Castle Freak: Review

5th December 2020

Rebecca (Emily Sweet) and her boyfriend, John (Jake Horowitz) are in a loving relationship until they’re involved in a car accident that causes Rebecca to lose her sight. Some time later and they’re still together, but the signs are starting to show that John is growing tired of how the trauma of the accident has changed his girlfriend.

Then one day Rebecca is told that she has inherited a castle in Albania and so seeing it as a chance for a fresh start and a way to gather with old friends, Rebecca and John head to the castle. Unaware of the castle’s history, John is soon told of the woman who lived there and her horrific death, but keeps it from Rebecca.

However, when they go to sleep that night Rebecca starts dreaming of that horrible death and she starts to feel a closer connection to her estranged family. Although little do the couple know but within the walls hides a hideous monster that could lash out at any moment.

Castle Freak is a remake of the straight-to-video 1995 cult classic original and produced by Fangoria. Changed a little to make it feel fresher, Castle Freak sees a couple on the verge of breaking up and a group of waster friends who are ripe for the picking by the monster living in the castle. However, Castle Freak is more of a slow burn horror that gradually increases the kills until the over the top, bloody end.

Paying homage to the creative kills and gratuitous nudity of the original, the remake may make fans feel nostalgic for the days when they first were exposed to the insanity of Castle Freak’s Lovecraftian horror.

The problem is that those who are unfamiliar with it may not see the charm of the story no matter how much it plays upon other horror cliches so much.

In fact, the remake’s insistence on retaining the feel of the original may be its downfall as it feels dated. For horror fans there are plenty of nods to the tropes of other movies such as blind psychic characters and there’s even a mention of a well-known tome used in horror. However, it feels like it’s all been done before and may only appeal to hardcore fans.

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