O Castelo dos Amores Proibidos

I saw this film under the irresistible title: The Tower of Screaming Virgins. To its credit, the film offered both a tower and some screaming, although I doubt if anyone in the tower was a virgin. . . not that I was going to complain! I knew I was going to groove on this film from its pre-credit scene where an escaping man was shot with an arrow by a topless woman in a red executioner's hood. This film featured surprisingly good swordplay, a handful of nice, semi-nude ladies, and a better than expected story, something that surprised this viewer.

The plot involved a conspiracy to supply the Queen and her handmaidens with lovers. The women wore masks and waited in the tower. After the men had served their purpose, they were murdered and dumped in a river. Unfortunately, the rogues whose job it was to do the supplying and the murdering had not done the job correctly, and bodies were beginning to be found. The rogues made a bigger mistake when they selected romancing adventurer Bouridan as a guest of the tower. In addition to women and fighting, Bouridan liked a mystery.

The Tower of Screaming Virgins delivered on all the thrills a potential viewer would expect. I recently watched the similar, and somewhat better known, Isabella, Duchess of Devils (aka Ms. Stilleto), but The Tower of Screaming Virgins was the more enjoyable film. It had a better story, quicker swordplay, and nicer actresses.

I hope other viewers will enjoy their time in the The Tower of Screaming Virgins as much as I did.