The relatives of a recently dead man meet at his creepy castle for the reading of his will. They also meet a sinister piano player who turns out to also be a toy-maker, and his toys seem to ... Read allThe relatives of a recently dead man meet at his creepy castle for the reading of his will. They also meet a sinister piano player who turns out to also be a toy-maker, and his toys seem to have murderous intentions of their own.The relatives of a recently dead man meet at his creepy castle for the reading of his will. They also meet a sinister piano player who turns out to also be a toy-maker, and his toys seem to have murderous intentions of their own.
Photos
- Charles Beasler
- (as Andres Garcia)
- Ivor Morteval
- (as Ángel Espinoza 'Ferrusquilla')
- Directors
- Juan Ibáñez
- Jack Hill(US scenes)
- Writers
- All cast & crew
- Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaBoris Karloff was paid $100,000 to appear in this film.
- Quotes
Matthias Morteval: [speaking to a portrait of his father] Somewhere in our garden, Father, the evil weed has sprung up again. If God will give me strength in the twilight of my life, I promise you that I will find that weed and tear it from our soil with all its evil seed...
[an extremely long pause]
Matthias Morteval: ... once and for all.
- Alternate versionsThe original Mexican version of this film is a few minutes longer than the U.S. version.
- ConnectionsFeatured in Morella Presents Graveyard Theater: Blood Flood (2007)
The odd story (I don't know if I can really call it a 'plot') is set somewhere in Europe in the 19th century. After some girls are murdered and found with their eyes ripped out, Mathias Morteval (Karloff), an enthusiastic organ player, invites his few remaining relatives to his bizarre mansion, which is full of eerie toys. His kinfolk includes Lucy Durant (Julissa), who is engaged to one of the police inspectors investigating the murders.
I won't give away more of the story, but I can assure you that it is quite bizarre throughout the movie. There are some very funny moments, especially some things Karloff's character says. Boris Karloff was without any doubt one of the most brilliant and important icons of the Horror genre who ever lived, and he manages to award this odd movie with a tiny bit of his greatness, and although (or because) his role is (due to a poor script and and directing) in no way scary, it looks like he deliberately plays it with a sense of humor. Just like in the movie's successors "Snake People" and "The Fear Chamber", the female lead is once again played by Julissa.
Most of he supporting performances are hilariously amateurish, the cinematography is terrible and the locations and sceneries are beneath contempt. The storyline lacks the least bit of logic and the dialogue often does not make the slightest sense. It is the poor story and dialogue, however, that makes this movie so entertaining to watch. "House Of Evil" may be an extremely crappy attempt of a movie, but it is certainly as (unintentionally) funny as it is bad. Fans of Ed Wood's movies should be very amused, I personally found it hilarious. Crappy but entertaining nevertheless, and definitely worth watching since there's Boris Karloff in it and due to the fun factor. 3/10
- Witchfinder-General-666
- Jan 22, 2007
Details
- Release date
- Country of origin
- Languages
- Also known as
- Dance of Death
- Filming locations
- Estudios América - Canal de Miramontes 2437, Coyoacán, Mexico City, Distrito Federal, Mexico(now TV Azteca Estudios)
- Production companies
- See more company credits at IMDbPro
- Runtime1 hour 29 minutes
- Sound mix
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