Okay, here's the rewritten review: **_Yes, there's an old Italian CASTLE and a deformed CREATURE._** A man from America (Jeffrey Combs) receives a castle located roughly an hour outside of Rome and brings his wife and daughter (Barbara Crampton and Jessica Dollarhide) with him. The couple is dealing with issues related to the husband’s drinking, which led to the death of their young son. At the same time, the teenage daughter believes that someone else lives in the castle. Things quickly fall apart. I wasn't expecting much from "Castle Freak" (1995), given the straightforward title and a rather cheesy movie poster, but it’s surprisingly good considering its budget of only $500,000. I was reminded of HP Lovecraft’s “The Dunwich Horror” (1970) and wasn't shocked to learn that the film drew inspiration from Lovecraft’s "The Outsider." The atmosphere and setting are comparable to “Subspecies” (1991), except instead of a vampire, there’s a twisted monster. Regarding the undead, it also calls to mind Dracula movies, like the most recent one at the time, “Bram Stoker’s Dracula” (1992). The initial portion takes its time developing the characters, establishing a Gothic atmosphere and building suspense, while the latter half becomes increasingly horrific and sad. There are some interesting psychological elements to explore, such as the effects of trauma and bad decisions, along with potential opportunities for recovery and pardon in a damaged world. It’s also an excellent film for experiencing rural Italy. Raffaella Offidani appears as a stylish courtesan, and I was reminded of Halle Berry. While I preferred Jessica Dollarhide's portrayal of Rebecca, the character wasn't fully utilized (and I’m not referring to nudity or anything like that). Speaking of which, there is some bare skin, a bit of passionate intimacy, and also extremely unpleasant scenes; just so you know. The conclusion was, incidentally, copied in “Cold Creek Manor” (2003). A new version came out in 2020 with the same name, though I haven’t seen it yet (the trailer does look interesting, however). The film has a running time of 1 hour and 30 minutes and was filmed in Giove & Attigliano, Italy, including the castle owned by executive producer Charles Band. The region is located 45 miles north of Rome. I shouldn’t finish without mentioning Luca Zingaretti’s important role as the sheriff. GRADE: A-/B+

Source on TMDB