I understand that Stuart Gordon wanted to make this a "straight" film. No cheap gags like in _Re-Animator_ and no black comedy like in _From Beyond_. This is actually a very well-made film despite being a straight-to-video B-horror flick.

A problem for me is that it is not pleasant to watch. It is in fact a decidedly *unpleasant* viewing experience. This point can not be overstated. I'm not a squeamish person but the sheer brutality exhibited in this film rivals that seen in _The Passion of the Christ_ or _Blood-Sucking Freaks_. Meanwhile, I found myself entirely un-sympathetic toward the very tortured protagonist yet disturbingly sympathetic toward the "castle freak" who was by the end of the film far beyond any kind of redemption. Granted, I am often inclined to root for the "bad guy," but this is different. The characters are all thoroughly developed and very real, so that is not the problem. I kept feeling that "I'm SUPPOSED to identify with this guy, but [on some level] he deserves what he gets."

This is, however, not the main reason why I chose to deduct 2 stars. I only gave this film 3 stars because 1) the story and direction is not of the same caliber as Gordon and Comb's other colaborations and 2) the plot is entirely too predictable. I was also expecting something "Lovecraftian" in this film (that is, after all, Stuart Gordon's bread-and-butter) since had read that it was "loosely" based on _The Outsider_. Yet there is nothing of that or any other H.P. Lovecraft story here save the setting of a castle and Lovecraft is not credited at all (if Lovecraft had been even a remote inspiration, trust me, they would have credited him). Perhaps I had false expectations for the film that have colored my reaction to it.

I recommend this movie IF you are A) a die-hard Stuart Gordon fan or B) a vicariously inclined sado-masochistic horror/snuf aficianado. The movie is cheap here, but it will be even cheaper at Blockbuster. I wish I had rented it, actually, because I don't plan to ever watch it again.
I understand that Stuart Gordon wanted to make this a "straight" film. No cheap gags like in _Re-Animator_ and no black comedy like in _From Beyond_. This is actually a very well-made film despite being a straight-to-video B-horror flick. A problem for me is that it is not pleasant to watch. It is in fact a decidedly *unpleasant* viewing experience. This point can not be overstated. I'm not a squeamish person but the sheer brutality exhibited in this film rivals that seen in _The Passion of the Christ_ or _Blood-Sucking Freaks_. Meanwhile, I found myself entirely un-sympathetic toward the very tortured protagonist yet disturbingly sympathetic toward the "castle freak" who was by the end of the film far beyond any kind of redemption. Granted, I am often inclined to root for the "bad guy," but this is different. The characters are all thoroughly developed and very real, so that is not the problem. I kept feeling that "I'm SUPPOSED to identify with this guy, but [on some level] he deserves what he gets. "

This is, however, not the main reason why I chose to deduct 2 stars. I only gave this film 3 stars because 1) the story and direction is not of the same caliber as Gordon and Comb's other colaborations and 2) the plot is entirely too predictable. I was also expecting something "Lovecraftian" in this film (that is, after all, Stuart Gordon's bread-and-butter) since had read that it was "loosely" based on _The Outsider_. Yet there is nothing of that or any other H. P. Lovecraft story here save the setting of a castle and Lovecraft is not credited at all (if Lovecraft had been even a remote inspiration, trust me, they would have credited him). Perhaps I had false expectations for the film that have colored my reaction to it. I recommend this movie IF you are A) a die-hard Stuart Gordon fan or B) a vicariously inclined sado-masochistic horror/snuf aficianado. The movie is cheap here, but it will be even cheaper at Blockbuster. I wish I had rented it, actually, because I don't plan to ever watch it again.