The Keep (1983)

December 16, 1983 (GB) • Horror, Fantasy • 96m

Overview

Set during World War II, a German army garrison is sent to guard a mountain pass in a village in Romania's Carpathian mountains and sets up barracks in an ancient stone fortress. Two of the soldiers unwittingly release a mysterious entity that kills or corrupts those within its influence, drawing the attention of a Gestapo commander, a Jewish scholar, and a mysterious traveller.

Director

Michael Mann

Writers

F. Paul Wilson, Michael Mann

Top Billed

Scott Glenn

Keywords

nazi ss (nazi schutzstaffel) world war ii demon dark fantasy romania 1940s

Where to watch

Free / Included

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Top Billed Cast

Scott Glenn

Glaeken Trismegestus

Alberta Watson

Eva Cuza

Jürgen Prochnow

Captain Klaus Woermann

Robert Prosky

Father Mihail Fonescu

Gabriel Byrne

Major Kaempffer

Ian McKellen

Dr. Theodore Cuza

William Morgan Sheppard

Alexandru

Royston Tickner

Tomescu

Michael Carter

Radu Molasar

John Vine

Lutz

Wolf Kahler

S.S. Adjutant

Jona Jones

Otto

Rosalie Crutchley

Josefa

Frederick Warder

Border Guard 1

Bruce Payne

Border Guard 2

David Cardy

Alexandru's Son

John Eastham

Alexandru's Second Son

Philip Bloomfield

Josefa's Son

Yashaw Adem

Carlos

Stephen Whittaker

S.S. Kommando

Ian Ruskin

S.S. Kommando

Stephen Jenn

S.S. Kommando

Benedick Blythe

S.S. Kommando

Robin Langford

S.S. Kommando

Renny Krupinski

Wehrmacht Soldier

Peter Guinness

Wehrmacht Soldier

Sean Baker

Wehrmacht Soldier

Timothy Block

Wehrmacht Soldier

Owain Griffiths

Wehrmacht Soldier (uncredited)

Ralph G. Morse

Wehrmacht Soldier (uncredited)

Doug Robinson

Guard (uncredited)

Peter Ross-Murray

Nazi Soldier (uncredited)

