MOVIE: Baron Blood (1972)

aka Gli orrori del castello di Norimberga (original title)

Peter (Antonio Cantafora) is in Austria in search of his ancestry. He is the descendant of Baron Otto von Kleist, a sadistic man who in his time terrorised the locals, before being burnt at the stake. Peter's uncle takes him to the Baron's castle, where Eva Arnold (Elke Sommer) shows him around the property, which is to be auctioned. At the sale, the winning bidder is the mysterious Alfred Becker (Joseph Cotten), who seems to have both a wide knowledge of and slightly unhealthy interest in the Baron's activities. Meanwhile, people are starting to get bumped off - does Becker have something to do with it?

Whilst not exactly one of Mario Bava's greatest films, there is still enough of interest to make Baron Blood worth a view. I normally side with the original European versions of his films, but in this case the AIP version for the US does tighten things up considerably, and dare I say I find Les Baxter's score in this version more effective, although Stelvio Cipriani's original score is enjoyable enough, even if his theme music is a tad 70's lounge in style.

The Viennese castle location is especially striking, and as you would expect from its director, there are several well staged set pieces. A sequence in which Elke Sommer is stalked through the fog is trademark Bava, but the sum overall is not as great as its parts. The usually reliable Joseph Cotten seems slightly ill at ease as Becker (the role had first been offered to Vincent Price), whilst Sommer also seems a little out of place. The script fails to make the most of Becker revealing his true colours: once the reveal has been made, the film seems to suddenly be over too quickly, whilst some of what has come before has perhaps gone on a bit too long.

Still, all things considered, Bava on an off day is still more interesting than a lot of directors on full steam. Recommended to his fans as an occasionally interesting entry in his canon, whilst cautiously recommended as a curio to others.

Blu-Ray Notes: Yet another solid presentation from Arrow Films. The transfer is pleasing enough, if not earth shattering, but is likely to be about as good as this film will look considering the source material. However, having the Italian, English export and US versions of the film all together is a horror buff's dream! Trailers, radio spots, a slide show of Bava on various film sets and an interview with fellow director Ruggero Deodato provide the extras.




West Germany/Italy 1972 -  Leone International/Cinevision/American International

98 Minutes (original version), 90 minutes (US version)

Certificate - 15 (UK)

Blu-Ray/DVD: Arrow Films (UK)