Curse of the Crimson Altar (1968)

Directed by Vernon Sewell [Other horror films: Ghost Ship (1952), House of Mystery (1961), The Blood Beast Terror (1968), Burke & Hare (1972)]

One of the many cult-themed horror films from the late 1960’s, Curse of the Crimson Altar is an okay film with a decent amount of classic faces involved.

The story is about what one might expect, following a man (Mark Eden) attempting to locate his missing brother, tracking him to Craxted Lodge in the small village of Greymarsh. It’s a classy set-up, and the mystery, though perhaps not surprising, is pretty solid. I probably could have done without some of the more trippy elements (such as the silly looking Satanic stuff that pops up a few times – luckily it’s nowhere near as ridiculous or constant as The Witches), but overall, the story is quite crisp.

What makes it crispier are the recognizable individuals involved. While I could take or leave Barbara Steele (Castle of Blood, Nightmare Castle, Terror-Creatures from the Grave, and The Pit and the Pendulum), you have some great performances from Christopher Lee (The Wicker Man), Michael Gough (Trog), and one of the last roles of Boris Karloff (The Walking Dead). Mark Eden did well as the lead, and Virginia Wetherell provided some somewhat surprising nudity, so that can’t be bad.

There are perhaps times when I think the film was running a bit long, as the pace is occasionally slow, but for the most part, Curse of the Crimson Altar had a good head on it’s shoulders, and given it’s a Tigon movie (The Beast in the Cellar and Witchfinder General), that might not be a surprise.

I definitely enjoyed this a bit more than I sort of thought I would going in. That said, it’s far from great. I don’t think it’s a bad piece of Satanic flavor, but it’s likely just below average.

6.5/10