Rating: 3.5/5
Cult Movie Challenge 2017 | 51/52 | Italian Horror
The end of the fifteenth century Rumors of Adele Karnstein being a witch come to a head when Count Franz Humboldt dies, and Adele is the primary suspect. They capture Adele and take her to trial, where they will test her to determine if she is a witch. Helen, Adele’s oldest daughter, knows the actual murderer and sneaks into the castle to tell the new Count, Franz’s brother, the truth and free her mother. The Count demands sexual favors in return.
Meanwhile, the Count’s nephew, Kurt, and Von Klage capture Adele’s younger daughter, Lisabeth, and the trial continues in the Count’s absence, wherein they trap Adele in a wall of fire—if she escapes, she’s a witch—if she dies, she is innocent. Adele curses the Humboldt family, promising pestilence on the land, and Helen accuses the Count of adultery for not stopping it. Adele’s hair catches fire, and the flames consume her. The Count chases Helen and throws her off a cliff to her death to save his reputation.
Years pass, and Kurt forcefully takes Lisabeth to be his wife. A plague takes over the village, killing the Count. One stormy night, the rain unearths Helen’s grave, and a woman bearing a striking resemblance to her appears at the castle.
The film has plenty of vibes. Filming in Massimo Castle also adds to the texture, giving everything a decrepit and haunted feeling. Then, we get some sick crypts, and I’m fully in. I love where the Count thinks a body is coming to life, but it’s just full of rats. The movie takes a bit to get to the more interesting parts of the story. But when it does, it’s hella Gothic and brooding.
The script is pretty weak, with all the reveals happening through leaden dialogue. I found a Spanish version of the movie, so that papered over some of the clunkiness I might have noticed otherwise. Also, Barbara Steele has the screen presence to carry it to the finish line.
The organ-heavy score will either pull you in or annoy you—I dug it.
While this movie probably doesn’t deserve the rating I’m giving it, it’s my sort of cozy that made for a delightful change of pace from my current run of watches. And the ending rules!