Castle Freak

We all have those relatives that we'd just rather lock in the cellar and forget.  In my family, that relative is me, so I totally understand.  Well, I've always wondered what it might be like if my family all got together and locked me in the cellar and just forgot about me, well, I found a movie that gives me a little insight.  It's a Stuart Gordon movie, starring Jeffrey Combs, it's Castle Freak and it's awesome, here's the story:

John and his family have inherited a castle in Italy and, since John and his wife have been having some issues, they decide to live there to try to resolve their marital problems.  Adding to the stress is their daughter, she's blind and needs Moms help, which is making Dad a bit jealous.  You know the routine, a handicapped child and the father suddenly needs more attention than he did before...we've seen this before.  Well, what John and the fam don't count on is someone else is in the castle with them.  It's a cousin, but he's been so horribly abused that he's malformed, malnourished and has the general appearance and attitude of a monster!

Well, when things start disappearing or breaking around the castle the natural assumption is that it's the blind girl who's unfamiliar with her surroundings.  But, when bodies are found in the castle, everyone assumes that John has lost it and is on a rampage!  Will John realize that there's a monster in his house?  Or will he be taken to prison leaving his family at the mercies of this creature?

Castle Freak may be one of the most underrated collaborations between Stuart and Combs, but it's one of the best.  Castle Freak is much more than a monster movie, it's a very subtle character piece about a couple who's in trouble and how they deal with it.  Combs is amazing as always...in fact, he may be one of the most underrated actors working today...don't believe me, just take a look at his imdb page and see the range that this amazing actor has!  Castle Freak plays like a modern day Hammer film, the monsters and horrors are there, but there's a great story too!

I'm giving Castle Freak 4 out of 4 cigars, it's well worth your time!

Castle Freak