Plot: What’s it about?
A winning lottery ticket could drive some people into chaos, which is what happens in the case of Sardonicus (Guy Rolfe). He seeks that ticket with such limitless greed, he even unearths the corpse of his own father to find it, which turns out to be a mistake he might never be able to recover from, to say the least. As it happens, Sardonicus gets his hands on the ticket and the riches it provides, but all this comes at a price, a most high one indeed. As soon as he sees what lies inside his father’s coffin, his face distorts and becomes frozen in a wicked smile, one he cannot rid himself of no matter how hard he tries. He does have enough funds to hire the best plastic surgeon there is, but even his efforts in this respect prove flawed, more than he could have ever expected, without a doubt. His trip to the surgeon has left him more hideous than before and now, he seeks to use whatever means he has to, in order to free himself of this horrific curse. But as he uses and abuses people to get closer to his cure, has he burned one bridge too many and in the end, will Mr. Sardonicus get what he truly deserves?
I think it is excellent news that Columbia has open the gates and let loose some of William Castle’s efforts out on DVD, since all are a lot of fun to watch. With Mr. Sardonicus, Castle gives us a film that resembles our modern thrillers more than horror cinema, but it still has eerie moments and of course, tons of suspense. This film is best known for one of Castle’s gimmicks, where audiences were given the chance to vote toward the film’s closing scenes, to decide the fate of Mr. Sardonicus once and for all. But as with most of his pictures, you can remove that gimmick and still find a terrific, fun horror movie, if one that lacks depth at times. The storyline is thin, but solid enough to make it all come together, while the visuals and performances are fine, although Mr. Sardonicus often steals scenes, as he should. It might be a little corny by today’s standards and maybe it was even corny then, but I still like Mr. Sardonicus a lot and since it has remained popular over the years, I’m sure many others do also. So if you’re interested, this disc is more than recommended and whatever you decide to do, do it with a smile on your face…
This is another one of William Castle’s gimmick spook shows, with this one offering the audience a choice of how the picture should end. Of course, Castle knew how the vote would turn out each time and as such, it is rumored that he never even shot the alternate closing sequence, which is quite interesting indeed. Even without a true choice at the end, Mr. Sardonicus is a very cool movie and Castle’s fingerprints are all over it, another great notch in Castle’s belt of eerie, effective horror films. Not his finest work by any means, but almost as fun as his best stuff and of course, a worthy addition to any horror movie collection. Other films directed by Castle include Homicidal, The Tingler, House on Haunted Hill, Strait-Jacket, and 13 Ghosts. The cast here includes Oscar Homolka (Funeral in Berlin, Seven Sinners), Ronald Lewis (Helen of Troy, The Full Treatment), and Audrey Dalton (This Other Eden, Kitten with a Whip).
Video: How does it look?
Mr. Sardonicus is presented in a 1.85:1 anamorphic widescreen transfer. The print used shows some wear, as expected, all things considered, I think Columbia has done some terrific work here. The image has some grain, marks, and other minor defects, but nothing serious and on the whole, the image looks quite clean & sharp. The black & white visuals are refined and well presented, thanks to well balanced black levels throughout. You can tell this is an older movie of course, but I still think fans will be pleased with this transfer.
Audio: How does it sound?
A basic, but solid enough mono option is found here, which manages to avoid most of the age related errors I had expected. I heard little hiss, distortion, or other hiccups, aside from minor instances, but given the age of the material, some flaws have to be expected, I think. The music, sound effects, and dialogue all sound clean and easy to understand all times, so the bases are more than covered here. This disc also includes subtitles in English and French, should you need to enable those for some reason.
Supplements: What are the extras?
This disc houses a well crafted, very informative featurette, as well as the film’s theatrical trailer.