Crew

Michael Mann

Director

F. Paul Wilson

Novel

Michael Mann

Screenplay

Chris Kelly

Associate Editor

Richard Mills

Makeup Artist

Gene Kirkwood

Producer

Beryl Lerman

Makeup Artist

Alex Thomson

Director of Photography

Dov Hoenig

Editor

Noel Davis

Casting

Hawk Koch

Producer

Bonnie Timmermann

Casting

Robin Browne

Visual Effects Supervisor

John Box

Production Design

Herbert Westbrook

Art Direction

Michael Seirton

Set Decoration

Nick Allder

Special Effects Supervisor

Barbara Ritchie

Key Hair Stylist

Alan Tomkins

Art Direction

Anthony Mendleson

Costume Design

Nancy Klopper

Casting

Nick Maley

Makeup Designer

Nick Maley

Creature Design

Wally Veevers

Visual Effects Supervisor

George Dean

Painter

Robin Gregory

Sound Mixer

Vicki Deason

Production Assistant

Edgar Froese

Original Music Composer

Christopher Franke

Original Music Composer

Johannes Schmölling

Original Music Composer

Paddy Ryan

Stunts

Tracey Eddon

Stunts

Doug Robinson

Stunts

Alf Joint

Stunt Coordinator

Jim Dowdall

Stunts

Andy Bradford

Stunts

Nick Hobbs

Stunts

Callum McDougall

Third Assistant Director

Colin M. Brewer

Executive Producer

Theresa Curtin

Associate Producer

Gavin MacFadyen

Associate Producer

Richard Brams

Associate Producer

Roger Simons

Assistant Director

Ray Corbett

Assistant Director

Arthur Lavis

Second Unit Director of Photography

Shaun O'Dell

Camera Operator

John Golding

Camera Operator

Terry Sharratt

Boom Operator

Leslie Tomkins

Art Direction

Graham Freeborn

Makeup Artist

Joyce James

Hairdresser

Jan Dorman

Hairdresser

Paul Madigan

Assistant Director

Kieron Phipps

Second Assistant Director

Vic Smith

Second Assistant Director

George Ball

Property Master

John McGoldrick

Special Effects Technician

Alan Bryce

Special Effects Technician

Doug E. Turner

Sound Re-Recording Mixer

Bob Badami

Music Editor

William Trent

Sound Editor

Peter Pennell

Sound Editor

Campbell Askew

Sound Effects Editor

Peter Horrocks

Dialogue Editor

Pamela Power

Additional Editor

Phil Sanderson

First Assistant Editor

Steven Maguire

Assistant Editor

Adam Unger

Assistant Editor

Tony Palmer

Assistant Editor

Stephen Spencer

Assistant Sound Editor

Stephen Janisz

Assistant Sound Editor

Jeremy Strachan

Assistant Dialogue Editor

Graham Sutton

Assistant Sound Editor

Graham Attwood

Still Photographer

Reviews

Wuchak

⭐ 6/10

February 16, 2022

**_Arty fantasy/horror taking place at a citadel in Romania during WW2_**

In late 1941, a motorized German infantry unit holds a pass in the Carpathian Mountains by occupying a strange fortress that’s “built backwards,” as the captain observes (Jürgen Prochnow). When soldiers start mysteriously dying, it draws a ruthless Nazi commander into the fray (Gabriel Byrne), as well as a Hebrew professor and his daughter (Ian McKellen & Alberta Watson). A strange nomad is also attracted to the proceedings (Scott Glenn).

Based on the 1981 book of the same name, "The Keep" (1983) is a supernatural thriller set in WW2, one of director Michael Mann’s early flicks before his great success with films like “The Last of the Mohicans” (1992). While this was a flop at the box office, it has since developed a cult following. It was no cheapo movie, costing a whopping $11 million at the time and hence has quality production values, especially for an early 80’s horror flick. It’s comparable to a late-era Hammer movie, just made on a huge budget and without Cushing or Lee.

There are elements of “Altered States” (1980), “The Formula” (1980), “The Seventh Sign” (1988) and “Howling V: The Rebirth” (1989) so, if you like those films, check it out (and, yes, I realize those last two came out 5-6 years later).

The production was troubled with Mann’s original edit being 3.5 hours, which is well over TWICE as long as the version released to theaters (!). This has caused critics to denounce “The Keep” as a jaggedly-edited outlandish mess that attempts to be an art film, a horror flick and a WW2 movie without really succeeding at any. The film’s peculiarity is augmented by a dream-like score by Tangerine Dream. Nevertheless, there’s enough good here to entertain open-minded viewers. While there are obvious cut parts, the story isn’t hard to fill-in the blanks.

There is a creature and it’s easily the most intriguing part (in later scenes it sorta rips-off of Jack Kirby’s Darkseid). Yet I found the characters played by Prochnow, Byrne and McKellen interesting too.

Scott Glenn’s role would’ve been better if he was fleshed out more. He was the protagonist of the book, but his scenes were cut. What we are left with is an enigmatic traveler with glowing eyeballs and a magic stick who has no qualms about jumping into bed with a woman he barely knows (in defense of this sequence, he instinctively KNOWS her and vice versa to a degree).

The film runs 1 hour, 36 minutes, and was shot in Blaenau Ffestiniog & Llanberis in northwestern Wales, as well as England at Shepperton Studios, just west of London, and Kent (the concentration camp); with Spain standing in for Greece in one scene.

GRADE: B-

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Status

Released

Original Language

Budget

$6,000,000

Revenue

$3,661,757

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The Keep (1983)

F. Paul Wilson, Michael Mann

Where to watch

Top Billed Cast

Crew

Reviews

Wuchak

Recommended Movies

Fury

Life Is Beautiful

Schindler's List

American History X

Status

Original Language

Budget

Revenue

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