Horror (a symbolic name for the horror genre), also known as Blancheville Monster, is an Italian Gothic film released in the midst of Italian Gothic, based on Mario Bava. And it is practically no different from other representatives of the Gothic horror of the same period. But, nevertheless, it is very rich from a visual point of view. It has a stunning Gothic atmosphere, magnificent scenery, with all the classic genre attributes: an ancient castle, a family curse, a veil of secrecy, a suspiciously leading servant, a mysterious killer with a disfigured face.
The basis of the plot is borrowed from several works by Edgar Poe, including The Fall of the House of Usher and Premature Burial. Not without the influence of the Edgar Poe Roger Corman film series.
As in the House of Usher, the main character is also called Roderick and it is a family curse that states that the Blancheville house will fall with their family when the last female descendant turns 21. . .
As for the part of the plot, which was borrowed from "Premature Burial", it is taken as if from another film, as it turned out too dramatic for this kind of film.
By the way, in the scenes with premature burial clearly there are visual references to the Vampire (1932) by Carl Dreyer (namely, to the scene in which Allan Gray lies in a coffin, and the shooting is conducted from his point of view), as well as to the film adaptation of The Fall of the House of Usher (1928) by Jean Epstein.
The finale was quite predictable, as if the filmmakers did not try to hide the main intrigue. The final twist was so obvious - even for its time - that it begs the question whether the creators wanted to keep the viewer in the dark until the very end.
In general, this is not the best representative of the Gothic horror, but definitely deserves attention.
8 out of 10