Directed by Nathan Juran and released by Universal Pictures, The Black Castle is a moody, atmospheric horror-adventure that blends classic Gothic tropes with postwar suspense. Featuring a stellar cast including Richard Greene, Boris Karloff, Stephen McNally, and Lon Chaney Jr., the film is a standout in Universal’s late-period horror catalog.
Plot Summary
Set in 18th-century Austria, the story follows Sir Ronald Burton (Richard Greene), who travels under an alias to the castle of Count Karl von Bruno (Stephen McNally) to investigate the mysterious disappearance of two friends. Von Bruno is a sadistic nobleman who delights in barbaric hunting games and maintains a dungeon full of torture devices.
Burton finds an ally in Dr. Meissen (Boris Karloff), the castle’s honorable physician, and falls in love with Countess Elga von Bruno, the count’s repressed wife. As secrets unravel and identities are revealed, Burton and Elga must escape the castle’s sinister grip before they become its next victims.
Cast Highlights
- Richard Greene as Sir Ronald Burton
- Boris Karloff as Dr. Meissen
- Stephen McNally as Count Karl von Bruno
- Paula Corday as Countess Elga von Bruno
- Lon Chaney Jr. as Gargon — notably, he has no lines of dialogue, echoing his silent role in The Ghost of Frankenstein
- John Hoyt, Michael Pate, and Nancy Valentine in supporting roles
Behind-the-Scenes Trivia
- Filmed at Universal Studios between March 12 and April 4, 1952
- The dungeon set was reused from The Strange Door (1951), which also starred Boris Karloff
- The castle is said to be in the Black Forest, but historically, that region was part of several small states within the Holy Roman Empire, not Austria
- This was Lon Chaney Jr.’s final horror film for Universal, marking the end of an era
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