Averse as I am to tarnish the journalistic integrity of the printed medium, particularly with regard to cinematic subject matter of reasonable historical import, I am nevertheless compelled to proclaim that Barbara Steele is one damn steamin' hot muffin. So there.

Apparently, I'm not the only one: Steele's eerie, proto- gothic beauty is forever linked with Italian horror cinema's first Golden Age, thanks to Mario Bava's "Black Sunday." Her sultry visage returned to haunt European screens via Roger Corman's Poe adaptation "The Pit and the Pendulum," which in turn inspired this film's producers to write their own Poe epic, with Steele in mind for the lead. The result is certainly not much of a Poe adaptation, but still earns high marks as one of Steele's foremost horror vehicles.

Promoters touted "Castle of Blood" (originally titled "Danse Macabre") as being based on Poe's works, although the literary connection is even more dubious than Roger Corman's Poe series. It does, at least, offer Poe himself as a character in the story, first seen recounting one of his twisted tales (or a reasonable facsimile) for the patrons of an English roadside tavern. His story is overheard by visiting journalist Alan Foster (Georges Riviere) - a great admirer of Poe's work, but also a rationalist who scoffs at the author's notion that all of his stories are based on actual events.

This skepticism inspires Poe and his sullen drinking companion Sir Blackwood to strike a familiar-sounding wager with Foster, betting that the journalist can't spend the entire night - All Souls' Eve, to be exact - in Blackwood's supposedly haunted castle. After a bit of philosophical banter about the nature of the human soul, Foster agrees, and is succinctly dropped off at the castle gates.

After spending several lengthy scenes wandering from room to dusty room (we built this set, and by damn we're gonna show you all of it!), Foster finally encounters some of the castle's enigmatic residents - including the sweet but elusive Elisabeth Blackwood (Steele), the not-so- subtly-sinister Julia (Margarete Robsahm), and the puzzling Dr. Carmus (Arturo Dominici, another "Black Sunday" alumnus), a professor of metaphysics who claims to be researching the castle's myriad ghosts.

Falling instantly in love with Elisabeth (can ya blame him?), Foster tries in vain to convince her to leave the grounds with him, despite her insistence that their relationship is doomed - just as her soul is damned to walk the corridors of Castle Blackwood for all eternity. After all, she was murdered there many years ago in the bloody aftermath of a doomed four-way love affair, the events of which the victims are doomed to replay every year on this very night - as are the deaths of those unfortunate visitors who dared to drop by in the years to follow. Alas, Foster's skepticism breaks down pretty quickly - but he's still got the hots for Liz, and insists on finding a way to free her from her eternal prison. It's a nice gesture, but proves to be not such a great idea. Sure, we all know what's coming, but the final twist is a pretty effective little poke in the ass for those who still expect a Hollywood ending.

The intrepid treasure-hunters at Synapse have unearthed quite a find with this release, which they claim to be the most complete print available - culled from no less than four different sound and picture sources. Considering my only prior encounter with this film was a badly butchered pan-and-scan U.S. print on Channel 23's "Creature Feature," popping in this disc was nothing short of spook-show nirvana.

Not only is the print in remarkable shape for being almost 40 years old, this cut restores numerous scenes previously excised by the American distributors. Although they had to be culled from a French language print lacking the other scenes' English dubbing (default English subs will appear during these scenes), the additional footage is a great asset to the total package - providing some oddly philosophical dialogue, shocking violence, and most importantly, naked boobies. (Alas, Barbara remains clothed, but does engage in a little girl-on-girl bed-wrestling action with Robsahm.) Synapse clinches the deal with some extras, including the film's U.S. trailer, the American version's opening sequence, a still gallery (more boobies!) and some informative liner notes from Video Watchdog's Tim Lucas.

Though this is not Steele's most beloved genre film - that honor goes to "Black Sunday" - she's never looked better. Stealing every scene from her lackluster costars, she dominates the screen with huge, haunted eyes, further affirming her status as one of the crowned heads of classic horror. It's also a testament to the gothic skills of director Antonio Margheriti (aka Anthony M. Dawson), who died just a few weeks before this DVD hit the market. One of Italy's most prolific cinema journeymen, Margheriti's career ran the gamut from sword-and-sandal adventures to spaghetti westerns, from sex comedies to cannibal gore- fests - all of wildly varying quality, but damn good fun all around. "Castle of Blood" stands as one of his more compelling and stylish accomplishments.

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