Meridian

4/21/2025

**_Beauty and the beast at an Italian castle_** A half-American woman (Sherilyn Fenn) returns to Italy to inherit the family castle, but she and her best friend (Charlie Spradling) dubiously get involved with a traveling carnival troupe, led by a dark, handsome man (Malcolm Jamieson). "Meridian” (1990), sometimes subtitled “Kiss of the Beast” (and also known as “Phantoms”), is a castle-oriented romantic drama/fantasy with elements of the supernatural, even horror. The real star is the milieu of the castle and the awe-inspiring garden of colossal statues, along with the two brunettes. Speaking of which, they’re both shown top nude a couple of times (so stay away if that offends you) but, honestly, the director & cinematographer didn’t really take advantage of their presence (not ta