Low budget Italian horror film is no big shakes but there's a few things worth mentioning about it. First, it's Donald Sutherland's film debut (in two roles, no less). Why they had him dress up as old hag I do not know. Budgetary reasons I suppose. Sutherland does nothing to impress in his debut. We also have the great Christopher Lee slumming here and giving a typically solid Lee performance, though not his best. There's also a dwarf among the circus performers. He's pretty good and gets to be a hero, which will impress certain types.

The story is about a troupe of circus performers summoned to a castle to entertain the mysterious Count Drago (Lee). Little do they know Drago is a weirdo who performs experiments involving embalming animals and people. This certainly sounds intriguing enough but somehow the film manages to be unexceptional and, for the most part, boring. Lee completists and Spaghetti horror fans will want to check it out. I wouldn't recommend it to anyone else.

Actually, it's just ok, nothing special, with a few tense moments but other than the sudden shot of a dart entering someone's eye, not really all that horrifying. It was easy to recognize Donald Sutherland as a French police official and an old hag, especially when they share a scene together. It's obviously someone else speaking Sutherland's lines as a seemingly witch like creature, reminding me of Jeanette Nolan in tone in episodes of TV's "Twilight Zone" and "Thriller".

The story surrounds a troop of strolling players brought to Lee's castle to entertain him where the lead performer accidentally hangs himself. It's a chase for the desperation to escape for the others who find out too late the truth of Lee's castle and his diabolical plans. There's an evil Igor like assistant who laughs and claps maniacally and gets his in a surprising manner.

Some great gothic statues makes for interesting art direction, but in black and white, it just points out how cheap it was to make. The secret of the castle is shocking but never really frightening, and that makes this Italian horror programmer a let-down.

Terror awaits a troupe of street performers, and a wandering sojourner accompanying them, when they accept an invite to the mysterious Count Drago's castle. They will receive quite a nice wage for their performances as they attempt to supposedly entertain Drago, a scientist who enjoys the art of embalming animals of all kinds as a way of capturing their eternal beauty. This unhealthy obsession yields a terrifying secret..Drago wishes to add the troupe to his collection! Drago has perfected a unique formula which, after injection, causes the victim to freeze instantaneously, forever as they were without the threat of old age removing their beauty and form. Like mannequins, Drago has a whole room enshrined with the bodies of victims he has froze! Will our troupe be able to escape? Drago has a sadistic henchman-manservant Sandro(Mirko Valentin)he uses to capture and kill victims. Donald Sutherland is a treat in dual roles..one as an idiotic officer who bumbles through a sure crime practically right in front of him(..it's unclear just how many times Drago has duped him)and a vengeful witch who seeks retribution towards Drago who once tried out his experiments on her. Gaia Germani portrays the lovely Laura, who Drago obsesses over due to her beauty. Phillippe Leroy is Laura's love-interest, Eric, a former soldier traveling the roads until he met the troupe as two of their group were into an altercation over wages from a street performance. Sutherland's witch forewarned the troupe against going to the castle, but they do not heed her warnings. She informs the troupe's dwarf that he would remain unharmed thanks to an amulet she gives to him.

Okay little low-budget horror outing. To be honest, I found it unspectacular with a pace that drags a bit..the film felt much longer than it actually was. But, the castle setting is quite well utilized; I thought the premise was ghoulish enough. Lee was alright, but I thought Mirko, as his cruel lieutenant, stole this feature.