DVD

Average customer rating:

The City of Lost Children
Starring: Briac Barthelemy , Guillaume Billod-Morel , Geneviève Brunet , Marc Caro , and Jean-Claude Dreyfus
Director: Marc Caro
Manufacturer: Sony Pictures
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Art House & International | Genres | DVD | Video

Sci-Fi & Fantasy | Cult Movies | Genres | DVD | Video

General | Foreign & International | Stores | DVD | Video

General | Indie & Art House | Stores | DVD | Video

( C ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video
Similar Items:

Delicatessen
Dark City (New Line Platinum Series)
The Adventures of Baron Munchausen
Time Bandits (Special Edition)
A Very Long Engagement

ASIN: B00000K3TS
Release Date: 1999-10-19

Amazon.com

The fantastic visions of Belgian filmmakers Marc Caro and Jean-Pierre Jeunet find full fruition in this fairy tale for adults. Evoking utopias and dystopias from Brazil to Peter Pan, Caro and Jeunet create a vivid but menacing fantasy city in a perpetually twilight world. In this rough port town lives circus strongman One (Ron Perlman), who wanders the alleys and waterfront dives looking for his baby brother, snatched from him by a mysterious gang preying upon the children of the town. Rising from the harbor is an enigmatic castle where lives the evil scientist Krank (Daniel Emilfork), who has lost the ability to dream and robs the nocturnal visions of the children he kidnaps, but receives only mad nightmares from the lonely cherubs. Other wild characters include the Fagin-like Octopus--Siamese twin sisters who control a small gang of runaways-turned-thieves--Krank's six cloned henchmen (all played by the memorable Dominique Pinon from Delicatessen), and a giant brain floating in an aquarium (voiced by Jean-Louis Trintignant). Caro and Jeunet are kindred souls to Terry Gilliam (who is a vocal fan), creating imaginative flights of fancy built of equal parts delight and dread, which seem to be painted on the screen in rich, dreamy colors. --Sean Axmaker

Average customer rating:

Castle Freak
Starring: Jeffrey Combs , Barbara Crampton , Jonathan Fuller , Jessica Dollarhide , and Massimo Sarchielli
Director: Stuart Gordon
Manufacturer: FULL MOON
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Horror | Genres | DVD | Video

General | Science Fiction & Fantasy | Genres | DVD | Video

Full Moon Video | Cult Movies | Genres | DVD | Video

4-for-3 Horror | 4-for-3 DVD | Stores | DVD | Video

4-for-3 Science Fiction & Fantasy | 4-for-3 DVD | Stores | DVD | Video

4-for-3 All DVDs | 4-for-3 DVD | Stores | DVD | Video

DVDs Under $7.49 | Today's Deals in DVD | Special Features | DVD | Video

All Deals | Today's Deals in DVD | Special Features | DVD | Video

( C ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video
Similar Items:

Dagon
H.P. Lovecraft's Bride of Re-Animator
Beyond Re-Animator
The Resurrected
Re-Animator

ASIN: 157347049X
Release Date: 1997-12-16

Amazon.com

John Reilly (Jeffrey Combs) has come to Italy with wife and blind daughter in tow to arrange for the sale of his newly inherited castle. Unbeknownst to these folks, the duchess who willed the castle to Reilly kept her kid shackled in the dungeon, lambasting him regularly with a wicked cat-o'-nine-tails. Though the duchess is gone, the eponymous freak remains, now fully grown. As the family moves into the castle to await its sale, internal conflicts concerning Reilly's guilt over the blinding of the daughter, and the blame from his wife, further fracture their unstable family unit. Castle Freak escapes his shackles in search of food, and more importantly human warmth. The Freak just doesn't know how to express his need for love in a socially acceptable way, however, and seems destined for an unsavory end at the hands of the something-to-prove Reilly, who must find some way to route to vicious creature. But there's more than one way to skin a cat (though they only use one of those ways in this picture). Fitting addition to the oeuvre of splatter specialist Stuart Gordon (Re-Animator). --Jim Gay

The Freak Show Box Set (Frankenstein's Castle of Freaks / She Freak / Blood Freak / Basket Case)

Average customer rating:

