Overview: He remains one of the most beloved horror/fantasy icons in US/UK pop culture history, but Christopher Lee delivered several of the most compelling, acclaimed and bizarre performances of his entire career in 1960’s Europe.

THE EUROCRYPT OF CHRISTOPHER LEE brings together five of these Lee classics - the 1964 gothic shocker CRYPT OF THE VAMPIRE; the 1964 cult hit CASTLE OF THE LIVING DEAD co-starring an unknown Donald Sutherland; 1962’s celebrated SHERLOCK HOLMES AND THE DEADLY NECKLACE; 1967’s lurid favorite THE TORTURE CHAMBER OF DR. SADISM and the rarely-seen 1963 oddity CHALLENGE THE DEVIL.

And we are also gifted all 24 surviving episodes of the 1971 Film Polski anthology series THEATRE MACABRE hosted by Lee, all remastered from original negative materials with over 10 hours of trailers, rare promos, audio commentaries and vintage interviews, plus the CASTLE OF THE LIVING DEAD soundtrack and an all-new 88-page book by Lee biographer Jonathan Rigby.

Blu-ray Verdict: Up first is THE CASTLE OF THE LIVING DEAD (1964) where Count Drago invites entertainers to his castle, but what the people do not know is that Drago mummifies animals and humans.

I first saw this film as a boy and forever thereafter, tried to remember the title so I could see it again. Where else can you find a movie other than Lord of the Rings, with a heroic dwarf (wish he was born later in life so that he could have played Frodo) and his side kick deaf-mute giant (perhaps the inspiration for Miller’s MasterBlaster), Donald Sutherland as a witch and a bungling police/soldier (keeping his trademark smirk intact), and a beautiful female victim that is saved from poisoning by a thirsty cat?!

Also, two other performances must be given honorable mention: the sullen Christopher Lee playing Count Drago, who bears the resemblance of a Gothic Heroin addict and his henchman Sandro, whose bulging eyes and psycho-drenched laugh, make for added cinematic enjoyment.

As I am sure you are well aware, this is a foreign film and carries some of the Socio-pathic drama an early 1960’s horror film might entail. No graphic slashing here, but the dart in the eye of the lowly deaf/mute delivers a taste for future gore films!

Co-written by prolific producer Paul Maslansky (whose career has included everything from The She-Beast to Death Line to Race with the Devil to the brilliant Police Academy comedies), this is an awful lot of fun. Maybe not a truly great genre film, but it is playful and macabre at the same time, with an ample amount of humor, good atmosphere, striking imagery and a truly excellent score toboot. [C.D.]

Next up is CHALLENGE THE DEVIL AKA KATARSIS (1963) where a group of dropouts find an old man (Sir Christopher Lee) in a castle. The old man subsequently turns into the Devil and seizes them.

Challenge The Devil AKA Katarsis tells a simple story of six Italians stranded in the castle of illusion. The owner of the castle is Mephisto - himself played by Christopher Lee and he is as mysterious as you could ever hope him to appear.

Three men and three women drink, dance and behave loudly. Suddenly, Mephistopheles appears. The fun is over and the nightmare begins!

This has always been known in these cinematic circles as an extremely obscure and moody Gothic romp which begins as a spy thriller and ends in a truly nightmarish fashion. The labyrinth of mirrors welcomes our sextet of protagonists.

This is a Gothic tale of Faust, curses, ghosts and spiders that will have a cathartic effect on the lives of six unlucky Italians. For me, the sequence of orgiastic dance is fun to watch and Christopher Lee appears for about ten minutes of screen time. OK, sure, the script could have been written better, but regardless I had a blast watching this ultra-obscure and unknown Italian horror flick and I am sure you will also. [H.F.]

Along next is CRYPT OF THE VAMPIRE (1964) where Count Karnstein sends for a doctor to help his sick daughter Laura and her nurse believes she is possessed by the spirit of a dead ancestor, Carmilla.

