There is nothing better than the atmosphere of a castle in a horror film. The architecture of it encapsulates the atmosphere of a bygone era of tales of vampires, monsters, and hidden secrets locked away, never to see the light of day ever again. Castles have been created on sound stages in the past, but this list wants to explore the real-life ones that help bring the setting of the film to life.
Horror is a genre that plays with your head; it's not the monsters that get you scared; it's what you don't see that sets the mood for what lies ahead. A castle as the setting can help with that, so let's take a look at the films that did it best.
7 A Cure for Wellness (2017)
A Cure for Wellness follows a Wall Street stockbroker who makes his way to the Swiss Alps as he needs to track down the CEO of the firm he works for. He ends up having to go to a strange wellness center to find him, and there he becomes trapped by the mysterious ideologies that test his sanity.
German Castles
A Cure for Wellness got a bit overlooked upon its release. Directed by Gore Verbinksi, of Pirates of the Caribbean fame, the film has a very vast and beautiful set design to match its ominous tone. Some of the film interiors were shot on a sound stage, but principal photography made its way to Hohenzollern Castle in Germany for some of the film. The castle is about an hour from Berlin and is an incredible, isolated castle on top of a hilltop overlooking a beautiful valley in the German countryside. Rent on Prime Video.
Watch the trailer for A Cure for Wellness here.
6 The Featless Vampire Killers (1967)
In The Fearless Vampire Killers, A vampire hunter and his assistant are making their way across Transylvania. When they stop to rest at an eerie-looking hotel, they encounter the owner's daughter being kidnapped by a Count who is undeniably a vampire. The hunter and his assistant track the Count down to his nearby castle in hopes of rescuing the woman from his grasp.
Directed by Roman Polanski
The Fearless Vampire Killers would get a name change to Dance of the Vampires at some point as it made its rounds on its release. Roman Polanski would direct his wife, Sharon Tate, in the film; it's a gem to see these two on screen together before an unspeakable tragedy would happen years later.
The film was shot on some sound stages in London, but the production moved to the ever-popular Italy during this era. Some of the castle sequences were shot at Fishburg Castle Garden, otherwise known as Gardena Castle. A secluded structure that was resurrected during the 1600s and took almost twenty years to make. Rent on Prime Video.
Watch the trailer for The Fearless Vampire Killers here.
5 Bloodstone: Subspecies II (1993)
Taking place after the first installment of the straight-to-video franchise, Bloodstone: Subspecies II is about a woman who has been kidnapped and turned into a vampire by the evil Radu. She plots her escape and takes the vampire's family bloodstone, and now Radu hunts her down to get it back.
Full Moon Features Loved to Make Films in Castles
Produced and written by B-movie legend Charles Band, Bloodstone: Subspecies II was made overseas in Romania. Although this was a straight-to-video film, a market that Full Moon Features cornered in the 1990s, the makeup design and overall atmosphere of the film elevate it from schlocky b-movie fodder. Specifically, the film has plenty of scenes in Corvin Castle in Romania that help get you in the mood for this thrilling and pretty darn good sequel to a franchise that only horror film fans really know about. Stream on Tubi.
Watch the trailer for Bloodstone: Subspecies II here.
4 The Haunted Castle (1921)
1921's The Haunted Castle is about a notable count who invites himself to a strange castle known as Castle Vogeloed to prove to many around him that he is not the murderer of his brother, who was killed years ago. A murder mystery loaded with a lot of atmosphere ensues.
The Silent Film Era
There is just something about silent movies when they take on a dark tone; they feel like a fever dream of sorts. More on that further down the list. The Haunted Castle is a mystery that unfolds in an even more mysterious way, as the plot is a bit hard to follow. The film was shot in 16 days, and the castle itself has some pick-up shots and exteriors of some of the best-looking Bavarian-style castles in Germany. One of them is Neuschwanstein Castle. Stream on Kanopy.
3 Black Sunday (1960)
Black Sunday is Mario Bava's dark gothic tale, about a witch who is burned at the stake and vows to take revenge on the people responsible for her death. The woman, known by her name Asa Vajda, returns a hundred years later, raises her henchmen from the dead, and keeps her promise.
Mario Bava's Masterpiece
It's hard to believe a film like this from 1960 can get past a ratings board. The opening scene alone is still a gruesome watch. But enough about all that; Bava would make a dark revenge tale for the ages. Some of it was shot on sound stages, but in order to really soak up the dark gothic feel of it, he actually shot a chunk of the film at Castle Massimo in Arsoli, Italy. The black and white color of it also helps with the vibe of the film. Stream on Shudder.
Watch the trailer for Black Sunday here.
2 Castle Freak (1995)
Castle Freak
- Release Date
- November 1, 1995
- Runtime
- 95min
In Castle Freak, Jefferey Combs and Barbara Crampton play husband and wife who move from America to Italy to live in a castle that they have inherited. After some time there, it becomes apparent that they are not the only people walking among the halls of the mysterious structure.
An H.P. Lovecraft Story
Another straight-to-video gem to make the list—one you walked past, and it kind of freaked you out because of the cover art of the VHS box. Castle Freak is adapted from The Outsider by H.P. Lovecraft and is shot predominantly in and around a real castle in Italy. A fun fact about it is that the castle, named Castello di Giove, is owned by Full Moon Features owner, and the film's distributor, Charles Band.Stream on Shudder.
Watch the trailer for Castle Freak here.
1 Nosferatu (1922)
Nosferatu is arguably one of the creepiest films ever made. F.W. Murnau directs the tale of the mysterious Count Orlok, who summons Thomas Hutter out to his remote Transylvania castle, where he looks to have Hutter help him buy a home far from seclusion. When it is revealed that the Count is a vampire, Hutter tries to escape his grasp.
The Greatest Silent Horror Film Ever Made
Nosferatu is about to have a remake released to us soon. The original now sits at over a hundred years old and still terrifies audiences to date. What's great about this area of movies is that if they take place in a castle, chances are they used a castle for filming. The castles that were used in the film are Orava Castle and Stary Castle. Most of the film was shot in northern Slovakia and Germany, despite taking place in Transylvania. Stream on Tubi.
Watch the trailer for Nosferatu here.
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