Castle Freak

"Hideous, hungry, and loose!"

1996 1h 30m EN

😐

6.1

MID

★6.1TMDB · 250

ThrillerDramaHorrorMystery

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

John Reilly discovers that his family's newly inherited castle in Italy is haunted by a relentless, bloodthirsty creature.

“Hideous, hungry, and loose!”

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Where to watch · US

Cast

Jeffrey Combs
John Reilly
Barbara Crampton
Susan Reilly
Jonathan Fuller
Giorgio
Jessica Dollarhide
Rebecca Reilly
Massimo Sarchielli
Giannetti
Elisabeth Kaza
Agnese
Luca Zingaretti
Forte
Helen Stirling
Duchess D'Orsino

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Stuart Gordon
Writers: Stuart Gordon, Dennis Paoli, Dennis Paoli
Languages: English, Italian, Swedish
Countries: United States of America

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

RUNTIME

Did you know

90 minutes exactly — the "classic feature" runtime most directors aim for.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

ERA

Did you know

30 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

Dialogue crosses 3 languages: English, Italian, Swedish.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Stuart Gordon, shot by Mario Vulpiani. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Richard Band. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Bert Glatstein shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Jeffrey Combs and Barbara Crampton and Jonathan Fuller carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

FACT

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "Hideous, hungry, and loose!".

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Stuart Gordon directs. Mario Vulpiani behind the camera. Richard Band scores. Bert Glatstein cuts. Runs lean at under 100 minutes. Produced in United States of America. Dialogue in English, Italian, Swedish.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

190 minutes exactly — the "classic feature" runtime most directors aim for.
230 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.
3Dialogue crosses 3 languages: English, Italian, Swedish.
4Directed by Stuart Gordon, shot by Mario Vulpiani. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
5Original score by Richard Band. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
6Editor Bert Glatstein shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
7Jeffrey Combs and Barbara Crampton and Jonathan Fuller carry the top of the cast.
8Marketing tagline: "Hideous, hungry, and loose!".
9IMDB entry: tt0112643 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
10Classified under 18 themes, including "child abuse", "monster", "halloween", "haunted house".

The technical file

Cinematography: Mario Vulpiani
Original score: Richard Band
Editing: Bert Glatstein
Costume design: Tiziana Mancini
Makeup / hair: Giancarlo Lucchetti
Sound: Mike Draghi
Stunt coordinator: Margo Stefanelli
Runtime: 90 min · 1h 30m
Aspect ratio (typical): 1.37:1 (Academy)
Status: Released
Original language: EN
Certification (US): R
IMDB: Castle Freak (1996)

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Stuart Gordon

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Community reviews

What people are saying

Wuchak2023-04-05
★ 8/10
Yup, there’s an ancient Italian CASTLE and a misshapen FREAK An American man (Jeffrey Combs) inherits a castle about an hour’s drive north of Rome and brings his wife & daughter (Barbara Crampton and Jessica Dollarhide). The couple is troubled by the husband’s alcoholism, which caused the death of their young son. Meanwhile the teen daughter insists that someone else is dwelling in the castle. Havoc ensues. I didn’t have high hopes for “Castle Freak” (1995) due to the blunt title and cheesy movie poster, but it’s surprisingly well done for a flick that only cost $500,000. I couldn’t help be reminded of HP Lovecraft’s “The Dunwich Horror” (1970) and therefore wasn’t surprised to find out the film was inspired by Lovecraft’s "The Outsider." The tone and setting is similar to “Subspecies” (1991), just exchange the vampire for a contorted monstrosity. Speaking of the undead, the milieu also brings to mind Dracula flicks, like the most recent (at the time) “Bram Stoker’s Dracula” (1992). The first half takes its time to set up the characters, create some Gothic mood and milk suspense while the second half turns increasingly horrific and tragic. Psychologically, there are several gems to mine, like the consequences of abuse and folly, not to mention potential redemption and forgiveness in a fallen world. Culturally, this is a great flick to get a feel for pastoral Italy. Raffaella Offidani appears on the feminine front as a chic courtesan and I couldn’t help thinking of Halle Berry. I prefer Jessica Dollarhide as Rebecca, but not enough is done with her (not talkin’ ’bout nudity or sleaze). Speaking of which, there’s some nakedness and a little passionate sex on display, as well as utterly gruesome bits. Just a heads up. The ending was, incidentally, ripped off in “Cold Creek Manor” (2003). Meanwhile a reimaging was released in 2020 under the same title, but I have yet to see it (although the trailer is intriguing). The film runs 1 hour, 30 minutes, and was shot in Giove & Attigliano, Italy, including the castle owned by executive producer Charles Band. The region is 45 miles due north of Rome. I shouldn’t close without mentioning Luca Zingaretti’s significant role as the sheriff. GRADE: A-/B+

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