The Freak Show Box Set (Frankenstein's Castle of Freaks / She Freak / Blood Freak / Basket Case)
Starring: Frank Henenlotter , Kevin Van Hentenryck , Terri Susan Smith , Beverly Bonner , and Robert Vogel
Manufacturer: Image Entertainment
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Horror | Genres | DVD | Video

General | Science Fiction & Fantasy | Genres | DVD | Video

Sci-Fi & Fantasy | Boxed Sets | Stores | DVD | Video

Horror | Boxed Sets | Stores | DVD | Video

( F ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video
Similar Items:

The Herschell Gordon Lewis Collection (The Gore Gore Girls / A Taste of Blood / She-Devils on Wheels / The Gruesome Twosome / The Wizard of Gore / Something Weird)
Box of Blood
The Blood Trilogy: Blood Feast/Two Thousand Maniacs!/Color Me Blood Red
The Defilers/The Scum of the Earth
Brainiac AKA El Baron Del Terror

ASIN: B00016RNNA
Release Date: 2004-02-03

Description

Step right up, folks, and feast your eyes if you dare on the freakiest, creepiest show on earth! It's a four-ring circus of sideshow scares straight from the Something Weird vaults, bound to keep you gasping, screaming, and squirming! First up is the ultimate midnight movie cult classick, Basket Case, the tender story of young Duane exploring sleazy Times Square with his mutant Siamese twin brother stuffed away in a basket! Packed with gore and giggles, this unspeakable ode to brotherly love will have you coming back for more. And you'll swear you're hallucinating when you see the Blood Freak, a killer Turkey-Man who drinks the blood of drug addicts with his beak! It's a monster movie unlike any other, the world's only bloodthirsty-gobbler/anti-drug/pro-Jesus epic. But if you want something a little more feminine, get a load of She Freak, a colorful and kooky carny-noir from producer David F. Friedman (Blood Feast) in which a gold-digging hash slinger finds out the hard way that a midget scorned is a very scary thing. Then take a trip up to Frankenstein#s Castle of Freaks, where the crackpot doctor (Rossano Brazzi) unleashes monsters Goliath and Ook for a monster rumble to top them all. Come on, come all, come scream!

Average customer rating:

Dr. Frankenstein's Castle of Freaks
Starring: Rossano Brazzi , Michael Dunn , Edmund Purdom , Gordon Mitchell , and Loren Ewing
Director: Robert Oliver (IV)
Manufacturer: Image Entertainment
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Horror | Genres | DVD | Video

General | Science Fiction & Fantasy | Genres | DVD | Video

DVDs Under $7.49 | Today's Deals in DVD | Special Features | DVD | Video

( D ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video
Similar Items:

Elvira's Movie Macabre: Doomsday Machine
Werewolf of Washington
Death Curse of Tartu / Sting of Death
Hammer Horror Series (Brides of Dracula / Curse of the Werewolf / Phantom of the Opera (1962) / Paranoiac / Kiss of the Vampire / Nightmare / Night Creatures / Evil of Frankenstein)
She Demons

ASIN: B00004Y7HJ
Release Date: 2000-10-17

Description

See the battle of the monsters, Goliath versus Ook! "South Pacific" star Rossano Brazzi plays the crackpot Frankenstein whose latest creature is a goofy, dome-headed neanderthal cleverly named Goliath. Typical of monsters, Goliath has the hots for Frankenstein's new squeeze, Krista, who likes to bathe in milk. When Genz, a horny necrophile dwarf, is expelled from the castle, he promptly makes friends with Ook, a second neanderthal just passing through town. Out for revenge, Genz lets Goliath loose to go head to pointy-head with Ook in a good old-fashioned monster rumble.

Average customer rating:

Is this horror ??
Not bad if you like cheesy horror
satisfying but unexceptional
What what what???!!!
Get Yer Freak On!...