Concerned about a 200-year-old family curse that might bear fruition Count Ludwig Karnstein (Christopher Lee) hires an historian by the name of Friedrich Klauss (Jose Campos) to peruse all of the documents in Karnstein castle in order to settle the matter once and for all. What most disturbs Count Karnstein is the fact that his daughter Laura (Adriana Ambesi) is having strange dreams which typically come true adds to his concern.

Throw in a scheming mistress named Annette (Vera Valmont) along with an unexpected visitor by the name of Ljuba (Ursula Davis) and things soon take a turn for worse in no time. Now, rather than reveal any more I will just say that the director (Camillo Mastrocinque) managed to maintain the mystery and suspense in such a manner to keep my interest from start to finish.

Likewise, although I was expecting a vampire movie similar in nature to those Christopher Lee has done in the past, this particular picture left me somewhat surprised. In any case, the movie was very enjoyable.

The female cast in this film are beautiful, but not comparable to Barbara Steele (I cannot stop praising her) and Margarete Robsahm who stunned viewers in Danza Macabra. Also, while the (implied) lesbianism is a nicely exploitative element in this film, the explicit stuff that became common practice in Exploitation cinema only a few years later in the late 60’s makes it look very harmless. Even so, it is a fun element of the film.

In closing, whilst still in line with being termed a genuine Gothic horror – for it does contain some really grotesque imagery thrown in for good measure; including the housekeeper using a severed hand as a candle holder, a giallo-style killing – for me it was the big reveal of why the church bell keeps ringing in the ruined village that made watching it all the more fulfilling! [B.B.]

Then we get SHERLOCK HOLMES AND THE DEADLY NECKLACE (1962) and is where Sherlock Holmes and Watson do battle with their nemesis, Professor Moriarity, over an ancient necklace attributed to Cleopatra.

For all us fans of both Sherlock Holmes films and Christopher Lee, in general, it was always obvious, even before watching it, that this Sherlock Holmes movie would not be as terrific and compelling as The Hound of the Baskervilles (the other Holmes movie directed by Terence Fisher and starring Christopher Lee, although not in the titular role), but I honestly did not expect it to be quite the enjoyable romp that it most assuredly is.

Christopher Lee is excellent as Sherlock Holmes. There, I said it. As for Professor Moriarty, well, he has an outstanding home office which is full of excellent Egyptian artifacts and serpent memorabilia. Moriarty is now a world known archaeologist as the cover for his crime syndicate. I thought that was a creative twist that made Moriarty a lot more interesting. While Hans Söhnker, playing Moriarty, was not as nefarious as George Zucco, Lionel Atwill, or Henry Daniell; he was no slouch either.

Thorley Waters as Dr. Watson tries hard to look and act like Nigel Bruce. Compared to Nigel Bruce, Waters is very wooden. His performance is a bit creepy. There are a couple of scenes were Waters is literally recreating remarks and gestures that are straight from Nigel Bruce. As a big fan of Basil Rathbone and Nigel Bruce, seeing Waters mimicking Nigel Bruce was a bit too much. I give Waters credit for good intentions, but he is way short of the Dr. Watson that Nigel Bruce was.

Overall, the story is better than a lot of other movies that are not based on original Sir Arthur Conan Doyle stories. It has some good ideas, some good acting, and some good action. I also fully appreciate that the actors did their best to create a united artistic effort between two nations that were bitter enemies during World War II. [K.S.]

Up next is THEATRE MACABRE (1971-1972) where Christopher Lee hosted this anthology television series originally produced by Film Polski (Knife In The Water, The Tin Drum) in the tradition of Alfred Hitchcock Presents and Boris Karloff’s Thriller.

Lee delivers the intro and outro for each half-hour at his imposing and often cheeky best, while the tales themselves – adapted from stories by Poe, Dostoevsky, Ambrose Bierce, Robert Louis Stevenson and Oscar Wilde – are written and/or directed by filmmakers that include Andrzej Zulawski (POSSESSION) and Academy Award® winner Andrzej Wajda (MAN OF IRON).

