Castle of the Creeping Flesh

"A haunted Gothic tale of madness, lust and blood-chilling horror!"

1968 1h 25m DE

💀

4.5

SKIP

★4.5TMDB · 13

Horror

Synopsis

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In an ancient castle, a mad scientist is trying to revive his dead daughter by an operation, but there are certain body parts he needs that he can't get. His problem is solved when a group of drunken party-goers stumble into his castle.

“A haunted Gothic tale of madness, lust and blood-chilling horror!”

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Where to watch · US

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Cast

Janine Reynaud
Vera Lagrange
Howard Vernon
Graf Saxon
Michel Lemoine
Baron Brack
Elvira Berndorff
Elena Lagrange
Claudia Butenuth
Marion v. Kassell / Katharina Saxon
Vladimir Medar
Alecos
Jan Hendriks
Georg v. Kassell
Adrian Hoven
Georg v. Kassell (voice) (uncredited)

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Adrian Hoven
Writers: Eric Martin Schnitzler, Adrian Hoven, Jesús Franco
Languages: German
Countries: Germany

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

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

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

ERA

Did you know

58 years old — a genuine piece of film history.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

RUNTIME

Did you know

Lean credit list — fewer than 30 people officially credited.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Adrian Hoven, shot by Jorge Herrero. 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 Jerry van Rooyen. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Janine Reynaud and Howard Vernon and Michel Lemoine carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

FACT

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "A haunted Gothic tale of madness, lust and blood-chilling horror!".

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt0061806 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Adrian Hoven directs. Jorge Herrero behind the camera. Jerry van Rooyen scores. Runs lean at under 100 minutes. Produced in Germany. Dialogue in German.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

185 minutes exactly — the "classic feature" runtime most directors aim for.
258 years old — a genuine piece of film history.
3Lean credit list — fewer than 30 people officially credited.
4Directed by Adrian Hoven, shot by Jorge Herrero. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
5Original score by Jerry van Rooyen. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
6Janine Reynaud and Howard Vernon and Michel Lemoine carry the top of the cast.
7Marketing tagline: "A haunted Gothic tale of madness, lust and blood-chilling horror!".
8IMDB entry: tt0061806 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
9Only 13 TMDB ratings — you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.

The technical file

Cinematography: Jorge Herrero
Original score: Jerry van Rooyen
Runtime: 85 min · 1h 25m
Status: Released
Original language: DE
Certification (US): 18
IMDB: Castle of the Creeping Flesh (1968)

Also by

Adrian Hoven

Trailers & featurettes

Watch the pieces

Community reviews

What people are saying

Wuchak2023-10-24
★ 4/10
Castle of the Filmmakers on LSD in the Wild Mid-60s Several upscale partyers in modern Saxony are forced to stay overnight at a creepy castle. Good thing for the reclusive Earl (Howard Vernon) because he desperately desires to resurrect his recently dead daughter. A West German production, “Castle of the Creeping Flesh” (1968), originally named “In the Castle of Bloody Lust” (translated), is castle horror by the director of the infamous "Mark of the Devil," which debuted two years later. It came in the tradition of earlier flicks like "The Terror" and "Bloody Pit of Horror"; these would influence future ones like “Devil's Nightmare,” “Baron Blood,” "Howling V: The Rebirth” and "Subspecies.” The best thing about all of them is the spooky castle ambiance, but this is easily the worst of the lot and could be classified as Eurotrash, literally. The entire first act is compelling enough while the second act borrows bits from the Gothic horror of Dracula and Frankenstein. However, once the protagonists of questionable character are staying overnight at the castle, the story bogs down with witless close-up footage of open-heart surgery and tedious ambiguity, not to mention a lousy fake bear sequence. Even "The Devil's Wedding Night" seems coherent by comparison. Janine Reynaud (Vera) and Elvira Berndorff (Elena) are attractive enough and, for those interested, shown semi-nude, but they lack the essentials to cull much interest; for me anyway. Meanwhile Michel Lemoine (Baron Brack) has interesting crazy eyes and the horseback riding in the heart of Europe is nice, but that’s about the extent of the highlights. As low-budget and quickly-made as Roger Corman’s "The Terror" was, it’s a masterpiece of cinematic art by comparison. Even "And Now the Screaming Starts" is superior (which, admittedly, has a good second half, the opposite of this one). The movie runs 1 hour, 24 minutes, was shot in northeast Austria at Burg Kreuzenstein (the castle), Leobendorf, Lower Austria, Austria, and nearby Oberrohrbach, Korneuburg. GRADE: C-

Production companies