and was directed by Harald Reini. The film is a Gothic Horror from Germany and is loosely based on Edgar Alan Poe’s “The Pit and the Pendulum”.
There is some striking cinematography but the music score is a little strange. It doesn’t seem to belong. It would have fit in better with a children’s adventure story not a horror story. It was also a little strange having someone else’s voice come out of Lex Barker.
The castle on the other hand was all gothic. The forest, as well as the paintings on the walls of the castle, looked like a cross between Hieronymus Bosch and Salvador Dali. There were skulls in the walls and iron gates all over. Lots of horror movie touches. Like a Halloween haunted house. There wasn’t a lot of gore and no nudity. Just a lot of atmosphere and not enough Christopher Lee. It was enjoyable. The strange backdrop of the lighting, the colors and the weird forest was very interesting. It brought the movie out of the realm of basic Euro-horror and into something a little more symbolic.