After a short delay John Hudson and I finally sit down to

discuss two of director Antonio Margheriti's scary films. This time out we

delve into his Gothic Horror output with the Barbara Steele featuring CASTLE OF BLOOD (1964) and Margheriti's remake of

that film WEB OF THE SPIDER (1971). Yes, you read that correctly - much like

about a dozen other filmmakers Margheriti remade his own film and in this case

seems to have used the same script. And the same score too! But since the score

is by Riz Ortolani that might have been a mark of brilliance instead of a cost

cutting move. To add to the differences, the first film was made  in glorious, shadow-filled black & white

while the remake was filmed in color. Does this end up making or breaking the

story?

As you might expect when discussing two separate but very

similar films we speak about the points of departure the later film makes from

the first incarnation while trying to determine which is a better version of

this ghostly tale. There is much to discuss when comparing the legendary

Barbara Steele to the lady that took on her role seven years later. It turns

out that French actress Michèle Mercier had quite an interesting career and

serving as a replacement for a horror icon might have been a step down for her.

If you have any comments of suggestions for future podcasts

you can drop us an email at [email protected] and we'll take your thoughts

under advisement. Mr. Hudson and I will be continuing our trip through Margheriti-ville

soon by dipping into his westerns so we hope you'll come back for that. Thank

you so much for downloading and listening.