Gli orrori del castello di Norimberga (1972)

Director:

Mario Bava

Writers:

Vincent Fotre (screenplay)
Vincent Fotre (story)

Release Date:

27 October 1972 (USA)

Genre:

Horror

Tagline:

He sought the ultimate in HUMAN AGONY... with instruments of TORTURE ghastly beyond belief!

Plot:

A young man, Peter, returns to Austria in search of his heritage. There he visits the castle of an ancestor...

Plot Keywords:

Torture | Curse | Witchcraft

Cast

Joseph Cotten	...	Baron Otto von Kleist / Alfred Becker
Elke Sommer	...	Eva Arnold
Massimo Girotti	...	Dr. Karl Hummel
Rada Rassimov	...	Christina Hoffmann
Antonio Cantafora	...	Peter Kleist
Umberto Raho	...	Inspector (as Humi Raho)
Luciano Pigozzi	...	Fritz (as Alan Collins)
Dieter Tressler	...	Mayor Dortmundt
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Pilar Castel	...	Madeleine, the doctor's assistant (uncredited)
Gustavo De Nardo	...	Dr. Werner Hessler (uncredited)
Nicoletta Elmi	...	Gretchen Hummel (uncredited)
Irio Fantini	...	(uncredited)
Rolf Hädrich	...	Auctioner (uncredited)
Maurice Poli	...	Land surveyor (uncredited)
Helena Ronee	...	Elisabeth Hölle (uncredited)
Valeria Sabel	...	Martha Hummel (uncredited)

Directed by
Mario Bava

Writing credits (in alphabetical order)
Vincent Fotre		screenplay
Vincent Fotre		story

Produced by
Samuel Z. Arkoff	....	executive producer
Alfredo Leone	....	producer

Original Music by
Les Baxter		(US version)
Stelvio Cipriani

Cinematography by
Mario Bava		(uncredited)

Film Editing by
Carlo Reali

Art Direction by
Enzo Bulgarelli

Makeup Department
Rossana Gigante	....	hair stylist
Silvana Petri	....	makeup artist

Production Management
Bruno Frascà	....	production manager

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Lamberto Bava	....	assistant director

Special Effects by
Franco Tocci	....	special effects

Camera and Electrical Department
Emilio Varriano	....	camera operator (uncredited)

Other crew
William A. Bairn	....	script (US version)
Franco Tocci	....	effects double: Baron Blood (uncredited)

Production Companies

• Dieter Geissler Filmproduktion (co-production)
• Euro America Produzioni Cinematografiche

Distributors

• American International Pictures (AIP) (1972) (USA) (theatrical) (dubbed)
• Columbia Broadcasting System (CBS) (1976) (USA) (TV) (original airing)
• Astral Films (1972) (Canada) (theatrical) (dubbed)
• Cinevision Films (1972) (USA) (theatrical)
• Anchor Bay Entertainment (1996) (USA) (VHS)
• Control Productions (Australia) (DVD)
• DMEG (2004) (Sweden) (video)
• Elite Entertainment (1995) (USA) (laserdisc)
• Image Entertainment (1999) (USA) (DVD)
• Image Entertainment (2001) (USA) (VHS)
• Image Entertainment (USA) (laserdisc)
• Jumbo
• Lamberto Forni Film (LF) (Italy) (VHS)
• Paradiso Home Entertainment (2006) (Netherlands) (DVD)
• Raro Video/Nocturno (2005) (Italy) (DVD)
• Redemption Films (????) (UK) (video) (as Redemption Video)
• Starz Home Entertainment (2007) (USA) (DVD)
• e-m-s the DVD-Company (2005) (Germany) (DVD)

Also Known As:

The Torture Chamber of Baron Blood (USA) (long title)
Baron Blood (USA)
Chamber of Tortures
La sete del barone Blood (Italy) (working title)
The Blood Baron
The Thirst of Baron Blood

Runtime:

Italy:98 min | USA:90 min | Argentina:92 min

Country:

West Germany | Italy

Language:

Italian

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Germany:16 | Argentina:18 | Netherlands:16 | Canada:13+ (Quebec) | USA:PG | Australia:M | Italy:VM14 | Norway:16 (cut) | UK:15 (video rating) | USA:Unrated (uncut video version)

Filming Locations:

Burg Kreuzenstein, Leobendorf, Lower Austria, Austria

Company:

Dieter Geissler Filmproduktion

Goofs:

Continuity: When Peter comes to Eva's rescue at the castle, it is clearly broad daylight. Eva begs Peter to take her home, which he does, but now as we see him drive up to her student dorm, it is pitch black outside.

Movie Connections:

Edited into Out of this World Super Shock Show (2007) (V)

Beautifully atmospheric

Baron Blood is one of my favourite Mario Bava films. As usual, Bava seems dismissive of things like story, character and acting, and concentrates on creating a memorable mise-en-scene, which makes a lot of the juxtaposition of the old and the contemporary: an ancient castle with a Coke machine, Elke Sommer in a miniskirt running through old fog-shrouded streets, etc.

Immediately after Baron Blood, Bava filmed what I consider his masterpiece, Lisa and the Devil (also with Sommer) which was sacrificed by its producers to splice with new footage for an Exorcist ripoff called House of Exorcism. Baron Blood fared much better, suffering only from being rescored and cut by eight minutes. If you want to know where Dario Argento learned his tricks, look at Bava.