Castle Freak (Unrated Director's Cut)
Starring: Jeffrey Combs , Barbara Crampton , Jonathan Fuller , Jessica Dollarhide , and Massimo Sarchielli
Director: Stuart Gordon
Manufacturer: Full Moon Home Video
ProductGroup: Video
Binding: VHS Tape

Combs, Jeffrey | ( C ) | Actors & Actresses | VHS | Video

Crampton, Barbara | ( C ) | Actors & Actresses | VHS | Video

Fuller, Jonathan | ( F ) | Actors & Actresses | VHS | Video

Gordon, Stuart | ( G ) | Directors | VHS | Video

General | Horror | Genres | VHS | Video

Full Moon Video | Cult Movies | Genres | VHS | Video

Deals Under $8 | Today's Deals in Video | Features | VHS | Video

Dagon
H.P. Lovecraft's Bride of Re-Animator
Beyond Re-Animator
The Resurrected
Re-Animator

ASIN: 6305939616
Release Date: 1997-11-25

Amazon.com

Customer Reviews:

Is this horror ??.......2007-04-21

Well...don't know where to start......
bought this one because it has Jeffrey Combs in it, Stuart Gorden is director.....and they did a good job on Re-animator.
but let me tell you, horror freaks will be disapointed. Only one really bloody scene is worth watching...not because of the blood, not because of the gore.....just, because it is the only bloody scene in the movie...a nice looking woman is eaten by the "castel freak".....
If you have seen Re-animator, The Evil dead, From Beyond, Hellraiser and maybe The Thing, then skip this one..you will be disapointed like me....

Even a John Woo action movie has more blood in it.....

Not bad if you like cheesy horror.......2006-07-20

Castle Freak is cheesy horror. If that is what you're into, then you will probably love this flick. Personally, I found myself laughing throughout the whole film. It really isn't that scary. The Freak eats a pet cat. But he has a soft spot for the blind daughter. The dialogue is so generic.
If you want a laughable horror flick a la Leprechaun, then watch this. If you want a scare-your-pants-off The Shining type thriller, then give it a pass

satisfying but unexceptional.......2006-03-30

Jeffrey Combs, Barbara Crampton, and Stuart Gordon teamed up for Re-Animator (1985) and From Beyond (1986). They did so again for Castle Freak.

Well, two out of three ain't bad.

Not that Castle Freak is awful. It just falls short of what one has come to expect from this talented troika. Such as sharp witty dialogue, pitch black humor, innovative stories, and envelop-pushing carnage.

Instead, Castle Freak is about this guy. You know who he is. You've met him in hundreds of horror films. We all have. He's a regular Joe, kind of a horror everyman, who's suffered some tragedy. Could be he was born deformed. Or maybe burned or disfigured in a prank gone bad. Yeah, I know what you're thinking. Been there, done that. Anyway, he's shut away somewhere. An attic, a basement, an asylum, a cabin in the woods. It's an old story.

But in case any Julia Roberts fans need to be clued in, the film is called Castle Freak. Subtle title, no? At least Senator Lieberman can't call on the FTC to charge Full Moon with false advertising. The film is Castle Freak, and it's about a castle freak.

Here are the details of his all-too-common tale of woe: His mom was an Italian noblewoman who fell in love with an American soldier. The soldier married and impregnated her, then deserted her for the States. Left her heart-broken, alone in her castle (well, where else would a noblewoman live?). So she took vengeance on their son. Chained him inside a dungeon, whipped and beat and tortured him every day of his miserable life. Even maimed his genitalia. (I won't spoil the details, but guys, be prepared to cringe.) After forty years of this, the noblewoman dies intestate. Nobody knows about the son in the dungeon, so her attorney locates her heirs in America.

A few minutes into the film, the American family is already arriving to inspect their newly acquired castle. The lucky heirs consist of dad (Jeffrey Combs), the missus (Barbara Crampton), and their blind daughter. Soon after they're settled, the freak escapes and the body count mounts. It's all pretty straightforward killer-freak-on-the-rampage stuff.

Naturally, this freak desires women, although, his manhood incomplete, he's unable to enjoy or satisfy them. This further frustrates him, with predictably bloody results. "Progressives" might disdain another entry in horror's long tradition of portraying freaks and retards as sexually frustrated rapists, but there you have it. Take it for what it's worth.

Castle Freak does try to "stretch" the genre with an Oprah subtext. Dad's alcohol problem resulted in the car crash that killed his son and blinded his daughter. Although his daughter has forgiven him, his wife cannot. They haven't slept together in nine months. So dad too is sexually frustrated, and guilt-ridden, even as he continues to fight the bottle.

