For her annual "Cat in the Box," (Christmas) special, Sally the Zombie Cheerleader adds a fan favorite to her School of Horror roster: William Castle's Mr. Sardonicus, with the effectual Guy Rolf as its tragic and sinister lead, accompanied by Ronald Lewis, Oskar Homolka, Vladimir Sokoloff, Audrey Dalton, Erika Peters and Candance Cavendish (yep, quite an embellishing ensemble).
Adapted by Ray Russell, based on his Playboy story, "Sardonicus," this Castle production is ripe with atmosphere, capturing a period-piece decor that invokes The Phantom of the Opera, The Man Who Laughs, The Body Snatcher and The Fall of the House of Usher, as well as Castle's own menacing concoction, House on Haunted Hill.
Sally is wonderful as always, injecting her knowledge and guidance (along with several quips from dear ol' SkeleKat and plenty of Fleshie, feline/critter photos) to ensure that one appreciates the importance of this twisted chiller. As such, she places special emphasis on its renowned gimmick, in which the on-screen Castle requests the audience to vote on Sardonicus' fate. In truth, he had but one outcome to offer, since he presumed that most would want Sardonicus to face (ahem) a sardonic (ahem) fate.
This is a big-time, stand-out episode from Sally, so check it out for a macabre yet educational good time:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sVl-pbXnsfs
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