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Europe, the 18th century: Though they have never actually met, Sir
Ronald Burton (Richard Greene) and Count Karl von Bruno (Stephen McNally)
were the fiercest adversaries in a colonial war in Africa. Since then, von
Bruno has returned to his native Germany and has lured two of Burton's
allies to his castle and killed them. Now Burton, under an alias, pays a
visit to the Count's castle posing as his hunting guest to look for his
friends and find evidence against the Count.
Evidence is soon found against the Count in his castle, and besides
that, Burton also falls in love with the Count's lovely young wife Elga
(Paula Corday) - and vice versa -, and even though von Bruno has grown
increasingly suspicious (let alone jealous) of Burton, he figures it's
safest to just let him leave when he wishes to and cool his emotions off
by torturing his wife ...
The Count's personal physician Meissner (Boris Karloff) though is
really a close ally of Elga and he goes after Burton to get him back ...
and soon enough, Burton is back at the castle using some feeble pretense -
and runs into a trap the Count doesn't even know he has set yet - and
before he knows it, he finds himself in a cell with Elga, being entirely
at the Count's mercy. A valiant attempt of Burton's servant (Tudor) to
free his master and Elga only leads to the servant's death, so Doc
Meissner suggests a desperate measure: To put the two in suspended
animation and fake their deaths and this way escape their cell and the
castle in coffins ... a plan that is unfortunately found out by the Count,
who kills Meissner in cold blood and then wants Burton's and Elga's
coffins sealed - just to hear them die. But somehow the coffins are not
sealed quickly enough and the Count finds himself leaning over Burton's
open coffin just when he awakens - and Burton grabs the opportunity, pulls
his gun and shoots the Count ... and in the end he of course gets the
girl.
Lon Chaney jr is rather wasted in the role of a mute brute in the
Count's services.
Routine period B-picture with slight sadistic and horror overtones.
Nothing too great actually, but nicely done, competently acted and
featuring sets and costumes appropriate for its story (not always a given
in B-pictures of its time). If you don#t expect a masterpiece, this one is
totally watchable.
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