Castle Freak (2020)

My quick rating - 5.2/10. I am always a sucker for anything Lovecraftian. Even if it is not a grade-A flick, just his style is so unique, to say the least. Here is a refreshed look at this tale that has been done before, and admittedly, better. We get the same basic story here with a woman inheriting a castle (since that happens all the time) so she and her boyfriend head there to get through the possessions getting them ready for sale. But in story form, there also is an included bonus of a strange creature living within. This starts out with a quick PSA to wear your seatbelt, as our heroine Clair Catherine is in a devastating car accident and loses her sight. So as we get into the castle, she begins to see flashes of things that have happened and feels some form of connection. The majority of the backstory is shown through these scenes, so we get an idea of what had happened to her parents. It is a slow build and is actually filled with more little clues of someone being there with them. Just to make sure there are some people to fill the body count, a group of their friends comes to assist in the project, which they never really bother doing. One of which is a "genius" called a professor who seems to know all about the lore regarding the house and the artifacts they find. One of which is the Necronomicon. Once this is brought in, I am sure you know what is coming. If you don't, that is the book of the dead and the main cause of issues in the Evil Dead movies. Lovecraft touches upon this notorious book often in his writings, so that link wasn't a surprise. The whole thing looks fairly gothic in nature, although I always felt like it was just a really nice-looking set. Rarely did it seem like a castle, but oh well. The thing here is the voyeuristic nature of the creature and the sexual encounters that occur. They are all part of the bloodletting that will appease the gorehounds as well. All of these bits lead up to a conclusion you may see partially coming, but probably not completely. The clues are there throughout, though for you to find. That is, if you can put up with some poorly cast supporting members that were more irritating than fodder or furthering the story. After all is said and done, it is different enough from the '95 version to set it apart, but still ends up in the middle of the road as parts shine and others just stumble. Even with my bias towards Lovecraft, all I can say is fine for one viewing, but I doubt you would return to it.

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