Castle of Blood/La Danza Macabra (1964) - Antonio Margheriti
Related: Antonio Margheriti - Barbara Steele - Italian cinema - Italian horror - 1964 in film - horror film
English tagline: "The living and the dead change places in an orgy of terror!"
When American author Edgar Allan Poe visits London, he is approached by British journalist Alan Foster, who becomes the target of a peculiar wager. Not believing Poe's assertion that all of his macabre stories have been based on actual experience, Foster accepts a bet from Poe and his friend Sir Thomas Blackwood that he cannot spend an entire night in the Blackwood's haunted castle. Once installed in the abandoned castle, Foster discovers that he is not alone, as he is approached by various beautiful women and handsome men, and a doctor of metaphysics -- who explains that they are all lost souls damned to replay the stories of their demises on the anniversary of their deaths! [Nov 2006]
Belgian version of the poster for La Danza Macabra (1964) - Antonio Margheriti which starred Barbara Steele.
Poster sourced here.
Danza Macabre (1964) - Antonio Margheriti as Anthony Dawson
image sourced here.
Castle of Blood/La Danza Macabra (1964) - Antonio Margheriti [Amazon.com]
Description
Danza Macabra (Castle of Blood) is the title of a 1964 black and white Italian horror film directed by Antonio Margheriti, using the pseudonym Anthony M. Dawson. This film is also known as Coffin of Terror, Danse macabre, Dimensions in Death, La Lunga notte de terrore, Terrore, The Castle of Terror, The Long Night of Terror, Tombs of Horror, and Tombs of Terror.A journalist challenges Edgar Allan Poe on the authenticity of his stories, which leads to him accepting a bet to spend the night in a haunted castle on All Soul's Eve. Ghosts of the murdered inhabitants appear to him throughout the night, re-enacting the events that lead to their deaths. It transpires that they need his blood in order to maintain their existence. Barbara Steele plays a ghost who attempts to help the journalist escape.
Silvano Tranquili plays Edgar Allan Poe in this movie, and the credits claim that the movie is based a Short story by Poe. In reality no such story exists, although in the opening scene Tranquili is heard reading the end of Poe's story Berenice.
Danza Macabra was remade by the same director in 1971 as Nella stretta morsa del ragno. In this version Poe was played by Klaus Kinski, and the movie claimed to be based on a different non-existent Poe story called Night of the Living Dead. --http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Danza_macabra [Nov 2006]
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