It's an okay subtext, in a soapish sense. Yes, there's symbolism in there (the freak's childhood photo resembles dad's dead son), and it allows for some closure at film's end, with the wife finding reason to forgive. It's not a bad storyline, but considering the talents involved, one expects more.

Full Moon likes to attach promos it calls "video magazines" at the end of its films, mainly trailers and "behind-the-scenes" stuff. Combs and Crampton provide aesthetic assessments of Gordon's work. (Now, just how honest will the average out-of-work actor be when discussing an employer's work?) Combs allows that Castle Freak is humorless, but claims to believe it strengthens the horror, and that Gordon was right to eschew humor.

Not!

Combs is a sterling character actor, with unique features and intense facial ticks. He shines when delivering quirkily funny lines. Re-Animator and The Frighteners (1996) display Combs at his darkly comedic best. But he disappoints in the dreary Dr. Mordrid: Master of the Unknown (1992). To cast Combs in a humorless role is to waste his edgy gifts. It's like hiring Tiger Woods to caddy.

Barbara Crampton was only called to be pretty in Re-Animator, but rose to glory in From Beyond, playing a broad range from repressed scientist, to sexual libertine, to madwoman. In Castle Freak, she's cast in the thankless role of mother. She's got the soap credentials (The Young & The Restless), and competently handles her limited material. But she can handle so much more than she's given.

Jonathan Fuller plays the freak. He claims the body makeup required six hours to apply. He's an effective freak, but no more. Unlike Karloff (Frankenstein) or Dafoe (Shadow of the Vampire), Fuller fails to emote a sympathetic persona from beneath his heavy makeup. The fault is not entirely his. The script offers him little opportunity. (But neither did Karloff have lines in his first Frankenstein monster portrayal).

Before anyone protest that Castle Freak's low budget makes comparisons to Frankenstein or Shadow of the Vampire inapposite, note that the freak in The Unseen was hideous and inarticulate (and yes, he had a frustrated sexual thing for Barbara Bach), but his death was unexpectedly poignant. (On the opposite end of
the freak spectrum, fans of envelop-pushing, grindhouse splatter will delight in The Grim Reaper (Italian 1981, aka Anthropophagus), whose freak performs a late-term abortion on an unwilling woman, with his bare hand.)

Fuller's freak resides in the middle of the spectrum. Yes, he callously racks up a body count, but other freaks are both more prolific and more savage in their technique. Yes, he has personal issues, but other freaks have handled their issues with more aplomb.

Combs and Crampton are enjoyable to watch, but you wish the script had given free reign to their talents. You wish Gordon had used his immense talent for frenetic black comedy to deliver another Re-Animator or From Beyond. (The dreadful Bride of Re-Animator (1989) could have used his touch.)

Yes, artists want to stretch. But sometimes their old work is so outstanding, you want multiple encores. Instead, we have Castle Freak, a serviceable killer-freak film.

What what what???!!!.......2005-06-06

I have to wonder what world, what physical plane, what state of mind were the reviewers here who gave this a good review on? Or maybe they are Full Moon employees LOL...First of all, the movie, especially one of the earlier scenes, was identical to the 80's flick "The Unnamable", which is also and HP Lovecraft based flick. The castle freak itself looked like a bad halloween rubber suit. When he breaks out his cell, well this was just hilarious, it reminded me of the incredible hulk. Yes, Jeffrey Combs is in it. But his acting is cheesy as it can be. Hunt down The Unnamable instead, a much better movie.

Get Yer Freak On!..........2005-04-27

John and Susan Reilly (Jeffrey Combs and Barbara Crampton) are in deep trouble. Their marriage has been hurtling toward divorce ever since John got drunk, took a drive with the kids; and cracked up the car, killing their 5 yo son JJ and blinding their teenage daughter. Now, two years later, John finds out that he's inherited a castle in Italy. The three remaining Reillys move in with the intention of liquidating and selling the place. No one is aware that John's aunt had spent the last 42 years in the castle, never venturing beyond it's walls up until her death. She also kept a very dark secret in the castle's vast basement. The Reillys go about their business, unaware that another resident has escaped his chains beneath them! Insane and hungry, the castle freak emerges, looking for some dinner! He prefers human meat, so things get a bit complicated. CASTLE FREAK is a good movie for lurking monster fans like me. The story is good enough to make this more than just another gore-fest (although the gore level is fairly high). There is a semi-sympathetic creature, and a family that must fight in order to survive. Stuart Gordon has fashioned a film here that is good on several levels, not just the visceral. Where his Re-Animator was strictly for laughs and gross-outs, CASTLE FREAK has a surprising amount of depth and emotion to it. Enjoy...

