Castle Sinister
Encyclopedia
Castle Sinister is a British horror film
produced, written and directed by Widgey R. Newman. Very little is known of either the film or the director, although available information suggests Newman to have been something of a maverick in the British film industry of the time.
The film was apparently set in a lonely mansion in Devon, and was marketed with the tagline "Mad doctor tries to put girl's brain into apeman's head!"
A brief synopsis in the cinema magazine The Bioscope (6 April 1932) offers a plot outline: "The story of a young man's adventures in a large country mansion with a scientist who is engaged in forwarding his theory that rejuvenation by the transfer of certain glands is more than a possibility. A girl is, of course, involved to supply the necessary love interest, and a misshapen creature, victim of the scientist, supplies the thrills." It also mentions "a constantly howling wind and a generous sprinkling of skulls and skeletons".
Castle Sinister is classed as a lost film
, with nothing known to survive even in the way of production stills or promotional material. The film is considered of great interest by horror film historians as one of the first documented British horror films and a very early experiment in a genre for which the British film industry would become renowned between the 1950s and 1970s. Although the likelihood of the film being rediscovered would appear remote, in view of its perceived historical value it is included on the British Film Institute
's "75 Most Wanted
" list of missing British feature films.
Horror film
Horror films seek to elicit a negative emotional reaction from viewers by playing on the audience's most primal fears. They often feature scenes that startle the viewer through the means of macabre and the supernatural, thus frequently overlapping with the fantasy and science fiction genres...
produced, written and directed by Widgey R. Newman. Very little is known of either the film or the director, although available information suggests Newman to have been something of a maverick in the British film industry of the time.
The film was apparently set in a lonely mansion in Devon, and was marketed with the tagline "Mad doctor tries to put girl's brain into apeman's head!"
A brief synopsis in the cinema magazine The Bioscope (6 April 1932) offers a plot outline: "The story of a young man's adventures in a large country mansion with a scientist who is engaged in forwarding his theory that rejuvenation by the transfer of certain glands is more than a possibility. A girl is, of course, involved to supply the necessary love interest, and a misshapen creature, victim of the scientist, supplies the thrills." It also mentions "a constantly howling wind and a generous sprinkling of skulls and skeletons".
Castle Sinister is classed as a lost film
Lost film
A lost film is a feature film or short film that is no longer known to exist in studio archives, private collections or public archives such as the Library of Congress, where at least one copy of all American films are deposited and catalogued for copyright reasons...
, with nothing known to survive even in the way of production stills or promotional material. The film is considered of great interest by horror film historians as one of the first documented British horror films and a very early experiment in a genre for which the British film industry would become renowned between the 1950s and 1970s. Although the likelihood of the film being rediscovered would appear remote, in view of its perceived historical value it is included on the British Film Institute
British Film Institute
The British Film Institute is a charitable organisation established by Royal Charter to:-Cinemas:The BFI runs the BFI Southbank and IMAX theatre, both located on the south bank of the River Thames in London...
's "75 Most Wanted
BFI 75 Most Wanted
The BFI 75 Most Wanted is a list compiled by the British Film Institute of their most sought-after British feature films not currently held in the BFI National Archive, and classified as "missing, believed lost". The films chosen range from quota quickies and B-movies to lavish prestige...
" list of missing British feature films.
Cast
- Haddon MasonHaddon Mason-Selected filmography:* Every Mother's Son * Dawn * The Triumph of the Scarlet Pimpernel * The Lady of the Lake * The Woman in White * A Peep Behind the Scenes * Painted Pictures...
as Roland Kemp - Eric Adeney as Professor Bandov
- Wally PatchWally PatchWally Patch was a British character actor, who had supporting roles in many films. He was born Walter Sidney Vinnicombe in Willesden, London on 26 September 1888...
as Jorkins - Ilsa Kilpatrick as Jean
- Edmund Kennedy as Father