a.k.a. Amanti D’oltretomba / Night of the Doomed
company: Cinematografica EmmeCi
year: 1965
runtime: 104′
country: Italy
director: Mario Caiano [as Allan Grunewald]
cast: Barbara Steele, Paul Muller,
Helga Line, Laurence Clift
Order this film from: Amazon.com
reviewed from a screener provided
by Severin Films LLC
When Dr. Arrowsmith [Muller] discovers that his wife Muriel [Steele] has been having an affair with grounds keeper David [Rik Battaglia], he decides to put a fiendish plan to kill the pair and take Muriel’s inheritance for himself into action. Muriel and David are tied up in the basement, tortured, electrocuted to death, have their hearts removed, and are eventually cremated – their ashes being put into the soil for one of Dr. Arrowsmith’s bizarre potted plants. Unfortunately for the Doctor and Solange [Line], the servant who helped him to concoct the scheme, Muriel left the castle and the rest of her inheritance for her stepsister Jenny [Steele as well, this time as a blond] to collect.
No problem, or so Dr. Arrowsmith thinks – he’ll simply marry Jenny, bring her back to the castle, driver her insane by feeding her hallucinogens, and then take control of her estate once she is committed to an asylum. No one watching will be surprised when that plan also falls apart. Jenny begins having flashbacks to memories that aren’t her own – of a mysterious murder in a greenhouse perpetrated by a faceless man. Meanwhile, Dr. Arrowsmith’s confusing relationship with his servant Solange becomes even more confused when it is revealed that she needs fresh blood – Jenny’s blood – to stay young[??]. The Doctor tries again and again to salvage his plans to take the estate as his own, but everyone knows that the restless spirits of the dead will have their revenge . . .
AMANTI D’OLTRETOMBA [literally LOVERS BEYOND THE TOMB, released in the U.S. as NIGHTMARE CASTLE and THE FACELESS MONSTER] plays like a sort of Greatest Hits from star Barbara Steele’s past horror work with Mario Bava, Riccardo Freda, and Antonio Margheriti. The story by Fabio De Agostini and director Mario Caiano never makes much sense, and unravels entirely by the time the living-dead conclusion is reached, but does have a bizarre sadistic edge that lends it a bit of uniqueness in spite of how derivative it is. Caiano [ULYSSES AGAINST THE SON OF HERCULES] is competent enough, if not exactly great, in the director’s chair, though pacing proves a serious obstacle. The 104 minute feature could have been made that much more liveable had it been turned in fourteen or so minutes shorter. Cinematography by Enzo Barboni adds an element of class and beauty to the affair, while the great Ennio Morricone [just prior to breaking it big with FISTFUL OF DOLLARS] seems a little lost as to how to score the meandering pastiche of tersely connected Gothic set pieces.
There can only be one reason why AMANTI D’OLTRETOMBA was ever produced at all – to capitalize on the star status of the beautiful Barbara Steele, who was nothing short of a horror goddess at this point in her career. Fans of the icon will find no shortage of likeable moments here – D’OLTRETOMBA rarely goes a single scene without at least a glimpse of her. Her star power coupled with the few sadistic moments and stunning location make the film a reasonable entertainment distraction, even if it’s not particularly good.
AMANTI D’OLTRETOMBA has languished in home video hell here in the United States for years. Retromedia released a poorly encoded disc under the highly inappropriate title THE FACELESS MONSTER in 2003, and countless gray market discs of the cut NIGHTMARE CASTLE version have been circulated by companies like Madacy Home Entertainment and Alpha Video. Independent outfit and Wtf-Film favorite Severin Films has stepped in to the fold to give D’OLTRETOMBA the official treatment, and their disc bests the competition by miles.
Severin presents the film in its original 1.66:1 aspect ratio via a an anamorphically enhanced and progressive scan transfer that puts previous video editions to shame. Contrast is spot on for the black and white feature and while some moments of intrusive damage are to be found, the negative source looks to be in otherwise fine shape. Detail is a bit soft to my eyes, and there is an odd jaggid effect present throughout [unnoticeable on my tiny television, but obvious enough when viewed on my computer monitor to warrant mentioning]. Whether this is an after effect of a PAL to NTSC conversion, an upconversion to anamorphic 16:9 from a 4:3 source transfer, or just an unfortunate encoding glitch is beyond me. That said, the image is miles from bad and certainly good enough for the film at hand. Audio is presented in a perfectly preserved Dolby Digital monophonic track in English. There are no subtitle options available.
The supplements are what elevate this fine disc of a mediocre film to the level of a must-buy. First up is a career retrospective interview with star Steele titled Barbara Steele in Conversation, the first ever interview of its type with the actress. Coverage of AMANTI D’OLTRETOMBA itself is sparse, with Steele fondly remembering her early work in America and the Italian Gothic horror boom, and lamenting ever having left the Italian film industry. The interview, conducted by David Gregory, runs a full 30 minutes and struck me as being far more interesting than the film it accompanies. Next up is an interview with director Caiano entitled Black White and Red that focuses more exclusively on D’OLTRETOMBA. Its an entertaining 14 minutes, with Caiano being attacked by his pet cat in the midst of things. Rounding out the supplements are two trailers, one for the U.K. release under the title NIGHT OF THE DOOMED and the other for the U.S. NIGHTMARE CASTLE release – the latter is sourced from a poor VHS, while the former is pristine.
AMANTI D’OLTRETOMBA is an entertaining if pointless affair, recommended for Steele fans and Gothic horror obsessees only. The Severin Films disc is easier to recommend, with its excellent supplemental package – it’s one of their best releases to date, even taking into account the slight issues with the transfer. A lower retail price tag than their norm [$19.95 as opposed to the usual $29.95] makes it even more appealing. If you’re into the film, the genre, or Steele, then the Severin Films release is a must-buy.
