Jeffrey Combs, Barbara Crampton, and Stuart Gordon teamed up for Re-Animator (1985) and From Beyond (1986). They did so again for Castle Freak.
Well, two out of three ain't bad.
Not that Castle Freak is awful. It just falls short of what one has come to expect from this talented troika. Such as sharp witty dialogue, pitch black humor, innovative stories, and envelop-pushing carnage.
Instead, Castle Freak is about this guy. You know who he is. You've met him in hundreds of horror films. We all have. He's a regular Joe, kind of a horror everyman, who's suffered some tragedy. Could be he was born deformed. Or maybe burned or disfigured in a prank gone bad. Yeah, I know what you're thinking. Been there, done that. Anyway, he's shut away somewhere. An attic, a basement, an asylum, a cabin in the woods. It's an old story.
But in case any Julia Roberts fans need to be clued in, the film is called Castle Freak. Subtle title, no? At least Senator Lieberman can't call on the FTC to charge Full Moon with false advertising. The film is Castle Freak, and it's about a castle freak.
Here are the details of his all-too-common tale of woe: his mom was an Italian noblewoman who fell in love with an American soldier. The soldier married and impregnated her, then deserted her for the States. Left her heart-broken, alone in her castle (well, where else would a noblewoman live?). So she took vengeance on their son. Chained him inside a dungeon, whipped and beat and tortured him every day of his miserable life. Even maimed his genitalia. (I won't spoil the details, but guys, be prepared to cringe.) After forty years of this, the noblewoman dies intestate. Nobody knows about the son in the dungeon, so her attorney locates her heirs in America.
A few minutes into the film, the American family is already arriving to inspect their newly acquired castle. The lucky heirs consist of dad (Jeffrey Combs), the missus (Barbara Crampton), and their blind daughter. Soon after they're settled, the freak escapes and the body count mounts. It's all pretty straightforward killer-freak-on-the-rampage stuff.
Article comments
1 - Eric Olsen
I love this series Thomas, you always do a great job - thanks!