Title

Horror Castle

Aka

La Vergine di Norimberga (Ita) - The Virgin of Nuremberg (USA) 

Cirector

Antonio Margheriti (Anthony Dawson)

Story by

Marco Vicario

Screenwriter

Antonio Margheriti

Photography by

Riccardo Pallottini

Art Director

Riccardo Dominici

Editor

Otello Colangeli

Music by

Riz Ortolani

Cast

Rossana Podestà

Role

Mary Hunter

Georges Riviere

Max Hunter

Christopher Lee

Erich

Jim Dolen

Shelby

Luciana Milone

Trude 

Anny Degli Uberti

Marta

Leonardo Severini

Medico

Story

When a husband leaves his beautiful bride alone in his ancestral gothic castle, a series of gruesome slayings occur in the old abandoned torture chamber! In a shocking revelation, a hideously mutilated phantom killer, known as "The Punisher" with a ghastly Nazi past stalks the castle corridors and dusts off the rusty, spiked iron maiden and other cruel tools of torture for some fresh bloodletting! An atmospherics, color-splashed slice of grand guinol from the golden age of Euro-horror cinema!

Reviews

By: Christopher Dietrich

The late Antonio Margheriti's mood piece "La Vergine di Norimberga" ("The Virgin of Nuremberg", "Horror Castle" 1964) was a galvanizing moment of mid-1960s Italian Gothic. The tableaux of horrors traumatized Baby Boomers everywhere with scenes of unbridled Eastman color sadism. It is a comment on the film that a stronger Japanese version was deemed unnecessary because "La Vergine di Norimberga", with its extraordinary cruelty, remains a textbook of sadism unusual for its time. Three scenes in particular come to mind: when the protagonist, Mary Hunter (Rossana Podestà), finds a blonde beauty inside an Iron Maiden, her bloody eyes dripping onto the chamber floor; the discovery of a brunette, her head covered with a cage inhabited by a very hungry rat which has gnawed away at her face; and finally the killer himself unmasked, his face nothing more than a skull covered with the faintest suggestion of skin. These images are really quite outré for the 60s.

The bride of German aristocrat Max Hunter (Georges Rivière), Mary is thrust into a living nightmare centering on that medieval torture device known as the Iron Maiden (here referred to as the Virgin of Nuremberg). On her first stormy night within the castle she witnesses the brutal slaying of a maid by a hooded maniac, The Executioner. He conceals himself in the depths of the castle's catacombs, emerging only to terrorize and torture those in his path. We later discover that he was previously a victim of Nazi tormentors, rendering him insane. It remains for our heroine to unravel her husband's dark secret before the nightmare is brought to a close. 

A pacifist message beneath the madness?

A critic with the moniker "Murf" reviewed "La Vergine di Norimberga" for The New York Times on 15 April, 1965 (when it was playing at the Hollywood Theater). His observations and comments were less than kind, but time and critical reassessment tend to blunt this. The article begins thusly, with various portions deleted for reasons of space:

Inept horror pic. Rossana Podesta's looks and Christopher Lee's chillpix reputation don't save it. Grind house fate.

Zodiac Films continues its no-tradeshow policy with a tedious and ridiculous English-dubbed Italian horror, teaming Rossana Podesta  - Christopher Lee and lower-cased with "Dr. Terror's House of Horrors." Lip synch in "Horror Castle" [the film's U.S. title] is awkward and English dialog is not to be believed. Dimmest prospects even in least discriminating markets.

Every directorial device available has been used by Anthony Dawson (and Richard MacNamara credited with direction of the English-language version) to follow Miss Podesta as she walks, and walks, and walks about the family castle in Germany owned by hubby Georges Riviere. Seems there's a fiend afoot, called "The Executioner," who employs medieval tortures on helpless people, and wifey intends to find out despite sealed lips of palace crew.

