Film 22/52: The Virgin of Nuremberg (1963)

 


When it came to our 'V' movie, we had the potential list narrowed down to two Vampires... and two Virgins... and Christopher Lee was the deciding factor to go with The Virgin of Nuremberg. 

The film is a classic creature feature. Gothic castle, dungeon full of torture devices, women running around in nightgowns, and creepy disfigured characters wandering around the premises. 

Now for surprise numero-uno — the Virgin of Nuremburg of the title isn't one of the gothic maidens running around the castle. Nope! She's a completely different kind of maiden — one of the iron variety! The film wastes no time in giving us a glimpse of a victim with her eyes poked out via said torture device. Or was that just in our character Mary's imagination? Well, once you know her husband Max maintains a museum of torture devices in the family castle, it's not so much of a stretch to believe her. 

Surprise numero two-o — this isn't a period film! All the trappings were there, so imagine my surprise when I realized it was set post-WWII. The real threat lurking in the castle appears to be a masked man known only as The Punisher, who three-hundred years previously used the iron maiden to do away with adulteresses in the neighborhood. I don't want to spoil the surprise when it comes to the identity of The Punisher, but the film takes an interesting turn as it ventures into World War II history, and things remain exciting through the climax. I will say it had me re-thinking one of the classic Marvel Comics villains!

The 1963 film has some cool grisly effects, and while the jazzy score seems wrong for the film, I grew to enjoy it. Aside from a few castle miniature shots (and one laughable 'tossed doll' shot), the production values are very impressive. It's probably worth pointing out that Christopher Lee appears in a supporting role, as the scarred servant Erich. It's not his most memorable performance, nor is it helped by the performance being dubbed by someone else. I thought the film was fun and atmospheric, and found it to be more satisfying than a recently watched creature feature of similar vintage, Mill of the Stone Women. 

I'm glad to have finally checked The Virgin of Nuremberg off the list, and can definitely see revisiting it again in the future, perhaps in the wake of an HD release, which seems long overdue following the 2003 DVD edition that we screened. 


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