When I was 12 (well over 25 years ago), AMC showed Hammer’s Horror of Dracula one October evening. I had just read the Stoker novel for the first time, and was originally taken back by the divergence from the source material (Yes, I was that much of a nerd), and then Christopher Lee came onto the screen with a presence so unlike any Dracula I’d seen to that point, that I no longer considered the book, and became a fan for life, so much so that I consider Lee my favorite of all time.

Severin Films, who seem to be dominating the box set and special edition market in 2021 have put together an immense package dedicated to the work of Christopher’s Lee 1960’s European work entitled “The EuroCrypt of Christopher Lee”. The set contains 5 feature film ranging from gothic horror in the Black Sunday vein to a Sherlock Holmes film (Sherlock Holmes and the Deadly Necklace) plus 24 episodes of a Polish TV series, the Theater Macabre, which occasionally skews horror as it adapts literary greats like Poe and Tolstoy as Lee host. It was a delight to explore this one and see restored versions of films that I never expected to look as good as they do here.

Sherlock Holmes and the Deadly Necklace is loosely (very loosely) adapted from Conan-Doyle’s The Valley of Fear. It has a bad reputation probably derived from 2 sources, the fact that Christopher Lee was known to not be a fan of this particular film, and that the English cast was redubbed in English. This was before Lee’s Whip and the Body incident where he began to demand that he would dub his own voice.

The film is a Holmes Vs. Moriarty episode where Moriarty is obsessed with Egyptian jewelry, and is going around trying to steal examples of it (he opens the film having stolen a necklace of Cleopatra’s). The film was directed by Terrence Fisher who previously worked with Lee on the Hound of the Baskerville’s (though Lee did not play the Holmes role), and written by Curt Siodmak. The film itself feels more like a German Krimi than any other Holmes film I’d ever seen, and I’d like to say I was largely entertained by the film as a whole.

The second film in the set is the Crypt of the Vampire (aka Terror of the Crypt) from 1964. This is a Spanish/Italian co-production directed by Camillo Mastrocinque, and starring Christopher Lee in the role of Count von Karnsein. Von Karnstein is the head of a family that is believed to be cursed. Part of this is due to the fact one of their ancestors’ Sira Von Karnstein was executed for Witchcraft, and now the Count’s daughter Laura is having horrible twisted nightmares involving relatives with the blood drained horribly from them.

This film is a bit of a by-the-books Eurogothic coming from the Black Sunday school, but it’s also pretty awesome in its own right. It has fantastic atmosphere, and had some awesome visual quirks. That add some wild vibes to the whole thing. The castle that is the main setting is a great location and Mastrocinque does a great job utilizing it to great effect.

The third film in the set is the one I was most looking forward to seeing restored, The Tortore Chamber of Dr. Sadism. Like Crypt of the Vampire (and later Castle of the Living Dead) you can definitely see the influence Black Sunday would have on this one, but also something like Corman’s Pit and the Pendulum. This was previously released by Severin, in their Hemisphere Box of Horrors, and is now getting an updated release here. The film follows Roger played by Lex Barker, who is traveling to uncover his family history. Apparently, one of Roger’s descendants was Count Regula (Christopher Lee) who was executed 3 decades prior for killing virgins en masse, and has now returned from the grave to his castle to do it again.

As I expected this ended up being my overall favorite in the set (I had seen it multiple times before). It’s a lurid, and fun piece, that derives it’s influence from Bava, and Christopher Lee himself seems to be having a great bit of fun with the role. The whole torture chamber aspect is great, and makes this one an over the top and fun watch, and I’ve never really tired of it.

The fourth film, and the least of them is Challenge the Devil. The film opens with an attempted murder of a criminal/blackmailer Carlo, who then escapes and meets his friend/priest in a church, and explains his predicament. Apparently a dancer stole, the materials that Carlo needed, and now Padre will get them back by explaining his life in the priesthood to her (I’m not sure I get that…). Later on we meet another group of people who meet an old guy named Mephistopheles played by Christopher Lee in old age makeup who offer them money to find his wife’s body.

I feel like there were multiple films running around here ala a Nightmares Come at Night, and these were sort of put together. I could be thinking this, because the nightclub scenes just gave me a Jess Franco vibe, or maybe I’m always looking for a JESS FRANCO vibe. There is cool looking stuff here, and as a movie to pop on in the background and watch it’s something. Christopher Lee is only in very briefly though, so don’t expect much.

Castle of the Walking Dead is another gothic delight, however. So the feature film section does conclude nicely. The film opens with a scene that looks like a shocking execution sequence only for us to discover it’s a staged scene by a traveling theater troupe. After the conclusion of their performance they are invited for a nice sum to the castle of Count Drago (Christopher Lee). On the way their they are warned (of course) to stay away, but they ignore it. Soon after they realize that these sort of warnings are not the thing to be avoided. The film had second unit camera work by Michael Reeves who would direct the famed Witchfinder General, and even here one can see his influence.

The final entry in the box is the Theater Macabre. A Polish TV series from the 1960’s that adapts the work of Poe, Tolstoy, among others in 30 minute or so chunks. Christopher Lee host the episodes, and it’s a thrill to see him in such a role. The actual episodes are hit/miss, but are none the less fun to watch.

All the films in the set are presented in 1080p AVC encoded transfers. All are in Black and White except Torture Chamber of Dr. Sadism and Theater Macabre, and are presented in their OAR. Everything for the most part looks fantastic here. The release of Torture Chamber on this disc is a far reaching improvement over the Hemisphere release. The most damaged entries in the set come from the Theater Macabre, and that is understandable all things considered.

As far as extras go this set is truly massive. As a starter the set has a physical book on Christopher Lee written by gothic horror expert Jonathan Rigby. Sherlock and the Deadly Necklace has a commentary by Kim Newman and Barry Forshaw. Challenge the Devil has a series of interviews and a trailer, but also a disc inside called “Relics from the Crypt” that contain a true treasure trove of content for Lee fans including a documentary short called “Horror!” This is followed by a remembrance of Boris Karloff by Christopher Lee, a huge series of interviews with Christopher Lee including an audio interview with David Del Valle. A series of featurettes, music videos, and outtakes from To The Devil A Daughter. There is also a Q&A from 2011 with the man himself.

The Torture Chamber of Dr. Sadism includes a commentary by Nathaniel Thompson and Troy Howarth, an audio interview with Karin Dor. A location featurette, shorts, trailers, still and posters galleries, and a restoration slideshow. Crypt of the Vampire only contains a trailer. Castle of the Walking Dead has another commentary by Nathaniel Thompson and Troy Howarth and one by Kat Ellinger as well. There is an interview with producer Paul Maslansky, an interview with Robert Curti, and a CD soundtrack. Theater Macabre has a promo for the series.

The EuroCrypt of Christopher Lee takes such a sharp focus on an often ignored segment of Christopher Lee’s diverse and eclectic career. Severin has done a wonderful job restoring these films (and episodes) so that they are the best they have ever looked and sounded, and put together a truly fantastic slate of extras. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.