Every horror movie needs a good enough setting because often the place where the story is set is just as important as the plot itself. Sometimes even more so because in horror movies, the right type of setting can make or break the movie, help create its atmosphere or bury it. Gothic castles most often appear in this genre because they have a long and rich history, but even more importantly, they look like they could hide more than one ugly secret or a scary monster.
Unsurprisingly, filmmakers have used this fact many times over the years but not every movie set in a gothic castle turned out great and deserved the attention of the viewers. Fortunately, there are some remarkable movies set in gothic castles that have the power to make the audience scared, even though a lot of them premiered a long time ago. Here are the best movies set in gothic castles, in no specific order.
5 Nosferatu (1922)
One of the best Dracula adaptations (even though it wasn't officially inspired by Bram Stoker's novel) is largely set in a scary castle that looks like it could be haunted. Instead, it's home to an even more terrifying creature - the bloodthirsty vampire Count Orlok. Other Dracula movies were also set in his castle, but Nosferatu gives even more space to it, as well as the village surrounding it.
Since the movie belongs to the silent era, it takes even greater care to characterize the setting by using inventive camera work, and no sound. Orlok's castle looks like a death trap and combined with his strange behavior, it has the power to cause terror in the characters as well as viewers. The movie became a classic and inspired countless other horrors, including a 1979 Nosferatu the Vampyre directed by Werner Herzog.
4 Rebecca (1940)
Alfred Hitchcock is best known for directing iconic horror movies such as Psycho (1960) or Birds (1963). Hitchcock usually worked with original materials and the 1940 adaptation of Daphne Du Maurier's novel is one of the few exceptions to this rule. Joan Fontaine stars as a young woman who falls for the rich and widowed nobleman Maxim de Winter (Laurence Olivier). She marries him even though she barely knows him and moves to his castle. She has a hard time coming to grips with her new life, though, since the shadow of Maxim's previous wife, Rebecca, seems to haunt her, and Maxim himself looks to be hiding something from his wife.
Just like some of the best gothic horrors, Rebecca offers more than one unpredictable plot twist and while it's not as scary as other Hitchcock's movies, its atmosphere is still intense enough. It helps that both Olivier and Fontaine give excellent performances in the leading roles. It was the British director's first Hollywood movie and also the only one of his work that won an Oscar for best picture. Those who would like to see a more modern adaptation can try out the 2020 version of Rebecca that's streaming on Netflix.
3 The Masque Of The Red Death (1964)
With just 14 thousand ratings on IMDb, The Masque of the Red Death is one of the underappreciated 1960s horror movies. That's despite the fact that multiple known names are associated with the movie. The story is based on Edgar Allan Poe's work, one of the greatest horror writers of all time who was known for creating an intense atmosphere in his stories. The movie adaptation manages to create a similarly strong atmosphere and offers a surprising story, at least for those who aren't familiar with the source material. Even though it's true that the movie doesn't follow the original story too closely.
It centers on prince Prospero, a tyrant and a rich man who's living comfortably in his castle while a frightening illness is killing the villagers. Prospero decides to throw a ball in his castle, but a surprise guest in a red mask makes it clear that this ball will be far from ordinary. Of all Roger Corman's adaptations of Poe's stories, The Masque of the Red Death is one of the better-rated ones. Not only does it have a beautiful, albeit haunting setting (unlike other movies from the series, this one was filmed in England) but Vincent Price, known for his horror roles, gives a memorable performance as the ultimately unlikable, yet still fascinating Prospero.
2 Nightmare Castle (1965)
Even though it even has the castle in its title, the 1965 movie isn't as known among gothic horror enthusiasts as it would have deserved. That's because it's an Italian movie, not a Hollywood one. That doesn't change the fact that Nightmare Castle offers a compelling story set in a gothic castle that looks like something out of a nightmare... in the best meaning of the word. So it doesn't come as such a big surprise that people have previously died in the castle.
The main heroine of the movie discovers the truth and has to fight for her life. Barbara Steele gives a solid performance in not one, but two of the main roles. Nightmare Castle keeps a slower pace than other horrors but the sense of threat and danger is strong in the movie anyway. The movie's black-and-white picture makes the scary moments even more impressive, and also helps hide the fact that the movie didn't have as high a budget as it would have deserved.
1 Hotel Transylvania (2012)
Most movies set in gothic castles are horror pieces, dark and scary. Hotel Transylvania is one of the few exceptions to this rule. Even though it focuses on Dracula and other iconic monsters (such as the Invisible Man), the monsters in the movie are far from monstrous. They just want to lead their lives, be with their friends and avoid people whom they're afraid of. The movie is primarily a comedy and offers more than one solid joke.
What's more, it's visually beautiful, and it's fun to discover all nooks and corners of Dracula's castle slash hotel with the characters, especially the human guy Johnny who makes the mistake of visiting the hotel and falling for Dracula's daughter Mavis. The castle makes its reappearance in the sequels as well, but it's the first movie of the series that uses its charm and the storytelling opportunities it offers to the best.