Castle Freak

Hier werde ich nichts Neues schreiben: ein schrecklich langsamer Anfang, in dem hauptsächlich der sich auflösende Beziehung zweier Ehepartner und das tragische Schicksal ihrer Kinder behandelt wird. Es hat mich fast abgeschreckt, aber ich dachte mir: Ruhe, du hast den Re-Animator Combs dort und da es ein Film von Gordon ist, habe ich immer auf einen Durchbruch gewartet. Und ja, wirklich! Die zweite Hälfte nimmt schnell Fahrt auf, das Monster unter der Bettdecke fängt an, alle zu massakrieren, und wenn es endlich entlarvt wird, ist es eine Freude, es anzusehen. Die Maskenbildner haben gewonnen, das ist gut. Einige Morde sind ziemlich brutal, vor allem das Verschlucken der lebendigen Vagina hat mich erwischt! Die letzten 20 Minuten intensiver Spannung haben mich überzeugt, einen zusätzlichen Stern hinzuzufügen. Es hat seine Fehler und es gibt nicht gerade wenige, aber ich werde es in Ruhe übersehen. Für die Gewalt gebe ich 70 Prozent. (14.10.2010)

This almost forgotten film by Gordon was a pleasant surprise. The beginning drags a lot, but when the monster is unleashed and begins its rampage, there’s hardly anything to complain about. The protagonist (not Combs) looks great and the gore is surprisingly good and detailed for the 90s. The script isn’t the best, actually, it’s just silly and clichéd, but the execution brings it up. You can even feel afraid! 7/10 (03.06.2009)

More and more I'm beginning to realize that after Re-Animator Stuart Gordon hasn't made anything to match his first film. They're not bad movies, but they're not as memorable. This film has good moments, but overall I found it so ordinary that I just can't rate it higher than 60%. (17.04.2016)

The long-awaited horror B-movie gem from the nineties turned out to be quite friendly in the end. The film kept me attentive the whole time, and despite the slower pace at the beginning, I didn't give up because the first two minutes were quite worth it and foreshadowed the later decent atmosphere and gore. Every time the monster appears on the scene, it's really worth watching because the makeup artists did a decent and quality job, the monster look is seriously unpleasant, especially when it lurks around the blind daughter's bed at night, it doesn't bring good feelings. On the other hand, a downside is certainly the cliché. The monster is everywhere but nowhere. It manages to stay hidden for a long time, even though it's running around the castle like in a race. The same goes for the very random ending, where the sound was faster than the light, but I'll overlook that because Castle Freak is a decent film for its time, which knows how to scare, especially. (29.03.2016)