''The Blancheville Monster'', released in the UK and Italy as ''Horror'', is a 1963

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 ...

directed by

Alberto de Martino Alberto De Martino (12 June 1929 – 2 June 2015) was an Italian film director and screenwriter. Born in Rome, De Martino started as a child actor and later returned to the cinema where worked as a screenwriter, director and dubbing supervis ...

. The film's script by

Gianni Grimaldi Giovanni Grimaldi (14 November 1917 – 25 February 2001) was an Italian screenwriter, journalist and film director. He was sometimes credited as Gianni Grimaldi. Biography Born in Catania, Sicily, Grimaldi entered the cinema industry in 1952 ...

and

Bruno Corbucci Bruno Corbucci (23 October 1931 – 7 September 1996) was an Italian screenwriter and film director. He was the younger brother of Sergio Corbucci, and wrote many of his films. He was born in Rome, where he also died. The vast majority o ...

is promoted as being based on the works of

Edgar Allan Poe Edgar Allan Poe (; Edgar Poe; January 19, 1809 – October 7, 1849) was an American writer, poet, editor, and literary critic. Poe is best known for his poetry and short stories, particularly his tales of mystery and the macabre. He is wide ...

, but actually only borrows elements from the short stories "

The Fall of the House of Usher "The Fall of the House of Usher" is a short story by American writer Edgar Allan Poe, first published in 1839 in ''Burton's Gentleman's Magazine'', then included in the collection ''Tales of the Grotesque and Arabesque'' in 1840. The short story ...

", "

A Tale of the Ragged Mountains "A Tale of the Ragged Mountains" is a short story written by Edgar Allan Poe partially based on his experiences while a student at the University of Virginia. Set near Charlottesville, it is the only one of Poe's stories to take place in Virginia. ...

" and "

Some Words with a Mummy "Some Words with a Mummy" is a satirical short story by American writer Edgar Allan Poe. It was first published in '' The American Review: A Whig Journal of Politics, Literature, Art and Science'' in April 1845. It is recognized as an important earl ...

". Long after its release, director Alberto de Martino described his film as "a little film of no importance".

Plot

Emilie De Blancheville returns to her family's castle and finds things have drastically changed. Her brother Roderic is now in charge of the estate. The servants have all died and been replaced by new staff members who are cold and unfamiliar. Her father, Count Blancheville, has been horribly disfigured and lives secluded in one of the castle's isolated towers. The Count believes the Blanchevilles are under a

family curse A curse (also called an imprecation, malediction, execration, malison, anathema, or commination) is any expressed wish that some form of adversity or misfortune will befall or attach to one or more persons, a place, or an object. In particular, ...

, which can only be lifted if Emilie dies before her 21st birthday, five days away. When the Count escapes from the tower, Emily realizes her life is in danger.

Cast

Gérard Tichy Gerard Tichy (also Gérard Tichy, Gerhard Tichi and Gerardo Tichy, 11 March 1920 – 11 April 1992) was a Spanish actor of German descent, who appeared in numerous movies, including several international productions. He was born in Weißenfels ...

- Rodéric De Blancheville *

Leo Anchóriz Leopoldo de Anchóriz Fustel (September 22, 1932 – February 17, 1987) was a Spanish actor and writer, most notable for appearing in Spaghetti Western films. Biography Fustel was born in Almería, Spain on 22 September 1932. His real name ...

- Doctor LaRouche *

Ombretta Colli Ombretta Colli (born Ombretta Comelli on 21 September 1943) is an Italian singer, actress and politician. She was president of the Province of Milan from June 1999 to June 2004.Helga Liné Helga Liné (; born Helga Lina Stern on 14 July 1932) is a German-born Portuguese-Spanish-American film actress and circus acrobat best known for her work in the horror genre of film. She made 132 appearances mostly in film between 1941 and 20 ...

- Miss Eleanore *

Irán Eory Irán Eory ( fa, ایران اِئوری; 21 October 1939 – 10 March 2002, born Elvira Teresa Eory) was an Iranian-born actress. She achieved fame in Mexico after moving to that country in the late 1960s. Biography She was born in Tehran, I ...

