Welcome to one of the main features of 'Castle Dracula,' the movie reviews section.
The reviews placed here are from all around the world, from the USA to the UK Japan
and everything inbetween. The formats reviewed are video and DVD. I have included the
origin of the film reviewed so you can check your player for compatibility. You may
also notice that there are some DVD-R reviews. These are not 'bootlegs' or 'copies'
but official screeners that I have been sent containing an as yet unreleased film to 
review. All the reviews here have been reviewed either by myself or my current movie 
reviewers. If you're an avid watcher of horror movies then why not join 'Castle Dracula'
as an official 'staff member' reviewing them. To do so, just click on the 'Join My Staff'
link in the menu to the left for details of this and other vacancies.
New reviews are normally placed here once a week, check my front page for under 'Castle
Dracula Updates' to see what latest movie reviews have been placed.

- Aenigma - US DVD - 

Italian splatter fans are no stranger to Lucio Fulci. He has been at the center of 
many heated debates as to which horror master is better, Fulci or Argento. Before
I got my hands on a Fulci film, I was led to believe that you either liked one or
the other but never both. Now that DVD has brought several Fulci films into my 
household, I see that this argument couldn't be farther from the truth. There is 
room in giallo gallows for both. The two couldn't be more stylistically different.
Argento paints the screen with reds and blues making death seem poetic. But Fulci
assaults the viewers with a brutally dark and ugly view of the world around us. 
Stilted dialog and characters which only serve to move the plot forward are not 
unfamiliar to either director, but Fulci really reaches for the outlandish, which 
makes his films enjoyable in a totally different way.
'Aenigma' is familiar water for Fulci, but he manages to craft a beautifully 
violent and touching film despite treading common ground.
The story: A group of teens pull a 'Carrie' like prank on geeky 'Kathy' (Milijana
Zirojevic) which results in her being hit by a car. Things begin to look hopeless
as 'Kathy' slips deeper and deeper into a coma, but then the beautiful 'Eva' (Lara
Naszinski from 'Red Sonja') arrives at 'Kathy's' all girl school. 'Eva' has become
a medium of sorts since her nervous breakdown which has left her open to the 
supernatural. Somehow (and never ask how when watching one of these!) 'Kathy' taps
into 'Eva's' powers and makes the new girl do her deadly bidding. 'Eva' also has 
a hand at helping 'Kathy' live out her fantasies when she takes up with hapless, 
helpless 'Dr. Robert Anderson' (Jared Martin from the 'Lonely Lady'). The elements
presented here in this thin story line conspire to make an entertaining little gore
flick with some standout set pieces.
Beware of the usual pitfalls of Italian splatter - bad dubbing, cheesy lighthearted
moments and little or no story to speak of. But in return you get an appealing cast
including the handsome Jared Martin who is good as the lead in the absence of David 
Warbeck, lots of the red stuff, and a stunning widescreen transfer in an other wise
bare bones DVD package (not even a trailer!).  
Not as accomplished as 'The Beyond' but significantly better than the ridiculous 
'Voices from Beyond,' there are far worse ways to discover Lucio Fulci or spend a 
Saturday night.  

Reviewed By Amanda By Night

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