Nightmare Castle (1965)

Nightmare Castle (Italian: Amanti d’oltretomba) is a 1965 Italian horror film directed by Mario Caiano. The film stars Paul Muller, Helga Liné and Barbara Steele in a dual role. The film is set in a castle where Stephen Arrowsmith does experiments involving the regeneration of blood. After finding his wife with the gardener, he kills them both and uses their blood to rejuvenate his loyal assistant Solange. After this, Arrowsmith realizes his wife's sister Jenny is actually inheriting the castle and marries her with the idea to drive her mad. Jenny meanwhile begins having nightmares where her sister tells her to murder Arrowsmith.

Mario Caiano shot the film in Rome and declared it his tribute to the Gothic genre and to actress Barbara Steele. Among reviews of the film, critics and historians note Steele's dual performance.

Synopsis

Stephen Arrowsmith (Paul Muller), a scientist experimenting with the possibility of regenerating blood through electricity has his home and laboratory in the castle owned by his wife Muriel (Barbara Steele). Arrowsmith finds her later having sex with a gardener and disfigures him with a hot poker and burns Muriel's face with acid before electrocuting both of them. Arrowsmith hides their hearts in an urn and then uses their blood to rejuvenate the aged servant Solange (Helga Liné).

Actors