Protected
Castle of Evil
1966 · National Telepix / United Pictures Corporation · Dir. Francis D. Lyon
The relatives of a recently deceased man gather at his eerie mansion but before his will can be read, they start being murdered one by one.
Confidence
95
— Legal Reasoning —
Why this status applies
Under the Copyright Act of 1976 and the Copyright Renewal Act of 1992, works first published or registered between January 1, 1964, and December 31, 1977, are granted automatic renewal. 'Castle of Evil' was released in the US in November 1966 and was registered with the US Copyright Office by National Telepix, Inc. and United Pictures Corp. (Registration Number LP34710, dated November 1, 1966). Because it falls within the 1964–1977 window, the copyright was automatically extended for a second term without the need for a renewal filing at the 28-year mark.
The film's copyright is currently active and is managed/held by successors of the original production companies. It has seen consistent commercial exploitation, including a licensed DVD release by VCI Entertainment and streaming via various horror-focused platforms. There is no evidence of a defective notice that would have injected it into the public domain during its initial release.
Note: generated without live web grounding (the grounded research engine was unavailable). Verify the cited sources independently before relying on this determination.
— Cited Sources —
Supporting facts
- U.S. Copyright Office Catalog of Copyright Entries (CCE), Motion Pictures and Filmstrips, 1966
- Stanford University Copyright Renewal Database (search for LP34710)
- AFI Catalog of Feature Films: Castle of Evil (1966)
- Library of Congress Motion Picture Copyright Descriptions Collection
Research summary based on cited sources, not legal advice. Always consult a qualified copyright attorney before commercial use.