The Haunted Castle

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Nick M A hunting party lodges at a country castle during a series of dark and stormy nights during which a murder mystery unfolds in this early F. W. Murnau film. It is the first of his work that I've seen, and only his second earliest surviving film. An individualistic style more pronounced than most other directors of this time period is already evident. The plot, the acting of the main characters, even the set dressing is clean and deliberate, even spartan. There is little to distract the mind from the central events in the story. I have watched a good deal of The Great British Bake Off. In every season the contestants are reminded that it is no bad thing to stick to classic, even basic styles and flavors, but if one does they have to be perfect to be effective. That is the same feeling I have here. Had the narrative and basic elements of The Haunted Castle been perfect in their creation and execution this would have been a triumph of a film. Alas, they are not, and so its flaws that are only highlighted by the lack of ornamental detail. The motivations of the characters are fairly clear when one stops to think about them, but there are moments that felt necessary to explore between the characters that simply aren't there. Most notably, we are *told* that Baroness Safferstätt's second husband felt wild passion for her while she was still married to her first, but there is absolutely no evidence of this beyond a single line of dialogue. Second, the setting and characters feel so absolutely disconnected from a broader world, and this is jarring. Were their world interesting enough to sustain interest this wouldn't matter, but again, it isn't. Third, the ending was... limp. For a picture that seemed to eschew superfluous detail, the appearance of Father Faramund felt entirely unnecessary and worse, lessened the impact of the pivotal events that preceded it. A cinematic style that rejects extraneous detail is audacious; the mere suggestion of it in this picture feels vibrant and exciting. If this is where Murnau is headed then I am very excited to see his future work. Rated 2.5/5 Stars •  Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars 12/18/24 Full Review Michael M The Haunted Castle is interesting as one of the earliest surviving works of director F.W. Murnau, but isn't a particularly good example of his work. On a side note, while the English title implies that the film falls into the horror genre, the film has few horror elements and is more of a murder mystery. Rated 2.5/5 Stars •  Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars 12/26/21 Full Review Audience Member made just b4 the gr8 FW Murnau directed his masterpiece 'nosferatu'. Rated 2.5/5 Stars •  Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars 01/21/23 Full Review Audience Member Early Murnau provides us with a slowpaced horror movie with barely any horror nor thrills. The story itself is neither to embrace. Thus those faces from the silent era which only the "europeans" can make, do shine here. Rated 1.5/5 Stars •  Rated 1.5 out of 5 stars 02/27/23 Full Review Audience Member A Super-Fascinating If Minor Work by Murnau--Earliest surviving Murnau available on video!! Rated 3.5/5 Stars •  Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 02/22/23 Full Review Audience Member This is without a doubt lesser Murnau. But even lesser Murnau is better than most. Rated 3.5/5 Stars •  Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 02/16/23 Full Review Read all reviews

The Haunted Castle

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