Mr. Sardonicus

1961
Approved
1h 29m

IMDb RATING

6.6/10

3.7K

YOUR RATING

Play trailer3:37

2 Videos

89 Photos

Drama Horror Mystery

A mysterious and cruel Baron, whose face has become frozen in a horrifying grin, demands that a prominent London physician apply experimental treatments on him to restore his face.A mysterious and cruel Baron, whose face has become frozen in a horrifying grin, demands that a prominent London physician apply experimental treatments on him to restore his face.A mysterious and cruel Baron, whose face has become frozen in a horrifying grin, demands that a prominent London physician apply experimental treatments on him to restore his face.

See production info at IMDbPro

IMDb RATING

6.6/10

3.7K

YOUR RATING

See production info at IMDbPro

Awards
- 1 nomination

Second Girl
(uncredited)

William Castle

William Castle
(uncredited)

Constance Cavendish

Mrs. Higgins
(uncredited)

Albert D'Arno

Gatekeeper
(uncredited)

James Forrest

Geoffery Wainwright
(uncredited)

David Janti

Janku
(uncredited)

Annalena Lund

First Girl
(uncredited)

Mavis Neal Palmer

Head Nurse
(uncredited)

Charles H. Radilak

Stationmaster
(uncredited)

Franz Roehn

Gravedigger
(uncredited)

Tina Woodward

The Girl
(uncredited)

Storyline

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Did you know

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Trivia
William Castle: [gimmick] During its initial theatrical release, attendees were given small white cards with luminous thumbs with which to vote thumbs-up or thumbs-down.

Goofs
Sir Robert "invents" the hypodermic needle, despite its having been invented decades earlier than the film's 1880 setting.

The film doesn't say Sir Robert invented the hypodermic needle. It correctly says that Alexander Wood invented the modern hypodermic needle and syringe. However, it is true that this invention was made long before the date the film is set in.

Quotes
[repeated line]
Krull: When my master says, "Krull, do this thing," I do the thing, whatever it may be.

Alternate versions
An alternate version was supplied for drive-ins. For this version, only the footage of 'William Castle (I)' was different. For the drive-in version, instead of the "Punishment Poll" cards, the audience was asked to flash their headlights to vote on the ending. The Columbia exchanges could replace the two William Castle segments to make an existing print suitable for drive-in bookings. As with the theater version, there was only one ending filmed.

Connections
Featured in Creature Features: Mr. Sardonicus (1971)

Soundtracks
Foggy, Foggy Dew
(uncredited)
English folk song
Performed by Ronald Lewis
[Sir Robert sings the song while he's taking a bath at the Baron's castle]

User reviews98

Review

Featured review

6/10

Silly Gothic Fun

William Castle usually marketed his movies with gimmicks, and for MR. SARDONICUS the gimmick was "the punishment poll." When the film played in theatrical release, audience members were issued a voting card, and near the movie's conclusion Castle himself appeared on the screen and asked the audience to vote: show the card thumbs up to show mercy, thumbs down for none. Now, in theory, there were two different endings, and the ending shown depended on the audience vote--but no one ever saw the "show mercy" ending and it seems unlikely that it ever existed at all. And you certainly won't find it here: Sardonicus is punished every time.

For once Castle should have left well enough alone. The Punishment Poll is the only seriously weak thing in the entire film, which has a considerably better script and over-all better cast than most Castle outings. The story, which shows influences from everything from PHANTOM OF THE OPERA to Dracula to THE MAN THAT LAUGHED, concerns a grotesquely disfigured man who uses his wife to lure a noted specialist to his castle in the wilds of "Gorslavia"--and who then proceeds to make every one's life as miserable as possible, and that's throwing roses at it. Young women are molested, hung from the ceiling, nibbled on by leeches, and threatened with surgery designed to make them look as hideous as Sardonicus himself.

The cast is quite good, with Oskar Homolka a standout as Krull, Sardonicus' equally depraved servant. The lovely Audrey Dalton is also memorable as Sardonicus' unwilling wife. But the real star of the film is the make-up, which was quite famous in its day and is still capable of giving you a jolt. And along the way we're treated to a number of campy Castle flourishes that add to the fun. But MR. SARDONICUS is surprisingly cohesive for a Castle movie, and it moves along at a smart pace and has an interestingly atmospheric look. Most Castle films appeal almost exclusively to fans of cult and B-movies, but just about every one will find this one entertaining. Lots of silly Gothic fun! Gary F. Taylor, aka GFT, Amazon Reviewer