Castle of Evil

One of my sci-fi/horror/fantasy reviews written 50 years ago: Directed by Francis D. Lyon; Produced by Earle Lyon for World Entertainment release. Screenplay by Charles Wallace; Photography by Brick Marquard; Edited by Robert Eisen; Music by Paul Dunlap. Starring: Virginia Mayo, Scott Brady, David Brian, Hugh Marlowe, Lisa Gaye and Shelley Morrison.

Title of this horror movie is misleading - it is a contemporary story in the tired vein of: heirs gathering together for the reading of a will at a gloomy edifice -who will survive? Extremely trite and glossy goings-on, with one switch being the deceased having created an electronic duplicate of himself to carry out his revenge on his greedy heirs.

One part Roger Corman Poe movie, one part "Ten Little Indians," and one part "Stagecoach," in that six disparate (but stereotypical) character types are thrown in together in a deadly situation, "Castle of Evil" is cheap, but not bad, if you go with it. Six suspects of the murder of a vindictive scientist are gathered together by the victim in his creepy castle and told to ferret out the killer among them; the others will then become heirs to the dead man's fortune. Except that the dead man may not be quite as dead as they think. Talky, static scenes are offset by some genuinely creepy moments. The cast of veterans is for the most part fine (Virginia Mayo as an aging working girl is the weak link) though it does look a bit like the horror version of one of those A.C. Lyles old-timer Westerns of the same era. An odd sci-fi angle fights the horror angle a bit, but not fatally so. Worth a look...if you can find it.

I only recently got a chance to see this again, last having seen it as a little kid. It's not breaking any new ground but I think it stands as a good example of the 'Old Dark House' variety spook movie. The technical aspects are the weak spot here, it's blandly lit and everything is presented in a matter-of-fact way... sucking out most of the atmosphere (but not all). The actors all do a good job with the minimal writing. I was particularly taken with Virginia Mayo who seemed to actually be enjoying it somewhat.

NO, it's not really scary... but it's got a mood to it and a few creepy moments that kept me watching... and frankly it's more entertaining that most of the bottom-shelf stuff I find on Amazon lately.

I saw this movie years ago on wnew TVs creature features in New Jersey . The basic plot people get bumped off one by one in a gothic castle by a robotic monster that resembles a dead man who made sure he would get revenge on those responsible for his death . A solid b movie cast Scott Brady , Virginia mayo , Hugh Marlow , lisa Gaye , Back in 1966 this was scary , by today's standards it's pretty tame compared to slasher movies. Good soundtrack and good performances . A lady caretaker with a pet anole lizard who watches on a tv monitor and controls the zombie robot creature that kills and seems unstoppable. It's a good b movie ftom the 1966.

"Castle of Evil" is haunted castle movie much in the style of Roger Corman and England's Hammer productions. Although it doesn't quite measure up to those productions, it is a competent little horror flick.

The story involves a group of people who are summoned to a mysterious castle for the reading of the will of the man who has virtually destroyed each of their lives individually. Their host unfortunately has just passed away, or has he? The film contains most of the usual horror cliches and settings. There are the secret passages, sliding doors, dark shadows, murders and the requisite mysterious housekeeper.

The film is boosted by its veteran cast of actors who had all seen better days but were still able to deliver solid performances. Scott Brady is the hero of the piece and Virginia Mayo effectively plays a discarded mistress. Hugh Marlowe is along as a doctor, David Brian as a lawyer and the lovely Lisa Gaye as Brady's love interest. Shelley Morrison is quite good as the housekeeper.

What now makes this film memorable is the resemblance of the character "Kovic" to a certain former U.S. president. See if you agree.