Stuart Gordon is widely regarded by horror fans as one of the most fun directors in the genre, directing films like Re-Animator (1985), Dolls (1987), and From Beyond (1986). He was not a stranger to taking on stories written by renowned (yet problematic) horror-writing legend, H.P. Lovecraft. He turned five Lovecraft stories into films, including Castle Freak (1995). Deciding to take on a remake as his introduction into horror this year, director Tate Steinsiek (Syfy’s Face Off) had some big shoes to fill.
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Some of the strongest points of the original Castle Freak were the moments of chemistry between the actors and their experience with the director. The film starred Jeffrey Combs and Barbara Crampton (also a producer of the 2020 remake), who are not only greats in the genre, but had worked together, and worked with Stuart Gordon several times before doing Castle Freak. It is hard to come by that chemistry naturally, and it takes practice, so to try and replicate those moments is difficult. Where the remake succeeds in casting itself apart from the original, is splitting off from the original story and using the two main characters Rebecca (Clair Catherine) and John (Jake Horowitz) as a young couple, where one is trying to cope with being injured in a tragedy, rather than the original story of a married couple dealing with the loss of a child and injury of another. I thought both leads were fine, but none of the acting was memorable, and extremely tough not to compare them to the seasoned fan-favorites of the original. Throughout the film, you have to constantly tell yourself that this is someone else’s vision. Some remakes make that easier than others, and unfortunately this isn’t one of them.
The filming style, lighting and set design in the Castle Freak (2020) are good. The shots do a fine job of capturing the creepiness of being alone in a deserted castle with a haunted history. The castle is filled with secret rooms and peep holes, rather than a general dungeon area like the first film. Once again, it was difficult to capture the essence and legitimacy of the original, which was shot in Charles Band’s (another producer of this film) actual Italian castle. I’m appreciative to Steinsiek for making that part work.
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I think the one main instance where this film outshines its predecessor is the expansion into the Lovecraftian lore that the story is based on. Most of that was left out of the original film, so it was a nice touch to bring in the Elder God content. The storyline revealed a broader motivation than to focus on just the freak and the couple themselves. This was probably my favorite part of the film, but unfortunately it was crammed into the finale. I would have loved to see it weaved into the story throughout the film more. Maybe this was a way to match the more linear feel of the original film. It worked for me, but I’m always looking for more story content. The gore and effects in this film were extremely well-done. I loved the look of the freak, loved the gender-swap, and there were several parts that grossed me out (in a good way!). There were some truly uncomfortably horrific scenes. No complaints from me in the effects department.
Overall, Castle Freak (2020) is solid. As an entire film, I don’t know if I’d ever watch it again, but I’d recommend a first watch, especially to a younger crowd that isn’t as familiar with the original film or writing source. We’re given a decent re-telling and vision from Tate Steinsiek in his first horror film, so I’m excited to see what comes next.
Castle Freak is now available to watch on Shudder, VOD, and Digital.
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