The LEGO Fright Knights was a popular, discontinued theme that was the primary LEGO Castle line from 1997 to 1998. It introduced a gothic, darker twist to the classic medieval setting, focusing on evil knights and witchcraft.
Theme Overview and Storyline
The Fright Knights theme centered on the villainous Basil the Bat Lord, a wicked knight who, along with his black-armored soldiers, lived in a spooky castle in the Black Forest and commanded a witch named Willa.
Factions: The main "faction" was the Fright Knights themselves, identifiable by their black armor, red crests, and bat insignias.
Characters: Basil the Bat Lord was the leader, and Willa the Witch was a key character, often seen with a magic wand and a black cat.
Aesthetic: The sets featured a darker color palette of black, gray, red, and green, along with glow-in-the-dark elements like ghost figures and bat shields, a unique feature for a Castle theme at the time.
Notable Discontinued Sets
The sets are no longer available new from retailers but can be acquired through re-sellers.
Basil the Bat Lord's Castle (Set number: 6047): The main fortress of the theme, it featured a functional drawbridge and a prison cell.
Witch's Magic Manor (Set number: 6087): The unique, creepy house of Willa the Witch, built high in a tree using rare brown bricks and featuring a large, poseable spider.
Night Lord's Castle (Set number: 6097): The largest set in the theme, it featured a more substantial castle design and included King Leo's family, implying a conflict with the following Knights' Kingdom theme.
Cata-Pult (Set number: 6016): A small set featuring a functional catapult and a Fright Knight minifigure.
Dark Dragon (Set number: 6043): Featured a Fright Knight riding a brick-built black dragon.
Legacy and Related Themes
The Fright Knights theme introduced a memorable style and characters that were popular with fans. The central villain, Basil the Bat Lord, later made appearances in the 2000 Knights' Kingdom theme as a rival to King Leo. The current LEGO Icons Lion Knights' Castle (set 10305) includes an homage to the Fright Knights, as the alternate build on the box is designed to look like a castle from that era.