The Keep

The Keep (1983)

56%
303votes
2popularity
96min

"They were all drawn to the keep. Tonight, they will all face the evil."
Budget:$6,000,000
Revenue:$3,661,757
Release:12/16/1983
Genres:Horror | Fantasy
Original language:English
Spoken languages:English
Countries:United States of America | United Kingdom

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.… Expand

Production companies:

Paramount Pictures
United States of America
Associated Capital
Capital Equipment Leasing
Howard W. Koch Productions
United States of America
Gene Kirkwood Productions

Cast

Cast

Videos

The Keep (4K Modern Trailer)
10/1/2025Trailer
Vinegar Syndrome Promo Trailer
11/29/2024Trailer
THE KEEP (1983) ending from TV Version
11/11/2021Clip
THE KEEP - Looking for the filming location of the sci-fi horror cult classic
11/23/2020Clip
The Keep (1983) - Trailer HD 1080p
2/28/2019Trailer
The Keep (1983) - Glaeken (HD)
6/17/2018Clip
The Keep (1983) - Molasar (HD)
6/17/2018Clip
The Keep (1983) - Intro (HD)
6/17/2018Clip
THE KEEP (1983) - Tangerine Dream "Stealing The Silver"
11/30/2016Clip
The Keep (1983) - Deleted Scenes (Pictures and Clips)
10/21/2014Clip
The Keep - Trailer
6/18/2013Trailer
Tangerine Dream - Stormbringer (The Keep.Main Title.Best Sound Quality)
1/27/2012Clip
The Keep (Michael Mann - 1983) - Molasar's Escape
4/3/2010Clip

Videos

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Reviews

60%
Wuchak
- Created:2/16/2022
- Updated:2/16/2022
**_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-… Expand

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The Keep (1983)

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