Gli orrori del castello di Norimberga (1972)

User Rating:

5.8/10   

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: Several times it changes between day and night between shots. For example, Peter arrives in broad daylight when he rescues Eva from the Baron, but it is the middle of the night when he brings her to the dorm afterwards.

Movie Connections:

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

Stylish but disappointing.

Mario Bava is one of the greats of horror cinema, but I wouldn't judge his importance by 'Baron Blood'. It isn't close to his best work. While stylishly directed (to be expected being Bava) and with plenty of atmosphere, it is low on both suspense and gore, and sets up a potentially dynamite premise (the resurrection of an evil Vlad The Impaler-like maniac hell bent on revenge), then goes nowhere much with it. One or two sequences are outstanding, but overall it's a major disappointment, and the usually excellent Joseph Cotton (who did some strong genre work in movies like 'The Abominable Dr Phibes' and 'Soylent Green') is a bit of a let down in the title role. Even so, no Mario Bava movie can be dismissed entirely, and for all its flaws it's still worth watching more than almost all of Hollywood's recent puerile and uninspired horror output.