I usually watch episodes from this fantasy series over Christmas but, since this one co-stars the recently-deceased Christopher Lee, I thought I might as well get to it now. The cast actually includes Peter MacNichol as the fearless titular figure, Jeff Corey as his ultra-superstitious father, David Warner as a scheming innkeeper in cahoots with the regal Lee, Frank Zappa as the latter's mute hunchbacked servant, and even Vincent Price providing the narration (making this the fourth and final collaboration between the two Horror icons, obviously discounting the THIS IS YOUR LIFE TV episode devoted to Lee I recently watched).
The film is likable enough and occasionally amusing (Corey's antics to fend off misfortune at the start and, while spending three nights at Lee's ostensibly haunted castle, the protagonist is not only averse to terror but he even teaches the visiting ghouls how to play bowling with a skull!), but the attempts to scare the hero and his gauche obliviousness to them are often too silly – in the vein of a "Scooby Doo" cartoon – to elicit much interest from an adult audience! This is all the more telling when it transpires that MacNichol is basically afraid of growing up since he gets all shivery when ultimately offered the hand of Lee's daughter in marriage upon completing his endurance test!
The film is likable enough and occasionally amusing (Corey's antics to fend off misfortune at the start and, while spending three nights at Lee's ostensibly haunted castle, the protagonist is not only averse to terror but he even teaches the visiting ghouls how to play bowling with a skull!), but the attempts to scare the hero and his gauche obliviousness to them are often too silly – in the vein of a "Scooby Doo" cartoon – to elicit much interest from an adult audience! This is all the more telling when it transpires that MacNichol is basically afraid of growing up since he gets all shivery when ultimately offered the hand of Lee's daughter in marriage upon completing his endurance test!