MR. SARDONICUS

Director: William Castle

Stars: Oscar Homolka, Ronald Lewis, Audrey Dalton, Guy Rolfe, Erika Peters

Year: 1961

Rating: N/R

Corny yet effective and creepy at the same time, William Castle's Mr. Sardonicus stars Ronald Lewis as famed British physician Sir Robert Cargrave, recently knighted for his groundbreaking work in medicine and with the relaxation and reanimation of stiff or frozen muscles. Sir Robert, famous worldwide, has indeed become well-known all over; not long into the film, he receives a letter from the one and only woman he was ever in love with years ago, Maude, who invites him to her home in a remote castle, telling him she's in urgent need of his help.

Cargrave cancels all appointments and puts his life on hold to make the trip, immediately learning on his arrival in the village that Maude's husband - the Baron Sardonicus - is a much-feared man; no one even wants to take Sir Richard to the castle until Krull, the baron's disfigured manservant, shows up to do so. Wary but determined to help Maude, Sir Robert heads up to the castle ... and immediately finds out things are a bit freaky there, when soon after arriving he finds Krull using leeches to "help" a young female servant in the castle with her supposed illness.

It soon becomes apparent, behind the scenes, that Baron Sardonicus is a vicious psycho who gets off on torturing people - but meanwhile, an unaware Richard has reunited with Maude, and tries to get out of her why his help his needed. Maude hems and haws, but eventually everything is explained by Sardonicus himself (Guy Rolfe), when the baron shows up wearing a mask that completely covers up his face, and at last tells Richard of his plan.

Years ago, Sardonicus was a poor farmer, living with his first wife and father on a run-down farm. Sardonicus' father always love to play the lottery, but never won. One day, the father dies unexpectedly, and is properly buried ... only for Sardonicus and his wife to learn, shortly later, that the guy's most recent lottery ticket was the big winner, and a small fortune is ready for the taking. Unfortunately, the ticket resides in the pocket of a vest the old man was buried in, so at the wife's urging Sardonicus is forced to desecrate the remains of his beloved father to retrieve the ticket - and when he opens the casket, the sight of the grinning, half-eaten away face of his father causes Sardonicus' own face to freeze into a hideous, jackal-like grin that is terrifying to look at ... and quite, quite permanent (and yeah, even though they show his face more than once, and the makeup effects are definitely of the period - it's fairly gruesome, even by today's standards, to look at). It evens drives his first wife away, as Sardonicus claims the prize and pretty much buys his status as baron, now a rich landowner.

What Sardonicus seeks now, however, is Sir Richard's help, via the doctor's groundbreaking research in working with damaged or destroyed musculature. Richard reluctantly agrees, but after his first failed attempt he's sure there nothing even he can do. And that's when Sardonicus tells him he'd better not only try again - but succeed, or else he will torture or even kill Maude before letting Sir Richard ever leave his castle.

The movie is quite campy but still quite entertaining - made even more so by the director himself, William Castle, coming on-screen right before the ending, and giving the audience a chance to decide Sardonicus' fate, good or bad. It was supposedly a great marketing tool (something Castle was known for) when the film was in theaters, and of course now the same ending is shown regardless of how a viewer might "vote" - but it's a fun, almost comical blip in the film that's kind of cool to watch. Will Sir Richard succeed? Will Maude be spared? Will Sardonicus' face ever be restored - and/or will he ever be paid back for all the terror and pain he's caused? All questions are answered, and the ending is even a bit cornball, but it's a fun ride getting there, especially if you like these kind of suspense thrillers. Not a great movie, Mr. Sardonicus, but a fun afternoon's diversion for sure, and Homolka especially is wonderful at chewing up the scenery as the icky, loyal-to-his-master Krull. *** - Reel Cool