Castle Freak UK Blu Ray. 88 Films. Rated 18.
I first came across Castle Freak back in the late 1990s. I was staying over at my then girlfriends house, and there was a video store just down the street. Luckily for me, they had a substantial horror selection, and one of those titles was Castle Freak. I took a punt on it, and was pleasantly surprised by what I saw.
Synopsis:
So, plot synopsis: John Reilly (Jeffrey Coombs) inherits an ancient castle after the death of a distant relative. He moves there with his wife, Susan (played by Barbara Crampton), and daughter Rebecca, with the intention of inventorying the castle contents and selling it off. This family group is a somewhat fractured one after a car crash left their daughter blind, and their young son dead. The castle, however contains a secret… A “freak”, locked away in the dungeons. Inevitably the “freak” escapes, and after watching the family begins to kill. Can John save his family, both from itself and the “freak”?
So the plot is pretty simple, although a bit deeper than most 1990s DTV fodder from Full Moon. And the film does try a few different tricks. You do garner some sympathy for the “freak”. Locked up, abused, and abandoned, he has no idea of how to interact with others, resorting to his base, animalistic instincts. The hero, as played by the brilliant Jeffrey Coombs is deeply flawed, and may be just as “bad” as the “freak”. The acting throughout is also (largely due to the presence of Coombs and Crampton) a cut above the norm for a “b movie”.
Technical Aspects:
And it looks pretty good. Sure, the HD transfer shows up the low budget nature of the film somewhat, but the fact that the film was shot in a real Italian castle adds a level of production value that few low budget films of this era could have ever hoped to match. It is a little dark in places, but this is just a result of the film makers being creative with lighting to hide any potential shortcomings in the films visuals and effects. Sound quality is OK, with the new 5.1 mix adding little over the original 2.0 stereo. The films effects are excellent, and certainly better than many films issued by Full Moon at the time, probably benefitting from more money being available due to the film needing few sets building.
Extras
The extras are all pretty good: An interview with director Stuart Gordon, the original trailer, an original “Videozone” making of featurette, a previously unreleased short “The Evil Clergyman”, a preview of the upcoming Trancers 1.5 remaster, a trailer for The Pit and the Pendulum, and a booklet featuring production notes.
Overall, I’d recommend this to pretty much any horror fan who wants something a bit different. Be warned, though, there is some sexual violence which may make some viewers uneasy (although it is not gratuitous and is relevant to the films plot).
4/5 Fiends.
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