The Haunted Castle main backdrop
The Haunted Castle main poster

The Haunted Castle

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6.3/10 • 48

1921-04-071h 21m

DramaMysteryCrimeHorror

The sinister Count Oetsch scandalizes the aristocratic social gathering at Castle Vogelod as he announces his intention to "crash" the festivities. Baroness Safferstätt is expected shortly, and the guests are well-aware of the rumors that Count Oetsch murdered the baroness' late husband. Oetsch refuses to leave, vowing that he will reveal the identity of the real killer. Before the weekend is through, the Count and Baroness will reveal secrets too shocking to be believed!

Directors
F. W. Murnau

Top Billed Cast

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  1. Arnold Korff

    Arnold Korff

    Lord von Vogelschrey auf Vogeloed

  2. Lulu Kyser-Korff

    Lulu Kyser-Korff

    Lady Centa von Vogelschey (as L. Kyser-Korff)

  3. Lothar Mehnert

    Lothar Mehnert

    Graf Johann Oetsch (as Lotar Mehnert)

  4. Paul Bildt

    Paul Bildt

    Baron Safferstätt

  5. Olga Tschechowa

    Olga Tschechowa

    Baronin Safferstätt

  6. Paul Hartmann

    Paul Hartmann

    Graf Peter Paul Oetsch

  7. Hermann Vallentin

    Hermann Vallentin

    Landgerichtsrat a.D.

  8. Julius Falkenstein

    Julius Falkenstein

    Ängstlicher Herr

  9. Georg Zawatzky

    Georg Zawatzky

    Küchenjunge (uncredited)

Reviews1

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horroralt Avatar

horroralt

Oct 15, 2021

This is a review of the Kino Lorber bluray release as found in The Haunted Castle/Finances of the Grand Duke combo pack with musical accompaniment turned off. It's become increasingly apparent that users are overzealous with the "Horror" tag. This film is not a horror film in the slightest. It contains less than a minute of a dream sequence, and that's all. The comedic sequence of the boy in the kitchen is longer and I wouldn't call this a comedy either. I have suggested the removal of the horror tag. This is a mystery film. This early Murnau bored the daylights out of me for the majority of its runtime! The film was functional from beginning to end, but lack of interesting direction, locations, performances, characters, drama, humor, tension, really anything, left this a dry and dull experience for me. It's a mystery film where the secret was obvious from very early on, and the rest of the film plods along behind the obviously telegraphed revelation. The brief dream sequence forsees Murnau's taste in spooky imagry which will be showcased in full in Nosferatu, a few of the outdoor scenes are pretty, and the film finds a small dramatic heartbeat in the last few minutes, but unless you're studying Murnau, this is not worth your time.

Media

  • The Haunted Castle poster
  • The Haunted Castle poster
  • The Haunted Castle poster
  • The Haunted Castle poster
  • The Haunted Castle poster
  • The Haunted Castle poster

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Status
Released
Original Language
German
Budget
--
Revenue
--
Keywords
castlehuntfratricideuninvited guest