Average customer rating:

Castle Freak
Starring: Jeffrey Combs , Barbara Crampton , Jonathan Fuller , Jessica Dollarhide , and Massimo Sarchielli
Director: Stuart Gordon
Manufacturer: Full Moon Home Video
ProductGroup: Video
Binding: VHS Tape

Combs, Jeffrey | ( C ) | Actors & Actresses | VHS | Video

Crampton, Barbara | ( C ) | Actors & Actresses | VHS | Video

Fuller, Jonathan | ( F ) | Actors & Actresses | VHS | Video

Gordon, Stuart | ( G ) | Directors | VHS | Video

General | Horror | Genres | VHS | Video

Full Moon Video | Cult Movies | Genres | VHS | Video

Deals Under $8 | Today's Deals in Video | Features | VHS | Video

Dagon
H.P. Lovecraft's Bride of Re-Animator
Beyond Re-Animator
The Resurrected
Re-Animator

ASIN: 630574601X
Release Date: 1997-11-25

Amazon.com

Average customer rating:

Castillo Maldito
Director: Stuart Gordon
Manufacturer: Full Moon Features
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Horror | Genres | DVD | Video

Full Moon Video | Cult Movies | Genres | DVD | Video

DVDs Under $9.99 | Today's Deals in DVD | Special Features | DVD | Video
Product Features:

AVAILABLE WITH SPANISH SUBTITLES

ASIN: B000OE4CR4

Product Description

Spanish Subtitled Version of Castle Freak. The audio is in English and is not dubbed.

Elvira's Movie Macabre: Frankenstein's Castle Of Freaks

Average customer rating:

"It's the most incredible case I've ever come across!"
interesting and not so bad as the say
Frankensteinýs odd bedfellows
A unique film!

Elvira's Movie Macabre: Frankenstein's Castle Of Freaks
Starring: Rossano Brazzi , Michael Dunn , Edmund Purdom , Gordon Mitchell , and Loren Ewing
Director: Robert Oliver (IV)
Manufacturer: Shout Factory Theatr
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Horror | Genres | DVD | Video

General | Science Fiction & Fantasy | Genres | DVD | Video

General | Television | Genres | DVD | Video

4-for-3 All DVDs | 4-for-3 DVD | Stores | DVD | Video

( E ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video
Similar Items:

Elvira's Movie Macabre: Doomsday Machine
Werewolf of Washington
Death Curse of Tartu / Sting of Death
Hammer Horror Series (Brides of Dracula / Curse of the Werewolf / Phantom of the Opera (1962) / Paranoiac / Kiss of the Vampire / Nightmare / Night Creatures / Evil of Frankenstein)
She Demons

ASIN: B000GG4XVA
Release Date: 2006-09-19

Description

When a Neanderthal man is lynched by villagers, Count Frankenstein uses his years of research to bring the monster back to life. However, the count must avoid detection by the authorities, the furious locals, and his own daughter—who's preparing for her wedding. Throw in a vengeful assistant (B-horror icon Michael Dunn) and you've got the perfect formula for thrills!

Customer Reviews:

