Das schwarze Schloß (1952)

Das schwarze Schloß: Directed by Nathan Juran. With Richard Greene, Boris Karloff, Stephen McNally, Rita Corday. Man investigates the disappearance of two of his friends who were the guests of a sinister Austrian count.

“The Black Castle is one of those filmu0026#39;s that has found its way into a Boris Karloff collection and is mistakenly expected to be an outright horror movie. Whilst some horror elements exist within Nathan Juranu0026#39;s movie, this really is a multi genre piece thatu0026#39;s tightly produced and effectively portrayed. Joining Karloff, in what is a small but critical role, are Richard Greene, Stephen McNally, Lon Chaney Jr, Rita Corday, John Hoyt u0026amp; Michael Pate. Itu0026#39;s produced, unsurprisingly, out of Universal International Pictures. The plot sees Greeneu0026#39;s English gentleman travel to the castle home of the sinister Count von Bruno {McNally}. Heu0026#39;s following an investigation into the disappearance of two friends, an investigation that is fraught with danger and surprise at every turn.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eThis has everything that fans of the old dark house/castle sub-genre could wish for. Genuine good and bad guys, a fair maiden, dark corners for doing dark deeds, devilish traps, ticking clock finale and we even get a good old fashioned bit of swashbuckling into the bargain. The cast are all turning in effective performances, particularly Greene and the wonderfully sneering McNally. Whilst Jerry Sackheimu0026#39;s writing is lean and devoid of the pointless filler that has so often bogged down similar filmu0026#39;s of this ilk. A very recommended film on proviso that Karloff fans understand itu0026#39;s not really a Karloff movie, and perhaps more importantly, that horror fans donu0026#39;t expect blood letting to be the order of the day. A fine atmospheric story with a sense of dread throughout, The Black Castle is a fine viewing experience. 7/10”