This film was direct to video and it had a rating of 5.9/10 prior to my viewing experience. So I was obviously prepared for some cheesy shlock and maybe a bit of frontal nudity. However, I was pleasantly surprised at how good the film turned out to be.
It's definitely not intended to be a major blockbuster. The limited scenes and few characters would not have spiked enough interest in a big creature feature released in a theater. I can understand that. The film makes up for that by diffusing in a very slow build up of atmosphere. There is really not so much gore as there is a sense of a general haunting in the castle. There are ghosts not just physically embodied in the titular castle freak but also in the memories of events that transpired in the castle. There is definitely a focus on the psychological element of horror with parental abuse and negligence being a key motif . And all the horror scenes , even the few gory ones, help to propagate this specific theme.
Jeferry Combs and the ever beautiful Barbara Crampton, under the direction of Stuart Gordon, really have managed to make the perfect Lovecraftian horror movie. Jeffery Combs in particular really does give a fine performance in general. I wish he were given more recognition in Hollywood .
So yes,please see this movie if you love atmosphere and watching scenes and dialogue that help to carry across a specific theme.
