I still don’t get how Christopher Lee was denied a lifetime Oscar for being the ultimate cinematic villain in so many films over seven decades. He played Dracula, Frankenstein’s monster and the Mummy for Hammer’s horror flicks. He nearly took out James Bond in Man With The Golden Gun. He clashed with Captain America. He battled Yoda in a Star Wars film. He went after those pesky Hobbits in Lord of the Rings. The only person he didn’t challenge was Harry Potter since we know he would have spanked the scar off Harry’s forehead. Amongst his many bad guy roles was five films as the infamous and diabolical Dr. Fu Manchu. He was a mad genius who came up with so many plans that nearly conquered the world. The Castle of Fu Manchu had Christopher Lee once more team up with Euro cult director Jess Franco (Ilsa, the Wicked Warden) for a massive plot against the world that just might work.
Fu Manchu (Christopher Lee) has created a device that can change water instantly into ice. While some might laugh at this Slurpee machine, Fu Manchu tests it out in the warm Caribbean. He turns the warm water into an iceberg and destroys a luxury liner. It’s another fiendish plot that makes the world shudder in fear. But after his demonstration, Dr. Fu Manchu must devise another plan. Turns out the secret to powering up his freezing machine is opium. He needs a lot of opium if he expects to hold the world hostage. He uses his crack attack forces to takes over the governor’s castle that’s located in Istanbul. Turns out the colorful building has a major warehouse of smack hidden in the basement. Can he control the world’s smack market and keep sinking ships in the ocean? It’s a tall order, but luckily his daughter Lin Tang (Casino Royale‘s Tsai Chin) is ready to help out. On the bad side, Nayland Smith (The Adventures of Robin Hood‘s Richard Greene) of Scotland Yard and Dr. Petrie (The Man In The White Suit‘s Howard Marion-Crawford) are on his trail once more. Can the finally stop Fu Manchu’s world domination desires?
The Castle of Fu Manchu brought an end to the series after five installments. Christopher Lee once more gives a fine performance as Fu Manchu without acting like a stereotype. You can believe he’s behind this wicked plot that uses a machine powered by opium. I guess this could be considered an eco-friendly threat by today’s standards since he’s using renewable resources to hold the world for ransom. The film also deserves praise for its recycling effort. Instead of building a new ship and spending a fortune having it hit an iceberg, director Jess Franco uses extensive amount of footage of the Titanic sinking from A Night to Remember. You might forget that Fu Manchu is part of the movie in the opening act. Unlike The Blood of Fu Manchu, the cast seems to remain fully clothed. There’s no women in tattered outfits trapped in his dungeon. This might explain why the film had a drop off in box office since it wasn’t that exploitive of a film. It doesn’t quite feel like a Jess Franco production since there’s very little on the screen that’s his trademarked disturbing imagery. Perhaps by 1969, the filmmakers had a sense that TV was going to be a big market for movies than ever before? There’s blood, but no guts on the victims who attempt to stop his plot. Even with the lack of stripped down sadistic action, the movie is fun to watch with the world about to finally give into Fu Manchu’s desires. The Castle of Fu Manchu is a Fu Manchu movie for the whole family or at least watching with your equally devious daughter.
The Video is 1.66:1 anamorphic. The 4K restoration from the original camera negative brings out the details of Fu Manchu’s Castle which is a major tourist destination in Barcelona, Spain. The Audio is DTS-HD MA 1.0 mono. The sound is cleaned up so you clearly hear the gulls and Fu Manchu devising his plan. The movie is subtitled in English, French and Spanish.
Blu-ray with the movie and bonus features.
Audio Commentary by Nathaniel Thompson and Troy Howarth has them talk about how the film is the least loved of the Fu Manchu movies. They sense that part of that is from a bad transfer that made things on the screen too dark. It doesn’t help that the first six minutes is taken from It Happened One Night and footage from a previous Fu Manchu film.
The Fall of Fu Manchu (14:01) features interviews with Jess Franco, producer Harry Alan Towers, Christopher Lee and Tsai Chin. Jess Franco talks about how he got a phone call in the middle of the night with an offer and he thought it was a joke from a friend. Christopher Lee gave the director the business for being named Jesus and Franco. Tsai Chin loved saying “Jesus is coming on the set” since Jess is short for Jesus. She gets into having to work on a face of cruelty and pleasure. The Castle was made in Barcelona. Franco praises Lee’s professionalism. Even if he hated the film, it didn’t show on camera or on the set. Even after the Fu Manchu films, Franco, Lee and Towers worked on more films. Franco reveals that he would always book Christopher Lee into a hotel with a golf course to keep the actor happy.
Castle of Carnage (21:25) has Stephen Thrower, author of Murderous Passions: The Delierious Cinema of Jesus Franco describe it as a strange film. He digs into the criticism leveled against the film. He finds it more colorful and with more Christopher Lee than the previous entry The Blood of Fu Manchu. He points out where a few scenes were borrowed including a Titanic movie. We learn the locations in Barcelona including the castle. He addresses plot issues. Cut the film some slack and just enjoy it, Thrower advises.
International Trailer (2:26) has Fu Manchu threaten to destroy mankind in 4 days.
Poster & Still Gallery has over 130 images of international posters, advertising materials, the US Pressbook, German Pressbook, Lobby cards, press photos, behind the scenes shots involving Jess Franco, color stills, video boxes
RiffTrax Edition (75:05) has Mike Nelson, Bill Corbett & Kevin Murphy (formerly of Mystery Science Theater 3000) having fun with the film including thinking they’re watching Titanic. “All this on take your daughter to work day,” is a great summary of their attitude towards the final installment.
Blue Underground presents The Castle of Fu Manchu. Directed by Jess Franco. Screenplay by Harry Alan Towers. Starring hristopher Lee, Tsai Chin, Maria Perschy, Richard Greene, Howard Marion-Crawford, Günther Stoll, Rosalba Neri, José Manuel Martín, Werner Aprelat and Jess Franco. Running Time: 92 minutes. Rating: Not Rated. Release Date: July 29, 2025.