Lee, a horror film icon, is a war-scarred chauffeur who wanders about calling mysteriously to "mein Herr." Turns out the monster is hubby's father, an anti-Hitler Nazi who was horribly disfigured as punishment for attempt on Hitler's life, and in demented state kills most of the household, tries to drown his son and torture latter's wife before an FBI agent [sic] and town doctor stop the show.

The reviewer considered the script inept, citing, "sample dialog, monster to victim: 'Modern science has developed new tortures, but the old ways are best.' All principles deserve better material. Producer Marco Vicario has not done well by his wife, Miss Podestà."

Located within such seemingly throwaway lines, however, one can detect a timely pacifist message - a message that runs counter to all of the film's post-World War II Teutonic angst. Dialogue spoken by Max and his chauffeur Erich (Christopher Lee) support the general hatred of Europeans for war. Erich was Max's father's orderly during the war. While taking his new bride through her home, he notes: "Try to imagine him without those scars on his face. He was a good-looking man but then he was wounded." Other lines supports this assertion: "You hate war"; "Anyone who had to live through that kind of hell would hate it"; "War has the faculty of ageing people before their time"; "The war left me in a worse state than you'd expect."

Among other films depicting Nazi atrocities during this period were Herbert J Leder's "The Frozen Dead" (1966), in which Dana Andrews (of all people!) plots to bring the Reich back via cryogenics, and Jack Curtis's "The Flesh Eaters" (1964), with Nazi stalwart Martin Kosleck playing the part of a mad doctor who perfects a deadly virus that was smuggled out of the Fatherland just as the war was coming to an end. Like "La Vergine di Norimberga", this film also uses black-and-white stock images to flash back to the war and remains a classic of its kind in the grind-house hall of fame.

Another example is Jean Brismée's "La Plus longue nuit du diable" ("The Devil's Nightmare" 1971), a Belgian/Italian co-production which combines the legend of the succubus with the Nazis and which contains a prologue depicting a shocking infant-stabbing before the Allies drop the bombs, an action that brings our Nazi general (Jean Servais) to his native castle along with the succubus and her seven deadly sins. Finally, there is the 1971 British oddity Scream and Scream Again, directed by Gordon Hessler, which guest-stars Peter Cushing as the head of a Third World power attempting to use laboratory-created supermen for world domination (this picture was a personal favourite of no less a director than Fritz Lang). All of these films owe something to one another, but "La Vergine di Norimberga" is the closest to a true cinematic nightmare - one from which the audience will recover only after the final reel's denouement.

Background on the cast and crew

As noted above, Georges Rivière essays the role of German aristocrat Max Hunter, who is haunted by the evildoings of The Mad Executioner of his castle. The French-born actor starred in films not only in his native country but also in Argentina, West Germany and Italy. Rivière was also the star of Margheriti's "Danza macabra" (known in the USA as "Castle of Blood", 1963), where he played opposite Barbara Steele. 

"La Vergine di Norimberga" was an early effort in the career of the celebrated Christopher Lee who needs no introduction here. This film is among his finest work and was made the same year as his unforgettable performance as High Priest Billali in Robert Day's "She" (for Britain's Hammer Films) and his chilling turn as actor Karl Jorla in a classic episode of the TV show Alfred Hitchcock Presents entitled "Sign of Satan".

The film also boasts the presence of that Libyan-born, redheaded goddess of the Italian screen, Rossana Podestà. Her sultry, sexy good looks graced the Roman and international screens many times, notably in such fare as "Solo contro Roma" ("Alone Against Rome", 1962), Robert Aldrich's "Sodom and Gomorrah" (1962) and "Ulisse" (aka "Ulysses", 1954), which starred the legendary Kirk Douglas. Podestà also played the titular role in the Robert Wise-directed spectacle "Helen of Troy" (1956) opposite Jacques Sernas, Cedric Hardwicke and Niall MacGinnis. Quite appropriately, "Helen of Troy" possessed "the face that launched a thousand ships." She is menaced throughout the duration of Margheriti's opus by the crazed killer in the Bavarian Schloss. Podestà's last screen work was in the 1983 version of "Hercules" with Lou Ferrigno, and a 1985 film entitled "Segreti segreti" ("Secrets Secrets"), directed by Giuseppe Bertolucci (younger brother of Bernardo). 