- Alice Taylor * Vanni Materassi (as Richard Davis) - John Taylor * Paco Morán (as Frank Moran) - Alistair

Production

Spanish sources for the production credit Natividad Zaro as a contributor to the script. As with many European co-productions of the era, this was done for tax reasons. Italian promotional material for the film promoted it as a product based on an

story, but the film only borrows elements from "

", "

" and "

". The film's style is closer to that of a

Roger Corman Roger William Corman (born April 5, 1926) is an American film director, producer, and actor. He has been called "The Pope of Pop Cinema" and is known as a trailblazer in the world of independent film. Many of Corman's films are based on works t ...

film rather than the Italian gothic horror films of era. Director

felt he was more inspired by

Alfred Hitchcock Sir Alfred Joseph Hitchcock (13 August 1899 – 29 April 1980) was an English filmmaker. He is widely regarded as one of the most influential figures in the history of cinema. In a career spanning six decades, he directed over 50 featur ...

. The film was shot at Monastery of Santa Maria La Real de Valdeiglesias in Spain and at Cinecittà in Rome.

Release

''The Blancheville Monster'' was released in Italy on June 6, 1963 through

Titanus Titanus is an Italian film production company, founded in 1904 by Gustavo Lombardo (1885–1951). The company's headquarters are located at 28 Via Sommacampagna, Rome and its studios on the Via Tiburtina, 13 km from the centre of Rome. Lom ...

. It was released in Italy under the title ''Horror'' as chosen by producer

Italo Zingarelli Italo Zingarelli (; 15 January 1930 – 29 April 2000) was an Italian film producer. He produced 26 films between 1954 and 1995. In 1981, he was a member of the jury at the 31st Berlin International Film Festival. Selected filmography * ...

. The film grossed 87 million

Italian lira The lira (; plural lire) was the currency of Italy between 1861 and 2002. It was first introduced by the Napoleonic Kingdom of Italy in 1807 at par with the French franc, and was subsequently adopted by the different states that would eventually f ...

on its initial theatrical run in Italy.

Home media

The film is in

public domain The public domain (PD) consists of all the creative work A creative work is a manifestation of creative effort including fine artwork (sculpture, paintings, drawing, sketching, performance art), dance, writing (literature), filmmaking, ...

in the United States. On March 23, 2004, it was released on

DVD The DVD (common abbreviation for Digital Video Disc or Digital Versatile Disc) is a digital optical disc data storage format. It was invented and developed in 1995 and first released on November 1, 1996, in Japan. The medium can store any kin ...

Alpha Video Alpha Video (also known as Alpha Home Entertainment) is an entertainment company, based near Philadelphia, that specializes in the manufacturing and marketing of public domain movies and TV shows on DVD. Alpha Video releases approximately 30 ne ...

. Alpha Video would also re-release the film on April 8, 2009 as part of its ''Gothic Horror'' Movie Pack. It was later released by Mill Creek Entertainment on August 30, 2005, as part of its ''Chilling Classics'' DVD. Mill Creek would re-release the film on August 19, 2008 as part of its ''Tales of Horror'' Collection. On August 30, 2007, it was released by Direct Source as part of its ''Monster Mash'' Movie Pack. On August 24, the following year, it was released by TNT Media Group. It was last released by Retro Media on November 19, 2013 as a part of its 50th Anniversary ''Edgar Allan Poe's Horror'' Pack. Arrow Films would release it on a Bluray boxset along with three other gothic films in October 2022 in UK.

Reception

referred to his own film as "a little film of no importance" and that the only thing he found memorable was the mask used in the film, which was sculpted by his father. Roberto Curti, author of ''Italian Gothic Horror Films, 1957-1969'' (2015) stated that the film "does not have much to offer" outside de Martino's competent directing and

Alejandro Ulloa Alejandro Ulloa (22 October 1910 – 27 April 2004) was a Spanish actor. He was born in Madrid on 22 October 1910. He owned a theater company and in 1943, while working as a voice actor, he was the director of Metro Goldwin Mayer in Barcelona. Hi ...

's lighting. Curti also noted the plot's cliches and mediocre acting. Bartłomiej Paszylk, author of ''The Pleasure and Pain of Cult Horror Films'' referred to the film as one of the brighter moments of Alberto de Martino's career and that "neither the overacting nor the many flaws of the script can take away the pleasure of watching ''The Blancheville Monster''".

References

Notes

Bibliography

* * * *

External links

* * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Blancheville Monster, The Italian horror films Spanish monster movies Italian black-and-white films Spanish black-and-white films Films set in castles Films shot in Rome Films shot in Spain Films directed by Alberto De Martino Gothic horror films 1960s Italian films