as an "inept horror pic". The Monthly Film Bulletin compared the work negatively to another Italian horror film director, Riccardo Freda noting the lack of his visual flair. The film was praised however for atmospheric sets, a "handful of chilling moments" and editing which "never gives the action a moment's rest" finding that the film "adds up to a highly enjoyable piece of nonsense". Arthur D. Murphy of Variety declared the film "tedious and ridiculous" stating that "apart from a few murky scenes, color quality is fine. Technical credits are quite good, but the story premise was handled ineptly." In a retrospective review, Danny Shipka, author of Perverse Titillation: The Exploitation Cinema of Italy, Spain and France, 1960–1980 waiting through the films to find the identity of the red-hooded figure "is worth it, especially if you like cold violence, as Margheriti pushes the limits with his tortures". See also Christopher Lee filmography List of horror films of 1963 List of Italian films of 1963 References Footnotes Sources External links Horror Castle at tcm.com 1963 films 1963 horror films Italian horror films Films directed by Antonio Margheriti Films set in castles Films set in West Germany Films scored by Riz Ortolani Gothic horror films 1960s Italian films