Castle of Blood had a spotty release. The producers released it first in Italy at the end of February in 1964. Then they brought it to the United States on 29 July 1964. It didn’t make it to France until almost a year later.
For some reason, the film didn’t do well with audiences. This is surprising. Castle of Blood is amazingly effective. It is one of the best haunted house films ever made.
But it looks like censorship was a problem. The French release includes five extra minutes. And those scenes are bawdy. There’s some light lesbianism, Barbara Steele getting very hot and heavy, and Sylvia Sorrente topless. (According to IMDB, the producers used a breast double for Barbara Steele. If so, that scene was cut from the film.)
Even if you don’t want to watch the sexy scenes, you want to watch the cut with them. Without them, some of the transitions don’t work.
These extra scenes were never dubbed in English. The producers must have assumed they wouldn’t fly in freedom-loving America. So you have to watch them in French. Luckily, there isn’t a lot of talking. There are also some early dialogue scenes that don’t much matter.
And lucky you! Here is a good print of the film with the French scenes included. You owe it to yourself to watch this while you can. It’s a great haunted house film. It’s probably better today than it was back in 1964. And now you get to watch all of it without commercials for free!
Other 29 July Anniversaries
Filmmakers
- Maria Ouspenskaya (1876-1949): Actor known for playing the gypsy woman in the Universal The Wolf Man films. They aren’t great but she is!
- William Powell (1892-1984): Iconic actor known from the role of Nick Charles in The Thin Man films.
- David Warner (1941-2022): Actor who has been in a ton of psychotronic films including Waxwork and Cast a Deadly Spell.
- Alexandra Paul (1963-): Actor known for Christine and as The Virgin Connie Swail in Dragnet.
- Wil Wheaton (1972-): Actor known for his role as Wesley Crusher on Star Trek: The Next Generation.
Films
- The Amazing Mr X (1948): A woman thinks she hears her dead husband and comes under the spell of a fake psychic.
- The Tingler (1959): There’s nothing to fear. Just scream!
- Krull (1983): A price tries to rescue his bride from space aliens.
- A Fish Called Wanda (1988): After a jewel heist, one of the criminals must get close to a barrister.
- Monkey Shines (1988): A quadriplegic gets a monkey helper and it goes bad.
- Zombi 3 (1988): Sequel to Zombie.
- The Mask (1994): A mask turns a man into a cartoon superhero.
- The Negotiator (1998): A police negotiator is framed and takes hostages himself.
- Blood Feast 2: All U Can Eat (2003): Remake of Blood Feast.
- Twisted Souls (2003): A guy inherits a house with evil spirits.
- Pontypool (2009): The world does crazy around people inside a radio station. Excellent film!
- Blubberella (2011): Large action hero takes on the Nazis.
- Cowboys & Aliens (2011): Space aliens in the Old West.
- Resurrection (2022): A woman is stalked by a former lover — or is she?
Castle of Blood DVD cover via IMDB under Fair Use.