Plot: What’s it about?
It seems like some households are destined to be unstable places to live, especially those in which people attempt to reanimate the dead. I mean, that just builds a lot of tension and that’s often enough to start an argument. Count Frankenstein (Rossano Brazzi) runs a pretty unusual household in his own right, with his various female friends and a pint sized assistant, Genz (Michael Dunn). Genz is a dwarf who has serious sexual frustrations, as well as a tendency to want to do things with dead bodies that I won’t mention. As you might expect, Frankenstein likes to work on strange experiments and in his latest work, he has reanimated a Neanderthal man and named his Goliath (Loren Ewing). Soon Genz is tossed out on his ear for leaving evidence behind at a grave theft, but he soon makes a new friend in the form of Ook (Salvatore Baccaro), another Neanderthal who happens to be in the area. Genz goes right to work and frees Goliath, so that the two Neanderthals can do battle. But which one of these hulking beasts will be the winner?
Are you tired of the same old movies? If you’re ready to walk off the beaten cinematic path, then I recommend you check out Frankenstein’s Castle Of Freaks, which ranks even in my book as one downright bizarre piece of movie history. But then again, after reading that plot synopsis I have to assume you already figured that much out for yourselves. You’ll find monsters, cave men, hot chicks, milk baths, and even a dwarf and if you ask me, that’s a heck of a good deal. The production values lack the depth of your normal Hollywood blockbuster of course, but that never stops this movie from packing a strong entertainment punch. There might not have been much money to go around on this one, but it seems as though what they had was well spent. If you like offbeat and creative low budget horror movies, then this movie is worth a look and with a nice disc like this, a rental or purchase seems reasonable.
I am surprised at how stable this movie turned out to be, what with all the unusual characters and mess of plotlines. You’d think one Neanderthal would be tough enough to handle, but no this film just had to pack in double the prehistoric punch. The man at the helm here is Dick Randall and while this was his sole directing effort, he knew a thing or three about low budget movies. He is best known as a producer and helped create a lot of interesting lower profile titles, some of which have found considerable audiences on home video. Some of the other films Randall produced include Crocodile, Supersonic Man, The Clones Of Bruce Lee, The Mad Butcher Of Vienna, and Horror Safari. This is not your normal cast of characters to be sure, but all manage to keep straight faces when the cameras roll. Some of the performers include Michael Dunn (Ship Of Fools), Simone Blondel (A Barrel Full Of Dollars), Rossano Brazzi (Fatal Frames), and Edmund Purdom (Naked England).
Video: How does it look?
Frankenstein’s Castle Of Freaks is presented in a full frame transfer, which preserves the intended aspect ratio of this film. This one shows more than a little grain, especially in the darker sequences, but still stands as a solid overall transfer. The colors look very bold & rich and have no errors, while flesh tones also seem normal & warm. I will say that some reds (and this movie uses very deep shades of red) bloom a little, but nothing to be worried about in the end. The contrast is solid, but again there is some grain evident in the darkest of scenes. All in all, a nice visual transfer that stands as above average, given the source materials involved.
Audio: How does it sound?
This disc uses the original mono track and while not that powerful, it more than handles the audio this film needs. I found scant age related issues, which was somewhat of a surprise and the audio was very clear overall. The sound effects come through in distinct form and bear no harshness or volume slips, while the music is delivered in clean & effective fashion also. No hitches with the dialogue either, vocals emerge in crisp form and show no problems in the least. I am very pleased with this track, as I expected it to sound much more dated in the end.
Supplements: What are the extras?
This disc includes a nice selection of supplements, including a gallery of artwork for various films of this ilk, which run while you listen to some rare radio ads. Next are two bonus short films, both of which hinge on Frankenstein and some lovely ladies. I found both Frankenstein & The Naughty Nurse and The Monster & The Maiden to be humorous and welcome additions to this disc. Rounding out this fine disc is the theatrical trailer for Frankenstein’s Castle Of Freaks.
