"Der Hund von Blackwood Castle" or "The Monster of Blackwood Castle" is a German color movie from almost 50 years ago. It is another addition to the long series of German films that were based on Edgar Wallace novels that were made in the 1960s and 1970s. The director is Alfred Vohrer, like so many other times and the film runs for roughly 88 minutes and is thus slightly longer than they are in average. German movie fanatics may be familiar with actors Heinz Drache, Karin Baal and especially Horst "Derrick" Tappert, who seems to be on the other side of the law in here? Or is he really? The film is once again from start to finish packed with plot twists about who the bad guy is and who is good. And this time not even the one listed first in the cast, which is usually the cop investigating the crimes, is left untouched, which shows how these films really do not take themselves seriously at all. The title includes the antagonist once again, even if the dog is obviously not killing everybody on his own because he wants to. There is a man behind these killings, which should surprise nobody. The dog murder scenes seem fairly ridiculous occasionally, especially the very first one, but the snake poison at least makes it slightly credible I guess. But I would have expected the dog to really brutally mutilate the victims, but oh well.. this would have been too much for the films I guess. All in all, this was a fairly absurd film and I did not find the dramatic/horror contents too credible or too interesting, so i was glad the film did end before the 90-minute mark. I give it a thumbs-down.

I have to admit that I don't know a great deal about Krimi creator Edgar Wallace, but I would guess that he's a fan of Sherlock Holmes; as this film takes obvious influence from the classic story 'The Hound of the Baskervilles'. It's not a direct rip-off, however (despite several similarities) and it has to be said that once again the German writer has created an inventive and off the wall story that is sure to delight mystery fans. The film begins with an amusing pop song played over the credits. As the title suggests, the bulk of this film takes place in an around the grounds of an old castle named Blackwood Castle. There's a problem in the area as several people have turned up dead - but the police can't work if they've been killed by a dog or died from snake venom. The owner of Blackwood Castle has passed away and so his daughter has come to claim the castle; but she is hassled by a stream of visitors who seem extremely interested in the castle. Also added into the mix are an insurance investigator and a couple of Scotland Yard detectives.The film is set in England and despite the fact that everyone speaks German; the film does actually have a British feel to it. The thing I like most about the Krimi genre is undoubtedly the style of it and once again director Alfred Vohrer has created a beautiful world for the film to take place in full of rich colours and grandiose locations. The film was obviously shot on a budget, but that's not a big problem. The mystery itself can get a bit messy, but there's always plenty going on and the film easily fills its ninety minute running time. In fact, it's quite unbelievable the range of characters that have somehow been fitted into this film! It does have to be said that the story is not as wacky as some other films in the genre, but there's still plenty of odd goings on; the whole deal with the murders and the dog is a particularly imaginative highlight! The film is clearly not meant to be taken 100% seriously, and indeed the script does allow for some humour, which actually works well with the plot. It all boils down to an entertaining conclusion that somewhat makes sense; and although this film is not for everyone, it is very entertaining and I'm sure Krimi fans will enjoy it!

The story of "Der Hund von Blackwood Castle" revolves around this castle whose owner has just died. His daughter is asked to sell the castle, but she suspects too many men want to buy it for dubious reasons and refuses to sell it. Of course she gets into trouble, and soon the first body is found. A black dog with snake teeth bites to kill! "Der Hund von Blackwood Castle" is one of the better movies among the colored ones of the Edgar Wallace series. Karin Baal plays the heiress, Heinz Drache as Connery (!) and Horst Tappert as Douglas Fairbanks (!!) belong to the cast as well as two experienced veterans: Siegfried Schürenberg ("A dog was bitten by a man - or the other way around") and Agnes Windeck („People in this inn always die before they pay their bills“).