Castle Freak
Added 3/9/2010
CASTLE FREAK is one of the greatest Gothic Horror entries to come out of recent decades. It offers the dark, gritty medieval trappings of the classic Hammer films, with a look and feel that seems like it should have been made decades earlier. This is easily Stuart Gordon's strongest film since RE-ANIMATOR, topping even FROM BEYOND and DAGON. An American family moves into a giant Italian castle that they have just inherited, but they slowly come to find out that there is a monster lurking in the shadows that has been chained in the castle's dungeons for decades.. Gordon pairs genre favorites Jeffrey Combs and Barbara Crampton together again, only this time the dark comedic undertones have been completely stripped away in place of a rather serious subplot between the struggling couple. Though there are a few spotty moments where the performances go over the top, overall the acting is very spot on for the tone and mood of the picture. Charles Band's Italian castle that serves as the setting gives the film a sense of realism and integrity that is sometimes lost in even the most elaborate studio sets. There are also numerous scares that are built on genuine tension and suspense as the Freak stalks the castle's dark corridors and jumps out of the most unexpected locations. Jonathon Fuller takes the role of the creature to incredible lengths, making him deathly terrifying while also humanizing him at times and gaining the audience's sympathies. What is even more impressive than any of the other elements is the make-up work, including full body appliances and some terrific gore. This film marks one of the greatest Full Moon features from the 90s, and is an absolute must-see for any Horror fan.
-Carl Manes
I Like Horror Movies
0 out of 0 people found this helpful.
|
Stuart Gordon brings back horror veterans Jeffrey Combs and Barbara Crampton for the vapid monster feature Castle Freak. A man unexpectedly inherits a castle from an obscure relative, and quickly heads to the property with his family to sell it off and make his fortune. What he doesn't anticipate is that this relative of his kept her son, the titular "castle freak", shackled in the basement dungeon and regularly beat and starved him, and he isn't too happy about it.
What makes Castle Freak differ from a lot of Gordon's other movies is that it doesn't take the tongue-in-cheek approach. On the contrary Castle Freak is a movie that takes itself very seriously, and that's pretty much the main draw back here. The farfetched plot is presented with such earnesty that it really can't be perceived as anything other than cheesy, and I'm not talking about the "so bad it's good" type of cheesy. No, I'm talking about the "Wow, this is really bad and I'm kind of embarrassed to be watching this" kinda cheesy.
Another thing that didn't help was the tremendous amount of the story devoted to Combs' character, a recovering alcoholic who had gotten into a car accident that killed his son and blinded his daughter. He's such a disgusting human being that no one could possibly root for him as a protagonist, and his uptight wife and ditzy daughter aren't exactly characters you can get into either. This really is one unlikable bunch. One even has to question the motivation behind the castle freak himself. Sure, being locked up and beaten for years was no picnic, but why take it out on some random family that happened to show up one day?
Castle Freak may offer a subtle statement about neglect and mistreatment, but at the end of the day it's just another run of the mill monster movie to add to the long list. Perhaps worth a look for Stuart Gordon or Jeff Combs completists, but you wouldn't be missing anything should you decide to pass on this one.
0 out of 0 people found this helpful.
|
One of Stuart Gordon's BEST!
Added 10/23/2009
Stuart Gordon is the only horror director that can make me cringe. I've done so during every movie of his I've seen. As far as I'm concerned, he's the most underrated dude still doing it, and his work in the last few years is the best he's ever done.
Though I didn't cringe as much as during Stuck (2007), Castle Freak is definitely his most gruesome film to date. It's unrated, and if it were to be rated by the MPAA, would no doubt receive an NC-17. Gordon always pushes the envelope with his images, toying with his audience. He holds on the gore when you expect he might cut away from it, he cuts when you expect he might hold. In addition to that, he paints his horrific images with a very fine brush. Though the acts may be similar to other films (after all, there are only so many horror situations in the world) his gore always looks more original than 90% of the other horror movies out there, which is a great lesson for anyone looking to get into horror. It's a crucial way to stray from the pack.
The only thing preventing me from giving this one five stars is that the script could have been way more interesting. They had all the pieces of a compelling story there, but it didn't really gel together. That said, I adore every other aspect of this movie, and highly recommend it. It's one of his best, and at $5.99 new on Amazon.com, it's a MUST own.
