CASTLE OF BLOOD (AKA DANZA MACABRA) On Blu-ray From Severin

 

One of the greatest representations of big-screen Italian Gothic Horror gets a special edition Blu-ray showcase courtesy of Severin. CASTLE OF BLOOD (1963) is the English version of DANZA MACABRA, and both cuts are featured on this two-disc set. (Severin also has a 4K version of the movie available, and it was originally included on the company's DANZA MACABRA Vol. 2 box set.) 

CASTLE OF BLOOD is set in the 19th Century, and concerns a journalist named Alan Foster (Georges Riviere) who is based in London. Foster is attempting to interview the famed author Edgar Allan Poe (Silvano Tranquili) who is also in the city. Foster finds the scribe reciting one of his tales in a pub, and afterwards Poe tells the reporter that his stories are based on fact. Foster disputes this, and this causes a Lord Blackwood to make a wager that Alan will not be able to spend one night in the untenanted and supposedly haunted Blackwood country estate. Foster takes up the challenge, and he is taken to the lonely spot, where he spends a very long and eventful evening. 

CASTLE OF BLOOD contains all the requisite elements beloved by fans of the Italian Gothic, such as adultery, sexual obsession, beautiful women wandering around in nightgowns, candelabras, underground crypts, etc. This was director Antonio Margheriti's first foray into Gothic horror, but one would assume he'd been making such productions for years, considering how assured and atmospheric the production is. It certainly helped having the iconic Barbara Steele as Lord Blackwood's sister Elisabeth, who is Alan Foster's alluring guide into the various spectral happenings. Foster views the ghostly goings-on much in the same way we are watching the film, except that he can't leave, and the final result of his bet is darkly ironic. 

This film had been released years ago on DVD by Synapse Films, and their version focused on the original international cut. Severin included the English cut as a bonus on their NIGHTMARE CASTLE Barbara Steele special Blu-ray, but the quality of the print was not very good. This time around Severin has included both the international and English cuts, and each version gets its own disc. The film looks fantastic, with a razor sharp black & white image and better overall sound quality. The international version has an Italian voice track, with English subtitles, while the English cut is shorter, with the main credits created for that version. Both versions have a 1.85:1 aspect ratio. 

Each disc has its own set of extras. The DANZA MACABRA disc has a 45 minute program featuring Stephen Thrower, who goes into various aspects of the film, and also analyzes certain elements of it. Thrower spends a lot of time on when the picture was actually shot, and how Antonio Margheriti became involved in the production. (Sergio Corbucci was originally supposed to direct it, and his brother Bruno was one of the writers.) There's a full audio commentary by Rodney Barnett and Adrian Smith. The duo go over much of the same material that Stephen Thrower does (they also spend time speculating when the movie started shooting). They also discuss Margheriti's career, the 1971 color remake WEB OF THE SPIDER, how the Woolner brothers acquired the film for American release, and they give out plenty of bouquets to Barbara Steele. 

Speaking of Steele, she is featured on another commentary with Russ Lanier. The thing is, this commentary is only about 17 minutes long, and Lanier spends more time talking than Steele does. 

The CASTLE OF BLOOD disc has a 30 minute video essay by Rachel Nisbet focusing on Barbara Steele's legacy in Italian Gothic cinema. It's a decent program, but due to Nisbet's accent and her rapid speaking style, it's hard to understand her at times. The other quibble I have with the essay is that it does not mention Steele's appearance in THE PIT AND THE PENDULUM. Of course that is an American film, but it was a huge influence on the Italian Gothic genre overall and how Steele was cast in her horror roles. There's also a 14 minute interview with Edoardor Margheriti, son of Antonio, who discusses the making of CASTLE OF BLOOD, and a vintage talk with Antonio Margheriti himself, who also talks about the film's production and his feelings about Barbara Steele. A trailer and a TV spot for CASTLE OF BLOOD is included as well. Last but not least is a 22 minute location featurette, which goes back to the actual Italian estate used for the Blackwood castle, and the viewer gets to see the infamous gates that were so important to the film's climax. This program includes some of the people who were working on the estate at the time, and their memories of the shoot. This was my favorite extra of all. Collectively all the extras are worth seeing and/or listening to, but there is a lot of overlap of info contained in them. This Blu-ray release is Region A. 

2024 has been a big year for classic Italian genre cinema on home video, and this release is a major reason why. CASTLE OF BLOOD/DANZA MACABRA is not just an important title in the realm of the Euro Gothic, it's a prime moment in the careers of Barbara Steele and Antonio Margheriti. Severin gets extra credit for providing the ultimate editions of both versions of the film.