"It's the most incredible case I've ever come across!".......2005-12-07

That nutty Count Frankenstein is at it again, funking around with forces not meant to be meddled with by man...except this time he's sporting an Italian accent, lives in a less than spectacular castle, populated with oddballs, on a mountain somewhere, and enjoys shmoozing with his daughter's friends in the film Frankenstein's Castle of Freaks (1975). This Italian feature, originally titled Terror! Il castello delle donne maledette, and released in 1974, was helmed by Robert Oliver in his only directing credit (big surprise), and features Rossano Brazzi (South Pacific, Krakatoa, East of Java) as the irrepressible Count Frankenstein, whose scientific pedigree, in this instance, I find highly dubious. Also appearing is the diminutive (in stature) Michael Dunn (The Werewolf of Washington, The Mutations), Edmund Purdom (City of the Walking Dead), strongman Gordon Mitchell (Atlas Against the Cyclops, The Giant of Metropolis), Loren Ewing (Venus in Furs), Xiro Papas (Frankenstein 80), who is also listed as one of the producers, Simonetta Vitelli (A Man Called Django!), Christiane Royce aka Christiane Rücker (Bedroom Stewardesses), Alan Collins aka Luciano Pigozzi (2019: After the Fall of New York), and Boris Lugosi aka Salvatore Baccaro, who also appeared in a little slice of Heaven titled Cave Dwellers (1984), an affair painfully familiar to Mystery Science 3000 fans.

As the film begins we see a fierce battle being waged between a Neanderthal man, eventually named Goliath, played by Ewing, perched on a hilltop, and some unlikely looking townspeople. There's a lot of rock throwing, as the men finally manage to subdue the creature, and leave it for dead...to which it's snatched up by Count Frankenstein's cronies and taken back to the castle. Oh, there's the phoniest looking hunchback I've ever seen...now it's nighttime and we're in a graveyard, witnessing some individuals unearthing a coffin. Inside is the recently deceased body of a young woman...and look, dwarf named Genz (Dunn) is lovingly pawing at her...that's pleasant...and it's back to the castle, where we meet all the Count's kooky staff...there's google eyed Hans (Pigozzi), the hunchback Kreegin (Papas), who's constantly making time with Hans' wife (the cook) behind Hans' back, Igor (Mitchell), who seems a lot less freakish than the others, and finally the dwarf Ganz, whom we met earlier...and now we're outside on a road leading to the castle, as we see the Count's comely daughter Maria (Vitelli), accompanied by her fiancé Eric, and babalicious schoolmate Krista Lauder (Rücker), arriving home for the holidays. Some stuff happens (Krista takes a milk bath, someone peeps on her through the eyeholes on a wall portrait, Hans' wife likes the rough stuff, the Count makes time with Krista when not working on reviving the Neanderthal man with a little brain salad surgery, etc.), the townspeople get jiggy, and the authorities bumble around trying to figure out who's robbing graves. Eventually the little weasel Ganz gets kicked out of the castle after earning disfavor with the Count, vows revenge against all, and hooks up with a completely different Neanderthal man roaming the countryside (which Ganz names Ook, played by Baccaro). Some more stuff happens, Ganz sneaks back into the castle, releases Goliath from his bonds, and mayhem ensues leading up to a not so climatic finale involving a battle between Goliath and Ook (it was hardly clash of the titans here, believe me).

Generally I like bizarre films, and if they contain a certain amount of sleaze, all the much better...and this film is definitely bizarre and slightly sleazy, but also boring as all get out...I'd venture to guess the story was made up as they went along, as there's so little cohesion throughout. The acting is pretty lousy, with the performers having a tendency to step on each other's lines. Frankenstein's motives toward reanimation are questionable, as is his crummy, little lab, complete with various glassware containing colored fluids and an `electric accumulator' whose purpose is relatively unclear. The dwarf Ganz spends a good deal of time peeping on ladies in various states of undress, prior to his hooking up with Ook, a completely different Neanderthal man than the one the Count is experimenting on...there was some much appreciated pointless nekkidness of some of the women featured in the film, but it was surprisingly brief and far and few between. There was one scene, where Ganz and Ook kidnap a girl from the town and ferret her back to Ook's cave, and we see Ook all ready to hack her up for dinner, by Ganz stops him, as he has plans of his own. He strips off her clothes, and then appears to begin to disrobe, to which we cut away, thankfully, to another scene. There's very little blood, as we never even see the Count operate in any way whatsoever (except with his daughter's friend), only the end results indicating some sort of procedure took place (Goliath sports some very phony head wounds, along with a Larry Fine hairdo as part of his shaggy mane needed to be shaved). I think this was just a case of too many characters running around, with little time spent on any one character, creating an overall feeling of disinterest. And then there was the minimal, offbeat, space age musical scoring complete with ookie sound effects...much of the film is populated with effects that sound, well, like someone in the throes of a fit of explosive diarrhea, making me laugh, but hardly fitting for what I thought was supposed to be a horror film (I suspect there may have been some comic undertones intended in the film, but, if so, it was hardly distinguishable to this viewer). There's really not much worthwhile about this film, even for those who enjoy the exploitation genre.

