The Whip and the Body is about a bad boy named Kurt (Christopher Lee) returning to his ancestral home after he had previously driven a servant girl to suicide. His former flame has been married off to his brother by his father. Meanwhile, his brother still loves a girl named Katia. And there are a couple of servants who just straight up don't like Kurt. When Kurt gets murdered, his former flame starts being haunted by him...it's castle bound intrigue as Christian (Kurt's brother) tries to get to the bottom of what's happening.
Shot much more darkly than the Corman castle based horror movies, Mario Bava made this one shadowy and creepy. He likes to ratchet up the tension with long shots of echoing footsteps and people waiting for doors to open when they shouldn't. Lee was dubbed in this so we only get his physical performance but he does well as the ghoulish Kurt. The rest of the cast does fine as well even if I was a little confused about everyone's relation to each other for a little while. I actually still don't know who Katia is and why she lives with her ex and his wife. Overall, this is good old, fashioned meat and potatoes horror that might not scare you but should keep you entertained.
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