Mr. Sardonicus is a 1961 horror film produced and directed by William Castle. It tells the story of Sardonicus, a man whose face becomes frozen in a horrifying grin while robbing his father's grave to obtain a winning lottery ticket. He tries to force a doctor to cure him, but the "cure" leaves him unable to eat or drink at the end of the movie. Castle cites the film in his memoir as one of his favorites to make. In 1880 in the fictional central European country of Gorslava, prominent London physician Sir Robert Cargrave has come to the mysterious Baron Sardonicus at the urgent request of... his one-time love, Maude , now the Baron's wife. Sir Robert becomes apprehensive when his enquiries about Sardonicus are met with fear. When Sir Robert arrives at Castle Sardonicus, his fears are quickly justified: one of his first sights is that of Sardonicus' servant Krull torturing one of the Baron's servants by placing leeches on her face. Maude herself is fearful of what will happen if Sir Robert is not willing to do as Sardonicus asks of him.
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| Release date: | October 8, 1961 |
| Directed by: | William Castle |
| Runtime: | 89 Minutes |
| Producer: | William Castle |
| Screenplay by: | Ray Russell |
| Adapted from: | Sardonicus |