Can watching horror movies in 3D be scarier than watching normal ghost films in the cinemas? After "Haunted Castle", I'd say I prefer to watch Japanese horror movies turned Hollywood blockbusters anytime, even if most of them have the same storylines. The experience of watching this movie was more like playing a video game than watching a film really.
In "Haunted Castle", a young up-and-coming musician named Johnny (played by Arid lead singer Jasper Steverlinck) finds that his estranged mother had left him with an imposing castle way up in the hills. Soon, Johnny arrives at the castle's front doors. As soon as he enters, Johnny meets a funky ghoulish henchman, Mephisto (voiced by Harry Shearer).
Mephisto informs Johnny that Mr. D, the castle's custodian of evil, has been waiting for him for a long time. Mr. D appears from the fireplace of a very big room, in which Johnny is in, and makes a devilish offer, surrender your soul to him and Mr. D'll make you a mega superstar. It was the same offer that he gave to Johnny's mom.
To avoid having any 'restrictions', Johnny is encouraged to follow Mephisto on a tour of the castle before he makes a decision. While touring the castle, Johnny discovers the fate of the musicians that have dared to cross Mr. D, mainly opera singers. The spirit of his mother appears a few times in the movie to warn him to leave the castle, as it is more than what it seemed.
The graphic was okay. The story was okay. The acting, I don't know if you can really call 3D figures 'actors', but it was also okay. There were spaces for fun and excitement in this movie, but it is really not a movie worth going to watch, especially if you're going in for the ultimate IMAX experience.
People need to understand that watching an IMAX 3D movie is not like watching a 'normal' movie in your 'normal' cinema. Still, even in comparison to other IMAX 3D movies that are currently showing at out local IMAX cinema, "Haunted Castle" came as a rather weak fare.
Like sitting through an experimental video game, there's nothing at all scary about "Haunted Castle", though I do think being scary is the last thing the filmmakers had in mind when they were making this film. Instead of a walk through a terrifying old haunted castle, what you get is almost like walking into a video game with the only thing missing is the joystick in your hands.
What you can most probably do while you're watching this 3D film is marvel at how far technology has come since 1999 (the year this film was made). I bet you'll be thinking they can do so much better now and yes I'm sure they can. Still, dodgy technology aside, it's pretty fun to sit there and pretend you're on a rollercoaster ride through the bowels of hell.
The movie swings between third person and first person's perspective as you follow the lead character, Johnny (played by Jasper Steverlinck - lead singer of Arid) through the creaky old castle that his mother leaves him. A reclusive rock star, his mother (played by Kyoko Baertsoen - lead singer of Lunascape) apparently made a deal with the devil for rock and roll fame. The devil (or Mr. D as he would like to be known) now extends the same offer to Johnny.
Arid and Lunascape fans will get a kick out of "Haunted Castle" as it features music from the two bands, including a great 3D concert performance by Arid during the closing credits. Jasper Steverlinck has an awesome singing voice and his performance of the opera piece at the end was splendidly carried out. I wish I could say the same about his acting though.