A key character in "La Vergine di Norimberga" is portrayed by Mirko Valentin, a Yugoslavian actor whose work spanned a mere five years. This was his first film, though he appeared the same year in "Il Castello dei morti vivi" ("Castle of the Living Dead") as the character "Sandro," opposite Christopher Lee and Donald Sutherland. He appeared in various pepla (all made in the very busy year of 1964), such as "Ercole contro i tiranni di Babilonia" ("Hercules and the Tyrants of Babylon"), "Golia alla conquista di Baghdad" (aka "Goliath at the Conquest of Damascus") and "Maciste nell'inferno di Gengis Khan" (aka "Hercules Against the Barbarians"). Valentin would later appeared in Spaghetti Westerns such as "Un Fiume di dollari" ("River of Dollars", 1966) and "Uno di più all'inferno" ("To Hell and Back", 1969).

La Vergine di Norimberga's heart of darkness is punctuated with an outrageous blend of saxophone and suspense by Riz Ortolani - a fusion of jazz with gothic overtones. The score was originally released in 1993 by CAM SpA (catalogue number CSE 109), along with tracks from Casanova & Company.

Roman-Born Marco Vicario wore the hats of producer, director, actor and scenarist during his career. As producer he was responsible for "La Vergine di Norimberga", "Homo Eroticus" (aka "Man of the Year", 1971), "Danza macabra", "Solo contro Roma" and "La Schiava di Roma" ("Slave of Rome", 1960). He was the director of such fare as "Homo Eroticus", "I Sette uomini d'oro" ("Seven Golden Men", 1965), "Il Prete sposato" ("The Married Priest", 1971) and "Le Ore nude" ("The Naked Hours", 1964). And his wife was Rossana Podestà!

Directed with a knowing hand by Antonio Margheriti, "La Vergine di Norimberga" is undoubtedly among the filmmaker's finest work. This delirious dreamscape to the Cinema of Sadism is infused with gothic atmosphere and a ubiquitous sense of dread from start to finish. Along with the best works of Mario Bava and Riccardo Freda, "La Vergine di Norimberga" epitomises and legitimises the stellar reputation of Italy's "Golden Age" of horror output in the 1960s. An under-appreciated classic, it is also a high watermark for genre films concerned with thematising Nazi atrocities.

Article by: Christopher Dietrich                       (Courtesy of author - From:  kinoeye.org )       

Reviews

By: Jeffrey Leach

Slow moving Gothic Horror,(August 22, 2005)

I'm a huge fan of Italian director Antonio Margheriti, aka Anthony M. Dawson, even though I haven't seen very many of his films. How can this be? Because the ones I have seen revel in low budget schlocky glory. Margheriti is responsible for such classics as "Alien From the Deep". the infamous "Cannibal Apocalypse" and "Killer Fish". 

He's also the man who brought us several highly entertaining shoot 'em up action/war films, films like "Indio", "Indio 2", "Tiger Joe", "The Last Hunter", "The Hunters of the Golden Cobra" and "Ark of the Sun God". If you need any additional evidence pointing to Dawson's relevancy in the realm of low budget cult classics, he directed the catastrophic "Yor, the Hunter from the Future". If you've seen this disaster, you know how important Margheriti is to lovers of cheese cinema! I'm dying to see all of these films -- and a few others -- arrive on DVD. Until then, I'm contenting myself with the precious few of this director's earlier movies that have come out, or are soon to come out, on disc: "Castle of Blood", "The Virgin of Nuremberg", and "Seven Deaths in the Cat's Eye" among them. 

