Originally released on these shores as Horror Hotel (Misfits fiends, take note!), City of the Dead is the tale of Nan Barlow (Stevenson), a young co-ed who travels to New England to investigate witchcraft at the behest of her college professor (Lee). Upon arriving in the small town of Whitewood things are rather bizarre; but it goes from bad to worse when Nan is marked for sacrifice by a coven of witches. Now that sounds like my kind of vacation, my creeps!
Dripping with atmosphere and rich Gothic overtones, The City of the Dead is a “can’t miss” fright flick classic! Fog enshrouded locales, dilapidated buildings, graveyards, sinister locals, arcane ceremonies — this one has got all you crave from the “old guard” style of horror storytelling.
While the film is an undeniable monsterpiece, the extras on this release offer a few treats for fright fans! You get a commentary track (one with no less than Christopher Lee himself), an interview with Lee, and the film’s theatrical trailer.
If you dig on the writing of H. P. Lovecraft or enjoy the Silent Hill series of video games, you need this in your fright film collection immediately!
*This is a revised review from the 2 Disc edition I covered for Famous Monsters
