''Castle Sinister'' was a 1932 British

horror film Horror is a film genre that seeks to elicit fear or disgust in its audience for entertainment purposes. Horror films often explore dark subject matter and may deal with transgressive topics or themes. Broad elements include monsters, apoca ...

produced, written and directed by

Widgey R. Newman Widgey R. Newman (1900–1944) was a British screenwriter, producer and film director.Chibna;; p.20 He was a major force in the British B film industry of the 1930s, overseeing the production of a number of quota quickies. Selected filmography ...

. Very little is known of either the film or the director, although available information suggests Newman to have been something of a maverick in the British film industry of the time. ''Castle Sinister'' is classed as a

lost film A lost film is a feature or short film that no longer exists in any studio archive, private collection, public archive or the U.S. Library of Congress. Conditions During most of the 20th century, U.S. copyright law required at least one copy o ...

Overview

The film was apparently set in a lonely mansion in Devon, and was marketed with the tagline "Mad doctor tries to put girl's brain into apeman's head!" A brief synopsis in the cinema magazine ''The Bioscope'' (6 April 1932) offers a plot outline: "The story of a young man's adventures in a large country mansion with a scientist who is engaged in forwarding his theory that rejuvenation by the transfer of certain glands is more than a possibility. A girl is, of course, involved to supply the necessary love interest, and a misshapen creature, victim of the scientist, supplies the thrills." It also mentions "a constantly howling wind and a generous sprinkling of skulls and skeletons".

Cast

Haddon Mason Haddon Mason (21 February 1898 – 30 April 1966) was a British film actor. Selected filmography * ''Every Mother's Son (film), Every Mother's Son'' (1926) * ''Dawn (1928 film), Dawn'' (1928) * ''The Triumph of the Scarlet Pimpernel (film), The ...

as Roland Kemp * Eric Adeney as Professor Bandov *

Wally Patch Walter Sydney Vinnicombe (26 September 1888 – 27 October 1970) was an English actor and comedian. He worked in film, television and theatre. Biography Vinnicombe was born in Willesden, Middlesex and began working on the music hall stages in ...

as Jorkins * Ilsa Kilpatrick as Jean * Edmund Kennedy as Father

Survival status

''Castle Sinister'' is now considered lost with nothing known to survive even in the way of production stills or promotional material. The film is considered of great interest by horror film historians as one of the first documented British horror films and a very early experiment in a genre for which the British film industry would become renowned between the 1950s and 1970s. Although the likelihood of the film being rediscovered would appear remote, in view of its perceived historical value it is included on the

British Film Institute The British Film Institute (BFI) is a film and television charitable organisation which promotes and preserves film-making and television in the United Kingdom. The BFI uses funds provided by the National Lottery to encourage film production, ...

's " 75 Most Wanted" list of missing British feature films.

References

External links

BFI 75 Most Wanted entry
with extensive notes * 1932 films 1932 horror films British horror films British black-and-white films Lost British films Lost horror films Films directed by Widgey R. Newman Quota quickies 1930s English-language films 1930s British films {{1930s-horror-film-stub