LO SPETTRO

Italian Gothic Horror with a young Barbara Steele and Peter Baldwin

In 1910 Scotland, a paralyzed estate-owner (Elio Jotta) dies in a dubious manner and his wife and young doctor (Barbara Steele & Peter Baldwin) experience ghostly happenings, including poltergeist phenomena. Harriet Medin is on hand as the housekeeper.

“The Ghost” (1963), aka “Lo Spettro,” is Italian Gothic horror, a reimagining of the French hit “Les Diaboliques” (1955). It influenced future movies; for instance, the blood from the ceiling was later done in “The Devil’s Nightmare” (1971), aka “The Devil Walks at Midnight.” Meanwhile the music box angle was used in “For a Few Dollars More” (1965).

While this is an Italian movie, the cast is international with Steele being English, Baldwin & Medin American and Jotta Italian. Barbara is youthful and bright-eyed at the age of 24 during shooting.

While the story is simple, the eerie ambiance is to die for. “The Ghost” is worth checking out for anyone interested in ghostly Gothic horror taking place in spooky Euro-styled castles or manors, such as “The Innocents” (1960), "The Two Faces of Dr. Jekyll" (1960) and “The Tomb of Ligeia” (1964).

The film runs 1 hour, 36 minutes, and was shot in Rome.

GRADE: B-