I actually remember watching this series growing up. Originally, if memory serves, an obscure Polish series – one which was still after all these years freely available on DVD – I can recall not being overly excited by each of the episodes that I saw but was absolutely thrilled to see the great Christopher Lee introduced each one, that’s for sure.

That said, and 50 plus years later, here I am watching them all over again via this brilliant new collection put out by Severin Films, and the first thing I notice (now as an adult) is that it must have been an enormous coup by the producers to somehow manage to contract none other than Sir Lee as the host!

Like Rod Serling in the magnificent The Twilight Zone, Lee briefly introduces every episode and mentions the authors of whose work the tales are based on. He begins every intro with I’m Christopher Lee, how do you do?, all whilst seated surrounded by some questionable old world European décor!

Every tale is supposedly adapted from the writings of acclaimed (and mostly Eastern European or Russian) authors, and Lee sophisticatedly emphasizes their names at the start. In reflection, and as cool as it all sounded back when I was younger, are there many horror fanatics interested half-hour adaptations of practically unreadable books by people like Nikolai Gogol, Fyodor Dostoevsky, Ivan Turgenev, or Aleksey Tolstoy?

Regardless, the short stories are abstract and pseudo-intellectual little gems, it has to be said. Dubbed into English and featuring additional dialogue by Jesse Lasky Jr. (THE TEN COMMANDMENTS, 7 WOMEN FROM HELL) with new theme music by Ron Goodwin (VILLAGE OF THE DAMNED, FRENZY), it has remained largely unseen since its brief airing on American TV in 1971. These 24 surviving episodes have now been scanned in 2K from the original negatives. [A.B.]

Sliding in next is THE TORTURE CHAMBER OF DR. SADISM (1967) and is the story of a resurrected count who killed 12 virgins for immortality hunts the daughter of his 13th intended victim and the son of the prosecutor who condemned him, seeking vengeance.

The cruel count Regula (Christopher Lee) is drawn and quartered for tormenting twelve virgins to death at his castle. Thirty-five years later, Roger von Marienberg (Lex Barker) and Lilian Von Brabant (Karin Dor) are invited to the count’s castle. The two are the spitting image of the judge who sentenced the count to death (Barker), and the count’s only surviving victim (Dor).

The film is very loosely based on Edgar Allan Poe’s short story The Pit And The Pendulum. Roger Corman had made a film based on the story in 1961, namely the brilliant The Pit And The Pendulum starring Vincent Price (another of my favorite actors) and Barbara Steele (my all-time favorite actress), which became one of the greatest Gothic masterpieces ever in cinema.

But I digress, the film here is pretty entertaining for the most part and does not suffer so horribly from its dubbing like many films from the period do. It is only during the pendulum sequence that I found myself getting a little distracted. While it had not been at the time, the sequence has been subsequently done to death, and it always ends the same way: hero comes up with a clever plan and escapes just as the blade gets driven into the ground. Maybe they could have shaken things up by having the hero get sliced in two, and had the poor man’s Falstaff save the day!

That silliness aside, The Torture Chamber of Dr. Sadism is a significant Euro-horror entry, and one that benefits from some awesome visuals, one amazing character, and a truly effective score (though it sometimes lapses into some painfully inappropriate and thus quite funny happy-go-lucky music, for some strange reason!). [L.C.]

Lastly we get given RELICS FROM THE CRYPT is a collection of interviews with Christopher Lee over the years and other related horror featurettes, including the first ever release of the recently unearthed 20 minute 1964 Swiss TV documentary HORROR!!! featuring interviews with Lee, Boris Karloff, Vincent Price, Roy Ashton, Roger Corman and behind-the-scenes footage of THE GORGON and MASQUE OF THE RED DEATH.

Now this is an INCREDIBLE collection of interviews and more with Christopher Lee! A veritable treasure trove of visual cinematic wonderment, if you are a fan of horror, and, of course, Mr. Lee in particular, then this disc in the set (which also contains something that I have never seen before re: an enthralling University College Dublin 2011 Q&A) is going to have you happy as a clam, trust me on that!