The picture quality, in fullscreen format, on this Something Weird Video DVD release looks very sharp and clean, and the colors are bright and vibrant. The Dolby Digital mono audio comes through very well. As far as special features, there are some goodies here including a theatrical trailer for the film (which is much better than the actual movie), two film shorts, the first titled `The Monster & The Maiden' (11:00), featuring a sort of burlesque dance routine between a rubenesque blonde (who gets nekkid) and a guy in cheap Frankenstein monster gear, the second one in color titled `Frankenstein & The Naughty Nurse' (4:09), featuring an slightly chunky, attractive brunette (who doesn't get nekkid). Also included is a gallery of exploitation art display while vintage radio advertising for schlocky horror features plays in the background (my favorite line from here was "You pay for the whole seat, but you'll only use the edge!"). All in all I give the actual film, in all of it's boring rottenness, 2 stars, while the DVD release warrants 4 stars, averaging out to 3 stars.

Cookieman108

interesting and not so bad as the say.......2003-03-16

Just seen this DVD..., i happened upon this title searching information about Xiro Papas and Frankenstein 80... If Frankenstein 80 is REALLY REALLY BAD, I think Castle Freaks is much better... i mean: lighting is sometimes good, editing is made by someone with minimum talent, and directig and performings are equally apropiate for this kind of movie. These things doesnt mean this was a good movie..., but it deserves one viewing at least. When you see it, you got the feeeling that the guys WANTED to do a creditable job..., and here the value is. Moreover, movies like Dracula VS Frankenstein(Adamson) are REALLY BAD( altough i love this title) and got a hit status and this one is able to make you feel sick or sad..., and it is almost unknown...Watching Castle Freaks will leave you with a bitter taste... i dont know exactly why, but i felt it...
Now watch how are portrayed the "freaks" specially the dwarf and the monster(Ewing)... dont you feel something unhappy???

Enjoyable.

