We open on a dirt road. It’s cold and foggy. Black and white footage shows an old carriage making its way through the rugged landscape. A long take, no music. At this point you might think, am I watching the sequel to my favorite Bela Tarr film? But no, this is not 2rin Horse*, it’s the Italian whodunnit-haunted house-ghost story chiller La settima tomba!
Scotland, the 1880’s. A party of foreigners — Americans, locals at the inn conclude — are on their way to a nearby castle to settle some business. Sir Reginald, lord of the manor, died some time ago and the party has an interest in his left-behind fortune. At the castle, other heirs, summoned by Sir Reginald’s solicitor, are reminiscing about the deceased. Few if any really knew him, it turns out. There is talk of late-night experiments and clandestine laboratories, and that he died of leprosy. Word among the gathered is that there is a treasure hidden somewhere in the castle, but before the will can be read, strange things start to occur.
This is typical gothic horror stuff — a séance, an endless amount of rooms, hidden doors, masked killers, disappearing corpses, you name it. It’s a cozy watch for genre enthusiasts, but not much more. There is a novelty to watching a bunch of non-dubbed Italians running around a Scottish castle — but why the filmmakers decided to set the movie there is anyone’s guess; it’s not based on a book, it’s shot at a castle in Italy, and it’s not even an ITA/UK co-production. Dr. Runtime approved (77 mins).
*) a joke for approx. three people!
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