Nonureva Really Surprised!

ShangLuda Admirable film.

Tayloriona Although I seem to have had higher expectations than I thought, the movie is super entertaining.

Derrick Gibbons An old-fashioned movie made with new-fashioned finesse.

Bezenby This Gothic Horror dispenses with heaving cleavage, secret passages and all that jazz for a cautionary tale regarding trusting creepy ass Counts who hand you invitations to their similarly creepy castles, and, strangely even for a Euro-horror film, it has Donald Sutherland playing three separate roles...for some reason.Those invited are a travelling troupe of performers led by greedy jerk Bruno, who travels with sister Laura, deaf/mute Gianni, level headed dwarf Nick, and newly recruited horny jerk Philip Leroy, who has taken over the role of Harlequin from violent jerk Luciano Pigozzi, who has flounced off after a bar fight with Bruno. This lot head off to the castle on the promise of a lot of cash, despite the warning of an old witch (Donald Sutherland!) who speaks only in rhyme.The first strange occurrence happens shortly afterwards when Philipe finds what looks like a stuffed crow stuck to a tree branch. Puzzled, he casts it aside and heads for the castle anyway, all the time hitting on Laura while Bruno grunts about the money they'll all make. Of course, Christopher Lee plays Count Drago, who lives in the castle with his hulking man servant. Drago appears to be quite the rabid taxidermist, as his castle is stuffed with all sorts of animals. You'd have to be some sort of actor in a cheap horror film to not guess where things are heading next...especially when Drago mentions that the new creature he's working with is 'the most dangerous of all'.Some people hate this film for some reason, but I found the set up different from the usual gothic horror clichés. Apart from Donald Sutherland's performance as the witch, and the bumbling soldier, it's good that the main hero of the piece ends up being the dwarf, rather than Philipe Leroy. I did have a good laugh at the dwarf dummy that is thrown off the side of the castle, mind. The sight of Donald Sutherland as an old crone speaking in rhyme and making a dwarf touch his/her hump for luck is something to behold also.I think this is also the earliest film I know that uses the Gardens of Bomarzo (aka The Sacred Grove or Park of the Monsters) as a location. Created in the 16th Century, this place is full of bizarre sculptures and buildings used by some fella to cope with the grief of his wife's passing. The Orcus is the most famous of the sculptures, having been used in the film The Relic, the naked Sherilyn Fenn film Phantoms, and of course Luigi Cozzi's utterly demented and classic film The Adventures of Hercules (which is one of the most entertaining films ever made).

Uriah43 Normally I like movies of this kind and from this era quite a bit. But quite frankly, this wasn't one of Christopher Lee's better performances. Be that as it may, this story revolves around a gypsy harlequin wagon as it travels from town to town in France after the Napoleonic Wars. Christopher Lee plays "Count Drago" who invites the small group to his castle where he tries to embalm them due to an insane idea that it will keep them from aging. Never mind the fact that in order to do this he has to kill them first. At any rate, as I said before it wasn't his best performance by a long shot. But while Christopher Lee didn't necessarily achieve his usual standard it was still far better than the performance of Donald Sutherland who played both "Sgt. Paul" and "the witch". Both of those efforts were ghastly in my opinion. That said, about the only bright spot in this film was the presence of the beautiful Gaia Germani as "Laura". But even so she wasn't able to lift this film up all by herself. All things considered then, while it wasn't terribly bad I would only recommend it for die-hard Christopher Lee fans or for those who enjoy horror films from this period. Otherwise it's probably best to look for something a bit more recent.

Scarecrow-88 Terror awaits a troupe of street performers, and a wandering sojourner accompanying them, when they accept an invite to the mysterious Count Drago's castle. They will receive quite a nice wage for their performances as they attempt to supposedly entertain Drago, a scientist who enjoys the art of embalming animals of all kinds as a way of capturing their eternal beauty. This unhealthy obsession yields a terrifying secret..Drago wishes to add the troupe to his collection! Drago has perfected a unique formula which, after injection, causes the victim to freeze instantaneously, forever as they were without the threat of old age removing their beauty and form. Like mannequins, Drago has a whole room enshrined with the bodies of victims he has froze! Will our troupe be able to escape? Drago has a sadistic henchman-manservant Sandro(Mirko Valentin)he uses to capture and kill victims. Donald Sutherland is a treat in dual roles..one as an idiotic officer who bumbles through a sure crime practically right in front of him(..it's unclear just how many times Drago has duped him)and a vengeful witch who seeks retribution towards Drago who once tried out his experiments on her. Gaia Germani portrays the lovely Laura, who Drago obsesses over due to her beauty. Phillippe Leroy is Laura's love-interest, Eric, a former soldier traveling the roads until he met the troupe as two of their group were into an altercation over wages from a street performance. Sutherland's witch forewarned the troupe against going to the castle, but they do not heed her warnings. She informs the troupe's dwarf that he would remain unharmed thanks to an amulet she gives to him.Okay little low-budget horror outing. To be honest, I found it unspectacular with a pace that drags a bit..the film felt much longer than it actually was. But, the castle setting is quite well utilized; I thought the premise was ghoulish enough. Lee was alright, but I thought Mirko, as his cruel lieutenant, stole this feature.

RGHeller50 Ambiance is what it's all about, and this film has plenty of it. The setting is Europe during the Napoleonic era. A traveling circus troop has been invited to perform at a mysterious castle for a Count and his sleazy looking sidekick. This appears to be Donald Sutherland's first film, and he does a terrific job in a dual role. His presentation of an old hag-like witch is unforgettable. After seeing the movie, I found myself repeating some of the macabre rhymes, such as "Some will live and some will die before the morning sun is high." The acting is solid throughout. Don't expect a lot of action or violence. There's plenty of suspense throughout, however. The female minstrel is most exotic looking, and one watches in anticipation that she might eventually hike her skirt. The tension generated is occasionally broken by comic relief; some of it unintentional no doubt. There is a bit of sword play at the end, which appeared very awkward, but the awkwardness seemed to enhance the realism in a most peculiar way. It had been years since I had seen this film, and I fondly recalled it. I was successful in locating a reasonably crisp copy on DVD. I plan on watching it again soon. I easily rate it a 7 out of 10 based on entertainment value. After all, how many films can offer up their own midget toss?