Frankensteinýs odd bedfellows.......2002-01-06

Nineteenth Century Italy is beset by attacks from Neanderthal men living in a cave- when the villagers manage to overpower one of them, beating him to death Count Frankenstein uses the body for experiments. A quick shave and a brain-transplant later and the Neanderthal man is transformed into a monster called Goliath complete with goofy Hong-Kong Phooey hair. Grave robbing is specialised in by Frankenstein's `..., a randy hunchback, a misfit butler, a man in a black hat and Genz the evil dwarf (Michael Dunn). The thorn in Frankenstein's side, Genz is always getting into trouble, and eventually is thrown out of castle Frankenstein. Vowing `I'll get my revenge on Doctor Frankenstein' Genz befriends local Neanderthal Ook (`Boris Lugosi'/Salvatore Baccaro). And with Ook the brawn to his brains the dwarf embarks on a second career as a ..., for when he's not spying on people undressing, he has his Neanderthal right hand man abduct village girls and take them back to a cave. The villagers already planning to storm Castle Frankenstein when dead girls go missing (`I'd go with you myself if I wasn't so crippled' moans one have-a-go villager) become even more enraged when live ones start to disappear as well, and the torch waving mob are only kept at bay by Edmund Purdom's Prefect of police who does his best to sustain law and order. Frankenstein's Castle of Freaks is an uncharacteristic slice of Italian horror, in that it seems more influenced by the old Universal horror films and the peek-a-boo ... of American ...-cuties than anything coming out of Italy at the time. No combination like that could be completely without interest but Frankenstein's Castle never quite lives up to its potential (or its English language title) and is crippled by slow pacing and too much dead air in-between brain-transplants and wench worrying. Veterans Edmund Purdom and Rossano Brazzi both look to be fighting back the boredom as the Prefect and Count Frankenstein. Brazzi makes for an uncharismatic, unenthusiastic Frankenstein and when Purdom's character remarks `I just don't understand this kind of madness' you can't help wondering the actor's reaction to the script was any different. Even less swinging times were had by Xiro Papas and Michael Dunn- both of whom passed away after acting in Frankenstein's Castle. Dunn who wasn't actually a dwarf per se (he suffered from a childhood disease that causes bones to become severely arthritic) appears to have spent the final years of his life travelling the world and appearing in the most offbeat movies you could imagine. He popped up in the UK (The Mutations), France (Too Small My Friend), Spain (House of the Damned) before this stop-off in Italy. Of all these films Frankenstein's Castle offers Dunn his largest role, but bigger was certainly not better with Genz portrayed as the textbook evil dwarf, forever ogling the women, being manhandled by the rest of the cast and called a `miserable little worm'. To add insult to injury while Purdom and Brazzi dub their own voices Oklahoma born Dunn is dubbed by someone putting on a `squeaky' voice that robs him of any posthumous dignity.
The token/Pseudonymous nature of the credits has always made the identities of the people behind Frankenstein's Castle of Freaks hard to determine. The Something Weird/Image DVD claims that director `Robert. H. Oliver' is really the late exploitation movie mogul/producer Dick Randall. Hmmm..... Unquestionably Randall's money, business sense and second-hand car-salesman mentality made the world of exploitation films a more colourful place as his productions like The Wild, Wild World of Jayne Mansfield, King of Kong Island (both 1968), The Bogeyman and the French Murders (1972), Pieces (1981) and dozens more illustrate- but Randall's involvement with the creative side of filmmaking is more arguable. A year or so ago I asked director Mel Welles about Randall's involvement with his film Lady Frankenstein, and while Randall was crucial in setting that film up he had minimal on-set involvement... so I'm slightly sceptical he ever directed a film. Randall probably had some involvement with Frankenstein's Castle, but more likely candidates to be the man behind the camera are co-writer William Rose who also directed the Randall-produced Girl in Room 2A or DP Mario Mancini who made the wonderfully tacky Frankenstein 80.
With nothing by way of an audio commentary (most of the cast/crew mentioned are either dead or M.I.A) or the informative sleeve notes you'll find on their releases of Bloody Pit of Horror and Horrors of Spider Island, the Something Weird DVD isn't about to shed light on this mystery production but it does do the film justice. Presented full-screen with crystal clear quality the film looks like it could have been shot yesterday, something that can't be said of the film's tape incarnations over the years.
Of the extras only one relates to the feature (the original US trailer) the others are shorts that share Frankenstein's Castle's themes (gratuitous nudity, man made monsters). `The Monster and the Maiden' is a B/W ... short from Sonny Amusements with the mildly entertaining spin that a ... stage-bound act is interrupted by the Frankenstein monster who rises from his coffin and eventually has to be dragged off-stage by the girl. While in `Frankenstein and the Naughty Nurse', Dr.Frankenstein leaves his monster tied to a table with a leggy nurse for company. And because `there's a man laying there, even if he is a monster' the nurse decides to pass the time by ... to easy listening music `after all plenty of girls ... for middle-aged industrial magnates who are uglier than he is'. All in all, it's hard to completely dislike a film full of familiar faces, top heavy females, hunchbacks, pseudo-dwarfs and all manner of self-proclaimed cripples, but of all the Italian horror DVD's on the market, Frankenstein's Castle of Freaks isn't the one you're likely to return to on a regular basis.

A unique film!.......2001-11-15

Devotees of the horror genre must see this film!

Average customer rating:

Castle Freak [Region 2]
Starring: Jeffrey Combs , Barbara Crampton , Jonathan Fuller , Jessica Dollarhide , and Massimo Sarchielli
Director: Stuart Gordon
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

Thrillers | Mystery & Suspense | Genres | DVD | Video

( C ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video
ASIN: B00004VYIJ

Average customer rating:

Castle Freak
Starring: Jeffrey Combs
Director: Stuart Gordon
Manufacturer: Koch International
ProductGroup: Video
Binding: VHS Tape

Combs, Jeffrey | ( C ) | Actors & Actresses | VHS | Video

Gordon, Stuart | ( G ) | Directors | VHS | Video

General | Horror | Genres | VHS | Video

Deals Under $12 | Today's Deals in Video | Features | VHS | Video

DVD:

DVD

DVD

Sean Connery Collection (The Man Who Would Be King/Just