Eccentric Cinema | THE SADISTIC BARON VON KLAUS

The Sadistic Baron Von Klaus

France / 1962
Directed by Jess Franco
Starring
Howard Vernon
Fernando Delgado
Anne Astor
B&W / 95 Minutes / Not Rated
Format: DVD (R1 - NTSC)
Image Entertainment

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Review by
Brian Lindsey

10 = Highest Rating

Prior to this review I'd only seen Franco films from the 1970s onward. So I was naturally skeptical about giving this murder mystery helmed by the Spanish sleazemeister a go. While interesting, his flesh-filled Vampyros Lesbos is a semi-coherent acid trip; 1998's Lust for Frankenstein is an unwatchable piece of crap. Thus The Sadistic Baron Von Klaus came as a mild surprise. It showcases some atmospheric black and white cinematography and competent, even stylish direction. The story actually makes sense. And can you believe it?... No zoom shots!
    When women turn up mysteriously murdered in the Austrian village of Holfen, a peculiar legend involving the local nobility comes to light. Centuries earlier, Baron Von Klaus tortured and killed a number of young women to satisfy his warped, wicked desires. This reign of terror lasted until the Baron himself perished in quicksand in the bog surrounding his castle. Periodically, over ensuing years more murders occurred. The Von Klaus family was always suspected; stories of a ghostly "swamp phantom" circulated among the locals. The villagers believed that the malignant spirit of the evil Baron lived on in each generation of his male descendants. Now, with new victims turning up, suspicion again turns to the denizens of Castle Von Klaus. There are only two remaining members of this noble line: Max (Women in Cellblock 9's Howard Vernon), the current holder of the title, and his nephew Ludwig (Hugo Blanco), a young concert pianist recently engaged to pretty Karine (Paula Martel).
    Smart-aleck journalist Karl Steiner (Fernando Delgado), reporter for the lurid "True Crime" tabloid Murder and Maidens, is dispatched to Holfen to snoop out a suitably juicy story. The provincial police commander, no-nonsense Commissioner Borowsky (Georges Rollin), isn't the type to lend credence to old legends when it comes to investigating a homicide. Still, all the clues would seem to point straight to Castle Von Klaus. When a cabaret singer is stabbed to death after her performance at the local hotel, Max is brought in for questioning. Uncooperative, with no real alibi, the sinister-looking nobleman is arrested for murder. But is he really the killer?
    The mystery angle of The Sadistic Baron Von Klaus is pretty transparent. You'll have the murderer's identity pegged very early on. Given that fact, the pace of the story can be rather pedestrian. Some scenes go on much longer than necessary; the film could easily be pruned of 10 minutes' running time to much better effect. More time is spent with superstitious villagers and the police procedural than the cursed family of the title. A shame, too, as Vernon in particular is a very interesting performer to watch. Born in Europe to American parents, he had a very long career as a character actor on the Continent, appearing in numerous horror films directed by Franco. (The most famous of these being The Awful Dr. Orlof.) Undeniably creepy looking, with a simple look or gesture Vernon is able to channel the spirit of Peter Lorre by way of Boris Karloff. His introduction in the film is one of its most memorable scenes.
    Aside from Vernon the film does offer other points of interest. Franco fashions a number of effective, well-mounted compositions. The cinematography is excellent — most readily apparent in a sequence in which the murderer's chased through the cobbled streets of the village — and the (relatively tame) stalking/murder scenes clearly foreshadow the black-gloved killer of the Italian giallo. Totally devoid of blood and gore, the exploitation elements don't kick in until the final 20 minutes. In what was certainly a shocking sequence in its day, hotel barmaid Margaret (shapely Gogo Robins) is kidnapped and taken to the castle's dungeon, where she is stripped down to her G-string, whipped, shackled and otherwise generally abused by the villain. (He's reaching for the red-hot torture irons when the scene finally cuts away.) Unfortunately this titillating bit of sleaze is marred by a badly looped piece of music.
    Despite its numerous flaws, The Sadistic Baron Von Klaus — which, as I probably should've pointed out earlier, is in French with English subtitles — is an interesting (if not truly satisfying) thriller. Worth a look for fans of Eurohorror — even if, like me, one isn't an ardent admirer of Franco's.

North American Francophiles (yes, they do exist) will no doubt rejoice with Image's release of this virtually unseen film. Video quality of the anamorphic widescreen (2.35:1) transfer is very good, with little print damage; in most instances the moody black and white photography is well served. Sound quality is more problematic. A low hiss is omnipresent, with a bit of static here and there. We didn't detect any distortion during passages of loud music or sound effects, however. (Not that there's a lot of that to begin with. Aurally, this is a fairly sedate film.) The English subtitles are clear and easy to read.
For such a rare flick, extras on the disc are understandably light. The long — almost four minutes — French trailer is included, along with a selection of "alternate" footage demonstrating how much of the dungeon torture sequence was cut for distribution in some countries. (Almost all of the nudity and the entire whipping scene get snipped.) While not animated, the DVD's menu screens feature cool, stylized artwork.
Unfortunately a bio/filmography of the interesting Howard Vernon is not included. It would've been a nice touch. 2/04/02

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