Overview: Christopher Lee (THE LORD OF THE RINGS) returns as the diabolical super-villain who, along with his sadistic daughter Lin Tang (Tsai Chin of CASINO ROYALE), creates a fiendish new chemical weapon that will turn the seas into a giant block of ice.

But when his archenemy Nayland Smith (Richard Greene of THE ADVENTURES OF ROBIN HOOD) tracks the madman’s trail of kidnapping, murder and massive global destruction, he himself becomes trapped in Fu Manchu’s impenetrable lair of cruelty.

Can any of the world’s top-secret agents (including a wild performance by Jess Franco) now stop the cold-blooded terror that lives in THE CASTLE OF FU MANCHU?

Maria Perschy (THE GHOST GALLEON) and Rosalba Neri (99 WOMEN) co-star in this notorious sequel directed by Jess Franco (THE BLOODY JUDGE) that marked Christopher Lee’s final performance as the infamous Chinese madman.

Now Blue Underground presents THE CASTLE OF FU MANCHU in a brand-new 4K restoration from the original camera negative in Dolby Vision HDR!

Blu-ray Verdict: The fifth and final of Christopher Lee’s Fu-Manchu outings – a planned sixth film was cancelled due to its overwhelmingly poor critical and commercial reception - and the second to be directed by schlockmeister Jess Franco.

Played as a parody, Castle might actually have been quite fun, but Fu-Manchu is essentially reduced to a poor knock-off of a Blofeld (though I’m not sure he was ever much else). Lee actually brings his A-game here, having phoned it in previously in the series, lifting the ludicrous dialogue to the point where it’s almost palatable, but everything else about the film seems to be mocking itself without knowing it.

The production design is so camp it makes The Ipcress File look like The Spy Who Came In From The Cold! The action and violence is again tepid and clumsy (lest we forgot this is a Jess Franco film) and the plot manages to be confusing in spite of being threadbare. There are some babes thrown in, but this is a PG movie so, again, Franco fans expecting anything resembling titillation will be thoroughly disappointed.

Unlike its predecessor, which is by far the more insipid and dreary of the two, Castle has a handful of things going for it. One is Jess Franco in a supporting role, wearing a fez and dubbed to sound like, well, I don’t really know, but you will if you give it enough thought! The score is totally derivative but actually rather nice. The wacky production design and multi-colored fluorescent lighting add a lot of hammy fun.

However, the attempt at seamless in-scene cutting between the various, disparate filming locations is endlessly amusing. Which I know shouldn’t be a plus, but it is, trust me! Some of the dialogue is hilariously quotable and played to the hilt by everyone involved.

Frankly, though, the two high points of the show are the sizeable inserts from A Night To Remember and Campbell’s Kingdom. While definitely a cut above its predecessor in some ways, people might still struggle to give this film any form of positive recommendation, but me, I suggest giving into it’s campiness and just allowing the nostalgia to flow over you [S.A.]

Bonus Features:
Ultra HD Blu-ray (2160p) and HD Blu-ray (1080p) Widescreen 1.66:1 feature presentations
Audio: English 1.0 DTS-HD MA
Subtitles: English SDH, Francais, Espanol
NEW! Audio Commentary with Film Historians Nathaniel Thompson and Troy Howarth
The Fall of Fu Manchu - Interviews with Director Jess Franco, Producer Harry Alan Towers, and Stars Christopher Lee & Tsai Chin
NEW! Castle of Carnage – Interview with Stephen Thrower, Author of “Murderous Passions: The Delirious Cinema of Jesus Franco”
International Trailer
NEWLY EXPANDED! Poster & Still Gallery
NEW! RiffTrax Edition – THE CASTLE OF FU MANCHU Riffed by Mike Nelson, Bill Corbett & Kevin Murphy (75 Mins)

Blue Underground Purchase Page