A rare William Castle period movie – set in the 19th century, it’s about a doctor (Roland Lewis) summoned to the house of his former love (Aubrey Dalton) to work on her disabled rich husband (Guy Rolfe). Rolfe’s part was surely meant for Vincent Price, whose voice might have given this more kick; having said that Rolfe is pretty good. T
he Sardonicus make up is effective and I enjoyed the story – with it’s leech torturing of young girls, creepy graveyards, made up European country setting, Oscar Homolka as a hulking servant, decent twists (eg Sardonicus can’t eat or drink at the end), final shot.
Most of all there’s the appearance of Castle himself at the beginning of the film and towards the end announcing a poll whether Sardonicus has been punished enough – what a producer! Dalton is pretty but her character is a bit unsympathetic – I kept expecting her to be punished, too.
he Sardonicus make up is effective and I enjoyed the story – with it’s leech torturing of young girls, creepy graveyards, made up European country setting, Oscar Homolka as a hulking servant, decent twists (eg Sardonicus can’t eat or drink at the end), final shot.
Most of all there’s the appearance of Castle himself at the beginning of the film and towards the end announcing a poll whether Sardonicus has been punished enough – what a producer! Dalton is pretty but her character is a bit unsympathetic – I kept expecting her to be punished, too.
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