Let's start with "The Virgin of Nuremberg" shall we?

The first thing you'll notice about "The Virgin of Nuremberg" is its peppy jazz score. It's entirely inappropriate for the proceedings, but nonetheless interesting, fun, and worth a listen. The film takes place in Germany many years after the end of the Second World War, and involves newlywed Mary Hunter (Rossana Podesta) settling into her new husband Max's (George Riviere) digs. Most young couples just starting out would move into a small apartment or perhaps a tiny house. Not the Hunters. Max is wealthy, the heir to a fine inheritance consisting of a brooding castle surrounded by sumptuous grounds. The centerpiece of this real estate consists of a massive central room in which dozens of torture implements vie for attention. Yeah, torture instruments! We've got dozens of sharp swords and axes hanging all over the place, glass cases with nasty looking stuff in them, the suit of a medieval torturer hanging nearby, and the Virgin herself presiding over the chamber. The Virgin, you see, is actually an iron maiden that was once used by Max's ancestors to torture the local villagers. But that was way back in the Dark Ages, long before World War II and long before Mary strolled into the castle. Now the stuff just sits around because...well, because if it wasn't there we wouldn't have a plot.

Sure enough, someone is putting on the torture suit and stalking about the castle. Moreover, a few local gals fall prey to this very same torturer when he decides to take his activities out on the town. Who could possibly engage in this sort of despicable behavior as late as the 1960s? Is it Max Hunter? He's certainly a strange banana, that's for sure. Max acts weird and wants his wife to stay firmly within the confines of the castle. His disappearance for a significant portion of the film, ostensibly on some sort of trip, certainly makes him a suspect in the unfolding crimes. Then there is Erich (Christopher Lee), a taciturn German gent who acts as a personal manservant to Max. This guy is downright ominous, definitely someone that could be murderer material, and his penchant for sharp knives and popping up suddenly in every room of the castle reeks of suspicion. Then there's the silver haired bloke that keeps confronting Mary on the grounds of the estate. He claims he's merely a traveler touring the great castles of Europe, but his fascination with our heroine and her newfound status as Hunter's wife raises a few eyebrows. So who is carrying out the gruesome crimes? The answer comes in time, and it's a bit of a shocker when the film reveals all.

"The Virgin of Nuremberg" is an excellent example of gothic horror. Margheriti had some experience in this genre before making this film. His "Castle of Blood", for instance, is a prime example of gothic horror that fans often compare to Mario Bava's "Black Sunday." "Nuremberg" differs from these two films in that Margheriti shot the picture in color, ramped up the gore somewhat, and employed Riz Ortolani to give it that odd musical score. Colors fairly leap off the screen here, and an eye gouging and nasty nasal atrocity coupled with the grisly unmasking of the murderer gives the movie a bloody punch it desperately needs. If it weren't for the vivid color scheme and the carnage, "Nuremberg" would drag like a lead weight. That's because for the vast majority of the film's runtime, nothing much happens. I challenge you not to look at your watch after seeing Mary Hunter run about the castle in a dither for the umpteenth time. Moreover, the movie doesn't adequately utilize the talents of Christopher Lee. Sure, his character is sinister and crucial to the plot, but it's pretty obvious nearly any actor could play this part with as much effectiveness. Aside from the violence and the look of the movie, I'd have to say "The Virgin of Nuremberg" isn't anything special. It's worth watching once, certainly, but that's about it.

Shriek Show, a label of Media Blasters, gives Margheriti's film a decent treatment. The picture transfer is nice, not perfect, occasionally marred by slight imperfections. Extras include a photo and poster gallery and a trailers for the films "Faceless," "Flesh for the Beast," "The Virgin of Nuremberg" and "Flesh Eater." I'll give "Virgin" three stars; the visual look on display here and the conclusion to the film helps counterbalance the picture's deficits, but just barely. Christopher Lee completists will want to add this to their collection, but all others should definitely rent first.