Special Features:
• HORROR!!! – 1964 Swiss Documentary Short by Pierre Koralnik Featuring Interviews with Christopher Lee, Boris Karloff, Vincent Price, Roger Corman and Roy Ashton (16 mins - French with English subtitles)
• Behind The Mask – Christopher Lee Remembers Boris Karloff. New edit of unfinished 1991 documentary by Ian Rough (34 mins)
• Cinescope 1976 Belgian TV interview with Sélim Sasson (52 mins - French with English subtitles)
• Colin Grimshaw Interviews Christopher Lee in 1975 (16 mins)
• 1985 Audio Interview with Christopher Lee, accompanied by stills from The Del Valle archive & video introduction with David Del Valle (20 mins)
• Monsters & Vampires – Interview with Pioneering Horror Movie Historian Alan Frank (15 mins)
• The Crypt Keepers – Making of Crypt of the Vampire Featurette with Screenwriter Ernesto Gastaldi, Assistant Director Tonino Valerii and Film Historian Fabio Melelli (34 mins - Italian with English subtitles)
• O Sole Mio / It’s Now Or Never (3:45) & She’ll Fall For Me (4:35) Christopher Lee & Gary Curtis Music Videos with optional Gary Curtis Audio Commentary
• Outtakes from TO THE DEVIL... A DAUGHTER / THEATRE OF DEATH 2001 DVD interview session covering the most frightening films ever, BLACK MASSES, POLICE ACADEMY 7 & More (19 mins)
• University College Dublin 2011 Q&A with Sir Christopher Lee

The Castle of the Living Dead Original Soundtrack CD

Special Features:
The Castle Of The Living Dead:
• Audio Commentary with Mondo Digital’s Nathaniel Thompson & Film Writer Troy Howarth
• Audio Commentary with Film Writer Kat Ellinger
• From the Castle to the Academy – Interview with Master Producer Paul Maslansky
• The Castle of The Mystery Man – Roberto Curti, Author of Mavericks of Italian Cinema, on Writer/Director Warren Kiefer
• BONUS: CD Soundtrack
• Aspect ratio: 1.66:1
• Audio: English Mono
• Closed Captions
• Region Free
• Run time: 90 mins

Challenge The Devil AKA Katarsis:
• Dance with the Devil – Interview with Roberto Curti, Author of Mavericks of Italian Cinema
• The Importance of Being Giorgio – Interview with Giorgio Ardisson Over Two Decades
• Trailer
• Aspect ratio: 1.66:1
• Audio: Italian Mono
• Closed Captions / English Subtitles
• Region Free
• Run time: 79 mins

Crypt of The Vampire:
• Trailer
• Aspect ratio: 1.85:1
• Audio: English Mono / Italian Mono
• Closed Captions / English Subtitles
• Region A
• Run time: 85 mins

Sherlock Holmes and The Deadly Necklace:
• Audio Commentary With Film Writers Kim Newman And Barry Forshaw
• Tony Dalton Interviews Terence Fisher
• Tony Dalton On Terence Fisher
• Trailer
• Aspect ratio: 1.66:1
• Audio: English Mono / German Mono
• Closed Captions / English Subtitles
• Region Free
• Run time: 86 mins

Theatre Macabre (1971-1972):
• Promo with Christopher Lee
• Aspect ratio: 1.33:1
• Audio: English Mono
• Closed Captions
• Region Free
• Run time: 610 mins

The Torture Chamber of Dr. Sadism:
• Audio Commentary by Mondo Digital’s Nathaniel Thompson and Film Writer Troy Howarth
• Audio Interview with Actress Karin Dor (German with English subs)
• Location Featurette
• German Theatrical Trailer
• Teaser Trailer
• Die Schlangengrube - Die Burg des Grauens – German Super 8 Digest Short
• Die Schlangengrube des Grafen Dracula – German Super 8 Digest Short
• Poster Gallery
• Behind the Scenes Still Gallery
• Restoration Slideshow
• Aspect ratio: 1.85:1
• Audio: English Mono / German Mono
• Closed Captions
• Region Free
• Run time: 84 mins

Official Purchase Link