Odelecol Pretty good movie overall. First half was nothing special but it got better as it went along.

Nayan Gough A great movie, one of the best of this year. There was a bit of confusion at one point in the plot, but nothing serious.

Kaelan Mccaffrey Like the great film, it's made with a great deal of visible affection both in front of and behind the camera.

Rosie Searle It's the kind of movie you'll want to see a second time with someone who hasn't seen it yet, to remember what it was like to watch it for the first time.

Foreverisacastironmess I always enjoyed this film from the first I saw it, I found it to be a well acted and solidly directed effort all around, it had a nice atmosphere to it that was very eerie at points, and it had one of the best kinds of monsters - the sympathetic one. It might be directed by the from my experience consistently entertaining Stuart Gordon but it's nothing at all like the gruesome manic splatter fun of Re-Animator or From Beyond, but is a little less fantastical and more slow burning and character driven, although it certainly does have some violent gory scenes in it where it counts. I was surprised when I saw that it was made in 1995 I really thought it had a more eighties vibe to it. I love all the sparse Gothic grandeur of the Italian castle where most of the story takes place, it's gorgeous and brings a lot of atmosphere to the movie and the setting makes for such a distinctive tone. The film does have something of a mystery element to it, even though thanks to the DVD cover art and the opening prologue there's no question about who the killer is.. I thought Jeffrey Combs gives a good performance, it was nice to see him play something a little more dramatic and normal instead of an eccentric type, and he's effective as a tortured father and alcoholic who's inadvertently responsible for the death of his young son and the blinding of his daughter, and who yearns to redeem himself in some way, which in the worst way he ultimately does.. And another Gordon regular, Barbara Crampton is good as well, she and Combs have a certain well-established old chemistry together as actors, and they both really kind of come full circle in this movie, having gone from playing enemies, to people that were close, and finally a couple that were once in love but now genuinely seem to hate each other! Jonathan Fuller was fantastic as the craven, repulsive and quite impotently lustful freak, he's terrifying yet pitiable. I love the scene where the kindly old housekeeper tells the tale of poor monstrous Georgio, it's such an unimaginably cruel fate to suffer when you think about it. He was once a regular human being who, through complete isolation and his only human contact being decades of horrific abuse and torture at the hands of his own insane mother, who took a cold hearted and evil lifelong revenge on her own innocent child for the sins of his father, became a virtually mindless subhuman beast who on some twisted level remains that child, he's a most tragic monster. The most disturbing and vicious scene is when the freak does some awful things to a prostitute, ladies of the audience take note, this part of the movie is likely to make you squirm.. So I like this pretty grim violent horror flick a lot, it has a scary human monster in it and is a tense creepy and very underrated gem of the Full Moon back catalogue and is well worth checking out, you may be quite surprised by it.

Scott LeBrun John (Jeffrey Combs) and Susan Reilly (Barbara Crampton) are a married couple going through some very dark times. She blames him for the fatal car crash that blinded their teen aged daughter Rebecca (Jessica Dollarhide) and killed their younger child J.J. (Alessandro Sebastian Satta). Now, years later, John learns that he has inherited a 12th century Italian castle. They come to do some inventory (John really just wants to sell the place) and do a little exploring. What they discover is that the castle also comes with a secret: a monster, Giorgio (Jonathan Fuller) residing in the lower levels.What gives "Castle Freak" an edge over similar horror product is the overwhelming feeling of tragedy. A pall hangs over this whole film; one has to wonder if this family is ever going to be happy again. Giorgio, too, comes with his own desperately unhappy back story. As is the case with many a movie monster, he's quite pitiable as well as hideous. Fuller is excellent in the role. As often as he creeps you out, he earns your sympathies.While Combs does tend to get his due as a truly talented actor, this viewer would have to point to "Castle Freak" as a solid example of just how good Crampton is as an actress. She's more than just a pretty face. The dramatic tension between John and Susan is palpable. Dollarhide, too, is very good, delivering a sensitive and vulnerable performance. It's somewhat wearying that Susan keeps automatically dismissing Rebeccas' insistence of the other presence in the castle. Stubborn characters can be hard to deal with in this or any other genre.Director Stuart Gordon and his largely Italian crew create vivid atmosphere. They mostly try to avoid bright colours. In fact, this is one of those instances where it feels like the filmmakers tried to create a slightly colourized version of a black & white movie. The makeup effects by Optic Nerve are impressive, and Richard Bands' music is excellent."Castle Freak" definitely deserves a wider audience. It's a serious, somber story where one does get emotionally invested in these characters.Inspired by, rather than officially based on, the H.P. Lovecraft tale "The Outsider".Seven out of 10.

smileybug-356-78305 OK, this movie I saw years ago and just now found it again. I have looked for it on Netflix, but they have never added it which is a real shame given the amount of truly awful movies they do have streaming. This movie is a classic horror movie. It is like no other story I have ever seen, the location is creepy as hallway after hallway, stairway after stairway just makes for a very good suspenseful movie. The "Castle Freak" is truly wonderful in this movie, probably the best actor in it. Great special effects used to create his look. There is some disgusting violent moments if you are grossed out easily, and some serious nakedness, though brief. I like that the Castle Freak is not easily overtaken, he is fast, seemingly intelligent despite his horrible upbringing, and at times he even shows true sadness in his emotions. I actually felt myself feeling sorry for him a few times! The lead actor completely overacts throughout the whole movie, the wife and daughter are better. I do think it is weird how this movie, done in 1995, has the look and feel of a movie done in the late 70's/early 80's. Not sure if it is the film quality or if they meant it to be this way. Regardless, I would recommend this to anyone who likes a unique horror movie with an actual story.

pcsarkar I have high regard for Gordon's brand of film-making, and CF doesn't disappoint. Although it lacks the gore and special effects of Gordon's other films like Dagon and Herbert West - Reanimator. In fact, I thought that this too was based on a Lovecraft story, but came to know from the credits that this Gothic plot was penned by Gordon himself.Its difficult to decide whether CF was the oppressor or the oppressed. An individual who is manacled, castrated and left to rot in a dungeon since childhood, coupled with frequent lashing with a cat-o-nine tails, cannot hope to grow up into a normal human being. And when such a person breaks free, he is bound to create havoc, since his alienation is total, because he has no sense of right or wrong. And so it happened with CF in the film.As usual, Combs rocks, and the female characters: the prostitute, the mother and the daughter, all display their hot bodies with aplomb. The yelling of the mother got on my nerves after a while, and my only regret is that she was not ripped apart by CF.A point of confusion: Just how long was CF in the dungeon after his crazed mother died? How did he survive without food and water for so long, till Combs' family arrived? I know that its futile to search for logic in a horror film, but still..Watchable, at least once, but certainly not a collectible. And yeah, the irritating, selfish mother, most definitely deserved to be messed up a bit by CF..