Mr. Sardonicus

In William Castle’s delightfully twisted gothic horror flick, a sadistic baron hires a doctor to cure the hideous grin frozen on his face. Poor Sardonicus dug up his father’s body to retrieve a lottery ticket, but the sickening sight of dear dead daddy caused his face to twist into a ghoulish visage, leading to bad behavior in an attempt to fix it. Castle’s gimmick this time was the “Punishment Poll”, a pause at the finale where audiences could vote on whether Sardonicus deserved mercy or a brutal comeuppance. Legend has it that the merciful ending was never used...

A sadistic baron hires a doctor to cure the hideous grin frozen on his face.

Cast: Ronald Lewis, Audrey Dalton, Guy Rolfe, Oscar Homolka