Haunted Castle 2001

Johnny is a young, aspiring American musician and singer who receives shocking news from a British law firm: his mother, The Mother, an aging rock star he hasn’t seen since he was three, has died in a helicopter accident. He stands to inherit her castle and the surrounding estate in England, but he must travel there to claim it.

As he drives up to the castle, a bolt of lightning strikes a grave on the grounds, and a glowing sphere rises from the earth, signaling a supernatural reception for the heir.

Inside, he steps into a hall where suits of armor suddenly come to life and attack. A demonic figure speeds in, shatters the armors, and beckons him deeper into the shadowy maze of the estate. The journey grows more surreal as he passes a room where instruments levitate and play on their own, then enters a great hall where an orb embedded in the floor projects the image of his mother. The holographic version of The Mother unleashes a lengthy operatic number, the piece titled Lane Navachi from Lunascape’s album Reflecting Seylence, circling around the performer as the music swells.

A blazing face appears in the fire, revealing the Devil, [Mr. D], who explains that his mother sold her soul for fame. Part of the pact was that the devil could not touch Johnny, but now a similar offer is extended to him. The young musician declines the proposition, yet the lure of the castle’s secrets tempts him to press on. He steps into a cathedral-like chamber whose floor begins to descend, plunging him into Hell. The mood darkens into a gothic atmosphere as his guide, Mephisto, leads him through sections of Hell where musicians who sold their souls are subjected to twisted tortures. Mephisto reveals that there was a time when luring people to Hell with music was not easy—until the rise of Rock and Roll.

Johnny is carried on a roller-coaster ride through Hell, with the glowing sphere of his mother appearing at intervals to warn him of the consequences of surrendering to the Devil’s offer. The path leads to a decrepit opera hall where the harshest punishments unfold. Mephisto shares a backstory about Mr. D having once loved an opera singer, a grievance that fuels a violent dislike for opera music.

Returning to the confrontation, Mr. D tempts him again. Mephisto hands Johnny a guitar, and the budding star weighs the choice, then hurls the instrument into the flames and belts out La Donna è Mobile at the top of his lungs, provoking a furious reaction from the demon and causing the castle to shake and collapse. In the chaos, the soul of his mother returns to its resting place.

Six months later, Johnny stands as a famous rock and roll star, a rise achieved through his own talent. In the closing moments, Arid takes the stage as credits drift by in small bubbles popped by a roaming demon, leaving the story with a final echo of spectacle and fate.