After cleaning out my various queues this month, I’ve seen all of the horror that I want to see on HBO (and at least one that i didn’t really want to see but watched anyway). One of those films is the one I’m reviewing now as the 23rd film for this month – Macabre. There’s definitely some excellent stuff on HBO (as of Oct. 2025) but their horror pool is a bit shallow. I understand that licensing is expensive and whatever, but as someone who watches horror (almost) exclusively, it’s a bit disappointing. I find myself using Tubi way more and that’s free! Well, sort of. I have to suffer through ads on Tubi. That’s not the end of the world though. Gives me a chance to grab a snack or go to the bathroom. Which I could easily do by pausing a movie that I’m watching on HBO. Damn. I guess you pay either way. You’re welcome for this awesome autobiographical story. Let’s get into it, shall we?
Dr. Barrett comes home to find that his daughter is missing. His nurse gets a call from someone claiming to have kidnapped and buried the girl alive. Barrett, his nurse, and a couple of others who join later have five hours to search for the child before it’s too late. They start in the graveyard because the voice on the phone said she is “among the dead”. They can’t go to the cops. The sheriff has it in for Barrett because he was in love with the doctor’s wife and blames him for her dying during childbirth. As the minutes tick by – shown on screen via close-ups of a clock – the folks must race against time to save the girl and find the kidnapper.
Macabre has the structure of a farce but none of the humor. I don’t mean that as a dig either. Just an observation. This is an early William Castle picture that is reportedly one of the first films for which he did a cornball gimmick. For this one it was a Lloyd’s of London insurance policy of $1000 for anyone who died of fright during the film. Which is a very clever tie-in to a character in the film who has a heart condition and is cautioned not to get overly excited. The film also features the aforementioned ticking clock plot device to remind viewers of the stakes. It is corny by today’s standards, but it actually goes a long way toward ratcheting up the tension in the film. Is the story particularly shocking? Not really. Or maybe it was by 1958 standards. But it does have some fun twists and turns that I didn’t expect. If you’re a seasoned horror fan, you’ve likely seen other Castle productions and you will know if they’re your cup of tea or not. If you’re a casual horror appreciator or a fledgling fan, you will likely find something to like here if you’re looking for a campy thriller.
The Final Cut: Macabre is a typical William Castle film with some fun gimmicks and surprising twists. If you’re in the mood for an old school chiller, this should do nicely.
No Real Danger 