The slicing of stomachs and chests and pulling out of body parts in this Euro trash horror movie ruined what started off o.k. from the aspect of how wealthy aristocrats lived. Ok, so the engaged Baron rapes a party guest mercissly then treats her with contempt for "tempting" him. When another guest disappears in the woods, the Baron and party set out to find her and end up as guests in the castle of a recluse count who is searching for female bodies to bring his recently deceased daughter back to life. She'd apparently been gang raped like the daughter of a descendent who declared revenge, killed his sadomasochistic mistress, and ended up being beheaded. Each of the party guests resembles someone from this family's sordid past, so the circle of death becomes complete as the evil of the past returns to haunt the present.
What starts off interesting outside of the rape quickly becomes a repulsive excuse to show blood and guts and literally take away the heart of the story. Constant footage of live body organs being exposed and removed just shows the trashy intentions of the filmmakers that go beyond the misogynistic treatment of the female characters and the sadistic motivations of the male nobles of the time. The one villainous female shows her excitement in seeming flashbacks to the past that reveal her present self to be every bit as perverted as the character the count murdered years before. Interesting to note the inclusion of blonde, black and red haired women, all typed simply for that. Strangely enough, it is the explanatory parts of the film that stand out. From a horror standpoint, this is just repulsive.
What starts off interesting outside of the rape quickly becomes a repulsive excuse to show blood and guts and literally take away the heart of the story. Constant footage of live body organs being exposed and removed just shows the trashy intentions of the filmmakers that go beyond the misogynistic treatment of the female characters and the sadistic motivations of the male nobles of the time. The one villainous female shows her excitement in seeming flashbacks to the past that reveal her present self to be every bit as perverted as the character the count murdered years before. Interesting to note the inclusion of blonde, black and red haired women, all typed simply for that. Strangely enough, it is the explanatory parts of the film that stand out. From a horror standpoint, this is just repulsive.