Mikes Film Talk

The Castle of Baron Finch (2024) is a throwback tale of silence. Don Cunningham wrote, directed and starred as Dr Cushing in this tribute/homage to the good old days of silent film. Cunningham also worked as co-cinematographer and editor. An apt description of this artist would be cottage industry. He does it all.

This is splendid bit of old time horror hits the spot. From Finch (Jay Pennington with his Nosferatu hand gestures to Cunningham’s silver watch, this a vampire tale with old school aspirations. Cunningham also opted for frames with a hint of “noise.” Grainy, scratched and worn, this effect ages the film beautifully.

the lore

While The Castle of Baron Finch does follow, to a certain extent, the lore passed down through generations of vampire and werewolf movie making, the filmmaker also allows his creatures to move about in daylight.

The setting however is almost pure old world. Castle Finch is in varying degrees of distress. Some of the walls are crumbled while others look almost pristine. The costumes look great, we loved the boots that Baron Finch was wearing, and Isobel’s (Elisabeth Anne Steigelman) dress was spot on.

some issues

There are some issues with the woodsman’s shoes, but poetic license is there to be used. FX, for the most part, consisted of the smoke and mirrors variety. Some things were just not done. The Baron has no fangs and there is no blood to be seen when he bites Isobel.

Shooting in black and white, except for when Cushing is in the church, works well. Using colour in the church scene denotes its sense of sanctuary and goodness versus the Baron’s evil.

The night time sequences are tinted blue and this works. This was obviously a labour of love. The names of the characters are a nod to the vampire film genre. Cushing is a homage to the late actor Peter Cushing who played Professor Van Helsing in a number of Hammer films.

werewolf

In keeping with Cunningham’s nod to the good old black and white days of horror the transformation of the werewolf throws us right back into Universal Studios.

Using time lapse to make the change just screams of the doomed Larry Talbot; played by Lon Chaney Jr. This shows just how much the writer/director seemingly loves those old days of horror.

the cast

The cast give it their all. Jay Pennington is a combination of Christopher Lee and Nosferatu, but with hair and minus the over long fingernails. This vampire enjoys his work. Steigelman exudes menace with ease and Cunningham as the protagonist is very subtle with his serious yet concerned air. White, as Waldemar the Woodsman is notable for his size and somewhat simple demeanor.

All the performers manage to bring the feeling of “silent movie days” to living breathing life.

Festival

The Castle of Baron Finch is currently on its film festival run. We give it a solid 3 out of 5 stars. This six years in the making throwback tale of silence and love letter to horror is interesting and worth a look when it finishes the festival circuit.