Danza Macabra (aka Castle Of Blood) (1964)

A journalist (Georges Riviere) is interviewing the author Edgar Allan Poe (Silvano Tranquilli) when a nobleman (Umberto Raho) challenges the journalist to spend the night in a castle which is supposedly haunted. The journalist accepts the wager and quickly discovers that the dead walk the night. Although credited as an adaptation of a Poe short story, it is in fact not based on any Poe work. Directed by Antonio Margheriti (SEVEN DEATHS IN A CAT'S EYE), this Gothic horror tale stars horror icon Barbara Steele but her screen time is limited. The film itself is slow to get going and only really jump starts at the halfway mark when we get the backstories on how all the ghosts met their deaths. Margheriti whips up a nice ghostly atmosphere but it's still too predictable in its execution and there are way too many stagnant scenes. But die hard fans of these Italian Gothic horrors should enjoy it. The score is by Riz Ortolani (THE YELLOW ROLLS ROYCE). With Margarete Robsahm and Arturo Dominici.