Mr. Sardonicus

1961 Castle drama

Rating: 15/20

Plot: An ex-fling summons Dr. Cargrave to Gorstava, and he makes the trip because it sounds like she's in trouble. He encounters one-eyed butlers, leech-covered maids, mysterious masked hosts, tales of ghouls, pudding slurping, and torture chambers before being forced to perform an experimental operation on a disfigured grave robber. With any luck, he'll at least get laid in the end.

Pretty cool flick from the twisted mind of master showman William Castle. He starts the proceedings with a look at moody, fog-drenched London where he defines ghoul for his "homicidal friends" before launching into the narrative. Of course, it wouldn't be a William Castle joint if there wasn't some sort of gimmick, and this one involves a "Punishment Poll" in which the audience got to vote on whether or not the titular bad guy got a happy or unhappy ending. I'm pretty sure only one ending was filmed though, making Castle a big ol' liar. I'll forgive him though because the movie world is a better place with his movies. This would be your typical B-horror movie if not for a lot of really strange goings-on, including a scene where the one-eyed man talks to leeches. And watching the guy who played Baron Sardonicus deliver the majority of his lines behind an expressionless mask was off-putting. But Castle's films aren't just about strangeness and off-puttingness; it's the underlying dark, dark humor that really makes these worth watching. I really wish this guy's movies were easier to get my hands on.