0 out of 0 people found this helpful.
|
You're just a freak with a microphone
Added 10/16/2009
With October horror film number 16 we decided to go a route that's always been very good to us. That route just happens to be Full Moon Productions that have been supplying Sid with poorly made hilarious b for years. We had enjoyed the Puppet Master series but were drawn in when we saw Sideshow about 8 years back and couldn't help but continue on. They have made so many films that are on the verge of barely watchable except for a select handful of gems. Castle Freak happens to be one of those rare occurrences where we enjoyed it for being a good flick instead of a complete low budget laughs fest. Yes the budget was still very minimal but was actually really decent for what they spent.
The films starts with John Reilly (not Cal Naughton) who goes to Italy accompanied by his wife and blind daughter. He's inherited a huge castle and wants to put in on the market, but will be staying there for a bit. He's been dealing with lots of guilt since he killed in son and blinded his daughter when he drove them around totally wasted, and decided the Italy trip would be good to repair the damaged relationships. Before he hatch the chance to patch things up Dr. Phil style they're introduced to the freak lurking in the dungeon. This kid had spent year being beaten by his old lady, the duchess that owned the castle prior, and remained chained up for quite some time after she passed. So he's hungry, angry, and for some reason very horny which made for a very uncomfortable scene with a prostitute. Oh yeah This is one freak you'd like to avoid at all costs. Just look at his mug shot on the cover and you'll understand why.
For Sid Castle freak was supremely entertaining. You have to give Stuart Gordon props for bringing one of the few legitimate films under the Full Moon label. What we liked about it was the very original concept and great dark atmosphere the castle provides. It's a creepy thought strolling around a castle without even knowing a complete mutated nut job lurks around the in a dark lair below. The film wasn't overly gory outside of some breast eating done by the castle freak, which is a good thing as far as Sid's considered. We happen to like the ones that don't have to rely too much on the blood and guts, even though you do need a healthy balance. We'd def recommend this one and are sure it would have been enjoyed years back.
2 out of 2 people found this helpful.
|
Pleasantly understated horror from Stuart Gordon.
Added 6/1/2009
Castle Freak (Stuart Gordon, 1995)
I was actually surprised to see that Castle Freak was based on a Lovecraft story; in general, once you get past Re-Animator, the two types of Stuart Gordon movies are "the good ones" and "the Lovecraft adaptations". And yet Gordon and longtime collaborator Stuart Paoli took Lovecraft's "The Outsider" and made it into something that sure doesn't look like a Lovecraft adaptation. It looks like a classic monster movie written straight for the screen, which is the kind of thing Gordon has always done very well.
The story starts with the Reilly family--John (Gordon regular Jeffrey Combs), his wife Susan (Gordon's wife at the time, Barbara Crampton), and their blind daughter Rebecca (Jessica Dollarhide in her only big-screen appearance)--relocating to the country so John and Susan can try to patch up their marriage after a horrible trauma that tore the family apart. (The revelation of what that trauma is is a big part of the movie's tension, so I won't reveal it here.) And hey, wasn't it nice of our many-times-removed many-times-great aunt to die and leave us this castle at just the perfect time? As you can probably tell from the title, however, that wasn't the only thing Great Auntie left them. Except no one knows about the freak in the basement, or who he is. His presence, however, has an unsettling effect on John. So imagine what happens when someone actually runs into him...
One of my favorite plot lines, no matter what the medium, has always been the main character's slow descent. Into what doesn't matter. Madness is a popular destination, but getting in touch with one's bestial instincts is a favorite of novelist Joyce Carol Oates, whom I adore. Gordon takes that tack here (I'm hoping that's not a huge spoiler), and Combs, who is well-known for his overacting abilities, actually tones it down here; I can't think offhand of a movie in which I've seen him so understated so much of the time. It's a very pleasant surprise to find out that, hey, Jeffrey Combs really can act without chewing scenery. And why Dollarhide never worked again after this (and had only gotten a couple of TV roles before) is beyond me. She does sterling work here, though to be fair she has that Naomi Watts kind of role where most of what you have to do is look good and scream a lot. Many of the minor characters take over Combs' usual mien, but I believe Gordon's intention here was to show the difference between the reserved Americans and the more expressive Europeans, so it works. (It also obviously fits in with the change in Combs' character as the film progresses.)
Really surprising little flick, this. In Gordon's canon, I'd put it right behind King of the Ants and Re-Animator as some of his best work. Definitely worth checking out if you're a fan of the golden age of monster movies. *** ½
0 out of 0 people found this helpful.
|
